Tuesday, 25 January 2011

Using QR Codes

Today children in 5B used QR codes for the first time. A QR code is like a barcode which can be read by special software on computers or smartphones. Free sites online allow you to convert web address into these 'barcodes'. Once you 'scan' the code using a camera the software opens the link in a web browser.

In Literacy the children performed presentations. These were filmed using flipcams and uploaded to the internet. The children then used a QR code generator to generate a code which was stuck into their books. This allows anyone looking through the books to scan the QR code and view their presentations online.



Philip Pullman

In Literacy we have been looking at the author Philip Pullman. This afternoon children in 5B performed oral biographies of Philip Pullman. Here is one group's work.

Monday, 24 January 2011

Digital Art

This afternoon we have been exploring digital art. Children took photos of themselves and positioned themselves in various places. Here is a first effort by Reece and Jahniah.

Monday, 17 January 2011

Philip Pullman

In Literacy we have been looking at autobiographies and biographies. Today children in 5B have been using the Internet to find out all about Pullman's life and work. In preparation for writing a biography about Philip Pullman the children have been organising their research and ideas using mind maps. Some children have used Scribblar, which is an online collaborative whiteboard, to share ideas. Follow the link to see their work in progress. Scribblar

Thursday, 6 January 2011

Art in Motion

In Art we have been looking at how artists show movement in their work. Calum has used GIMP to create a picture that shows motion.

Wednesday, 15 December 2010

Match Report

In Literacy we have been looking at recounts. Children were given notes from a fictional football match and asked to produce a match report. Here is Dequanne's work.

Tuesday, 7 December 2010

A Christmas Card from 5B

In 5B we have decided to use Shenaz's excellent art work as the front of our Christmas cards. Here are a few pictures of the first card off the production line!

Monday, 6 December 2010

Art Work

Each class in school has been asked to create an Angel for a Christmas display. Here is Shenaz's excellent work using Pastel.

Christmas Cards


Today we started to design and make our Christmas Cards using GIMP. Here is Jahniah's effort.


 

Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Mariama's Comic

Mariama has finsihed her comic based on the Bully Asleep. Here it is!

D&T Week

During D&T week we have been designing and making musical instruments. Here are a few pictures of us at work.












Sunday, 21 November 2010

Completed Comics!

Over the last few weeks we have been working hard using GIMP and Comic Life to produce comics based on the poem The Bully Asleep. Here is finished work by Shenaz, Mariama, Jahniah and Ethan.



Friday, 19 November 2010

Children in Need

Today in school we have been raising money for Children in Need. Children, who bought in a donation, were allowed to bring a teddy bear to school. Even Mr Broadfield bought his Spurs teddy in (Come on You Spurs!). There were also other activities and competitions to raise money. Each class in the school was set the challenge of creating their own Pudsey. Here are some pictures of the children designing and making Pudsey and Blush bear.





Tuesday, 9 November 2010

Improving our Comic Life

Although we were very pleased with the results of our Comic Life work yesterday we decided that they didn't look like traditional comics. We searched the web for a tutorial in GIMP that showed us how to give our work a 'Lichtenstein' effect. Here are some early examples of the work.


Monday, 8 November 2010

Digital Art Work

This afternoon children have been using digital cameras and GIMP to produce some digital art work. Children were told to explore with the different filters, layers and effects. Here are some of the results.











Even more Bully Asleep

And finally here is work by Ethan, Jahniah, Sukhminder, Shenaz and Mariama.

More Bully Asleep

Here is work by Wiktoria, Tawana, Mallica and Tasnia.

The Bully Asleep

Continuing with our work on poetry today we looked at a poem called The Bully Asleep. The poem is a narrative poem about a group of children who want to get revenge on the class bully. Children have used Comic Life to illustrate the events of the poem. Here is work by Hannah, Ismail, Dequanne and Maiya. Click on the picture to take a closer look!

Sunday, 7 November 2010

Black and Asian History Display

A quick preview of our up and coming Black and Asian History display focussing on Black and Asian artists.

Thursday, 4 November 2010

The Visitor

In Literacy we have been looking a narrative poems. Children have been writing their own poems based on the The Visitor by Ian Serraillier. Here is Hannah's excellent work.

In the dark horrifying woods,
On the ground there were leaves and stone,
A man walking, late and alone.

He saw a ghost on the ground,
Around its wrist a golden bracelet he found.

He ran home and gave the bracelet to his wife,
She yelled “It’s the loveliest thing I’ve in my life.”

“Thank you my dear” she happily said,
She put it on and went to bed.

Midnight they woke, and sat up in bed,
“Give me my bracelet!” a scary voice said.

“What was that, Jonathon? What did it say?”
Don’t worry, my dear. It’ll soon go away.”

“I’m reaching you now! I’m climbing on your bed,”
The wife covered the sheet right over her head.

 It was torn off right from her wrist and tossed in the air,
“I’ll drag you out of  bed by a string of hair!”

“What was that, Jonathan? What did say?”
“Throw the bracelet through the window! JUST THROW IT away!”

She threw it. The skeleton jumped out the window with haste,
After the bracelet the skeleton chased.

The woman watched  from the window still ,
Fainter...and fainter...then all was still.

Friday, 22 October 2010

More Ndebele!

During Black and Asian history week children had a go at drawing and painting Ndebele patterns. Here Shenaz and Mariama have applied the techniques to canvas. Here are the excellent results.





Thursday, 21 October 2010

Ndebele Art

As part of our Black and Asian History focus we have been looking at Ndebele art. The Ndebele people of South Africa decorate their homes, clothes and possessions with their own style of art. Some children have used Google SketchUp to create model huts covered with art work. Here is Ethan's work




Wednesday, 20 October 2010

Black and Asian History

At St Mary's we were really excited to find out that Roy McFarlane is Birmingham's poet Laureate this year. Inspired by his poem Where you from? children in 5B had a go at writing their own poems in a similar style. Here is Shenaz's excellent effort.

Where you from?
Where you from?
St  Mary’s

What do you mean?
Where my parents from?
All over the world
 My family tree, all full of surprises
All simply coming back to me

Where you from?
St Mary’s
 I say
Why?  Because everyone is equal
With all our different coloured skin
Chocolate brown
Coffee cream
and Peach white
Spicy as chicken
flavours of the world
Where you from?
St Mary’s
 I say
Why? Because we have different cultures
religions and languages
Patwa, Punjabi, Chinese are lots of fun
Asian, Jamaican and polish too
Christian, Hindu, Islam and Jew

Where you from?
St Mary’s
that’s where
Everyone joins together to be fair
Friends and family have celebrations
So I’ll stop now and have a rest
and in manner of speaking
St Mary’s is where I m from
Its my home and now I’m done

Wednesday, 13 October 2010

Animoto - Chilean Miners

Today saw the first of the Chilean Miners freed from underground after 69 long days. Some children in 5B, Tawana, Ellen, Gurdeep and Idrees, have produced a short animoto video about the events. Enjoy.

Saturday, 2 October 2010

Tut Pup

Tut Pup is a website that aims to provide simple, fun, competitive games that help children learn and gain confidence with Maths, English and other key skills and knowledge. You don't enter a real name and you can not communicate with other players so it is very safe.



It is free to sign up to. Go to http://www.tutpup.com/ and click Join Now! Select a screen name and enter your date of birth, country and choose a password. To join 5B you will need to enter the class code which is thfc. Once you have entered the class code you need to enter your name (Only the teacher is able to see it) Who will be top of the 5B league?