Making our Mangonels

Making a Mangonel

'Use It' part of Inquiry
Making a Mangonel

Today we used all our information about levers and other simple machines to make a mangonel.

A mangonel is a medieval siege weapon which was used to launch rocks and other projectiles at high speeds to knock down fortifications. Traditional mangonels used a twisted rope to provide power. However, this design uses a rubber band. This is not the most accurate mangonel design there is, but it is one of the easiest to make. Later today we will add our photos.

ICT EXPO

Today the Upper Clutha Schools (Wanaka Primary, Hawea Flat, Tarras, Holy Family and Makarora)held an ICT Expo. It was a great success. We had lots of people looking at what the schools have been doing during their time on the ICT Contract (High Altitude). We were all very proud of the children and their teachers. Well done everyone!

Simple Machines

Today we were engineers! We had to work with a partner or on our own to devise a plan using simple machines to help a large dog with back problems get into the back of a truck. The dog cannot jump on its own, and is too heavy for the owner to lift. We had to draw our machine or solution and write about how it works. We had to use our new knowledge about simple machines to design a compound or complex machine to do this job.

Using the Elements of Drama

Click on the NZ Curriculum link to find out more about some of the elements and conventions we have been learning about

Pulleys at Work

This morning we used pulleys to lift a bucket of sand. This is what we found out.
If you pull down on the rope, the load lifts up.
Using a double pulley makes lifting easier than with a single pulley.
Using a pulley saves your back
Less effort is needed to lift the bucket of sand
Lifting the sand by hand means you lift the bucket up, but when you use apulley you pull down.
Pulleys change the direction of the force.
The length of the rope determines the amount of force needed.
Wow! Great learning guys. I'm proud of you all!

Home Fun

There is no home fun this week but we will be having our weekly multiplication test and Sounds Alive test. Make sure you learn your times tables so you get your best score yet! Revise those sounds for your spelling test too!
Please get any 'One Day School' enrolment questionnaires in asap.

Can You Fill It?

Try out this game. Click the pots to pour water into the container. Click here to begin.

Volume - Capacity

Tomorrow we will begin to measure how much a container holds or how much you can take out of a container. To measure volume in NZ we use a metric system using these units - kilolitres, litres and millilitres. Learn the units below to help you during our unit.

kilolitre = kl
litre = l
millilitre = ml

1kilolitre = 1000 l
1 litre = 1000 ml

Our Simple Machines!

Wheel & Axle Experiment

WALT... make a windmill to understand how a wheel and axle work
... follow instructions carefully
... experiment with changing the size of the windmill and/or type of paper used
... write up experiment using correct format as modelled
Today we made a windmill to help us understand how wheel-and-axle machines work.
Question: How does a wheel and axle work?
Prediction:I think that...
Materials: Windmill template (2 sizes), pencil or hole punch,scissors, strew, small child made paper cup, piece of string (51cm) and 2 rubber bands
Method:
1. Make up windmill by following instructions on sheet. Make hole in through centre circle.
2. Insert straw through the centre hole.
3. Fold each corner along dotted line. Insert straw through each hole. Slide the windmill to the centre of the straw
4. Wrap a rubber band around the straw on each side of the windmill to keep it in place.
5. Punch 2 holes on either side of the cup you have made. Thread one end of string through both holes and tie it to the middle of the string. Tie the other end of the string to one end of the straw.
6. Hole the straw with both hands. Blow the windmill
Result:
The windmill turned and the straw turned around too. This wound the string and lifted the cup. We needed to make sure that the windmill and straw moved together as one and that the string didn't slip as the straw turned.

Mass - Weight

Room Ten remember this...

tonne = t

kilogram = kg

gram = g

milligram = mg

1 tonne = 1000 kilograms

1 kilogram= 1000 grams

1gram = 1000 milligrams

Designing a complex machine from lots of simple machines

WALT ... listen to two funny poems about machines ( 'The Homework Machine' & 'The Marvellous Homework & Housework Machine')
... use simple machines to design a complex machine to do jobs that you don't like doing
... use drawing & sketching techniques
... label different parts of the machine or write a short description (optional)
... orally explain the machine to the class

Today we used our knowledge of simple machines to design a machine that would help make our lives easier. Take a look at some of the inventions. What a lot of great work today guys. Great fun too!

Aerial Screws

WALT... observe the screw action
... follow instructions
... make the aerial screw accurately
... make necessary adjustments

Today we made our helicopters to help us see the screw action. We had to make adjustments to weight and size. Someone even suggested changing the type of paper or card we used. Hopefully we will make some more at the weekend at home.

Making a cool helicopter - an aerial screw!

We are going to make these. Watch out for our flying screws! You might like to try this at home this weekend and fly them with your family or friends.
WALT... follow instructions written, verbally and visually
... make an aerial screw helicopter
... explain the science ideas you see


Making A Cool Helicopter From Paper - The best free videos are right here

Pulleys

What is a pulley?

Pulley
A pulley is a wheel with grooves around the rim. The pulley turns as a string moves over the wheel and a load is raised as the string is pulled. Examples of a pulley are a flag pole a crane pulley, blinds, rock climbing pulley and a boat winch.

Click on the graphic to play Simple Machine Concentration

Simple Machines Game - Goldburger to Go!

Play this great game called 'Goldburger to Go!' It uses lots of simple machines.

Can you name the pulley?

Report Writing

Over the past week we have discussed all the things that need to go into our reports. We have read reports watched power points about reports and found reports on the internet.
Here is the criteria we will use for our reports on a simple. Today we took notes by surfing, slurping and summarising.
We will use a question for our title
The opening statement classifies the subject of the report
The writing has paragraphs, each one focusing on a different aspect
Topic sentences are used
The writing has paragraphs, each one focusing on a different aspect
Topic sentences are used
Diagrams, illustrations or photographs are often used
Present tense verbs are used
Verbs for describing and classifying (is, are, has, have, belongs to) are used
Action verbs are used to describe behaviours (moves, lifts, lowers, joins)
Scientific or technical reports focus on classes of things (screws, wedges, inclined planes)
Descriptive language that is factual rather than imaginative (screws are actually inclined planes) is used
Nouns (wedges, inclined planes, wheels, axles) and noun phrases ( All the the screws turn... or An inclined plane has sloping... )are used rather than personal pronouns (I, me you us, he she etc)

Screw Experiment

WALT ... explore how a screw works
... write up an experiment using the correct format
Today we explore screws by doing an investigation. This experiment demonstrates how a screw is really an incline plane.
Materials
Pencil, papers, colored felt tip marker, scissors.
Procedure
1. Cut a right triangle from the paper. The dimensions should be about 23 cm x 13 cm
2. Use the felt tip marker to colour the longest edge of the triangle.
3. Position the shortest edge (13 cm) of the triangle along the side of the pencil and wrap
the paper around the pencil by rolling the pencil. Be sure to do this evenly.
Results
Wrapping the paper around the pencil makes it look like a screw.

Enviro Group's Fund Raising Venture

Today we had a dress up day. You could either wear your PJ's or a celebrity. Proceeds go to the Enviro Group Project.
Can you guess who some of our celebrities are?