Learning about the work of an archaeologist

This morning we had a visit from Dan Lee, an archaeologist.  He came to tell us about the history of Kirkwall and what they have found when they have carried out some excavations.  We looked at old maps and artefacts that have been collected from around the town.

We learned the first building in Kirkwall was a broch.  It was discovered underneath the Orkney museum.  We also found out that the Peedie Sea was part of the larger harbour area and has become smaller over the years.

We also had the opportunity to see some items which had been dug up.  This was really interesting, especially because we got to work with them and sort them out.

The last thing we did was look at a human skeleton.

Visit from Britt

We are continuing to work on our Kirkwall project.  This week Britt came and shared some of her work and described the process she works through.  We realised it takes much longer than we thought!  We also had the opportunity to do some spot illustrations of St Olaf's Kirk. 

'Your Kirkwall' Project

Some of us went up to Papdale last week to take part in a local project about our town.  We thought about the things we like and dislike about Kirkwall.  We had lots we shared with our peers and the visiting speakers.  We also looked to the future and thought about what we would like to see.  Ideas for this included ice rinks and large shopping chains.  This was a fantastic experience for us all.

Kirkwall Heritage Project

On Friday 3rd November we went on a tour around Kirkwall with Britt Harcus, a local tour guide and illustrator.  We are doing a topic on the history of the town and wanted to carry some research.

 

We started our tour at the Kirkwall Hotel.  It was built in 1889 and was the first place to hear about the bombing of the Royal Oak.

Then went along Bridge Street and discovered some more facts about different buildings.  We found out that two families lived on the street at the Kirkwall Market.  They were called the Traill family and the Garden family.  We also stopped at St Olaf's Kirk which was built from sandstone in 1035.

 

 

At the end of Bridge Street we looked at a drain and listened to the water running underneath it.  This is a burn running down from Papdale.

When we went onto Albert Street we stopped where there used to be a Parliament.  King James V once came to sit here at an event.  We continued along the street and stopped at a few different places, including the Big Tree and the Reel.

 

Our final stop was at St Magnus Cathedral where Britt told us some more interesting facts about the building and about the Town Hall across the street.

 

 

Everyone learned a lot about the history of Kirkwall and returned to school with a wealth of  knowledge.

Class Challenges

 We have started group challenges on a Friday whilst breakfast is being made.  After some discussion we came up with a long list of attitudes we feel are important when we work with others, these include respect and co-operation.  We think these are important skills which we will need for the rest of our lives.

Our first challenge shows us creating a bridge out of newspaper which had to hold the weight of a book.

 

Science Festival in Primary 5

We had an engineer talking to us about the world of maths.  We got to try lots of fun and exciting activities using money and tiles.

Feel Good Friday

We are going to have a 'breakfast' on a Friday to celebrate people's successes.   This is us last week enjoying some jam and toast.

We will reward positive achievements including working hard, showing respect

and co-operating and sharing.