Brain Week Four
Today we had a visit from brain specialist, Dr Dave Lewis. He talked to us about how we touch and feel. We looked at the brains of animals including small sections of real snail brains and real rats brains. We tested our brain speed and reactions and learnt about how many brain cells animals had.
(We learnt that fresh brains don’t actually smell like cheese, only old preserved ones!)
It was brain-tastic!
Brain Week Three
Year Six wrote poems yesterday about brains. They did this to combine thinking and learning about science (how the brain works) and literacy (the structure of the poem).
This activity allowed them to get all of their brain thinking and working. Here’s an example written by Lili.
- Billions of brain cells.
- Reptilian brain keeps you healthy.
- And alert- don’t let your brain get lazy!
- Intelligent machine.
- Neo-cortex loves a challenge.
- Inside, there are millions of connections being made…ZING!
- A big organ that floats in shock proof fluid.
- Cleverer than ever…It’s the brain!
Visit from the University of Leeds
Year 4 examined a real snail’s brain and a real rat’s brain! We’re currently being visited by lecturers from Leeds University. Well done to Farhaan who knew that the brain has 100,000,000,000 brain cells.
We also tested our touch receptors. We tested the back of our hand, our fingers and the back of our neck to see which had the most receptors.
Learning in literacy
One of our Year 3 pupils uses an iPad to record a sentence. She then listens to the sentence back and rewrites it on her wipe board.
Water Aid Assembly
We’ve a sponsored walk on Friday – Gary from Water Aid tells the school about what happens with our donations.
Brain Week Two
On Tuesday, Dave from d-side came to talk to the children about how drugs and alcohol can affect the brain.
Children were given the opportunity to try out special glasses that show the children how their eyes ‘see’ and brain ‘thinks’ when they are affected by alcohol. The ‘Beer Goggles’ certainly made the children gain an insight about how drugs including alcohol could affect their brain.
How do drugs affect the brain?
…This was one of the questions Key Stage 2 children have been looking at today as part of their drug education sessions with d:side.
Each class have been focussing on a different drug and its effects on the body:
- Year 3 – tobacco
- Year 4 – alcohol
- Year 5 – solvents
- Year 6 – cannabis
Both pupils and staff have given great feedback on the informative sessions and d:side also commented on our ‘very friendly and well behaved’ children.
If you have any questions please see a member of staff or contact Dave Hill, d:side Programme Manager, on 2225471.
For a comprehensive guide to this subject visit the Talk to Frank website (www.talktofrank.com).
Class photo
On Thursday the Yorkshire Evening Post will be taking a photo of the class to include in a pull-out supplement of all the Reception children in Leeds.
Brain Week One
Year Six have learnt some brilliant facts about the biology of the brain.
- If you tried to count all of your brain cells without resting or sleeping, it would take 3171 years to count every last one of them…Wow!
- The brain smells of cheese… Interesting!
- We are born with 100 billion brain cells…That’s a lot!
D:Side visit Year 4
As part of Brain Box week, Year 4 are learning about the dangers of alcohol and its effect on the brain.
A Year 4 pupil experiences the effects of alcohol on balance by wearing some disorientating glasses.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caewvhDuXjA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Two Year 4 girls demonstrate how to say no.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK6h5Me1VQo&feature=youtube_gdata_player