Rochedale State School

Here is a link to our brand new link school!

 Rochedale State School

Here's a page from the school site with animal information.  Do you have any questions about the animals which aren't answered on their website?

Please leave as a comment.

Timelines

We use timelines to show events from the past.
Below is the start of a timeline which was made using classtools.net.  See if you can make your own timeline of your own life, or of a relative.

Share it with me by making your timeline, then clicking on the "cog" link at the bottom.  This will give you an embed code.  Copy this an then post it as a comment on the blog...I'll then post your link and show off your timeline.

Click here for larger version

The First Fleet

The First Fleet of 11 British sailing ships dropped off 772 convicts on the shore of what is now Sydney on January 26, 1788.


Here is a list of the equipment they took with them:

Which European first landed on Australia?

Find out about James Cook here.

Have a go at a webquest...find out about life as a cabin boy

Why did he go?  Look here...there were two reasons...can you find them?
Who went on the trip with Cook?
How did they navigate?  Look here.
Want to find out more about hemispheres and latitude and longitude?  Go here
What was life like on board ship?
Here are some dates from Australia's history.
Here's a very detailed timeline of events.
Here is a brief description of where Cook went on his different expeditions.
On Cook's first expedition, he travelled with a man called Joseph Banks.  Look here for one of the letters he sent to his sister.  It's quite difficult to read.  Can you understand any of the words?
Here is a site which has links to typed up versions of many of the journals which were kept by Joseph Banks on his journeys as a scientist.
Why was the trip so important for science?
Here is a summary of Cook's journeys.
Look at the map below for the journey taken by Cook on his way around the world.
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Below is an image of the ship he used to travel to Australia:

Look here for some facts and figures about the Endeavour...what was her top speed?
Here is a painting of the HMS Endeavour just before the long journey to Australia.  What was the name of the ship before being used for the expedition?

Words for said

Look at this wordle word art for synonyms for said.  Want some practice at using better words for said?  Go here.

Animal Adaptation

Adaptations mean that animals are well suited to their habitat.
Have a go at this game.  You've got to be quick to win.

Comment on three adaptations which help any of the animals mentioned in the game please!

Here is a quiz about adaptation.  The site is American; can you spot a word which has a different spelling to the UK way in the quiz?

How are beluga whales adapted to the cold temperatures of the Arctic?

Can you find the answer about plants and blubber?  It made me laugh.

Homophones - words which sound the same

Do you get stuck with there/their and they're? Have a look here, here or here to have some practice at choosing the right one.

Arctic Plants

Watch the video .  Which plants can survive in the Arctic?

Which flower manages to survive in the Arctic?  How has it adapted to survive in the crippling wind?

BBC Blue Planet

We are learning about habitats in science.  If you go to the science tab there are several links to good websites about habitats, both in Britain and in Australia, our main topic of the term.

Here is an amazing bbc site which helps you learn about the Habitat of the British coast.  It's set up as a game.

Let me know your scores by posting as a comment.

Here is another useful habitat site if you're interested in making a bug home.

What do you want to know about Australia?

Here are some of the things I want to find out about Australia:

How quickly did the population of Australia grow?  When did it reach 100,000?
What is the highest mountain?
How often is there snow?
What is school like compared to in Britain?

See if you can find the answers to these questions.

Try to think of some things you want to find out about Australia.

Home Learning Set on Friday 6th January, 2012

This week, we're really focussing on getting back into a reading habit.
Please make sure that you read for 20 minutes each night at least.

Write 3 or more comments into your reading records this week.

I'll collect in reading records on Friday to find out what you're reading.

Comments could:

• recap the main events of the story
• describe your favourite part
• be a recommendation for a friend.  Why would they like it?

Australian Animals

I'm sure you know about the kangaroo, wallabee and the emu, but do you know many more Australian animals? Do you know the type of place they live...their habitat?

Follow this link. Read the questions and then see if you can find the answers by researching using the links.

If you find any amazing facts then add them as comments. Good luck.

Stories from other cultures - Porpoise and the Kangaroo

Happy New Year!


I hope you all had a great break and Christmas and I look forward to a fantastic 2012...hope you do too!


We will be finding out about Aboriginal stories as part of our topic on Australia.  Follow this link for a puppet show and this one for a written version.


 Have a look below at the National Geographic for kids video of Aboriginal Rock art.






See you on Thursday for the first day of school.


If you have any information about Australia or Aborigine culture, try to bring it to school.