First Class
School Tour to Fota
We had a fantastic day on our recent school tour to Fota Wildlife Park. We saw many creatures, big and small. We enjoyed a bug hunt and lunched across from the kangaroos. A most enjoyable day.
Jackson Pollock Art
This week we learned about the painter Jackson Pollock and tried to imitate some of his art. We did a good job. Jackson Pollock was an influential American painter, and the leading force behind the abstract expressionist movement in the art world. To produce in Jackson Pollock's 'action painting', most of his canvases were either set on the floor, or laid out against a wall, rather than being fixed to an easel. From there, Jackson Pollock used a style where he would allow the paint to drip from the paint can. Instead of using the traditional paint brush, he would add depth to his images using knives, trowels, or sticks. Our piece is 12 feet long and we took advantage of the sun and painted outside. We used spray cans, sponges, toothbrushes, brushes, squirted paint and combs to achieve our masterpiece. It now proudly hangs off the ceiling of our First Class room.
Tree Trail in the Sun
As we studied Irish wildflowers and trees this week, we decided to take advantage of the seasonal sun and seek them out in the grounds of Blarney Castle on Thursday. We encountered oak, ash, spruce, fir, chestnut, beech, palm, cypress and weeping silver lime trees. We were able to identify the trees by the shape of their leaves, the shape of the tree and the fruit and nuts that they bore. We ticked each tree off of our checklist when we correctly identified them. We also had fun recognising the different types of wildflower we see in Ireland at this time of year. We saw primroses, bluebells, daisies, wild crocuses, dandelions, wild garlic and many more. We learned that dandelion means ‘Lion’s tooth’ in French too. We lunched in the sun and even had a little fun at the playground after all of our investigation. A great summer’s day of learning and fun!
Mexico |
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Hola! We learned about Mexico this week. We found out that it is in the continent of North America and it's capital city is Mexico City. They wear sombreros on their heads to keep away sunburn. Can you spot anyone wearing one in our pictures? They like soccer and baseball. They speak Spanish.
One of their biggest holidays is Dia de los Muertos which means Day of the Dead. They celebrate this on November 1st and the 2nd every year and they do it to remember their dead family. They lay flowers at graveyards and make it really colourful. We realised that this is in the movie 'Coco' too.
Their flag is interesting because it has an eagle in the middle of it with a snake in it's mouth and it is standing on a cactus. Their flag is red, white and green. We also found out about their food. They love spicy food so we decided to try some fajitas and tacos. We tried guacomole, fresh peppers, refried beans, salsa, sour cream and jalapenos which were quite hot! We really enjoyed eating our chicken fajitas in the staff room.
Huge thanks to Lisa and Ms O' Flynn for helping us!
Barriga llena, corazón contento!
One of their biggest holidays is Dia de los Muertos which means Day of the Dead. They celebrate this on November 1st and the 2nd every year and they do it to remember their dead family. They lay flowers at graveyards and make it really colourful. We realised that this is in the movie 'Coco' too.
Their flag is interesting because it has an eagle in the middle of it with a snake in it's mouth and it is standing on a cactus. Their flag is red, white and green. We also found out about their food. They love spicy food so we decided to try some fajitas and tacos. We tried guacomole, fresh peppers, refried beans, salsa, sour cream and jalapenos which were quite hot! We really enjoyed eating our chicken fajitas in the staff room.
Huge thanks to Lisa and Ms O' Flynn for helping us!
Barriga llena, corazón contento!
The Great Barrier Reef |
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We learned a lot about the Great Barrier Reef and Australia
over the past few weeks and had great fun designing and creating our own one. We have brain coral, jellyfish, octopi, starfish, clownfish, sea turtles, coral and much much more. There's even one creepy sea monster thrown in for good measure!
over the past few weeks and had great fun designing and creating our own one. We have brain coral, jellyfish, octopi, starfish, clownfish, sea turtles, coral and much much more. There's even one creepy sea monster thrown in for good measure!
The Art in Walls
This week we went for a walkabout for art and we looked a little closer at our local environment for inspiration. We found a good wall and set about our art. We took rubbings with pastels and charcoal and drew sections of the wall with viewfinders. So next time you walk past a wall, Take a really good look at a wall. Get up close, what can you see? Would a magnifying glass or torch help you to get a good look into the cracks?
