7 minute read
Alternative activities to try during time at home
Maths v Coronavirus Mrs Wragg
As you are well aware, many diseases spread from one person to many and then to many more. Knowing how many people are at risk and how fast the disease spreads helps doctors to fight back. We have all witnessed this first hand with the Coronavirus outbreak, but were you aware just how much maths has helped in the fight against this virus? Here are a few examples.
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Tracking Disease
If someone has Coronavirus they can pass the disease onto people nearby. On average, every person with the virus will infect a further 2-2.5 people. If each of these people then passes it on in the same way the disease can spread very quickly. This rapid spread is called exponential growth. We have been shown graphs every day monitoring this growth by scientists and mathematicians and have seen that the steeper the curve, the more the disease is spreading. As lockdown starts to release, scientists and mathematicians are monitoring these graphs very closely to check that they show that things are under control.
Medical Maths
Exponential growth has resulted in quick thinking by the Government. There have been many things to consider. Mathematicians have had to make predictions very quickly looking at patterns in how the virus has been spreading. How many hospital beds will be needed? Will there be enough medicines and PPE to cope? As a result the Government had to enforce lockdown to ensure that the country would be able to manage. The rules of lockdown were a result of careful planning by scientists and mathematicians. Who needs to be isolated? How long do they need to be isolated for? If people need to stay 2 metres apart, how many people are allowed in one space at a time? Remember, everything being done has been trying to flatten this exponential curve and ensure that the country can cope.
So next time you see something on the TV or online about Coronavirus stop and think.
Do I understand what the graphs show? How did they come up with that rule? The numbers are very big, but what actually do they represent?
Stay safe and keep doing your maths, because it helps save lives!
Film Studies Mr Warrington
Please see the link below to help you with some film choices over the weekend:
The Watchers – Issue 11 http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/TheWatchersIssue11.pdf
The Watchers – Issue 12 http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/TheWatchersIssue12.pdf
Previous issues 1-10 are also available on our website.
Speakers for Schools virtual talks
Speakers for Schools are presenting weekly VTalks. Their schedule is updated weekly and talks will be targeted to different age groups (see speakers below for May). To access the talks click the link: https://www.speakersforschools.org/inspiration/vtalks/upcoming-vtalks/
No logins are required and all attendees can stream the talks without downloading Microsoft Teams. Links should be opened in a browser that is not Internet Explorer. Students can view by clicking WATCH TALK LIVE HERE and then clicking ‘Watch on web instead’ and sign in anonymously. The speakers will appear at the set times e.g. 10am and 2pm.
DATE Mon 8 June 2pm
Tues 9 June 10am
Tues 9 June 2pm
Wed 10 June 10am
Thurs 11 June 2pm
SPEAKER CeCe Sammy, Vocal Coach & Asher Knight, Singer/Songwriter
Julian Jessop, Economist
Dr Funke Abimbola, Solicitor, Business Leader and Diversity Campaigner
Charly Classen, Vice Chair, Special Olympics
In collaboration with Penguin Talks: Maya Jama and DOM&INK
INFO
If you can speak, you can sing! Join Vocal Coach to the stars, CeCe Sammy and Singer/Songwriter Asher Knight to discuss how music has helped people overcome barriers and learn some singing techniques to help students focus too! Should the voting age be lowered to 16? Economist, Julian Jessop will discuss the debate with students. This talk would suit any student interested in politics.
Dr Funke Abimbola is joining SFS to discuss 'Climbing mountains' - a session that reflects on Dr Abimbola's personal leadership journey, her journey to becoming a senior healthcare executive and lawyer and sharing top 5 tips for success! A session on how sport has the ability to impact lives with a focus on demystifying the sports sector in terms of careers and jobs available across the wider sports industry. How to Build Confidence - British television and radio presenter, Maya Jama, joins freelance illustrator and author of Free to Be Me, DOM&INK, to discuss what confidence means to them, the barriers to developing confidence and how we can build our own confidence.
