Frank Stella art!

We wanted to try our hand at some abstract art this term. We combined our learning with construction, our P.E focus and a fun art intensive day!

Frank Stella likes to create his art to depict the movement in sports. We studied one piece he did to show the movement in a formula 1 car race! This is his effort. Can you see the race cars burning around the track? (See http://www.nga.gov/kids/stella/stella2.htm# for the complete slideshow.)



We learnt that abstract art is like charades; you get some clues from the artist and have to work out what they are showing you. We learnt how to do this by using colour, texture, shape and 3d construction to show movement and emotion.

We used card and paint, with a number of different painting techniques, to create these pieces.




Can you guess what sport we are depicting? Use the clues in the colours and movement of the art to help you!

Market day!

We had a fantastic market day on Wednesday. Our class shop made lots of snidges. We learnt about how to price a product, lower or raise the cost depending on the demand and the effort that goes into selling. It took some patience to demonstrate our products to people!

You can see the excitement in our faces. If we had a market day again we would try to make more products and change our pricing.


Some of us learnt that when you have run out of money, you have run out of money. Did you know that you can't just ask for more - you have to earn it!


You can see each teams part of our shop in their market day challenge post. Ask your child to explain some more about how their product sold and what they learnt about designing, making, pricing and selling a product! You never know who the future entrepreneurs could be!

Market day Challenge update photos!

Have a look at the update photos for each Market day challenge group.



Click on the title of each groups post and see some pictures of the class making their products. We're making products to sell in our class shop next week. They have to have mechanisms of some kind. Can you guess what they are?



You can find a quick link to each post by clicking on connected in the side bar on the right.

Super Kid Chair

Check out our 'superkid' chair. It's ergonomic which means, I think, that it's really good for your back. We like to bounce on it while we work.

The superkid gets passed around the class each day and you have be a great role model in the class to be chosen. They get to sit on the chair, take notices to the office, lead the class at the front of a line and be Mr Herring's special helper!

Class update!

You may have noticed some changes about how the class is set up.

We have placed the computers in the middle of the room (we can fit more people around them) and we no longer have any mat space. This has meant a change to how we do things but we are working that out. (I think the children are enjoying not sitting on the floor, for a while.)

It was great to see so many parents at the interviews this week. It was also great to celebrate the children's progress as most have improved in many areas. They should be very proud of their success and I hope you are having some great conversations about what they have achieved!

I hope you are still taking some time, with your child, to look through the posts. We hope that it will stir some 'chatter' about what's happening at school and what they are learning. I know the children are enjoying being 'famous on the net!'

Don't forget to make comments! Click on the comment tab at the bottom and click 'other' to post your name.

Have a great weekend!

Football Rotations

We are learning how to pass and trap the ball for our P.E unit, Football (this is what it should be called, not 'soccer'!).

We're practising our skills during a fitness rotation that keeps us moving and active. It's good to stand in line as little as possible.

Have a look at us using the insides of our feet to control the ball!

Devin's Team - Market Day Challenge!

Here's Devin's team and their shop. They sold their product for 10 - 15 snidges!

Click on the comments below to read our progress.

Samuel's Team - Market Day Challenge!

Here's Samuels shop. They sold their catapults in record time and charged 100 snidges plus for each one!

Click on the comments below to read our progress.

Zia's Team - Market Day Challenge!

Here's Zia's teams shop. They sold their codes for lots of snidges.

Click on the comments below to read our progress.

Kelly's Team - Market challenge

Here's Kelly's team's shop. They sold lots of their product.

Click on the comments below to read our progress.

Market Day Challenge!

Our new co-operative groups are planning, designing and evalauating a product to sell at our market day. The products must involve a mechansim and easy to make.

The posts above have comments from the students as they move through the process. We will add photos and comments to the group post as we go.

Click on the post and view the comments.

Computer Experts!

Congratulations to these people who will be trained as experts in our class;

Simon Poole, Dylan Minshull, Courtenay Brown, Megan Skolmen, Andrew Mercer and Caitlyn Avery.

Thanks to everyone who posted their comment. I will be giving training to others who missed out next term.

Peter and the Wolf

Riverdale School was treated to a performance of "Peter and the Wolf" from a puppet company today. Our class wrote some recounts of what we saw and heard!

"Today we watched a very old finished show. I saw a duck, a bird, a cat, Peter, the grandfather and a hunter. We heard lots of music. My favourite instrument was the flute. I felt happy and excited. The show was really funny. It made the school laugh. I thought it was cool. My favourite character was the wolf!" By Maia Luxford-Sullivan

"I think the performance was good and I liked the wolf. He was funny and Peter was a little cool when he did that flip. When it finished, Andrew had to stand up. I think Andrew will become a natural one day." By Devin Stonham