The Chronicle

This week in Junior 6 we have been looking at rivers in Geography and had fun trying to locate the major rivers of the world using maps.  We then looked at how rivers are used and how this varies around the world and has changed over time.  In Religious Education we have been learning about the Bible and studying more about the Old Testament.  We read the story of the Fall and applied all that we have learned in English when writing our own versions of this.  We had to think hard about the language that would evoke the different atmospheres in this story.  We also considered how hard it is to make the right choice, but how we are all responsible for the choices we make.

Another great week of learning in Junior 5. The J5s have learnt how to use the efficient column method to add and subtract in Maths. In English, the children have been busy researching, drawing, writing and explaining how we achieve day and night. In Science we have been learning about shadows and how they are formed. We all went outside and tracked our shadows and discussed how they changed throughout the day. We learnt how it looks like the sun is moving across the sky, when in fact it is the Earth which is moving. We then studied facts about the moon and how the phases of the moon are created. This resulted in us using Oreo cookies to recreate the various phases of the moon - educational and scrumptious to say the least!

Junior 4 have been learning some very useful lessons about how to care for their teeth in Science this week. The children investigated which drink would be the most likely to give them tooth decay by immersing eggshells in cola, apple juice, orange juice, milk or water. The children learnt all about a fair test by changing only one of the variables. Although many children predicted that either cola or fruit juice would cause the most decay, we were all very excited to observe the eggshells day by day. The final result showed water is definitely the healthiest drink to have. 

Junior 3 have been learning about acrostic poems, using their senses to create exciting phrases to describe fireworks. The children also learned the effectiveness of onomatopoeia and were excellent in identifying various different sounds. Our history topic focussed on Stone Age jewellery and the children enjoyed designing and creating their own Stone Age necklace - but we’re not sure whether they are smelly enough to be cavemen and women quite yet! Well done for yet another excellent week where everyone has maintained a lovely, kind and friendly atmosphere, throughout Junior 3.

Junior 2 have been learning a new class song this week which involved actions and movement. The children were encouraged to play at being ‘teacher’ and to come to the front of the class and re-enact the moves. The song was called 'With my hands on my Head' and goes through all the various parts of the body. Through having the hall for their music lessons, they have been able to make the most of the great space available. The children had great fun learning how to transfer note values into movement. They have also been following with interest the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Various pieces of classical music have been listened to and the children have been learning about all the various instruments of the orchestra and how they are played. We have already ‘visited’ India and one pupil was able to share with us all his knowledge of how the sitar was played. 

This half-term, Junior 1 have been looking at the properties of materials. We have linked our science to our English lessons by testing the Three Little Pigs’ houses made of straw, sticks and bricks to see which would be the strongest. We then worked independently to join different materials to make our own structures, which was very tricky as we had to make them stand up without toppling over! J1 have also tested the properties of an elastic band and playdoh, as well as finding different materials around school. This week, we have investigated which materials are waterproof by predicting the outcome and then completing our experiment to find the result.

It has been another busy week in Reception. Our maths lessons have seen us investigating 1:1 number correspondence, in addition to exploring the many ways in which we can represent numbers from 1 to 5. Following on from the story ‘Monkey Puzzle’ by Julia Donaldson, we learned and performed a poem called ‘Monkey Babies’. To add flair to the recitation, we designed and made monkey headbands and made up actions to accompany the words. We also fired up our imaginations by working in groups to design our own versions of the International Space Station, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Mrs Green and Mrs Convey thought our ideas were out of this world!