40th anniversary of the first Moon landing

by James

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Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fleur-design/

This month sees the 40th anniversary of the first manned mission to land on the Moon. On July 20 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon, as Michael Collins orbited above in the Apollo 11 Command Module.

It also seems as if one of the long-standing issues concerning the first landing might have been resolved. There has always been debate over whether Armstrong omitted an ‘a’ from his famous first words as he stepped onto the Moon’s surface. Without saying ‘a man’, man and mankind have much the same meaning in the words: “One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind”.

It had been argued that Armstrong failed to say what was intended, or that the ‘a’ was perhaps lost in the static of the radio transmission. The latter seemed to be confirmed in 2006 when analysis showed that there was time in Armstrong’s speech for an ‘a’, but the most recent evidence claims that the ‘a’ was definitely never spoken.

Although incorrect grammatically, it is suggested that the omission was intentional by Armstrong to make the phrase more poetic, and that he draws a distinction between ‘man’ and ‘mankind’ by using rising and falling pitch for each word respectively. Guess it comes back to the old adage that it’s not what you say, but how you say it….

Aside from the linguistic debate, I’ve always found the Moon landings fascinating. What must it feel like to look back at Earth from the surface of the Moon, or similarly after the mission, to stare up at the Moon in the night sky and think that you have been there? It’s not really surprising that many of the Apollo astronauts had difficulties adjusting to life back on Earth when they returned.

To mark the special occasion (and also probably the last post of the year before you all break up for the summer!), here are some fantastic Moon-related clips from HVG. It was very difficult to decide which clips to post due to the number of Moon/Space-related clips that can be found in the gallery. Have a look for yourself by taking out a free 30-day trial and using the search function at the top of the page. Most of them can be found in the KS3 Science (‘Earth, Space and beyond’ substrand) and Key Stage 1&2 Science (QCA Unit 5E: Earth, Sun and Moon) modules.

The two sample clips I have chosen are from KS3 Science. The first (actually located within the ‘Reflection’ theme of the ‘Energy, electricity and forces’ substrand) shows how a mirror left on the Moon by one of the Apollo missions is still used today to measure the distance from the Earth to the Moon.

Title of clip	Mirror on the Moon
Curriculum location	KS3 Science  >  Energy, electricity and forces  >  Energy transfer and electricity  >  Section: Reflection  >  3.1a energy can be transferred usefully, stored, or dissipated, but cannot be created or destroyed
Description	A report looks at how the distance between the Earth and the Moon is measured accurately using a laser and a mirror that was placed on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969. The report includes original images and photographs taken on the Moon’s surface and an interview with a scientist who describes and explains how the mirror on the Moon and the laser telescope are both used to calculate the distance between the Earth and the Moon accurately.
Duration	2 minutes 18 seconds

 

With it being the 40^th anniversary, the second sample clip had to be one that included some of the original footage from the Apollo missions. This video of an astronaut experimenting on the Moon demonstrates that Galileo’s prediction that in a vacuum, a hammer and feather would fall to the ground at the same rate, was correct…

Have a great summer break !

Title of clip	The hammer-feather drop
Curriculum location	KS3 Science  >  Energy, electricity and forces  >  Forces  >  Gravity and resistance  >  3.1b forces are interactions between objects and can affect their shape and motion
Description	NASA astronauts, on the moon, perform a demonstration to prove Galileo’s thought experiment that a feather and a hammer will fall with the same acceleration, in a vacuum, regardless of their mass. On Earth, air resistance will effect the fall of the feather.
Duration	35 seconds

 

Tennis and KS3 Science

by James

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Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgio/

With Wimbledon in full swing (excuse the pun), I thought I’d post a KS3 Science sample clip with a tennis-related theme. The clip would serve (sorry, really not trying!) as a useful introduction to the respiratory system topic and begins by showing an examination of the trachea and bronchi using an endoscope.

Before showing the video, you could ask the pupils to discuss the functions of the lungs and what the inside of a windpipe or trachea might be like, and to feed their ideas back to the class. After the video, you may wish to discuss any differences between their ideas and the accepted ideas about the lungs.