Is there anything living in/on the wall? Feel the wall, what texture can you feel?
Is there anything living in/on the wall? Feel the wall, what texture can you feel?
Our 3D Shape Hunt
As we studied 3D shapes this week, we decided to consolidate our learning by scouring the village for cubes, cuboids, spheres and cylinders. We found cylindrical telephone poles, stones in the shape of cubes and many building and chimneys that were cuboids. The best shapes we found though were definitely the cylindrical marshmallows in our hot chocolates and our cylindrical pancakes which were deliciously drowned in maple syrup in Johnny’s. A special thanks to all the staff in Johnny’s who were so kind and generous to all small and tall. As one boy in First Class stated, ‘This really is First Class luxury.’ A lovely treat on an icy Friday morning in early Spring and a shape hunt to remember!
St Brigid’s Day
February 1st came and with it, we marked the start of Spring. We also celebrated Saint Brigid’s Day by learning all about her and we even made colourful Saint Brigid’s Crosses with piper cleaners!
1st Class Bake-Off
Science, Literacy and Numeracy were all in action at the 1st Claw Bake-Off. The competition was intense as our panel of judges tasted Lemon Drizzle Cake baked by Irene and the girls, and Chocolate Chip Cookies baked by Mr. Cunningham and the boys. The scores revealed a draw, much to both teams disappointment. An independent judge was brought in for the tie breaker and the winners, by a crumb, were Irene and the girls. Stay tuned for future Bake Offs as the boys attempt to claim the title!
Maths Stations
It’s a new year and we’re back working as hard as ever in First Class. We’re currently doing Maths Stations with Ms O’Flynn and Ms Hayes and we really enjoy it. They’re teaching us a lot of maths tricks. As well as that, we get to play Maths games such as Number Bingo, Snakes and Ladders and much more in our own classroom. We’ve also starting honing our maths skills by using fun and exciting Maths apps on our brand new iPads. It’s just the start of a busy 2018.
Shared Reading
Ms Corkery’s Fourth Class invited us into their room for some shared reading. It was great getting to know new people and new stories!
Digging for Gold
We became miniature Indiana Jones’ during the week as we studied archaeology in class. We dug for artifacts and brushed them off in case they were fragile. Amongst our finds were an old £1 note from 1989, an old R2-D2 toy from Star Wars and a cassette tape. Not even one of us knew what a cassette tape was! We also found lots or rocks, marbles, buttons, coins, jigsaw pieces, an orange and much more. The only thing we didn’t find was dinosaur fossils. Next time perhaps!
Science Week
No it’s not magic, it’s science! We made raisins dance during Science week.
Creepy Castle Walk
We marked Halloween by going on a creepy walk through Blarney Castle. Although in fairness, I think we gave the tourists more of a fright! Happy Halloween!
Our Halloween Art
There's something spooky going on in First Class. Our classroom has been invaded by loads of spooky monsters of every colour, shape and size!
The BFG by Roald Dahl
We read the BFG by Roald Dahl in September and October. We loved it. We learned that the Big Friendly Giant is unlike other giants. For a start, he doesn't like to eat people and it's not long before he becomes orphan Sophie's very best friend. We drew and painted our own giant version of the BFG on our classroom wall. Beside that are our own dream potions, character descriptions and our book reviews. Of course, it got five stars from all of us. Well recommended!
Space Week 2017
We marked Space Week 2017 this October by learning about our Solar System. We put this knowledge to Art by exploring color pastels.
Our trip to the playground
We celebrated being crowned Junior School Champions for September by spending a fun-filled afternoon in the playground!
Hard Work in First Class
First Class has started with a bang and Mr Cotter and Mr Cunningham's classes are as busy as ever. With Literacy Lift-Off and Maths Stations in full swing, the pupils are enjoying the challenge of improving their numeracy and literacy. Although we always find the time to dance!
Friendship Week
First Class and Junior Infants multi-tasking;
reading books together and making friends.
reading books together and making friends.