W/c 10th January
Colleagues arrived at work to find an email from head office: this year we celebrate our centenary and in recognition of this The Science Museum will be holding a roller coaster exhibition to include details of our company history. We were asked to supply models of our finest roller coasters, as well as provide information of our work focusing on the UK and North America.
We quickly set to work creating our models using foam tubes, gaffer tape and marbles.
We also began to draw rollercoasters and looked at the angles that can be found in them. We talked about right angles, acute and obtuse angles.
In order to form a company history we looked at a map of the North American states and selected areas where we had built coasters in the past. We then read information about these states, produced information posters about them and used the information found to create themed rollercoaster designs that linked to each particular state.
W/c 17th and 24th January 2022
Continuing the exploration of our company history we looked at counties across the four nations of the UK and identified areas where our roller coaster designs have been built. As with the North American states we researched our chosen areas and drew our themed designs.
We used drama to create key moments from our 100-year history and as part of this began to focus on the time we first tested one of our designs that had been built. We talked about the various tests we have had to do over the years, one of which involved the tracks and how we could get the roller coaster to travel faster. With this in mind we carried out our own investigations looking at forces and friction.
We designed a test, talked about how to make it fair and how to record our results. Afterwards we analysed and compared our data and we will write up our findings next week.
‘What The Moon Saw’ was introduced as our new class book about a young girl who is to spend the summer with her estranged grandparents in Mexico. Why this might be relevant to our MOE work will be revealed in good time.
W/c 31st January 2022
One of our employees asked last week how big a company we were. So, we have spent this week looking at our company accounts. We used the timeline created in the previous week to complete a table of data related to how economically strong our company has been throughout each decade of business, using a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being weak and near closure, 10 being wealthy and able to give to charities and expand our business). After completing the table we were able to create bar charts using the data.
We also received bar graphs and line graphs of annual profits since 2016 and we studied these to make sense of the income over recent years. When analysing the graph we were surprised to see that despite some recent successes, our profits had gone down significantly since 2020. On further consideration we realised that the company had probably been suffering due to Covid and the impact this will have had on theme parks.
Finally, we received an email from Head Office notifying us of the Science Museum Roller Coaster Exhibition Preview to be held on Monday. We knew that this would include details of our own work, but wondered what else there might be there. We watched some short films about the science of roller coasters and used what we had discovered about forces over recent weeks to draw designs of the exhibition.
W/c 7th February 2022
On Monday morning we met with the CEO of our company to discuss our latest financial information. She was keen for us to play this financial strain down when we met the press later that afternoon at the Science Museum. We all had lots of questions about what the interviews might be like: Would we all be together like a press conference or would we be interviewed individually? Most of us hoped for individually but we were worried about what the journalists might ask us and how to respond. We talked about ways in which to answer their questions politely but without giving too many negative details away. We brainstormed possible questions the press might ask and recorded these ideas. We also discussed the need to always remain honest – morally we couldn’t just lie to them in order to make ourselves look good.
Later that day we arrived at the Science Museum and were greeted by the attending news journalists. We were each interviewed (children in role as journalists and RWD employees). The journalists noted down their answers and left to write their news reports about the exhibition and our 100 years.
The children then looked at the common features of newspaper articles and how to write quotation marks, before embarking on the writing of the newspaper article itself.
W/c 14th February 2022
This week has been spent designing and testing the use of magnets on our roller coasters. We spent some time ‘playing’ with the magnets and noting what we discovered, before experimenting with ways in which they could be used to accelerate (repel), be used as breaks (attract) or to move the carts along the track without requiring chains or gravity. One team even managed to get their ‘carts’ to hover above the track!
W/c 28th February 2022
We arrived back after half term to find a news article about a new theme park to built in Mexico. Being low on funds and always up for an exciting job we wrote persuasive letters to the individual funding the project, letting them know of our great work and willingness to take on the project. We also created short videos about the company using iMovie.
In the news article, the reporter referred to there being some concerns about the theme park from the local people. We looked at a note that had been given to some village elders, asking them to meet by the sacred cenote at dusk. We had lots of questions about the note and recorded these to think about as our story unfolded.
After looking at what a cenote was, we recorded sentences to describe the setting where they were to meet (these will be used later to inform a piece of descriptive writing).We then looked at some images of what these people may look like – they were dressed quite traditionally and we wondered if this was what all Mexican people looked like.
In role as the people, we discussed the concerns that we had about the rumours surrounding plans to build a theme park on our sacred land. We wondered what we should do and talked about why we were unhappy about this. Sightings of a jaguar had increased around the village (introduced by teacher in role) and we discussed the concerns around what this might mean (warnings of bad things to come, ancestors visiting with warnings, the ruler of the underworld visiting).
Out of role the children were interested in the jaguar and why this might be significant. Together the children read a prepared piece about what ancient civilisations, like the Mayans, believed about jaguars. As one of the villagers had mentioned a jaguar with purple eyes that had the power of strength, we talked about the idea of legends and whether this could be a local legend that these people believed in.
We will have to wait until next week to see what happens next.
W/c 7th March 2022
Back in role as the local people, we decided that we must approach Senor Garcia to ask him to reconsider his plans. We also made offerings to the Gods. The children researched and drew Mayan artefacts before throwing them into the cenote and asking the Gods for their blessings.
Returning to thoughts of the jaguar sightings, we explored and wrote haikus about them.