The clip goes on to show a game of tennis in order to illustrate that the size of a tennis court is approximately equivalent to the surface area of a human’s lungs! You could discuss this with the class, asking how such a large surface area is achieved and why it is important for gaseous exchange.

Good luck Mr Murray!

Title of clip	The respiratory system
Curriculum location	KS3 Science  >  Organisms, behaviour and health  >  Life processes  >  Section: Circulatory system  >  3.3a life processes are supported by the organisation of cells into tissues, organs and body systems
Description	An examination of the structure of the human lung. A doctor uses an endoscope to explore a person’s lung, he describes how the air passages continue to bifurcate the deeper he journeys. Two people play tennis on a clay court; the size of the court is approximately equivalent to the surface area of a human’s lungs.
Duration	33 seconds

 

65th anniversary of D-Day

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ - the view from inside a landing craft approaching Normandy on 6 June, 1944

Tomorrow is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. Operation Overlord saw 160,000 Allied troops landing on the beaches of France during June 6, 1944. With the youngest veterans of the operation now being in their early eighties, this weekend’s events are an important opportunity to hear their stories, and to mark the day and remember those who gave so much.

I was in Berlin a few weeks ago and seeing the bullet ridden masonry that still lines the banks of the Rhine as I took a river cruise with my friends, and sipped beer on a sunny day, made me think about how lucky I am to live at this time, and how much we owe the brave people who fought for our freedom sixty-five years ago.

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ - soldiers and vehicles move ashore during D-Day

D-Day was a major turning point in the war, and although there was still much fighting to be done, many historians see the invasion as marking the beginning of the end for Hitler and Nazi Germany. Things couldn’t have been more different just a few years before, when Germany had a firm grasp on much of Europe, and stood on the brink of launching an invasion of Britain. This sample video from Key Stage 2 History QCA Unit 9 (‘What was it like for children in the Second World War?’) explains the German plan for conquering Britain.

Fortunately failure in the Battle of Britain meant that the Germans never got past the first phase, and the largest single-day amphibious invasion of the war (and indeed, of all time) was in the other direction across the Channel a few years later. Nevertheless, this video is a stark reminder of how it all could have been so different…

Title of clip	Conquest Britain
Curriculum location	Primary Module A  >  History  >  Key stage 2  >  Unit 9: What was it like for children in the Second World War?  >  Section 1: What was the Second World War? When and where did it take place?
Description	World War II: Adolf Hitler backdropped against the Eiffel Tower, German troops march through Paris’ streets, declaration of successful invasion of Britain, six weeks to create a three phase invasion plan, phase one, aircraft to bomb military sites, blitz communication and transport lines, take command of the air, phase two, dive-bomb the English coastline, parachute troops to take over airfields, phase three, Panzer divisions cross channel to invade, divide and destroy armed opposition.
Duration	2 minutes 4 seconds

 

500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne

by James

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Tomorrow is the 500th anniversary of the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of England. He was later crowned King on June 24th 1509 and turned 18 just a few days afterwards. Although famed for his six wives, the Reformation and end of Roman Catholicism in England, war-mongering, and huge appetite and obesity in later life, it seems as if there are many aspects to Henry’s life and personality that go far beyond the things that usually spring to mind when we hear his name.Here are a few suggestions for web resources that you might find useful when looking at the famous king in the classroom. As you might expect of such a well-known historical figure, there are many different accounts and resources of Henry available:

