Year 3
Welcome Back!
We are all delighted to be back in school after the extended break due to Covid-19.
Covid-19 has had a massive impact on our lives but we are determined not to let it stop us learning and having fun!
There are a lot of changes to our school building and routines that had to be made to make sure we could return to school safely.
Classroom Pods
We are now divided into pods in our classrooms. We must stay in our pods at all times when we are inside.
Class Bubbles
Our class is now called our 'Bubble'! When playing outside, we can play with anyone in our bubble. We have our own dedicated area in which we must play.
School Zones
The school is now split into 2 Zones.
Zone A: 2nd, 3rd & 4th Class.
Zone B: 5th & 6th Class
Split Breaktimes
Each Zone now has a separate breaktime. This is to ensure that we all have enough space to socially distance on the school yard.
Hygiene
We now have an intensive hygiene routine in the school. As well as washing our hands, we sanitize our hands regularly at our Sanitizing stations.
Staff
The school staff have also had to adjust.
They must wear face coverings and also have screens around their desks to help keep us all safe.
As well as the changes in our school, we have noticed a lot of changes in our society in the past year due to the pandemic caused by Covid-19- The Corona Virus.
We are all now extra aware of the importance of hand hygiene, sneezing & coughing etiquette and of course Social Distancing!
We have also noticed the effects of Covid-19 on wider society and therefore have decided to have a closer look at the effects this year through our STEM Kerry Project.
We have chosen the theme of ‘How Covid-19 has changed our lives’ and will a focus on the impact on transport and the travel industry so it ties in with our overall project
‘Machines and Mechanisms’.
Playgrounds
Since Lockdown, we all learned to appreciate the importance of playing and socialising outdoors.
Playgrounds have become an even more important part of our lives!
Fourth class looked at designing their own playgrounds.
Bluebots
Fourth class further experimented with Coding Bluebots. We even used the Bluebots to draw shapes and write letters!
Not again!
We were all very disappointed that the Covid-19 pandemic seriously deteriorated in Ireland over the Christmas break and it was announced that schools would again be closed and we would return to distance-learning.
Although this was not ideal, it was the safest thing for all of us and we were all well used to Seesaw and Zoom lessons so we made the most of the situation!
We're Back!
We were delighted to hear that schools were reopening again in March 2021 and we would all be back to see our friends again.
Obviously, we are all extra careful following the Covid-19 safety guidelines to ensure that we all stay safe at school.
2nd Class
Second Class were the first class to return to school along with out two special classed.
They made the most of the quiet building and managed to fit in some quality Lego time!
Second class were delighted to continue with our transport project and were different types of transportation and what they are used for.
Being Creative!
The boys then used our free play lego to design their own modes of transportation!
4th Class
Fourth Class were recently introduced to Lego WeDo. They enjoyed following the instructions to make some simple machines with motors.
First we made a snail with a flashing light! We choose the colour of the lights and the amount of time it stayed on for by entering the correct code on the iPad.
Flashing beacons are often used to warn people of danger. They are often used at dangerous road crossings. They need to be programme to come on and off at the correct times.
Then we made a fan and used the iPad to enter the correct code to make the fan move.
We experimented wth different speeds for the motor, changing directions and programming it to stop after a certain amount of time.
Coding Week 2021
We held our own coding week in school in May.
All classes got to practise and improve their Coding Skills using Bluebots, Ipads and Lego WeDo.
This will help us so that we can integrate our STEM resources into more focused, curriculum based projects in each class.
Bluebots
Second and Third Class were introduced to Coding using the Bluebots.
We navigated our way around a pirate's treasure map.
We went on holidays wround Europe.
We spelled out our initials and names.
Lego WeDo
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Class further developed theit Coding Skills using the Lego WeDo.
Fourth Class
Fourth Class used the WeDo to make simple mechanisms and used code to make them move, flash lights and make sounds.
Fifth Class
Fifth Class made more a more advanced robot- Milo!
In fifth class, we experimented with some more code. All groups had to include 3 main elements in theit code for Milo.
He had to move forwards and backwards, stopping independently.
He had to flash multicoloured lights.
He had to make a distinctive sound.
Sixth Class
Sixth Class continued to develop their Coding Skills with Milo and moved on to a collaborative learning project.
