Term 5

This term has been action-packed! So little time - so much to do! Only five weeks long! Our topic is 'Living Things'. We began by changing our role-play area into a vet's surgery. We've got lots of dressing up clothes - and poorly pets!

In our Design and Technology lessons we designed and made 'Fantasy Animals'. We researched different animals and drew our own imaginary one using body parts from a variety of animals. Then we worked collaboratively in small groups to put our ideas together to design and make a group animal. We even gave our animals a name!

Then we made our animals using junk modelling.

Then we covered them in masking tape.

Next we covered them using Modroc. It was really messy!


Finally we painted them.

Aren't they brilliant?!

We visited Bristol Zoo to help us with our learning about the features of living things in Science, and our research into an animal of our choice for a non-fiction page in Literacy. We thought about what information we wanted to know and made up our own questions using different question words.

We learned about how animals use colour and pattern at the Education Centre.We even got to handle some animals!

It was a very busy and hot day. But we managed to find time for the play area at the end of the day!

Our term ended with our performance with Class 4 of 'Wackadoo Zoo' which is a musical about happy animals who make the wrong sounds! Professors arrive to correct them. They all learn a valuable lesson about the importance of being unique and special. We all had a great time performing it - especially singing the songs!

Term 4

This term we have been learning more about food and have had lots of fun doing 'food' activities.

In Art, we created portraits in the style of Arcimboldo. He used fruit to show human features. We drew different fruit, cut them out and made a collage of a face. Here are some of our terrific works of art.

In our History lessons, we have been learning about Sir Walter Raleigh and why he is famous. We used a teabag to make stained paper and drew a picture of Sir Walter Raleigh on it using charcoal.

We talked about the introduction of the potato plant. We know that people had different ideas in the past and that these were not always accurate.

We planned and made potato boats by scooping out potatoes and mixing the potato with a filling. We added oars. Then we ate them and, finally, we evaluated them.

In our ICT lessons, we learned about how we need to press buttons, remote controls or dials to make some things work. We looked at devices such as computers, toys and kitchen objects which are controlled in different ways. We explored following instructions and discussed how important it is to follow instructions in order. We learned how to use a Pixie by writing simple instructions and used buttons to control it. We stuck a boat template on a Pixie and pretended to help Sir Walter Raleigh discover some treasure by giving correct instructions to the Pixie. It was great fun!

For our Easter art and craft activities we used our previous learning of techniques for using clay to make egg cups. We thought about our designs and if we would change our egg cups in any way; and we also talked about what we found difficult about making them.

We made pop-up Easter cards and Easter baskets too!

In our Literacy and RE lessons, we talked about Easter and what it means to Christians. We retold the Easter story using pictures as a prompt.

We continued to learn about how to keep healthy in our Science, PE and PSHE lessons. We made posters to show how to lead a healthy life.

We enjoyed skipping and tennis workshops.

We also looked at reversible and irreversible changes using different foods such as popcorn, toast, ice-lollies and dough. We know that some changes can be reversed and some cannot.

As an introduction to our topic 'Living Things' in next term, we brought items from when we were babies into school and discussed how we have changed and how our needs have altered. We know that humans and other animals have babies and that these grow into adults. One of us has recently had a new brother and he visited us in school. We asked his Mum questions about his needs - exercise, talking, feeding, communicating. We talked about how his needs are similar and different to ours.

We are looking forward to next term when we will be going on a school trip to Bristol Zoo; performing a play called Wackadoo Zoo; and making fantasy animals. Watch this space!!

Term 3

This term our topic is 'Food'. We have been learning about where the food we eat comes from around the world and finding the countries on a globe and map of the world. We brought food packaging to school to help our discussion and then it was displayed on our classroom wall.

In Art, we made a food plate collage of our favourite food. Don't they make you feel hungry?

In our Literacy lessons, we have been comparing stories and deciding a favourite. We chose to look at 'The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch' and 'The Lighthouse Keeper's Catastrophe'.

We explored the characters through freeze-framing - a drama strategy used for creating a still picture to illustrate a key point in a story.

We explored the feelings of Hamish the cat. We thought about how Hamish was feeling as he travelled in the basket down the wire to the lighthouse. Our words were recorded inside an outline of Hamish and, around the outside, words describing how Mr Grinling was feeling were written. This is called 'Role on the Wall'.

We acted out a 'Conscience Alley'. We discussed whether Mr Grinling should send Hamish in the basket down the wire to the lighthouse. We divided into two groups and lined up facing each other to form an 'alley'. One of us played Mr Grinling and walked through the alley whilst the rest whispered arguments for and against sending Hamish in the basket. 'Mr Grinling' then made a decision when he reached the end of the alley.

We acted out 'The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch' using voices for characters.

In Talk Partners, we shared our ideas suggesting how characters might behave and what they might do next.

We hotseated the character of Mr Grinling. One of us was Mr Grinling and the others asked him questions. 'Mr Grinling's' answers had to be in character.
We explored the feelings of characters in 'The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch' again by moulding statues of Mr Grinling when he was about to travel down the wire to the lighthouse. We worked in pairs - one as the sculptor, the other the clay. The sculptor 'moulds' the clay into a character at a given point of the story. The sculptors then walked around the classroom to look at all the statues. Then roles were swapped over.

We then wrote our own versions of a story about the Lighthouse Keeper. They were fantastic!

We decided to name our cafe in our role play area 'Hamish's Cafe' after Mr Grinling's cat. We serve all kinds of tasty dishes and are open all hours!

In Numeracy, we have been learning about data-handling. We have learned how to use a table to record information using tallying and we can show information in a pictogram. We created a pictogram physically by sliding pictures of fruit onto string.

We then recorded our information as a vertical pictogram.

In groups, we asked different classes in the school which was their favourite healthy snack.

We then used the data to make a horizontal pictogram, using one picture to represent two people.

We were able to look at the pictograms and find out easily which was our favourite healthy snack.

On Shrove Tuesday, we had a class pancake race. It was brilliant fun!!

On 8 February, we celebrated the Chinese New Year with a party. We made Chinese lanterns and New Year Posters to decorate our classroom. We were shown how to use chopsticks and used them to eat a delicious Chinese stirfry. We even had traditional Chinese music playing in the background! We were given a fortune cookie to take home.