Year 3
It’s been a week of two halves in Year 3. Our mornings have been busy, productive and full of positive learning. By the afternoons, however, we’ve noticed some signs of tiredness creeping in, along with the occasional wobble in listening and focus. Although we still enjoy a short afternoon play, the children have needed a few extra reminders about following instructions and completing their written tasks later in the day. We’ll continue to support them in building stamina and positive learning behaviours right through to home time. Any encouraging messages you can share at home about perseverance and doing their best - even when feeling tired - would be very much appreciated.
In English, we finished some fabulous fairy tales, retelling Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf’s point of view. The children also completed an independent reading comprehension about Boudicca, which they particularly enjoyed thanks to the link with our history learning. Spelling scores were impressive this week too, with lots of children scoring a brilliant 9/10!
In maths, we’ve been measuring our way through millimetres, centimetres and metres, comparing lengths and exploring equivalences.
Science saw the children using their understanding of how light enters the eye to design sunglasses that protect our eyes from harmful UV rays.
In French, we wrote short sentences about animals while practising numbers un, deux et trois, and introducing ourselves.
In RE, the children learned about good and bad karma in Hinduism, using the story of Little Miss Naughty to explore examples. In PE, they worked on small-group balancing activities, showing teamwork and control. In music, the children composed their own melodies using the pentatonic scale.
In computing, we began learning about databases and spreadsheets, using comparison cards (a bit like Top Trumps) to understand records, fields and data.
Have a lovely weekend!
The Year 3 Team
Year 4
Hello all, well that is the longest month of the year done! To be honest, it has felt like it has flown by though. We must be having too much fun, hmm, fun? In school! 🙂 The children have been very busy, and we have had another change around of tables which they really like.
In our learning this week:
Maths - More fraction work, starting with recapping our learning so far and ending the week adding fractions with the same denominator. With Mrs Murray the children looked at the different triangles.
English - We have continued to look at our text and alongside we have been practicing our descriptive writing. With Mrs Murray the children looked at a reading comprehension about volcanoes.
Topic - This week we recapped the structure of a volcano and looked again at the different types of tectonic plate. Then we briefly looked at the three types of volcano; extinct, dormant and active.
Science - The children were investigating high and low pitch sounds.
Computing - The children were coding with Scratch.
Music - The children wrote Haiku poems based on their Japanese Cherry Blossom trees ready to then put to a piece of music they will compose.
RE - We discussed good and bad Karma and then identified how the game of Moksha Patanu (Snakes and Ladders) helps children to understand Karma. We then read the story of Little Miss Naughty and identified the good and bad Karma.
French - the children read together the story of Goldilocks and the three bears and then they played a shopping game.
Art - This week the children painted their version of Claude Monet's 'The Bridge', they look great, you are in for a treat when they bring their art books home.
Just a reminder, the next reading cafe is on Friday 13th February.
Have a great weekend
Mrs Chittock and the year 4 team
Year 5
This week in Maths, we have been using formal written methods to help us add and subtract monetary amounts. It was good to be able to revisit these methods and make sure we are still confident with the method and all the little things we need to do to be successful using them. In English this week, we have finished Romeo and Juliet. We learnt about the tragic events in Act 3 and written an analysis of who we think is most to blame for these events. The children had lots of ideas and have written some brilliant, but damming, indictments of certain characters (Friar Laurence - we're looking at you here!) On Thursday, we started our new unit: Instruction and Explanation texts.
In Science, we completed an experiment to test the rate of dissolving. We focused on temperature, so we had to be very careful not to spill any of the water. Y5 are getting very good at considering their variables when conducting an experiment. It warms my heart when children recognise the reason for an anomalous result. We used our learning on dissolving last week to write brilliant conclusions, and then had a go at creating a graph of our results on Excel.
In Geography this week, we learnt about the processes behind meander and oxbow lake formation. We will build upon this knowledge in our English lessons in our remaining lessons this half term. The children also completed a river study of a major global river. They had to research it's location, physical and human features and work our how best to present them in their booklet. There was some great discussion about the facts they had learnt about their rivers. Did you know that the Danube travels through more countries than any other river in the world? In Computing, we have continued to develop our coding and programming with Micro:Bits, this time turning them into polling machines! Once we had coded them correctly (and debugged our code) we collected all sorts of data from our class to all life's big important questions: do you like chips, which is better: dogs or cats, and will Arsenal finally win the league?
Have a relaxing weekend. Next week is a very special week. Don't spend too much time packing!
Miss Rutter, Mrs Grosvenor and Mrs Marsh
Year 6
This week in English, we have been developing our narrative writing skills with a strong focus on crafting effective character descriptions and setting descriptions. Pupils have been encouraged to select precise vocabulary and use show-not-tell techniques to help readers visualise characters and settings clearly. We have also been working on using dialogue purposefully to move the plot forward, ensuring that speech reveals character, advances action and avoids unnecessary conversation. The quality of imagination and control of language has been particularly pleasing.
In maths, we have continued to build fluency when converting between fractions, decimals and percentages. Pupils have also been calculating percentages of an amount and working with missing percentages, applying efficient strategies and justifying their reasoning. Accuracy and confidence are improving well, and this learning will continue to be reinforced through home learning.
Our geography lessons have focused on coastal environments, specifically why coastal defences are needed in some areas and the impact on communities and landscapes when they are not used. Pupils explored both the benefits and drawbacks of different approaches, developing a balanced understanding of human and environmental consequences.
In RE, we have been learning about the Hindu concepts of karma and dharma, exploring what these ideas mean and how they guide Hindus in their daily lives and decision-making. Pupils showed thoughtful engagement and respect when discussing beliefs and values.
In PSHE, we have been learning about vaccinations and the immune system, developing an understanding of how vaccinations help protect individuals and communities from illness.
Horstead Residential – Important Reminders:
Next week, we are very much looking forward to our Horstead residential. Please ensure the following points are carefully noted:
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It is imperative that you pack with your child, following the kit list closely.
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Please ensure someone in your household is able to drive to collect your child if they become unwell, even if this is during the night.
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The forecast currently shows no rainfall. However, the grounds will be very wet and muddy, so appropriate footwear and clothing are essential.
Your child will need:
A sleeping bag
A pillowcase
No money
A slightly more substantial packed lunch for Wednesday
If your child is in receipt of free school meals, and you would like the school to provide a packed lunch for Wednesday, please inform the school office before 08:30 on Monday.
On Wednesday morning, Mrs Offley and I will be collecting all medications. Please ensure:
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Medication is in its original packaging
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Dispensing information is clearly visible
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Medication is in date and sufficient in quantity
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Any pupil who has medication stored in school sends an additional supply for the trip
Home learning this week is based on the maths learning we have been completing in class. An additional task, as discussed at the parents' meeting is to ensure that your child can make a sandwich and put their sleeping bag into its case.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Nuala Gilmore