As Roller World Designers we had a zoom meeting with Senor Garcia who wanted to explore the possibility of the team joining him in Mexico. RWD employees had several concerns about the worries of the local people, all of which were dismissed by Senor Garcia in irritation. None-the-less, the team was asked to fly out to Mexico as soon as possible in order to start work.
Wanting to travel quickly, the team looked at maps to plan the journey. They were provided with prices of various travel options and the children applied recently taught formal multiplication methods, as well as their own, to work out costings for pairs, small groups and the entire company to travel.
Looking at maps of the Yucatan peninsula we used the key to explore the area and discuss possible sites for the theme park. Most teams thought purely about the best place for a theme park in terms of easy access for tourists and selected areas close to main roads and cities or towns.
W/c 14th March 2022
We are now in Mexico.
The children began the week reading an information text about the geography of the Yucatan Peninsula. From the information they read they recorded bullet points of simple facts about the area. These were then discussed.
Returning to the question of where the theme park would be, we considered it from the point of view of the local people. Remembering that the cenote was secret and that they referred to the land as sacred, we agreed that the location may well be somewhere more remote.
After a recap of coordinates, we used these to make suggestions for possible locations. the pros and cons of each coordinate were discussed until we could agree on one final site.
Due to concerns about the strength of the land, the team decided that we needed to survey the area to check for other cenotes and underground rivers. We talked about the term ‘aquifer’ and have begun to use it in our discussions about the land.
Children designed technology to scan the ground, explaining how their machines worked to the rest of the team. We then looked at Ground Penetrating Radar and realised that many of ideas had touched on this idea of penetrating waves into the ground which would then display the mapped area on a screen.
As we scanned the area we began to take in our new and exciting surroundings within the forest. We all had mixed feelings about being there, especially as the setting was so strange to us. Some even felt eyes watching them as they worked. Using the language that had come from our dramatic exploration, we wrote a piece of creative writing describing the setting and our feelings as we stood there.
Finally, we used coordinates to map our own versions of the underground area, before combining our ideas to make one map.
w/c 21st March 2022
During our ground scanning work last week, many of us noted that there were signs of ancient ruins in the land. Before deciding what kinds of buildings these were, and knowing that the area was sacred to the local Mayan people, we read non-fiction books and watched a National Geographic documentary to research Mayan cities. With this new found knowledge we were then able to create the ruins of an ancient Mayan city on our map. We drew these ruins appearing beneath the forest and recorded their location using coordinates.
Later in the week, we developed our geographical understanding of the area by watching documentary film, Flows, which was about the aquifer system in the Yucatan. This helped us to understand not only the physical geography of this area, but also how vulnerable it is in terms of the environment.
Having found these ruins and being more aware of the environmental instability of the region, we met to discuss our future involvement regarding the project. A debate ensued about whether it was morally right for us to continue to support the clearing of this land for a theme park, especially as we were so in need of funds. After a lengthy discussion the majority of employees voted to abandon the project.
w/c 28th March 2022
We moved our story further on in time this week, to several weeks after having discovered the ruins. The local Mayan people came to us to thank us for abandoning the project but shared their concerns that things still weren’t right. Warning signs had started to appear around the area telling people to keep out and security had been increased; they had also continued to have sightings of the jaguar and they felt he was continuing to warn them.
Wanting to find out more, we created the signs that had been placed around the area and watched to see what happened next. Diego Garcia appeared to meet a man: there was mention of secrecy and riches, money was exchanged and documents handed over to Garcia.
Looking more closely at the documents we could see that they were about artefacts. Using the blank forms as a proforma, we researched Mayan art and trade to decide on the artefacts that these forms detailed. We drew them and recorded what they were made of, who they were used by and what for, as well as where they had been found.
Later we used these artefacts to travel back in time to dress the King that they had belonged to. We had already researched Mayan clothing earlier in the term, but added to our understanding by watching short information films. Using this knowledge we were able to dress the King ready for battle with the Spanish. Later we went into role as him, speaking to his people before the war began.
w/c 4th April 2022
With the end of term fast approaching, the teacher went into role as Diego Garcia and allowed the children to ask any questions they wanted, all of which he would answer truthfully. They discovered that he had a secret archaeological team excavating the site and he had plans to sell all found artefacts to art dealers and museums around the world. He then revealed that he would turn the ruins into a tourist attraction. He felt the local people should be happy because he was no longer wanting to build a theme park.
In role as the Mayan people, the children continued to feel frustrated by Garcia’s plans. They wanted to talk to him once more. With half the class in role as the local people and half as Garcia, they tried to persuade each other to accept the opinion of the other side. Discussions around the negative environmental impact of tourism, as well as who truly owned these artefacts was discussed. Neither side could agree a consensus and the meeting was ended.
Out of role the class discussed what real options the Mayan people now had. This included going to the police or local council, as well as arranging a peaceful protest, gathering support from wherever they could.
With no time left, the children arrived at school on the last date to find a newspaper article (from the future) reporting that a preservation order had been placed on the area with thanks to the local people and a design team from the UK. The land had been saved!
To celebrate the end of the mantle we spent the week cooking. We made Mayan hot chocolate by roasting and deshelling raw cocoa beans, mashing them into a paste, adding cinnamon (and a little sugar) and mixing with hot water. We weren’t very impressed! Later in the week we tried the modern-day version and were much happier.
We also made corn tortillas from scratch, using ground corn, and filled them with homemade guacamole, spiced peppers and black beans, as well as tomatoes, cucumber and cheese.
What a way to end the term.