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Paper-folding maths problem

We had a fun maths lesson on Friday which has left us all thinking!

We started with oblong pieces of paper (A5) and the challenge was to see how many different polygons we could make using one fold only. We then had to explore the properties of the different shapes and look for symmetry, regularity, etc. We discovered that we could not make a triangle with only one fold, but we could make a variety of quadrilaterals (discussed square (regular quadrilateral), trapezium, creating different parallelograms, etc.).

Once we started looking at higher order polygons, we discovered we could make shapes up to nonagons but none were regular and only the shapes with odd numbers of sides (pentagon, heptagon, nonagon) could be created to have a line of symmetry with one fold.

          

 

Next someone suggested seeing how many different polygons they could make with two folds. Some people insisted they could make a tetradecagon (14), but others thought they could only make 13 (triskaidecagon). We are not entirely sure whether we are folding accurately so it would be good to try this again and confirm which is correct.

We decided then that we would spend the weekend investigating this further to see if there is a pattern that we can come up with to predict the maximum number of sides of polygons that can be made with a given number of folds and whether there is a mathematical explanation for this. We are sure there must be but we think we might need help to find out. So far, we think we have a sequence of 1 fold (max 9 side), 2 folds (max 13 sides), 3 folds (17 sides) which looks like there could be a pattern developing but it is getting harder and harder to be sure we have folded correctly which is why we think it would be good to see what other people think. We are wondering whether the increase in 4 each time has also got something to do with the number of sides in our initial shape (the oblong paper). Maybe we could investigate this further using a different polygon to start us off?

I have asked our friends in Year 6 at Long Itchington to see if they can help and am also asking some other people who love maths problems. I’ll let you know if we find out! If you discover anything more, it would be great to add a comment. There is a gold card for anyone coming up with ideas that they can explain to me clearly! We want to crack this before the end of term!

 

Posted in Maths, Maths Challenges, pupils, Year 6 | 2 Comments

Icelandic breakfast!

I said I would share my attempt at an Icelandic breakfast this morning: oatmeal porridge, skyr, redcurrants and blueberries. It was actually very tasty as well as filling and quite healthy. The only downside (for me!) was that the oatmeal porridge took about 25 minutes to cook (which is quite a bit longer than for ordinary porridge). However, I would probably try this again.

Posted in pupils, Topic (History and Geography), Year 6 | Leave a comment

World Cup Football Day – Iceland

Image result for iceland flagIceland are playing in their first World Cup Finals and today we learned something about the history, geography, language and culture of Iceland and held a mini football tournament.

We discovered that the population of the whole country is about the same size as Coventry! This helps to see what an achievement qualifying for the World Cup has been.

 

During the day we tried some Icelandic food (including rye bread, Skyr, pickled herrings and pickled cucumbers, followed up by Kleinur (little donuts)).

If you want to try cooking these for yourselves, click on the images below to find the recipes we used.

Kleinur Donuts are quite simple to make and they went down well! They are even better slightly warm, fresh from the pan!

 

 

The rye bread is easy to mix, but takes a long time (about 8 hours) to cook on a low temperature. Some other recipes use molasses or treacle instead of syrup which would make the bread darker and maybe taste a little less sweet.

 

 

Posted in pupils, Sports and P.E., Topic (History and Geography), Year 6 | Leave a comment

Probability Posters

Year 6 have been investigating probability. They tried to discover the probability of scoring
different totals using two (or more) dice with the same number of faces and with different numbers of faces. Some people investigated the distribution of scores by experimenting with dice and some tried to calculate the probabilities. We presented our findings and our understanding of probability as posters. Here are some of the imaginative posters that were produced. Some even included interactive elements and 3D features. Well done Year 6!

                   

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Grendel’s battle with Beowulf retold by Goldfish14

Out of the darkness, Grendel came. He was filled with anticipation knowing his next meal was behind the old iron door. With his mouth watering, he crept up to the silver iron door and gashed it open. Standing on the other side was Handscio the guard; he was tall and he was wearing armour but this would not save him. Handscio gripped his diamond sword; he swiped it in the air chasing Grendel around. He tripped Handscio over and grabbed his sword, stabbing him in the chest. He didn’t want to leave him there so he gobbled him up. With blood dripping down his chin, he crawled across the floor wiping his claws across his face waiting for his next meal.

Stumbling across the floor, Grendel viciously sniffed the air searching for his next victim. Little did he know what awaited him. Standing around the corner was Beowulf. He was ‘bare-handed’ and had neither sword nor armour. Suddenly, he sprang into action. After many hours had passed, he had ripped off Grendel’s scaly arm. At last, the horrific beast was defeated.

 

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Beowulf defeats Grendel retold by Lion27

Beowulf Shows Hrothgar Grendel ArmSilently, Grendel emerged drooling from the deep, dark forest. He was ready to engage in a fatal brawl. His hideous smile crept across his scaly face. As the poisonous scent of bludgeoned victim’s flesh slid off his merciless claws, he licked his devilish lips. Without hesitation, he demolished the iron-studded hatch only to unleash a merciless slaughter. Soon he was holding Beowulf’s best Geat’s skull as the voice box hung. With only one stamp, his skull was no more… With a hellish scream, he continued his terror reign.

Out of the shadows of the night, Beowulf ran heroically towards Grendel’s path of destruction. The Demon was thinking of adding to his killing spree. The two giants charged at each other. The wrestle began. Beowulf clutched the wretched scaly arm. Within a couple of hours, Grendel’s arm was detached! As he fled into the dark forest, Beowulf hung his bloody arm as a trophy!

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Beowulf’s battle with Grendel retold by Jellyfish6

Related imageOut of the gloom, Grendel appeared. He could smell dinner. He was grinding his vile blood-thirsty teeth knowing his feast was nearby. As he crept up to the mead hall, he could smell a sweet tinge of Viking flesh.

Grendel ripped open the oak door. He had smelt the flesh now in toasted smoke. He now thought there had been a party. He could smell the fresh cooked meat from the party. Grendel smelt the fresh meat and treats.

Grendel licked his blood-thirsty teeth as he ground them. He saw his first victim on the floor. Grendel had killed a guard already. The colossal savage ate one of the Geats in one. Nothing was left of him. Not even a nail.

The colossal beast was then grabbed. They had been wrestling for hours when Beowulf had ripped off his arm. There was a scream of horror from the beast. He had both of his arms pulled off.

Then Beowulf tried to pierce his skin but it was no use. He said to his guard it is no use trying to pierce his skin.

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Game to practise Roman numerals

This is a game that will test your speed of translating Roman to Arabic numerals. You have to dodge the wrong numbers and hit the correct one by dragging the black square onto the moving red numbers. It starts off reasonably slowly but speeds up pretty quickly!

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The Girl Who Wasn’t There


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Posted in Book Blog, Book reviews, pupils, Year 6 | 1 Comment

Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat


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Posted in Book reviews, pupils, Year 6 | 1 Comment