Class 5 have had an exciting term, starting with the performance of our play about Ancient Greece – Into the Labyrinth.  Following this drama main lesson we moved into a maths main lesson inspired by training for our upcoming Greek Olympics Camp in Perth.  This extended our previous maths main lessons on decimal fractions and related them to the much anticipated big event.

The children have been training surely and steadily for the Greek Olympics, learning wrestling, javelin and discus techniques.  They have been using stop watches to record times for the marathon and sprints.  In PE, Sam has shown the children long jump skills and they take turns measuring, recording and raking the long jump pit.

Back in class we predicted, estimated and rounded our decimal measurements of time and distance.  We then used our results to find mean and median averages and plotted results on bar and line graphs.  We found out about the history of javelin and discus and how they evolved.  We then became Sports Scientists!

In the spirit of the Ancient Greek scientists we did our own investigations on mini-discus and mini-javelin throwing to find out how matter, force and motion affect distance.  We were fortunate to have the 2024 Olympics in Paris coinciding with our own studies!

In preparation for the Greek Olympics  in Perth in Week 9 the children have been joyfully and enthusiastically singing Glorius Apollo and The Olympic Round for the big day.  Thank you to Jewels for working with Class 5 each week in training for the marathon and learning the verse of Gold Crowned Olympia off by heart.  The children are getting more confident with their verses for the Greek City States they will be representing – Delphi, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes and Athens.  We are looking forward to hearing Zeus and Aphrodite give their speeches at the opening ceremony as we witness the lighting of the Olympic flame.

Our final main lesson for  the term has been in Ancient Greece, moving from Greek mythology to history.  We have heard of the development of the Greek city states and the start of democracy, as well as the battles of the Persian wars.  We have been hearing of the Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and the impact that Greek scientists and thinkers have had on the development of our culture even today.

Finally we have considered the qualities of Alexander the Great. We have seen how one’s personal striving for harmony and to make good choices, or not, has such an impact on the world.  At the Greek Olympics – as well as honouring the athletic events - Zeus and Aphrodite, and each of us, will be looking for the below virtues in practice.

Let the Games Begin!

OLYMPIC VIRTUES