P6 Mr Gaston
Thanks for visiting.
There are twenty-three wonderful pupils along with three classroom assistants (Mrs Gill, Mrs Surgenor and Mrs Burrows).
Each day is full of fun, practical activities and I hope to give you a tiny glimpse into what it's like inside our classroom.
If you wish to get in touch, please email at mgaston564@c2kni.net
Please come back for another visit as we continue to add to the page.
We had the privilege of inviting in Shirlie Gregg from the Ulster Scots Agency, who taught us all about Thomas Andrews, the Titanic's architect. We did some practical experiments on floating/sinking and thought about why certain items float and why others sink. It was a great afternoon and thank you to Shirlie and the Ulster Scots Agency for all the hard work that went into preparing the workshop!
We worked on the AI Exercise tool on the Microbits. The pupils trained up the Microbit computer model to recognise various actions, therefore giving the Microbits a type of artificial intelligence (AI) of its own. The model was then able to recognise various actions, such as jumping, walking etc. The P6s worked wonderfully well and showed their ability to code!
The P6s took some first steps with 3D Design using the Tinkercad app on the iPads. We worked on some house designs. Excellent job P6s!
We were fortunate to have a special guest from Kainos (Software Company in Belfast) who helped lead our Microbits and Robotics session. The pupils navigated the robots around an obstacle course after downloading the code. This gave pupils an introduction into using radio waves as well, as these are used to transit the code to the Microbit controller.
The pupils re-used their DC motors/battery packs from the airplanes project, and then used some gears to propel their cars. It was an amazing effort and the P6s learned lots of new skills as well as being a great help to each other.
We had a great time building our aeroplanes. We’ve been studying the forces that impact upon an aeroplane and also linking this in with our Titanic/Edwardians topic. The Edwardian era was an ambitious time and we’ve looked at the Wright brothers and the famous advances they made with their first sustained flight of an engine-powered aircraft.
The P6s showed some amazing creativity in making circuits.
The class worked brilliantly on Minecraft to build their virtual Titanic shipwrecks.
The class coded some Morse Code signals to send between the Microbits (using the Microbit radio signals). This was to remember the desperate attempts the Titanic made to send distress signals (via Morse Code) to other ships.
The P6s enjoyed making some cardboard cars and we linked this in with Children's Mental Health Week. We explored how it can help us feel good to create things, whether that is pieces of artwork, or in this case-a cardboard car! Great work P6s!
We had the privilege of welcoming Anna from NI Water to the class. We all learned so much about the work that NI Water do to make sure we have safe water to drink/use and how we can play our part in protecting the water network by not flushing things that will clog the system up. The P6s participated really well!
Royal Navy STEM Ambassadors' Visit
Vikings Trip-North Down Museum
We have enjoyed using the micro:bit to do some coding. The class coded a song using crocodile clips and a mini-keyboard they'd designed (using some tin foil as the conducting material). It was great fun and the class have learned a lot, particularly how to use the pins on the micro:bit. Amazing work P6s!
Microbits.mp4
We have been sharpening our coding skills using the Micro:bit and we coded a Times Tables game.
The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer. It has an LED light display, buttons, sensors and many input/output features that pupils can program and physically interact with.
We use Just2Easy for our research projects and to make animations. We will also be accessing the Just2Easy Titanic database.
The P6s did some amazing work on researching the Vikings.
Just2Easy Vikings Homework
Pupils get lots of opportunities to enjoy World Around Us topics and J2 Homework is great for giving pupils some extra practice at showing what they have learned.
The P6s have been really enjoying their class novel so far. It's called 'Wonder' by R.J Palacio. It's helped us think through some big questions around how people who are seen as 'different' are treated in society.
We use lots of songs and videos to help with our learning. As well as songs, we get to engage with quizzing sites like Kahoot and Quizizz. These online quizzes help us with our maths, literacy and WAU topics. Mathletics and Bug Club are brilliant too, and these tools combine to enhance each pupil's learning experience.
