Lest We Forget

There has been a whole lot of remembrance stuff on the radio and television this weekend concerning the D-Day landings of WW2. I found it really poignant and humbling that we owe so much to these young men (and women) who gave so much for King and Country. We used the newsround website as a source for our assembly on Friday morning. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/d-day_/newsid_3773000/3773737.stm

The story of a 89 year old man leaving his care home to travel to Normandy really made me smile, He showed true spirit and determination.

Bernard Jordan, an 89-year-old D-Day veteran, was reportedly told by staff at the Pines nursing home in Furze Hill, also in England, that he couldn’t travel to Normandy to be with his comrades for the 70th anniversary of the famous invasion.
On Thursday, Jordan went missing. The nursing home called the police, informing them that the veteran hadn’t been seen since leaving at around 10:30 a.m. that morning, the Daily Mail reports.
So where did he go?
The Royal Navy veteran put on his war medals under a raincoat and met his former comrades on a coach. They arrived at a hotel in Ouistreham, northwestern France, about 12 hours later. He was going to Normandy — with or without permission.

Screengrab via the Daily Mail

Fitting in with my 'Adventure before Dementia' theme, here is a picture of Jock Hutton, another 89 year old veteran who parachuted into Normandy to recreate his drop of 70 years before.  I did a tandem parachute jump some years ago and can confirm without doubt, it was the most terrifying thing I have ever done.

Publisher

Tuesday's task was all about Publisher. I've used it before to create birthday cards and invitations and we were required to produce a tri-fold brochure to publicise an educational attraction.

I chose Eureka! It is one of my favourite museums and we used to go there a lot when our kids were smaller.

Here's my attempt at a brochure. I don't think Eureka Marketing and PR department will be knocking on my door any time soon!

 

 

It was fun making it and uploading it for assessment, all in one session. I hope to practise this a bit more to perfect this skill.

I'm working on my essay and the moment and have been reading some really good articles on ICT and the new Computing curriculum including the NAACE Primary Guidelines. Have a look at their website www.naace.co.uk/curriculum

It's true, I've been 'Certified'!

It took a little more than an hour and was lots of fun - but I can hold my hand to my heart and say that I can now generate code and make an angry bird follow my instructions! (If only I could do that with an angry 15 year old son.)

I thought that Paul's presentation about the new curriculum was very interesting, especially about Toomas Ilves the President of Estonia who had a fantastic attitude towards Programming. The year 2's in their schools are very competent ICT users and are writing their own programs.

Toomas Ilves, the President of Estonia

It is important that new technology is embraced as early as possible, if we have resistance to change or a 'let's wait and see' attitude, we would still be using quills and slates!

I'm really liking the new ICT curriculum with it's emphasis on programming and discovery. The entrepreneurs of tomorrow won't be found if all we do is follow tried and tested applications.

Don't you just love it when things go well....?

Well, the reading club is going well.  Much better than I expected. The kids are loving the Dick King-Smith story of the Hodgeheg, and I've been able to use my Smart Board presentation to bring the sessions to life!  Here is  a picture of one of the children using the activities on the Smart Board.

The actual Smartboard presentation has been submitted now and is awaiting grading, so fingers crossed! It certainly has the seal of approval from my Year 2's who have really enjoyed getting interactive and involved with the whiteboard. One child told me that my 'games' were so much better than her teacher's! I find it really helps the visual learners and helps to reinforce the points you are making verbally.
 

...

I used the excuse of good weather to go outside in the playground with some Year 3s during a maths lesson to help illustrate Venn Sorting diagrams. We were looking at some 2D shapes with the LO of deciding if they had parallel or perpendicular sides (or both!) The children loved being outside and the kinaesthetic/visual learning styles were addressed, as was my tan top-up!

Here is a picture of one of the hula hoop Venn Diagrams....

Who says maths isn't fun?

Halcyon days of Half-Term

Here's an artistic picture of the gravel...

 

It was very interesting trying to get ourselves understood at the depot and we ended up with "petit, blanc pierre pour le chemin avant la maison". Which literally translates as small, white stones for in front of house. I was very apprehensive as to what might be delivered and imagined pieces of chalk stockpiled in the doorway, but we seem to have got away with it.

Today there has been some sad news about the death of the Maya Angelou the civil rights activist author and poet. The title of my blog, adventure before dementia owes a little to her philosophy on life and one of her regularly quoted comments is very apt.

"I work very hard, and I play very hard. I'm grateful for life. And I live it - I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it." More wise words can be found at http://www.mayaangelou.com

India Project

  

We're doing a topic about India with our Year 3's at the moment and it's really been fun. We've been making Naan bread and a lentil dahl.  Recipes below. Also we've been learning how to wear a sari and have painted henna onto our hands.







 

Henna painted hands

 

 

Learning how to wear a sari

 

Links to Recipes

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/14107/lentil+dhal

 

 

 

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/29657/naan+bread

 

 

 



Here is a clip of Indian Dancing for you to enjoy

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/classical-indian-dance-kathak/9597.html   Here is a link to Indian Kathak Dancing too.

 






Smart Bored?

I've been working on my Smart board  (sorry Interactive Whiteboard) presentation. (Other IWB's are available!) I found it really useful that I could try it out on my Year 2's in a reading group that I do after school. 

As I said in the last post, the group are doing 'The Hodgeheg' by Dick King-Smith and my IWB presentation relates mostly to this.

It's really been fun thinking of different ways to take my 'hodgeheg' on journeys through the whiteboard. There are lots of kid-friendly activities using the 'rub and reveal' and 'drag and drop' functions.  I also found out how to use the 'activity builder' key.  When the IWB presentation is done, I'll post a copy on here so you can have a play!


Dick King-Smith is a very popular children's author who writes mostly about animals. Here is a you-tube video of another of his stories - Lady Lollipop.

The SATs tests for our Year 6's are over with now, phew! I'm glad that I work with the younger children, (Years 2 & 3) where there is not so much test-related stress. (although, our poor Year 1 and  2's have their phonics test next month!)

 http://www.education.gov.uk/sta/keystage1/a00198702/ks1assessment

Oooh la, la!
On a personal note, my latest stimulus of the grey matter (apart from this course, of course!) has been to take up not one, but two French language courses.  The first, on a Monday evening, is a small conversation group with 3 other people in a front room in Heptonstall. The second, on a Wednesday evening, is a much more formal affair with 10 others in a swish office in Manchester with L' Institut Francais.  The latter deals mostly with conjugation of French verbs, and as I cannot even conjugate an English verb, I am finding this tres difficile!