Construction of a building or a structure (model)

Last week students were assigned a task of constructing a model of any building or structure of their choice. They were supposed to maintain a journal to record the informations and experiences. They were encouraged to experiment and come out with their own solution. This activity enabled them to understand the concept of gravity. They realized the need to create a strong base in order to build a tall building. They also realized that the weight should be distributed in such a manner that the building stands erect. As most of their buildings/structures were made of paper, straw, ice-cream sticks, thread and wooden blocks, they had to be extra cautious. Many a times they switched on the fan at high speed to test the resistance of their buildings and structures. This often resulted in the buildings and strucrures disintegrating. However they kept up their spirit and rebuilt them every single time, till they were successful in their effort.
It was endearing to watch them understand the concepts of force and tension along with gravity through these activities.

Here are some pictures of the initial brainstorming session before begining the process of construction.

 

And now some glimpses of the final structures or buildings:

 

1) Statue of Liberty and Kabba

 

2) Pyramid Of Giza

 

3) Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

 

4) The White House

 

5) The Burj Khalifa

 

It was gratifying to see them put all their efforts into this activity and recreate the famous strcutures in their own way with the resources they could find in class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Useful websites for research on buildings and structures

You may enhance your knowledge on buildings through the given websites.

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/engineering/buildings.html (You will find sub-categories on the bottom right hand side of the page)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/index.html (Excellent website for sky scrapers, bridges, dams, tunnels and canals)
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/repair/house.htm (Video included)
http://natgeotv.com/in/megastructures/videos (Watch as many videos as possible - select from the option 'videos' or 'shows')

Some websites in Math - test your skills

Interactive games enables everyone to get clarity on any subject through interesting activities. They tickle your brain and help you understand concepts.
Below are some url's which have activities on shapes and angles. Browse through them.

http://ejad.best.vwh.net/java/patterns/patterns_j.shtml (for making patterns with few 2D shapes)

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/shapes/tangrams.html#Tessellations ( amblesideprimary) (topic- whats my angle?)

http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/protractor.html (construction of angles with a protractor)

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2numeracy-tools.html#angle (measuring angles with a protractor)

http://www.numeracyapps.co.uk/fruitpicker/ (pick 6 apples in 6 shots)

http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/angleshapes.html (slightly higher level- amblesideprimary- angle activities)

Dear students below is a website which you can use to make a calender. You may try to use it. LandmarksCalendarStudentHandout-9oct12.docx

The field trip

This week the students of grade 5 got a chance to visit the Chaumahala Palace. They saw the clothes, jewellery, artillery, cutlery, furnitures and vehicles used by some of the Nizams' of Hyderabad. This gave them an idea about the lifestyle and culture of the Nizam's of Hyderabad. Here are some snapshots from the field trip.

Homework

As you all must be knowing, the school is closed tomorrow. We have set up some work for the students to do at home.

There is a 'Reading Bingo' sent home. The students need to complete 3-4 tasks in their reading journals.

For Math, the students can practise word problems on http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-4/add-numbers-up-to-millions-word-problems and on http://www.mathplayground.com/NewThinkingBlocks/thinking_blocks_addition_subtraction.html

Use mental math as far as possible.

Websites

A very good and useful website for concepts in Math is www.thinkingblocks.com. The website enables conceptual understanding and offers a choice of word problems for practice.

www.primaryresources.co.uk is a website for all subjects.

These websites are equipped with concepts and content. You may brouse through them.

Students had come up with exciting patterns to show their understanding of the concept of pattern. The activity was followed by patterns we see in our daily lives. This helped the students connect to number patterns. 

Highlights continued

Some exciting artefacts from various countries, which initiated the students to put on their thinking hats.

Students analysed the similarities and differences between cultures thorugh the atefatcs.

The concept of 'Place Value' was reinforced through a game. The students showed keen interest in the game and in the process, had more clarity on the 'place value' of numbers.

Highlights of the month of August

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In the second week of school, students got involved in the Unit Of Inquiry by making their own 'Central Idea' for the topic.

It's an all new experience!

My dear students and parents,
This BLOG is for YOU!...

Dear Students,
Let your thoughts flow and your creative juices ooze out. Share your experiences and your learnings. Let others learn from you and you learn from others.......

Remember, if you have an 'idea' and I have an 'idea' and each of us keep it to ourselves, each of us live and die with one 'idea' each. But if we share, both of us have two ideas each...that's the power of 'knowledge sharing'...

So go ahead and explore.......as someone said.. 'GO KISS THE WORLD'!

Dear Parents,
We look forward to hearing from you too!

Thanks