EXCITING EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS IN AMAZON CLASS!

The children in Amazon Class learnt about endothermic and exothermic reactions in science today. The lesson started by thinking about how the reaction in an ice-pack will cause it to become very cold (an endothermic reaction), whereas the chemical reaction in a handwarmer will cause it to heat up (an exothermic reaction).

The children then explored exothermic reactions in more depth by investigating what happens to the temperature of the mixture when Calcium carbonate is added to water. They asked the question: How does the volume of calcium carbonate affect the temperature of water?

A large part of the lesson focused on assessing and mitigating risk. You will notice in the pictures that the children are wearing goggles, aprons and gloves to avoid getting calcium carbonate onto their skin or in their eyes (as it can be an irritant) and that they are using a long-arm-pour technique to keep the reactants away from their faces.

The children were really interested to learn that there is a direct link between the quantity of CaCl2 and the temperature of the water, which on the fifth repetition heated up to more than 400C!

We would like to thank Mr Burroughs with providing us with the idea and some of the equipment from Hartismere High School.

Animals with Moving Heads

Well done to children in Amazon Class, who have completed a great DT topic on ‘Animals with Moving Heads’!  

To start with, we looked at some adverts for moving toys on the market, including a very old one for Action Man with a moving eyes lever!  We then used our theme, Endangered Animals, to research an animal and how its mouth moved.  The next step was our prototype when we had a go at creating the 3-d model and adding a crank or lever mechanism, to make the mouth or tongue move.  This was the tricky bit! 

 Finally, we used what we learned from making our prototypes to create our final products.  We decided to use thicker card.  Lots of us used a crank mechanism for waggling tongues; a few of us had a lever for nodding heads.  We even had a few flapping wings!  I was really impressed with the way children worked on the detail, to make their models really professional. Then, as you do, we had a great discussion, or evaluation, to talk about what we enjoyed about this topic, what we found easy and what was downright fiddly!  Great work, Amazon Class – your creativity is amazing!

THE RACE TO THE POLE

Children in Amazon Class braved the relentless storms and cold of the Antarctic in class today as they took part in some drama in preparation for a unit of diary writing based on Robert Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. Wrapping themselves up in their coats, scarves and hats, and retreating into the warmth of their sleeping bags, they reflected on the feelings, thoughts and words of Scott’s team as they reached the pole only to find they had been beaten by the Norwegians. These sepia-toned pictures capture the children’s battles with frostbite and crushing disappointment.

I hope they are able to warm up over the weekend. We’ll share their finished diaries as soon as we can.

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN MAKE PLASTIC FROM MILK?

The children in Amazon Class found out that casein plastic, which was commonly used at the start of the 20th Century to make buttons, buckles and other plastic trinkets, can be made by mixing warm milk and white vinegar. The experiment was part of our investigation into reversible and irreversible changes. A full report, in the form of Professors Hardy, Roome and Gibson’s interviews with Radio 4 can be read here.

GIRLS ACHIEVE BRONZE IN THE HSSSP GIRLS’ FOOTBALL COMPETITION!

On a beautifully mild and sunny afternoon, nine of our key stage 2 girls went to Hartismere High School for the High Suffolk girls’ football tournament. 

These games were short (12 minutes), seven-a-side and with no half-time change.  In the first round, Fressingfield played six games, aiming for enough points to go through to the next round.  For each game, the girls needed to quickly sort themselves into a team of seven, working out who was attack, defence and goalie, and who would be substitute.

In the first game, Imogen scored two goals in rapid succession.  What a positive start that was!  Quite near the start, we realised that the sun was bright, and this affected the goalkeepers’ ability to see.  As a consequence, we decided to make sure our goalies got to the right end of the pitch for each game!

Harriet and India both took it in turns to be in goal, and did a great job defending the goal mouth.  Amy was also in goal once, making a magnificent save!  Jasmine was an absolute little terrier – wherever the ball was, Jasmine seemed to be there.  What incredible fitness that player has!  Bonnie was very enthusiastic, and did a good job of marking some strong opponents.  Ella’s strength was strategy, and she played a great role in deciding who was on or off, and what position they played.  Sophia used her match experience in hockey to be in the right place, at the right time.  Eden and Imogen used their experience as local club players to make some great tackles, and move the ball nicely towards goal. 

In the first round, Fressingfield played six games.  They won four, drew one and lost one.  They even felt proud about losing the one match, as some of the opponents were clearly very experienced players.  Because of the points scored in those games, Fressingfield went on to the play-offs, for bronze medal position.  A confident, early goal from Jasmine meant that, from the start, Fressingfield had the edge.  They held onto the 1-0 lead until the final whistle, to gain a well-deserved third place.

Mrs Scott and Ms Perry were so impressed by the girls’ attitude throughout the entire afternoon.  Showing all our sporting values of honesty, respect, determination, passion, teamwork and self-belief, our girls’ team made us proud!

Turner Prize-winning Artist Chris Ofili

Children in Amazon Class have been learning about the Turner Prize-winning Artist Chris Ofili and his artwork. Inspired by his West African heritage, the artist created his famous work, named Afrodizzia. In fact, he made several copies of this abstract work. Unlike Chris Ofili, we did NOT use elephant dung in our paintings, but built up layers using oil pastels and thick poster paint. We have tried to show the energy of Ofili’s work in our own pieces – and, as you can see, have done a pretty good job!