Solar Ovens And Moon Landings

This term our 'My Place, Our World' theme is taking an Earth systems direction. In Room 14 we have been learning all about both the Sun and the Moon through some projects we have been engaged in.

Following on from Kelli's IP presentation last term about Neil Armstrong, there was some debate in the Room 14 audience about whether the Moon landings have really happened. There were a large number of children who wanted to investigate this further. So, both the Avengers and Flashes groups have been researching this issue, using many sources of information and looking to find proof for claims that have been made by people.

























Both groups have been moving their names along a 'Yes' or 'No' continuum as they find more information. This is the 'Tug of War' routine. Some names have moved back and forth several times!

Jade and Kelli surveyed our teachers. What did they think?























With so many conspiracy theories around about the Moon landings, it has been a big challenge for us to figure out whether these sources are reliable. For example, some videos online claim to be made by scientists, but are they really? It has been a great learning opportunity understanding how anyone can put information on the internet and claim that it is true. The groups are currently deciding which side they will take when writing a persuasive piece to share in an interesting way.

The Daredevils and Iron Men have been reading about solar ovens and trying to design and build their own. They have been through a process of finding out how they work, coming up with several of their own designs to choose from, locating materials, and building.

Now two weeks in, the projects are a little staggered as groups and individuals are at different stages. However, it was awesome to see Bradley, Mikayla and Amy out with a thermometer testing their designs yesterday. We can't wait to see how much more heat can be generated once they make some adjustments and we see the others' finished products.


























Running alongside our literacy group projects, we have also been involved in some whole-class activities linking with these themes. Last week we discussed the path of the Sun each day, then we tried to work out what time the photos of our school, and our own homes, were taken for Google Maps satellite views. This was based on the position of the Sun and the corresponding shadows created.

























We have also been learning about the sizes of our Sun, Moon and the Earth, and comparing them. One fun activity we did was guessing how far away these objects were from each other if they were sports balls on our field.



We then watched this great video to get an idea of how accurate we might have been. We were way off!



This was also an interesting segment on the Sunday programme this week.



It has been fantastic to see everyone showing curiosity and enthusiasm about learning more about space and our planet. Keep an eye out for what we do next...