• The BBC is always a good place to start and this slideshow provides a great introduction for students to view themselves. There is also an interactive activity where the children are asked to help put Henry’s armour on, but should be careful not to make him angry! For a more detailed biography from the BBC see here.
• This is perhaps the most detailed biography that I came across. Alternatively, the Woodlands Junior School homework help page is another that students could use themselves.
• This Brims page is a great website for KS2 students, and has a range of resources and information on Henry and all of the Tudors. Some interesting facts from the page:  Henry VIII had over 78,000 people executed while he was King (that equals about 5 people every day for 38 years!), and at one time had a gambling bill for £3242, when the average weekly wage was about 5p!
• By the end of his reign, Henry had accumulated 55 palaces – you can see images of them, and the things that Henry liked to fill them with, here.
• According to many accounts, Henry was intelligent and extremely well-read. You can read some of his works here, and also listen to poems and songs that he composed.
• The National Archives website has a range of original documents from Henry’s reign, and a special tool that can be used to hover over and magnify them.
• Henry’s favourite warship was the Mary Rose. The website of the ship’s museum has several interactive resources and a movie for KS2 students to explore the warship and what life on board was like.
• This article gives an insight into Henry’s diet (‘he may have eaten up to 13 dishes a day … and he may have drunk 10 pints of ale a day as well as wine … a 28 stone man-mountain’), and suggests that it was possibly a jousting accident that turned the king into the tyrant often portrayed in historical accounts.

There are several whole units (QCA History Units 7, 8 and 19) of Henry VIII and Tudor-related clips in the gallery, which you can see for free by taking out a 30-day trial. They cover the great Tudor explorers and their discoveries, Tudor kings and queens, and Tudor houses, clothes, and leisure activities. Here are two examples:

Title of clip	The Tudor Kings and Queens
Curriculum location	Primary Module A  >  History  >  Key stage 2  >  Unit 7: Why did Henry VIII marry six times?  >  Section 1: How many times did Henry VIII marry?  >  Learning Objective: to locate the Tudors within the context of the history of Britain
Description	An animated timeline showing the Tudor Kings and Queens: King Henry VII 1485-1509, King Henry VIII 1509-1547, King Edward VI 1547-1553, Queen Mary I 1553-1558, Queen Elizabeth I 1558-1603.
Duration	40 seconds

 

Title of clip	Life on board the Mary Rose
Curriculum location	Primary Module A  >  History  >  Key stage 2  >  Unit 19: What were the effects of Tudor exploration?  >  Section 3: How did people explore the world in Tudor times?  >  Learning Objective: to collect information from a range of sources and draw conclusions about life at sea
Description	The story of the Tudor warship the Mary Rose, complete with re-enactments of what conditions were like on board, plus information about the historical finds yielded after its sunken remains were excavated and raised: almost half of the many finds excavated have now been either restored or conserved; it is a true example of a time capsule as many of the artefacts would not have survived anywhere else; a number of dice and coins were found indicating that gambling was a popular pastime for the crew; the longbows recovered are probably the only surviving examples of the weaponry used to such devastating effect against the French in many of the battles of the time; animal bones excavated from the wreck suggest the food consumed by the crew – beef, pork, fish and venison were all eaten; a gallon of watered-down beer per day was given to each crew member; the officers had music as an extra with their meals.
Duration	4 minutes 38 seconds

 

Please note that these are example clips provided through our YouTube channel and do not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery

Happy Easter

by James

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Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22863752@N06/

Hopefully you’ve all had a great term and are now making the most of the holiday and warmer weather – it’s bright sunshine here in Oxford!

We’ve had a busy term again on the HVG blog and so I thought that I would summarise what we have covered, and highlight once more some of the great example clips that we have posted over the last few months. You can also see them all together on our YouTube channel.

The good weather this morning is quite a contrast to the cold and snow that we were experiencing at the beginning of January when we made our first post of the New Year. It included a clip from the primary literacy section of the gallery about how cold weather affects people, wildlife and landscapes around the world.

The first KS3 Geography clip that we posted looked at how volcanoes form, and has been our most popular example video of the year so far.

We celebrated Chinese New Year at the end of January, looking at the superstitions and traditions behind the festival. Hopefully the Year of the Ox is proving to be fruitful and prosperous for everyone, although I’m not sure if Chinese astrology takes credit crunches into account

It was the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns next. We posted another literacy example clip telling the story of Tam O’Shanter, one of Burns’ most popular poems, and which also explains how the Cutty Sark got its name from a petticoat!

