Maths Week! 6.2.20

Maths week! 7.2.20

This week we have been learning about all this maths! Especially space maths! We have been reading lots of non-fiction books and watching videos to find out more about astronauts and what it is like for them when they travel into space. We have been thinking about all the maths that an astronaut might need, from counting to measuring to recording during their experiments. We have also been learning more about the International Space Station (ISS); we even hoped to see it travel over our heads yesterday evening! (Well done to the super space explorers who spotted it! I hope you waved to the astronauts on board!). We found out that the ISS travels at 17,000 miles per hour! This prompted a class discussion about how fast things travel (and what is the fastest!!). We also discussed how we could measure how fast something is travelling. 

As a maths week learning challenge, on Tuesday we worked in teams to follow the clues and complete the counting hunt challenge! We used clipboards and the challenge sheet, looking for the clues in the playground. We had to work together to find the pictures, counting how many of them there were on the clue. We used our top tips for good counting, making sure we pointed to each picture, saying the numbers in order and only counting each picture once. We then wrote the number next to the picture on our sheet to record how many we counted. We used the number formation rhymes to help us. We used encouraging words and supported each other when it was tricky. We found all the clues, counting up the pictures carefully!! There were 10 clues altogether! Super counting and number writing, everyone!

We also applied our maths learning to space-themed baking! We followed a recipe to make space rock cakes! First we read the recipe and ingredients list, making sure we had everything we needed. We noticed the numbers on the recipe, starting from 1 and counting in order. We realised that they were the 'steps' to follow. We decided it's important to have numbers in a recipe to make sure the steps are completed in the right order! We also noticed numbers on the ingredients list. These were representing the measurements, telling us how much flour, sugar and butter to use. We needed to use the scales to measure how heavy the ingredients were, using the numbers to measure in grams. We watched the numbers on the scales change as more flour was put in the bowl! We made sure our weights were correct to the gram!! Some of the ingredients needed to be measured with a spoon. We looked at the difference between a teaspoon and a dessertspoon. We counted 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. When all the ingredients were measured we mixed them together (Miss Stephens used her fingers to squeeze the butter into the flour to make 'bread crumbs'). We then had a turn, scooping out some mixture on a spoon and moulding it into a space rock shape. They were baked in the oven until nicely browned. The classroom smelt very yummy! We then sprinkled our rock cakes with a little 'star dust' and packaged them up to take home. We included the recipe sheet in case you fancy making more at home! We hope they were yummy!

At the beginning of this week we had a visit from Pantosaurus, the dinosaur from the 'Talk PANTS' NSPCC campaign. We talked about Pantosaurus' 5 easy rules for keeping safe. We learnt that what's under our pants is private and just for us, no one should ask to see or touch. Sometimes trusted adults like doctors or family members might have to but they should always ask first and explain why. In the song Pantosaurus explained that; what's in your pants belongs only to you, you always have the right to say no and no means no. He also said it's important to talk about secrets that upset you; you should talk to a grown-up that you trust like a family member or teacher. They will help you and make everything okay. 

We sang along to the Pantosaurus song and met Pantosaurus the dinosaur in our classroom! He danced along to the song with us and gave us stickers and high-fives! Here is a link to the song if you want a sing along at home (it's very catchy!!) https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/underwear-rule/.

Have a restful weekend everyone! We look forward to seeing you for our last week of space learning and our Space Party! (Learning Exposure on Thursday 13^th February at 2.45pm- all parents/family members welcome). 

Miss Stephens & Mrs Tite