DATE Fri 12 June 10am
SPEAKER In collaboration with Into Film: Sarah Gavron, Film Director
INFO
British, feature film Director, Sarah Gavron, who's film credits include the film adaptation of Monica Ali's award-winning novel, Brick Lane, Suffragette, and the upcoming teen drama, made in collaboration with the creative team and the young people in the cast, Rocks, out later this year, will be answering questions and discussing her career, future projects and influences. Sarah has dedicated her career to accurately telling female stories and hopes to inspire more young women to enter the UK Film Industry.
HOW TO JOIN THE VTALKS
Join 10 minutes before the VTALK to be ready You can join without needing an account –https://vimeo.com/418436143 For full speaker descriptions visit https://www.speakersforschools.org/inspiration/vtalks/upcoming-vtalks/
VTALK LIBRARY & MORE
Watch pre-recorded VTalks from our library https://www.speakersforschools.org/inspiration/vtalks/vtalks-video-library/
UK-German Connection are calling on all young people from across the UK and Germany to take
them on a virtual tour of our country!
Travel may be off limits right now, but the exploration of another country and culture doesn’t have to be! UK-German Connection are inviting you to get creative and give other young people a glimpse into your world!
Simply send a photo under the title “Welcome to my world” – this could be: The view from your window Something you’ve seen during your daily walk/exercise A photo of your town/city A project you’ve been working on during lockdown
For privacy reasons, please do not send photos that show people’s faces. Instead, you could send photos that show the backs of people’s heads (or that don’t include people at all!)
See below for further information about how to submit a photo entry to the competition: “Welcome to my world”.
https://ukgermanconnection.org/yp/get-involved/competition-welcome-to-my-world/
Please note: By entering this competition, you grant UK-German Connection non-exclusive permission to use your photo for activities in all media, including social media, online and print, without any remuneration being due.
BBC Young Composer 2020 competition
The BBC Young Composer 2020 competition is open to students aged 12-18 of all technical abilities, backgrounds, and musical influences. The deadline for this year's competition is 5pm, Monday 20 July. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/young-composer-launch
The 30 Second Composition Challenge has also been launched challenging composers aged 12- 18 to get creative at home and create a 30-second piece for a single instrument or voice. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/TByVm765XjYpg6b8y5MCzM/bbc-young-composer-30- second-composition-challenge]
Keeping Highfields reading: how to access free books
It’s really important that students keep up with reading whilst school is closed. The recommended reading time is at least 20 minutes every day. We recognise that at the current time it may be difficult to find books to read. Books are still readily available to buy online from Amazon, Waterstones and other bookshops, but there are also a growing number of sources of free books. The situation is changing every day, with publishers starting to offer access to more and more books, so this advice will be regularly updated. At the current time, the best sources of free reading material are:
Kindle Unlimited
If you are an Amazon Prime member you can sign up for two free months of KindleUnlimited. You will need to download the Kindle app on any device and then you’ll have unlimited access to books, magazines and audiobooks on the Kindle store. After the free trial period there’s a charge of £7.99 per month, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. Visit https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindledbs/hz/subscribe/ku?shoppingPortalEnabled=true for more information.
If you don’t want to sign up to KindleUnlimited you can still download some very inexpensive – or even free - titles from the Amazon Kindle store. Have a browse through the “Children’s” and “Teen & Young Adult” sections. There are some good offers. For instance, the first and second titles in the very popular “Cogheart” series are completely free at the moment. Free titles seem to be added daily, so it’s worth having a regular check of the website.
Audible
Amazon Audible has made all its audiobooks available free of charge if you start a 30-day free trial subscription with them. Visit http://www.audible.co.uk
Derbyshire Libraries
You can read thousands of e-books for free through Derbyshire Libraries. Even if you haven’t yet joined the library, you can join online and download e-books immediately.
If you are already a member go to https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/ebooks/ebooksemagazines-and-eaudiobooks.aspx and follow the instructions to start browsing through the books available.
If you aren’t yet a member of a Derbyshire library go to: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/using-your-library/joining/joining-the-library.aspx and click on “Join the Library”. Fill in all your details and you’ll be given a temporary username and password that you can use until you get a membership card. So you’ll be able to start downloading books straight away.
Happy reading!
Updates to follow as and when other sources of reading material become available.