In February, one of my favourite clips from the gallery (‘The Mystery of Little Red Riding Hood’s Ice-cream‘!) featured in a post about insulators and keeping things cool. We also posted a KS3 Geography clip about the effects of oil spills as a huge slick off the Irish coast made the headlines, thought to be from a Russian aircraft carrier.

March 1st was St David’s Day. Our post featured an example clip showing the natural beauty of Wales, and suggested plenty of resources to mark the day in the classroom. We included two primary science example clips in the next post about the Earth, Sun and Moon – very useful if you are trying to explain how the planetary bodies interact with one another as part of Unit 5E of the QCA Science Scheme of Work.

We marked St Patrick’s Day on March 17th by exploring who St Patrick was and the legends that exist around him, along with resource ideas and another KS3 Geography clip showing the fantastic landscape and scenery of Ireland. This was followed by an artistic example clip about the four seasons and discussion of when Spring starts, and we wrapped the term up last week with a post to mark April Fools’ Day – did we manage to catch any of you out?!

Have a good break and see you again in the new term, when we’ll have news of new primary and secondary modules. In the meantime, here is a taster (excuse the pun!) of one of our new primary maths problem solving clips. Try to concentrate on the questions!

Title of clip	Question of chocolate
Curriculum location	Primary Module C  >  Maths problem solving  >  Block E  >  Year 4  >  Section: Tables practice  >  Derive and recall multiplication facts up to 10 × 10, the corresponding division facts and multiples of numbers to 10 up to the tenth multiple
Description	A series of five chocolate based arithmetic problems that require either multiplication and division operations to answer: chocolate eggs travel along conveyer belt in factory; chocolate eggs halves in row upon row of moulds; green sweets covered by liquid chocolate on wire rack and then decorated with pistachio nuts when solid; chocolate blocks travel along factory conveyer belt; foil-wrapped chocolates coins dropping off conveyor belt.
Duration	1 minute 57 seconds

 

Please note that these are example clips provided through our YouTube channel and do not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery

Who’s the more foolish – the fool, or the fool who follows him?

by James

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I’ve never been able to decide on an answer to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s question, but I do enjoy playing the odd practical joke on friends and family. Tomorrow (before midday at least!) is therefore one of my favourite days of the year: April Fools’ Day!

April Fools’ Day can be dated back to the reign of Henry VIII. Although well-known for the dissolution of the monasteries and his six wives, less people are aware of the way in which Henry used to enjoy playing practical jokes on his servants and advisors. During a banquet with the French King in 1532 he feigned choking on a chicken bone, and he often enjoyed pulling on the skins of wild animals and jumping out on people travelling through the grounds of Windsor Castle. When Henry died on April 1 1547, it was decided that the day would be kept as a reminder of the late King’s fun-loving side.

Unfortunately ‘you can’t kid a kidder’ hasn’t always been true in my case and I’ve been on the receiving end of a few pranks myself. I remember being sent for sky hooks, tartan paint and a glass hammer in an early part-time job, and must confess to being caught out for a few seconds last year by this great effort from the BBC:

Some of my other favourites over the years include when Channel 4’s Big Breakfast made it look as if the Millennium Dome was on fire during a live broadcast in 1998, and when Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show reported in 2004 that Germany had dropped the Euro and were in negotiations to adopt the British pound! Of course, one of the classic hoaxes of all time has to be the ‘Spaghetti trees harvest’ clip from Panorama in 1957:

Have a fun morning, and keep your eyes peeled for anything which might seem out of the ordinary. The second paragraph of this post could be a good place to start – sorry couldn’t resist it

When does spring start?

by James

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Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshmcmillan/

Tomorrow is traditionally seen as the first day of spring. Tonight is the vernal equinox which means that night time is the same length as day time. From tomorrow, the days will become longer and the nights will get shorter, leading up to the longest day on June 21, the Summer Solstice.

In 2006 MPs questioned the Government why the Met Office had unilaterally declared that spring starts on March 1, seemingly going against tradition and the astrological cycles. The answer was probably to do with keeping things simple and having the four seasons divided up neatly across the twelve months. I must admit that this is always how I have thought of them being roughly organised.

