Finn's Blog

Week 6 Term 3

finn3 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:41:53 +0000

This week I have learned:

MATHS: Recently in Maths I have learned how to measure, identify, and name angles in maths. A straight angle is exactly 180 Degrees, a Right Angle is exactly 90 Degrees, an Acute Angle is less than 90 Degrees, an Obtuse Angle is between 90 and 180 Degrees, a Reflex Angle is between 180 and 360 Degrees, and finally, a Revolution is 360 Degrees exactly, a full circle.
WRITING/ENGLISH: Lately we have been learning to write show not tell sentences. For example, ‘The boat was about to crash’ is telling. However showing could be like this: ‘The rocks were jagged like the teeth of a shark, and as the current pulled the ship towards them, the crew knew the ship was doomed.’

My goal for this week are:

1~ To finish learning about Show not Tell sentences. I can do this by concentrating on not telling that for instance the are angry, but showing how they are.

Science Fair

finn3 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:31:22 +0000

This is an image of my Science Fair board. My question was, Do different liquids effect how long hot water stays hot for? Out of Sunflower Oil, Cider Vinegar, Milk (light), Cold Water, and Hot Water on its own, the Sunflower Oil kept the hot water hotter for far longer. From this Science Fair presentation I learned about how different liquids affect the length of time hot water stays hot for.

Week 6 Term 2

finn3 — Mon, 31 May 2010 00:57:51 +0000

This week I have learned:

P.E: We had Dane from Project energize in the ALC yesterday. He taught us some Large Ball games and some warm-ups to do before we play them. Warm-ups included ‘Knee Boxing,’ where two people faced off against each other, and tried to get the most points within the minute by hitting (not too hard!) the side of their opponents knee. Another warm-up was called, ‘Terminator.’ One ‘Terminator’ is chosen, whilst every other player grabs a basket-ball and starts dribbling around a predefined area. After a few seconds the ‘Terminator’ can come chasing after the dribblers. If the ‘Terminator’ hits your ball away from you, you must retrieve it and stand with your legs open. Someone can get you back into the game if they bounce their ball between your legs. Eventually after each round, more and more Terminators will be added. Large Ball Games included a game like Netball (I do not know what its called), where you try to get the ball to someone standing on their opponents dot to score a goal. The rules are like netball, except with no outs!
ENGLISH: In English this week we have been doing report writing. I have learned that every paragraph needs a topic sentence e.g. The cheetah is a unique animal because it is the only big cat that cannot roar, it purrs and makes other noises to make up for this disability.
MATHS: I have been learning how to multiply fractions e.g 1/8 x 5/6

First you multiply the numerators (the top numbers) together to equal 5, then do the same with the denominators (the bottom numbers) equaling 48. The fraction then comes to 5/48 and if possible, you simplify it. You cannot with this one so the question 1/8 x 5/6 = 5/48.

My goals for this week are:
1~ To complete my maths work, by getting my head down and finishing it.
2~ Complete another chapter in my story. I can do this by staying inside every day trying to complete it!

Week 5 Term 2

finn3 — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:03:46 +0000

This week I have learned:

P.E: A new ball game called: Karatu. This game is like a variation of Corner Ball. You have two teams, a tagging team, and a running team. You set yourself up on a field of roughly 22 by ten metres. The tagging team has a single ball, which they use to try tag the running team. The running team is safe if they pass the ends of the boundaries. To gain a point, you must stand in the hoop at the start of the field every time you run into that part of the field. If the running team is tagged, then the teams swap over.
ENGLISH: To make a new line every time someone else talks during a conversation, and to not always use commas during speech.
MATHS: To add and subtract fractions with different denominators e.g. 6/10 plus 2/5 = 1.

My goals for this week are:

~1 To try finish the script of our activity with Mr Ellis. I can work on this with Josh to get it done in time.

~2 To finish a chapter in my book. I can do this by getting new ideas and typing a LOT!

Week 9 Term 1

finn3 — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:34:27 +0000

This week at food I made an absolutley delicious Spicy Sausage Casserole. I can’t even begin to describe how fantastically yum it was. In my Reading Task I have nearly finished everything, I only have four more odd word out tasks to do, and one page more of another part to do.

My Goals for this week and the holidays are:

1~ Keep up with my Saxophone practise! Just because it’s holidays doesn’t mean I can’t stop practising.

2~Hopefully finish one of my stories so we can publish it for the library at school!

Week 8 Term 1

finn3 — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:19:50 +0000

Tomorrow I will be making an Irish recipe at Food Technology, It’s called, ‘Poundies’. You make it by placing some mashed potato up to halfway in a tin with the top and bottom cut off. You then put a surprise in the middle, it can be vegetables, bacon, anything! You then fill the tin up with the rest of the mashed potato. You put it in the microwave, and then Bon Appetite! I finished all my Maths work for the term yesterday ending with Scientific Notation. I’m part of the way through with my book review of The Other Side of Dawn, the last of the Tomorrow series.

My Goals for this week are:

1~ To make a really nice Poundy at Food Technology. I can do this by following the recipe word to word, and by having a perfectionist attitude towards it.

2~ Finish my Book Review on time, but make it a good one. I can accomplish this by not doing a half-hearted job, and not slacking off until the last minute.

