Over the last few months, the children in Mr Delaney’s 3rd Class have been working hard and have had the opportunity to explore and learn using fun interactive games, problem-solving activities and engaging and stimulating conversation. This is clear to see in their work.

Art – mixing colours and using salt to paint

The children were trying to use a different method to mix colours. Here they were shaking conkers in cardboard boxes. By using conkers, they got a wide variety of colours and shades. We were ready for the mess and had a bit of fun doing it too!!!

For the spooky season, the children created different art pieces using salt and paint. They scared us with how creative they got. They had the opportunity to draw their terrifying piece in pencil. They were then challenged by applying glue over their pencil grip which spooked a few with the mess. Salt was poured over the glue and then the creativity came through with the wet paint being applied. If you need Halloween decorations for next year, you know who to ask!!!

Modern Egypt vs Ancient Egypt

Over the last month, we have been learning so much about Ancient Egypt and Egypt of today. We have been able to compare them both and discuss what has changed. We have also compared modern Egypt to Ireland and compared the differences in culture, food, schools, landscape and climate.

In history, the children made a variety of posters and had different challenges to complete. Some of the children created a menu of all the food they would have eaten in Ancient Egypt. They created a hierarchy pyramid that showed the different jobs and roles that people had. One group drew a side profile of an Ancient Egyptian home that included children playing and learning to hunt. Another group learned about the clothes, makeup and wigs that the Egyptians would have worn and drew and designed their own Egyptian clothes.

The children were also learning about hieroglyphics and how they were used. Each child drew out their name using images for the letters.

The children created projects on modern Egypt in groups. Here they explored the different food that is eaten in Egypt such as Koshary, Mahshi, Hammam and Taamiya. They were able identify the differences in our education system including the class sizes and the difference in subjects. In our research, the children were able to discover the different sports and religions in Egypt and compare them to Ireland.

During our study of Ancient Egypt, the children were fascinated by the jewellery that was worn. They made a great effort to recapture the beauty of Ancient Egyptian necklaces by creating their own using paint and string.

Maths

In Maths, the children have been exploring and working hard in a range of topics. They have been growing patterns with shapes using blocks and then creating their own shapes. They have been practicing their problem solving in addition and subtraction using counters and creating their own word problems. They have also worked extremely hard to recognise different times on a clock in 5 minute intervals through engagement with mini-clocks and math talk.

English

Over the last few weeks, the children finished their recount writing and retelling stories from their own lives. Each child made such an improvement from their first attempt and that was down to their own perseverance. They are now practicing their narrative writing and have made excellent plans and introductions to their stories. The creativity behind the stories is excellent to see and their imaginations are so impressive.

Gaelige

It is great to see how much effort each child is putting into their Gaeilge. Every day, the children are learning a new verb and sentence to go with it. They are working hard at the minute in learning all the vocabulary and phrases you can use when talking about school. The children are able to ask to go to different parts of the school, describe the class they are in and tell each other what subjects they like and do not like.

Each week a riddle is put up on the board that tests the children’s problem solving abilities. In the last few weeks, they have been writing their own riddles and have been able to test each other. Can you guess the right answers to the riddles above?