Other events that might be considered as heralding the start of spring confuse the question even further. A BBC Springwatch (or here for the CBeebies version) and Woodland Trust survey found that possible indicators in nature are occurring increasingly early, including frog spawn being spotted in October! The weather is currently mild and very spring-like, but that can’t be relied on either, with parts of the UK experiencing snowfall in March during recent years.

It is next weekend that the clocks ’spring’ forward one hour, but then again that is the start of British Summer Time! Perhaps we should forget about trying to define when spring actually starts and just make the most of the good weather whilst it continues…

Typing ’spring’ into the HVG search engine brings up a range of clips. There are videos in the Primary Science module as part of QCA Unit 6E: Forces in action, that look at the different ways that we use springs and the forces that are involved in them. The KS3 Geography module also has a number of clips examining thermal springs, but it is the type of spring mentioned at the start of this post that this week’s example clip includes: 

Title of clip	A tree through the seasons
Curriculum location	Primary Module B  >  Literacy  >  Year 1  >  Non-fiction  >  Unit 1: Labels, lists and captions  >  Section 1: Speaking  >  Experiment with and build new stores of words to communicate in different contexts
Description	An animation of a tree through winter, spring, summer and autumn: from bare branches to green leaves, daffodils and spring rain, then summer sun and birds flying. The leaves start to go red, then orange, then yellow and then brown and fall from the tree. Winter comes and the tree is bare again, it gets darker and snow falls.
Duration	1 minute 54 seconds

 

Please note that these are example clips provided through our YouTube channel and do not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery

What is the impact of an oil spill?

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/therebel68/

The last few videos that we’ve posted have been examples from our primary modules so it seems like time for another KS3 Geography clip. There are lots of clips in the gallery relating to environmental issues, and one of the stories making the headlines yesterday was a huge oil spill off the coast of Ireland. Estimates of the amount of oil spilt range from 500 to 1000 tonnes, making it the largest oil spill in the waters around Britain since the Sea Empress ran aground in 1996 off the coast of south-west Wales.

The spill is thought to have happened as a Russian aircraft carrier was refuelling at sea, although the Russians have yet to admit that one of their vessels is responsible. It is about three miles long by three miles wide and is expected to reach the southern Irish and Welsh coasts in about sixteen days time. It’s too early to say what impact the slick is likely to have on wildlife as weather conditions might cause it to break up at sea, but it could result in severe losses among breeding birds and marine animals such as dolphins and seals.

Although still a considerable spill and potentially very damaging, this recent incident is unlikely to cause environmental damage on a scale that has occurred from other leakages in the past. The consequences of the Prestige oil tanker sinking off the Spanish coast in 2002, for example, were terrible. The ship’s cargo of 70,000 tonnes of oil had a massive impact on marine wildlife and the fishing industry in the region, as well as causing a political and diplomatic rift over who was to blame:

Title of clip	Oil spill from the Prestige
Curriculum location	Geography (secondary)  >  QCA  >  Key stage 3  >  Unit 14: Can the earth cope? Ecosystems population and resources  >  Section 5: What are the effects on the environment of this resource issue?  >  Learning Objective: to collect, record and present evidence
Description	A report on the environmental disaster caused by an oil spillage from the sinking Prestige oil tanker: 70,000 tonnes of oil spilled into the sea; local fisherman help navy cadets to clean the coastline of oil; 60 percent of the region is dependent on fishing for its livelihood and the area is rich in wildlife; the slick covers an area of 20 square miles and is still expanding; Greenpeace describe the clean-up operation as inadequate; mussel fishing boats have been ordered to stay in port, the owners are promised some compensation for the loss of earnings.
Duration	2 minutes 10 seconds

 

Please note that this is an example clip provided through our YouTube channel and does not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery

250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns

With so many things going on this week it has been difficult to decide what to blog about. We’ve already mentioned Chinese New Year, it was Holocaust Memorial Day yesterday, and Australia Day on Monday. Unfortunately it hasn’t been possible to post example clips from the gallery on all of these topics, but if you take out a free 30-day trial and use the search function at the top of the page you will be able to find plenty of clips yourself. The KS1 literacy clip about the people, animals, and culture of Australia is fantastic, particularly with the didgeridoo sound effects!