Week 7 Term 1

finn3 — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:30:09 +0000

Yesterday we had our last Science lesson. We learned about what is and isn’t attracted to a magnet. Josh Nelson, Connor S, and I also made a compass by filling a bowl with water, and dragging the end of a metal needle along the north side of a magnet really fast thirty times, then colouring the other end with vivid to mark north. We then attached it to a cork with blu-tack and let it sail in the bowl of water. When the needle stopped, the vivid marked north, or in our case, south since we didn’t do it exactly right. At Maths I have been learning and doing activities on integers, I think it’s quite easy really. My Free Choice story has finished, and I think I did rather well with it.
My goals for next week are:
1~To understand Factors. I can learn this by working on it during Maths time.
2~To complete my 1930′s Depression Competition Story.

Week 6 Term 1

finn3 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:16:37 +0000

This week I’m finishing off my third narrative in time for the dead line next Monday. During Maths I’ve learnt how to identify Prime and Composite numbers by seeing if they’re a multiple of 2 ,3, 5 and 7. If they aren’t a multiple, they’re a prime number. I have also learnt about order of operations, otherwise known as BEDMAS. You do the brackets first, then Division, Multiplication, Subtraction, and Addition last. In Science we had a test to see if what we have learnt over the past few weeks, I got 19 out of 20, sooo close! In Reading I’ve finished quite a few bits of work in my worksheet booklet, and in Music, I need to work on how I blow my saxophone, otherwise I’m doing well in Music. In P.E we’ve been playing Capture the Flag, a fun but rough game.

My Goals for next week are:

~1 Get the correct blowing technique on my Saxophone to get the correct sound out! I can accomplish this by practising at home.

~2 Finish off my Maths tasks. I can do this by working on my Maths without talking.

Week 5 Term 1

finn3 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:38:06 +0000

This week I’ve had my third practise with my Alto Saxophone. I’m learning how to make the notes and play Hot Cross Buns. We’ve done French for the first time in class on Wednesday, and we have two more Science classes before we move on to Food, Mmmmmm. We had Swimming Sports heats on Monday, and we got our E-Asttle and PAT test results back yesterday.

My goals for next week are:

~1 Be able to play Mary had a Little Lamb and Hot Cross Buns succesfully on my Saxophone. I can do this by practising every day.

~2 Finish off my reading task off by the end of this week. I can do this by continuing on it at every opportunity.

Wind, Rain, and Mud.

finn3 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:13:23 +0000

Left, foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Not even a minute into the race and I had already fallen prey to the trance-like state that steady running can induce. Left foot, right foot. As I overtook someone I heard their cry of anguish, and grinned. Left foot, right foot. Then all of a sudden I felt his hot breath on my neck, and I knew I had to shake him off. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the blackberry covered shortcut I was looking for. It used to be a gate into an old farm paddock, but over the years blackberry bushes had almost completely sealed it off, but it was still available as a legal shortcut during Cross Country. As I veered to the left I heard my trailer’s footsteps recede as he headed for the longer blackberry free path. Before I knew it the blackberry was upon me, but I ran on through ignoring the pain when a stray thorn cut my leg, and then just as abruptly as when I entered it, the blackberry was behind me.

As I descended down the following slope I fell back into the trance. Left foot, right foot. I barely noticed it when I passed another person. Then instinctively I leapt over a massive, yet well concealed patch of wet mud. My pursuer wasn’t so lucky though, and I winced when I hear him sprawl with a large thump onto the muddy ground. Two down, two to go I thought grinning, but when I rounded he corner, a small cry of dismay escaped my dry lips. The other two contestants had already got to the dirt path along the bottom of the track! With renewed vigour I made my way down. Left foot, right foot.

When I looked up again, I was surprised to see I had run over half the track and had almost caught up to the third contestant! When I lifted my head to the sky, however, I saw the foreboding black rain cloud approaching. The next few seconds I prepared for the force of the storm. When it hit, the force behind it was so strong I actually got knocked back a step. All of a sudden my opponent slipped in a fresh cowpat, and I heard him swear explosively. “Language,” I reminded him as I passed. He simply grinned. I looked to the ground and kept at it. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. The next minute passed without incident as I gradually got closer to the leader. Footsteps sounded behind me, I turned my head, alarmed, too see the boy I passed earlier behind me! As I leapt over Slush Gully, as racers so fondly named it, I had a brief respite as my trailer stopped and looked for a safer way to jump it. I chuckled as I realised he could never catch me unless I tripped. The next moment…. I tripped. As I cursed my bad luck. The boy passed me with an even bigger grin then before and said “Language.” It didn’t seem so funny any more. I scrambled up and took off after him.

Up the hill, over the thorn bush, across the paddock, and I was getting closer. Then I was at the stile and climbing over. I was slightly shocked how far I had come, and then I was back in the school grounds, the final stretch. I was getting soooo close to getting 2^nd place; I could almost reach out and touch my competitor. The finish line rapidly approached. 5 meters, 4, 3, 2… 1. We crossed it together, we were 2^nd equal, and our grins were huge. As we approached the podium, I felt a sense of satisfaction. The race was over.

Fin