Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Year 6 Blog

At our school we have a blog for each grade. Why don't you visit all the other blogs and leave a comment. They would enjoy it.

Year 6 - http://stjosephsy610.blogspot.com

Monday, August 9, 2010

X-tra-normal...

Year Four has been working online using the website xtranormal.com to create mini-movies to present their writing from Literacy group time.

Last week's task was to write a conversation between themselves and our Prime Minister about computers in schools, the environment, or another topic of interest.

The students then had to enter each piece of dialogue into the online program and tell the characters exactly what/how to say/do. Even the camera angles needed to be considered!

Here is some of our work so far...





Well done Year Four!!!
Miss W.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Year Four Song

Hey There,

Upon popular request, the first version of our Year Four song is now up and ready for some listening, grooving but also some critique - What could we add to our song for our next recording? I know that I would LOVE to hear some of your beautiful voices rather than mine!

Are you up for challenge Year 4??!

Let's have a listen, have a think and work towards a final recording in a few weeks.

Stay tuned!

Miss W. 




Thursday, June 10, 2010

Art making and creating...

Recently Year Four has been exploring and experiencing themselves as artists. We used Charcoal as a medium to capture the faces of our friends - with some very artistic and humourous results!











We also looked at the 'art' of creating depth in a painting... notice how our desert becomes a deeper red in the distance and how our trees look different sizes depending on how close or far away they are. Aren't we talented?





Finally we experimented with oil pastels on black cardboard and the effects of using coloured paper to draw the viewers eye to particular parts of our vases.



Well done Year Four... your artworks are stunning! :)





Keep Creating!
Miss W.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Frozen Heart

Welcome again to the Year Four Blog...

Some students today reminded me of the very "cool" unit we did last term in Personal Development and Health.

While learning about our own values and feelings, we also looked at how our actions can impact other people. We discussed about how our hearts can become hard and cold (just like ice!) when we feel hurt or sad by something someone else said or did.

We saw this shown in the example of the Freddo chocolates inside the block of ice. The block of ice represents our hearts when our feelings have been hurt. Even though it feels cold and hard, there is always still 'good stuff' inside! We talked about the different ways we can help others to 'melt' their heart... by doing and saying kind things and by looking after one another.

We wrapped up this unit by watching the The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe... where we saw that the children's ability to love and look out for each other helped to 'melt' the world of Narnia and allow Springtime to come.

We will be continuing to learn about ourselves and our relationships with each other this term.


Miss W.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Term Two: How do People's Beliefs Affect their Lives?



This unit provides opportunities for students to explore major religions and belief codes including aboriginal spirituality. The unit focuses on how religions and belief codes influence individuals and groups. Children will also be given opportunities to make informed judgements about whom and what they value in their community.

Throughout this term we will be adding symbols, rituals and traditions from the 6 major religions in our world: Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Term One Unit: Natural Occurrences

Students from Year 4 have been working on creating their own wiki's during class time, they have researched various Natural Occurrences. They designed different layouts and were able to even add links to various You Tube clips to support their research.


Natural disasters

A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard (e.g. flood, tornado, volcano eruption, earthquake, or landslide) that affects the environment, and leads to financial, environmental and/or human losses. The resulting loss depends on the capacity of the population to support or resist the disaster, and their resilience. This understanding is concentrated in the formulation: "disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability."A natural hazard will hence never result in a natural disaster in areas without vulnerability, e.g. strong earthquakes in uninhabited areas.

The term natural has consequently been disputed because the events simply are not hazards or disasters without human involvement. Natural disasters are common in Chile.

By Geo
rgie. P, Sam, Jai


We are talking about tsunami, a tsunami happened in Asia during 2004.
A tsunami can be two metre's tall, tsunami's can happen at most beaches, schools near a beach have tsunami warnings.

Tsunami happens when there is an underground earthquake, tsunami cause a lot of death!!!


By Alan and Caelum


We are going to talk about volcanoes.

A volcano can create a cloud of acid. Volcanoes erupt when hot molten rock boils to the surface. On some volcanoes, the hot molten rocks collapse after a heavy eruption. Magma causes different types of volcano eruptions.

As lava and ash cool after repeated eruptions the ash builds up to make the volcano. The ash can cause damage to the lungs. The volcano can erupt after an earthquake or very heavy events. After earthquakes it can form a crack in the earths surface that will allow magma, lava and hot gas rise to the surface.

The name volcano has it's origin from the name "Vulcan" a god of fire in roman mythology. Volcanoes are like giant safety valves that release pressure that builds up inside the earth. There are around 1510 'active' volcanoes in the world. We currently know of 80 or more which are under the oceans. Over half of the world’s volcanoes arise in a belt around the Pacific Ocean called the Ring of Fire.By Abi and Georgie


Hi welcome to our wiki packed full of information about volcanoes.

The earth is made up of three layers called Crust, Core and the Mantle.
Volcanoes occur all around the world in different places. Just look at this video above.