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-o/

On Sunday it was the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, and although the date has passed, we couldn’t let it go completely unmarked here. Hopefully some of you might still be looking at ‘Rabbie’ in the classroom this week and could use this example clip which retells the story of one of his most famous poems: Tam O’Shanter.

Written in 1790, Tam O’Shanter is regarded to be one of Burns’ finest poems, and also one of his longest. You can find a full version of the poem on this page, which also has glossary links from the Scots language words in the poem. Children could use the context and the sentence surrounding some of  the terms to guess what they might mean.

The clip also explains how the Cutty Sark ship got its name from a short petticoat that features in the poem, and why it is still possible to see a grey horse’s tail hanging from the figurehead of the ship today:

Title of clip	Tam O’Shanter and the Cutty Sark
Curriculum location	Primary Module B  >  Literacy  >  Year 3  >  Narrative  >  Unit 2: Myths and legends  >  Section 1: Speaking  >  Sustain conversation, explain or give reasons for their views or choices
Description	A retelling of the poem by Robert Burns, ‘Tam O’Shanter’ and the origins of the Cutty Sark ship: the Cutty Sark ship; a horseman riding in front of the full moon; a storm gathering over moorland; old ruins, a graveyard and the remains of a church; the moon travelling quickly across the sky; a huge bonfire; statues of people revelling and dancing; the moonlight; a horse racing to a river and crossing the water; a carving of Tam O’Shanter being chased by witches; bridges over big rivers and the figurehead of the Cutty Sark ship clutching a mare’s tail.
Duration	2 minutes 49 seconds

 

Please note that this is an example clip provided through our YouTube channel and does not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery

新年快乐! (Xīn nián kuài lè – Happy New Year!)

Next week is Chinese New Year and the start of the Year of the Ox. Chinese New Year day falls on Monday 26th January and begins two weeks of celebrations, culminating in the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the New Year, when the Moon is at its fullest.

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/indigogoat/

I always enjoyed being in Taiwan during the period of Chinese New Year celebrations. It was possible to experience the festival in all its glory and get a sense of the magic that surrounds it for local people. Depending on how the dates fall, there are a number of public holidays which are used to spend time with family and friends, and eat all kinds of wonderful food. Homes are decorated with cutouts and paintings of auspicious phrases, red packets with money inside are given, and new clothes are worn. My favourite part of the festival was always the fantastic fireworks and firecrackers!

Chinese culture is incredibly superstitious, and at no time is this more apparent than around the New Year period. Red and gold are considered to be lucky colours, and a dragon or lion dance with loud drums will help to ward off evil spirits. If you are giving people money in a red packet, be careful that the total is an even number, except for four, which is a homophone for death (you will never find a fourth floor in Chinese hospitals) and considered very unlucky. Don’t do any sweeping on the first day as you will sweep away all of the good fortune for the New Year, and make sure that you don’t buy any books as the Chinese character for “book” is a homonym to the character for “lose”! If you would like to know more about what the Year of the Ox has in store for you, have a look here.

We uploaded several videos relating to China last year during the Olympics, looking at its geography, culture, and the one-child policy. The clip below is one of our new literacy clips and could be used as an introduction to China and its culture for Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous Year of the Ox from everyone here at HVG!

Title of clip	The places, customs, and traditions of China
Curriculum location	Primary Module B  >  Literacy  >  Year 1  >  Narrative  >  Unit 2: Stories from a range of cultures/Stories with predictable and patterned language  >  Section 2: Listening and responding  >  Listen with sustained concentration, building new stores of words in different contexts
Description	Images of Chinese life and culture: someone picking tea leaves; a woman walking along planks between boats; the Great Wall of China; someone writing Chinese script; road traffic; a pagoda; Chinese New Year celebrations; Chinese dragons; a woman dancing.
Duration	2 minutes 14 seconds

 

Please note that this is an example clip provided through our YouTube channel and does not reflect the actual quality of clips in the gallery