Week 12: 1st December

This week the children have written the final drafts of their Traction Man recounts.  What has been written is full of description, strong vocabulary words which help add detail to their wonderful recounts. In Maths we have moved onto regrouping the minuend (the number being reduced) for subtraction.  The children have explored how to practise both mental methods and columnar addition and subtraction with increasingly large numbers to aid their fluency.

In RE we have learnt more about Lectia Divina and have written our own prayers. We have written our Advent Angel promises and  have been practising for our Advent Service.

As part of National Tree Week, the children  went over to the woods in Dame Alice Owen’s school with Year 3.  The children had a wonderful time adding to their understanding of the differences of our British trees.

 

Words to learn for the Advent service: here

This week’s home learning: here

Year 2 Blog Week 12

What is a tree’s least favourite month? ……Sep-timber!

It was a very cold morning on Thursday and Year 2 wrapped up warm for their walk in the woods as part of National Tree Week 2017. The children were challenged with the task of creating a waterproof elf shelter using only the materials they could find in the woods in Dame Alice Owen’s school. The children thought carefully about the materials they used and their properties.

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In Religion we have been learning about Advent and the children wrote up their Advent promises and created an Advent calendar for our sacred space.

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In Art we created some beautiful Advent wreaths using a mosaic effect.

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Year 6 – 01/12/17

Our English this week has been based on the short film ‘Francis’. The creepy story line depicts the final hours of teenage Francis Brandywine as she mysteriously vanishes during the night. The children have been busy speculating on the cause of her disappearance. Today, we hot-seated certain individuals who might be able to add insight into the suspicious event. We heard from a witness to the event, Mr Guerin. Other information was given by Detective Inspector Baffa who has been assigned to the investigation, local expert Mr White and  Francis’ parents, Mr and Mrs Brandywine. Next week, I look forward to reading the newspaper articles that they will be publishing about this curious incident.

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In recognition of National Tree Week, the children investigated what trees we have in the school grounds by taking leaf samples from outside and then matching them with tree identification cards back in the classroom. We also thought about why holly and ivy were about the only plants not to have dropped any of their leaves and we examined the different kinds of bark and leaf structures.IMG_0393 IMG_0395 IMG_0396 IMG_0397 IMG_0399 IMG_0400 IMG_0401 IMG_0405 IMG_0407

On Thursday afternoon, we were treated to a concert showcasing the musical talent we have in Year 5 and 6. I was very  impressed with not just the standard of playing and singing, but also the confidence with which you performed in front of an audience.

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There is no home learning this week, as the emphasis needs to be on learning the words for the songs in our Advent Service next Friday. The words  can be found here.

Year 2 Blog Week 10 & 11

Traction Man is here!

By Mini Grey

With an action outfit for every occasion, he patrols the house saving toys, guarding toast, searching for lost wrecks and rescuing damsels in distress. Our hero is ready for anything!!!

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Year 2 have really enjoyed this story! The children have been learning about conjunctions, adjectives and recount language. They have produced some wonderful writing based around Traction Man’s adventures!

In P.E. we have continued work on balances. The children worked in groups of 4 to create some very impressive group balances.

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We are artists! The children were very excited to see the hall transformed into an art gallery and were very proud to see their artwork on display.

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Week 12

In maths this week, we have been building on our factor and multiple knowledge to mentally multiply and divide. We have used a range of strategies to do this, such as regrouping, doubling, halving and using known facts.  The children were surprised to see how easily and efficiently they could calculate using large numbers and decimals. Well done Year 5!

In science, we investigated friction. Year 5 put their shoes to the test to find out which ones had greater friction and thought about why. To measure, we learnt how to use a Newton meter.

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Year 5 really are a talented bunch, and on Thursday we had the chance to watch them in their music concert. It was clear how hard they practise at home. I was proud of how well they performed and the confidence they showed.

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This week, it was national tree week. We celebrated this by weaving using natural materials from the trees in our school environment. Before heading out to gather our resources we discussed how weaving was the method the Saxons would have used to create their clothes. Once we collected what we needed, we headed back inside to weave so that our fingers were not too numb to work!

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In assembly this morning, Year 5 placed their Advent Angels alongside the rest of the school in the hall. They have thought about how they will be more helpful and supportive of others during this time. Many have said they will be helping out at home- I’m sure you will look forward to this, parents!

I have been told many of you plan to hang your decorations this weekend. I hope you have a wonderful time doing this and of course enjoy attending the Christmas Fayre.

Have a great weekend.

 

Mrs Lines

 

Home Learning

In order to be fully prepared for the advent service, home learning this week is to learn the words to our songs. I have sent a copy home with each child.

I have also asked the children to complete a piece of science home learning. This is due on Tuesday 12th December. I would like the children to choose a key scientist in the area of forces and create a poster/report/fact file on them. The scientists and a link to some information can be found below.

Key Scientists

Sir Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) – Formulated the laws of motion – http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/newton_isaac.shtml

Christopher Cockerell (1910- 1999) – Inventor of the hovercraft – http://www.design-technology.info/inventors/page11.htm

Archimedes (c.287 – c.212 BC) – Greek inventor – http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/archimedes.shtml

Week 12 Blog

This week the children visited Dame Alice Owen’s woodland area to take part in activities for  National Tree Week. They were truly mesmerized by the awe and beauty of the wood. They observed the trees and listened to the sounds of the birds and leaves crunching under their feet. They explored 2d shapes in the outdoor learning environment by findings sticks and twigs to make the various shapes.

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