When the magma under the earth explodes it then becomes lava. A volcano is made up of three parts and they are called the Magma Chamber, the Vent and the Ash and Cinder Layers. A volcano is built by burn down ash. When a volcano explodes it looks like fire woks.
By Amy and Bethany


A tornado is like a spinning funnel made of air. They reach down from giant thunderstorms. The winds can blow up to 480 kilometres an hour. That's twice as fast as an express train! Tornadoes can rip trees from the ground and destroy houses.
By Bailey


Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Tornadoes must always be taken seriously. Tornadoes can be very dangerous -- sometimes even deadly. They come from powerful thunderstorms and appear as rotating, funnel-shaped clouds. Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour. They cause damage when they touch down on the ground. The ability to predict tornadoes is limited. Usually a community will have at least a few minutes warning. The most important thing to do is TAKE SHELTER when a tornado is nearby.

Some tornadoes are clearly visible, while rain or nearby low-hanging clouds obscure others.
Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still. A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.

How can we protect ourselves from a tornado?

Step 1
Move down to the lowest level in your home. Tornados only stay on the ground for an average of 20 minutes. During this time, they can rise and come down over and over. This means that, even if you don't have a basement, the safest level in your home is the ground level.
Step 2
Place yourself into an interior room if you do not have a basement. This could be a closet if nothing else. If you do have a basement, move under the stairs. Stairs and the stairwell are extremely sturdy. This is one of the safest places in your home.
Step 3
Crawl under a heavy table or hold a large book over your head. This is to protect your head and neck from flying debris. It is possible the roof could collapse. This is why a sturdy table is recommended.
Step 4
Surround yourself with couch cushions. Try to create as many barriers between you and the tornado. Couch cushions will soften any blows flying debris could cause to your body.
Step 5
Hold on to something secured to the ground. To rnadoes move at incredible speeds. This makes the pressure inside a tornado very low and low pressure creates sucking. If a tornado charges over your house, the only chance you have of staying in place is to hold on tightly to a secured object. This could be the stairs, floorboards, or anything else that looks sturdy.
By Brandon

Hello my name is Connor, I am going to tell you about floods. A flood is when a river or stream over flows because to much rain falls into rivers or streams and floods near by towns. Peoples cars and houses can be washed away by the floods rushing waters. If you have a computer it will not work after a flood.
By Connor


Welcome to Declans and Alan's wiki about Earthquakes. Earthquakes are one of the most dangerous, and powerful natural occurrences. Earthquakes happened recently in Chile. A Earthquake can kill thousands of people. Earthquakes can make Fissure (Fissure is a large crack on the ground), they also can cause a tsunami through an underground earthquake.

By Declan and Alan


Our wiki is about volcanoes.

Firstly the new layers of ash make a cone. Inside the volcano there is hot magma this is only called lava when it's erupted.

Check out the video we found.

I hope that when you watch our youtube video you learn something about volcanoes.

The ash is like thick grey snow.
By Ebony, Rufaro and Vongi


A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. When pressure builds up, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments. Eruptions can cause lateral blasts, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, avalanches, falling ash and floods. Volcano eruptions have been known to knock down entire forests. An erupting volcano can trigger tsunamis, flashfloods, earthquakes, mudflows and rockfalls.

Active volcanoes in the U.S. are found mainly in Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington. The greatest chance of eruptions near areas where many people live is in Hawaii and Alaska. The danger area around a volcano covers about a 20-mile radius. In May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington state. It killed 58 people and caused more than $1 billion in property damage.


Fresh volcanic ash, made of pulverized rock, can be harsh, acidic, gritty, glassy and smelly. The ash can cause damage to the lungs of older people, babies and people with respiratory problems.
By Georgia, Jai, Sam


Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earth’s surface. Earthquakes happen along "fault lines" in the earth’s crust. Earthquakes can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than one minute. Earthquakes cannot be predicted -- although scientists are working on it!

Most of the time, you will notice an earthquake by the gentle shaking of the ground. You may notice hanging plants swaying or objects wobbling on shelves. Sometimes you may hear a low rumbling noise or feel a sharp jolt. A survivor of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco said the sensation was like riding a bicycle down a long flight of stairs.

The intensity of an earthquake can be measured. One measurement is called the Richter scale. Earthquakes below 4.0 on the Richter scale usually do not cause damage, and earthquakes below 2.0 usually can’t be felt. Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause damage. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake is considered strong and a magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake. The Northridge Earthquake, which hit Southern California in 1994, was magnitude 6.7.

Check this site out.
By Jai, Sam Georgia


Hi, our names are Peter and Ben. We are telling you about the Earthquake in Chile. On the weekend Chile fell to pieces because there was a massive earthquake. There was a lot of damage and lives were lost. Buildings crashed down, airport's shut down and communication has been interrupted. There was looting in throughout the city.
By Peter and Ben


Flooding happens during heavy rains, when rivers overflow, when ocean waves come onshore, when snow melts too fast or when dams or levees break.

THINGS TO KNOW:
Flooding may be only a few inches of water or it may cover a house to the rooftop. Floods that happen very quickly are called flash floods. Flooding is the most common of all natural hazards. It can happen in every U.S. state and territory.

Important terms to know:

* Flood Watch or Flashflood Watch -- Flooding may happen soon. Stay tuned to the radio or television news for more information. If you hear a flashflood warning, talk to an adult immediately!

* Flood Warning -- You may be asked to leave the area. A flood may be happening or will be very soon. Tell an adult if you hear a flood warning. If you have to leave the area, remember to bring your Disaster Supply Kit and make arrangements for your pets.

* Flashflood Warning -- A flashflood is happening. Get to high ground right away. Tell an adult!

By Sam