Year 3
What a fantastic end to the week Year 3 have had! Despite an unexpected adventure caused by an air conditioning unit failure, the children adapted brilliantly. We temporarily relocated to the cooler surroundings of Year 5 and the hall for the day and showed flexibility — all with the exciting Summer Fair just around the corner!
Here’s a glimpse some of our learning this week:
In English, we explored the present perfect tense and planned an innovative retelling of the story of Daedalus and Icarus, and created mythical creatures. The children also completed their weekly Grammarsaurus check.
In maths, the children interpreted and created pictograms and bar charts, considering the most suitable scales for the vertical axis and making sure their work was accurate, clear and neatly presented.
In science, we investigated how different surfaces affect motion. Using ramps, toy cars, measuring sticks and carefully balanced stacks of books, the children explored how and why objects move differently depending on the surface they travel across.
In history, we travelled back to Ancient Greece to learn about Hippocrates, the father of medicine. We discovered more about his journey to becoming a doctor and explored some of the ideas that are still so important today.
In computing, the children became animators and programmers. They remixed animations in Scratch, adding and changing sprites, backgrounds, sounds and text. I also challenged them to include a loop in their programmes. In art, the children designed and cut out their own Ancient Greek amphora shapes, then brought them to life using the intricate patterns and details inspired by the Athenian style.
With Mrs Chittock, the children continued their learning about Sikhism by exploring the life and beliefs of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. With Miss Spinks in PSHE, they learned about medicines and how they help us stay healthy. With Mrs Crook, they practised their catching skills in cricket.
Just three weeks to go – keep up the great work year 3!
Year 4
It has been quite the week! We are so lucky to have the air conditioning it has made it so much easier on the children. We have offered them air conditioned spaces at lunchtime and I have spent a lot of the time in Year 4, the games room. The children have played really nicely, and that's across the year groups, it has been lovely to see. On that note if you have any board games that you no longer play with, that are complete with all the parts, then it would be great to have them for other occasions. YAY - we got Bookster Bear this week, well done, we are sharing him with Year 2 so maybe we can have him to ourselves next week!
Our learning this week;-
Maths - We started the week with an assessment and then moved on to a unit about Statistics. We have been looking at graphs, charts, scales and tables and have been extracting data. On Wednesday the children have started some recapping of previous learning.
English - We have innovated our text about How the Titanic was Built to How Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was built. The children really enjoyed this. On Wednesday the children had a reading comprehension about refugees.
Topic - We looked more closely at the table of date about the passengers on board the Titanic. We plotted on a map the countries that the passengers came from and identified some facts, still considering the different classes.
RE - We talked about the first Guru, Guru Hanak and how Sikhism started. We also looked at the meaning of the word Guru.
Science - the children made a poster about the changing states of matter.
Music - the children are looking at different genres of music and this week was Jazz.
DT - Looking at Cars and mechanisms the children made their first of three types of car.
Have a great weekend, keep as cool as you can
Mrs Chittock and the Year 4 team
Year 5
This week we have all been very thankful for the aircon! The children have all been so good at making sensible choices about how to spend break and lunchtime safely.
In English this week, we have stared to look at Alfred Noyes' poem - the Highwayman. We've learnt a bit about who highwaymen were and have analysed the poem for figurative devices. On Wednesday, children used the poem as inspiration to write a description of the highwayman. There was some excellent use of similes, metaphors and hyperbole! It made our hearts sing with joy! In maths, we have spent a bit more time long multiplying (because we love it) and have recapped some of our shape and space work. The children also completed their arithmetic test. There were some super scores and some us of have learnt the important lesson of what we mean when we say check your calculations!
In History, we learnt about the work of Dr John Snow. His methodical plotting of cholera cases led to proving his theory that cholera is water-borne. He built upon Pasteur's work and recommended people boil their water before use. In DT, we had a go at building Warren Truss bridges out of art straws. We had lots of fun testing the bridges. We had bridges that held 18 books, and others that held 2! Lots of evaluation potential.
In Science, we conducted an experiment to test the effect of water resistance. We found that objects with a point at the entry-end were much better at travelling through water than flat objects. We thought this was because the point would be able to force its way through the tightly-packed water particles more easily.
Next week will be rather itty bitty due to Bikeability. I had a long chat with the children about how the biking days will look and what to expect. The most important things are that children must have a water bottle, a helmet and a bike on the days they are biking.
Have a super weekend. Hopefully this heat breaks so we can actually enjoy some of it!
Miss Rutter, Mrs Grosvenor and Mrs Marsh
Year 6
It has been another busy and productive week in Year 6.
In Geography, we have continued our learning about globalisation, focusing on the differences between more and less developed countries. The children explored a range of development indicators, including life expectancy, literacy rates, access to clean water and GDP, and considered how these measures are used to judge a country's level of development. They engaged thoughtfully in discussions about global inequality and began to appreciate the complex factors that can influence quality of life across the world.
In English, we have continued reading There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom. The children have been tracking the themes presented throughout the novel, considering issues such as friendship, loneliness, self-esteem and the importance of kindness. Their discussions have demonstrated both maturity and empathy, and it has been wonderful to see the children making thoughtful connections between the text and their own experiences.
In maths, the children were introduced to Baravelle spirals. They explored the mathematical patterns behind these beautiful designs and learnt how to construct them both with and without the use of a template. The finished spirals were extremely impressive and showcased both precision and creativity.
In computing, the children completed their animation projects. It has been fantastic to see how their confidence and technical skills have developed throughout the unit, with many children producing highly imaginative and polished final pieces.
Our Tudor Food DT project culminated this week with the children working collaboratively in groups to produce soda bread, Tudor-style sweet bread, lemon curd, buttermilk and butter. Even with the welcome relief of air conditioning, it was certainly a warm afternoon in the classroom! Despite this, it was incredibly impressive to observe the teamwork, resilience and cooperation demonstrated by the children. Many pupils truly embodied our school value of stewardship, supporting one another and taking a leading role in clearing up the classroom. Unfortunately, it was simply too hot to make the pottage safely, so this will be carried over to next week.
On Wednesday, we attended Crucial Crew and, despite some unavoidable changes to the schedule, the children adapted brilliantly. You will be pleased to hear that they behaved impeccably throughout the visit. They were excellent ambassadors for our school, receiving compliments on both their behaviour and engagement. The children themselves reflected on the benefits of maintaining high expectations and recognised how positive behaviour enables everyone to gain the most from such valuable experiences.
Finally, rehearsals for The Wind in the Willows are progressing wonderfully. The cast is working incredibly hard, and we cannot wait to share the finished production with you all.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Nuala Gilmore