Collaborative Learning
The boys were posed with a problem they had to solve. Milo the Robot had to carry a plant back to their base. However, they discovered the plant was too heavy for him to carry on his own. They needed to work together to move the plant!
How has Covid-19 changed our lives?
This is a topic that has been on all of our minds all year and we have had many discussions in class about how our lives have been impacted by Covid-19.
We have also been looking at how it has impacted the world around us, with particular focus on the travel and transport industry.
Integrated Learning
In our school, we integrated this theme into all subjects across the curriculum in an age appropriate manner.
We discussed our own experiences, looked at stories from the news and did our own research to inform our learning.
Each class focused on a different area:
Second Class studied the impact on our Local Community, focusing on the increased demand to delivery services due to increased online shopping during the Level 5 lockdowns.
Third and Fourth Class looked more at the impact on international and European devliveries, focusing on Sea transport. We did some very interesting research after the Suez Canal Blockade.
Fifth and Sixth Class examined the effect on the international Travel industry, focusing on the near closure of the Air travel and the impact that this had on world travel.
Second Class
Second Class had a closer look at local delivery services. We see a lot of delivery vans around our town. Many of us ordered items online during lockdown and they were delivered straight to our homes.
Challenge!
Second Class had a Lego Challenge!
They had great fun designing and creating a delivery vehicle that met the challenge criteria.
This is one of their creations!
It has space for the driver to sit and a windscreen!
It has 4 wheels and a steering wheel so that it can move.
It has doors and plenty of space for packages!
They also created the shop that they were delivering to!
Some boys also thought about other methods of delivery.
They designed a lorry, a drone and another shop which needs deliveries!
They also thought about food delivery services and created a Pizzahut with delivery vehicles!
Third Class
Fourth Class looked at how Covid-19 has changed our lives and focused on the impact on world trade and the transport industry.
Fourth Class
Fourth Class looked at how Covid-19 has changed our lives and focused on the impact on world trade and the transport industry.
As part of their oral language lessons, they compiled a list of words and phrases which they associated with the COvid-19 pandemic.
We looked at newspaper headlines from the past few months relating to the travel and transport industry. We noticed an increased demand for delivery drivers due shop closures and increased online shopping.
Suez Canal
We were very interesed in the news articles about the Suez Canal blockage earlier this year so we decided to do some research on the canal.
Suez Canal.pptxWe looked at the history of the canal and how it has grown in importance in recent years as it is now one of the busiest trade routes in the world.
We decided to recreate the Suez Canal blockage using Lego, Blocks, Magformers, Knex and anything else we could find in our classroom!
Ports
As we research the ports for our project, we noticed that cranes play a very important role in the transport industry. Many of these cranes are built right here in Killarney in Liebherr!
Cranes
We looked at the mechanisms for cranes and made some using Lego, Magformers and Knex. We used the cranes to load containers onto our ships!
Suez Port
The Suez Port is an Egyptian port located at the southern boundary of the Suez Canal, by the Red Sea.
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal.
Egypt
The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The canal is part of the Silk Road that connects Europe with Asia.
The canal is operated and maintained by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt.
Suez Canal Obstruction 2021
In March 2021, the Suez Canal was blocked for six days after the grounding of Ever Given, a 20,000 TEU container ship. It was the length of 4 football pitches! It blocked over 400 ships for travelling through the canal and cost world trade an estimated $1 billion!
Canals in Ireland
After studying the Suez Canal, 4th Class looked at the canals closer to home in Ireland.
Today Ireland has many miles of canals and navigable waterways. There are 2 canals in Dublin.
The Royal Canal (Irish: An Chanáil Ríoga) is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from Dublin to Longford in Ireland.
The Grand Canal (Irish: An Chanáil Mhór) is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west, via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns.
Dublin Canals
One difference we noticed between the canal's in Dublin and the Suex Canal was the presence of locks.
A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways.
Grand Canal
In total the Grand canal runs for 81 miles and a total of 43 locks.
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal has no locks because the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez have approximately the same water level.
Time to Investigate!
Most locks are manually opened by canal users. Some locks, particularly on rivers are always operated by Lock-keepers.
We investiagated how we could make and operate an automatic lock for a canal using Lego WeDo.
