River Ribble Trust Visit Year 4
Today we had a visitor in Year 4. Cody from The River Ribble Trust came to talk to us about rivers as part of this half term's geography unit. The workshop aimed to bring freshwater science by encouraging the children to expand their knowledge of their local rivers, to promote the value of the Ribble’s natural heritage and improve its condition for people and wildlife. We learnt that the River Ribble is 73 miles in length and the Trust looks after lots of habitats all around it. The types of habitats included moorland which is like a giant sponge, farmland : creating fences, helping with storage and woodlands. Next we played a true or false game called ‘ Something smells fishy’ where Cody asked questions such as ‘Do seals visit the river?’. The children were surprised that seals do actually visit when trying to catch fish. Following this the children went outside and recreated rivers and labelled their key features which they were amazing at after learning about this is one of their geography lessons. Finally the last grand activity was the ‘Leaky Dam’ activity where the children worked in groups using clay, cardboard, moss and twigs to create their very own dams. Once the clay is dry we can then try out how successful their creations are by pouring water into them. The children absolutely loved this and we would like to say a special thank you to Corey for coming to do the workshop at St Barnabas.
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Year 5 - Geography
We continued our Geography topic by exploring the physical and man-made landscapes of Greece. We looked at mountains, coast lines and rivers and considered the natural elements of the landscape and how they were formed. Then we thought about how humans have changed and utilised those landscapes through tourism, housing, commercial uses and religious practises.
Year 4 - VR Lesson: South America
The VR session for Year 4 was the perfect complement to all the work we’ve done this year on South America. The lesson really brought the children’s learning to life as the children had the opportunity to explore parts of the Amazon Rainforest, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil and a few other places.
Year 5 - Ancient Greece in VR
Today PrimeVR visited St Barnabas, allowing classes to experience immersive, computer generated simulations through virtual reality. Year 5 had the opportunity to travel back in time to Ancient Greece and witness the Parthenon in its original splendour and offer tribute at the statue of Athena. We also got a taste of everyday life in Ancient Greece, seeing close up how people travelled and fished.
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Year 4 Geography - Rivers
In our Geography session we looked at the stages and features of a river and the way that land use changes from the source to the mouth. The children worked in small groups to create their own display which required labels for the mouth, meander, flood plain, source, confluence and tributary.
English-Year 3 Celebrate Refugee Week at the Global Tea Party!
As part of their learning this week, Year 3 have been exploring what it means to be a refugee or an asylum seeker. The children learned about some of the real challenges these individuals face, including the fact that asylum seekers are often given just under £37.00 to live on for an entire week. Discovering this really brought home the importance of our community efforts, helping the children see firsthand how much of a difference the bubble donations will make for families budgeting on so little. The children were also invited to a wonderful global tea party, where they experienced diverse cultures by tasting food from Greece, Palestine, Africa, Kurdistan, Sri Lanka and Italy. Year 3 were absolute superstars at the event, they represented the school exceptionally and truly sang their hearts out! As a special treat, the event organisers handed each child a small bag of sweets. Year 3, now fully appreciate how far our community's generosity will go in bringing joy to the children and families supported by the Darwen Asylum Refugee Enterprise (DARE). We are incredibly proud of their maturity and enthusiasm today!
Year 5 - Geography
We began our new topic in Geography by exploring the continent of Europe before focussing on the country of Greece. We had previously studied its ancient history but today we researched facts about modern Greece, including its population, language, cities and geology. Then we studied reasons why countries around the Mediterranean Sea, like Greece, attract so many tourists. We considered the area’s climate, wildlife and attractions.
Geography Year 4 - Rivers
In our first Geography lesson for this half term we looked at the key features of the water cycle and identified the longest rivers in the world. The children watched video clips carefully and then labelled a diagram with evaporation, condensation, precipitation and ground water. Once they had finished this they then used a Chromebook to identify the top ten longest rivers in the world and add these to a map.
Reception: Muddy Monday
What a difference a rainy morning makes! The Reception class children were bracing themselves for a very soggy afternoon, but right on cue, the clouds parted, the rain stopped, and the sunshine burst through just in time for our Muddy Monday session at Whitehall Park. The children had an absolute blast making the most of the fresh air and the damp ground (which made for some top-tier mud squelching!).
Year 6 - Fair Trade
Today during our geography lesson, Year 6 explored the importance of fair trade and the vital role it plays within global trade. We began with an oracy-based diagnostic question, which enabled the children to make meaningful links to prior learning, particularly around import and export. This discussion helped to surface their existing understanding and misconceptions. Following this, the children developed their geographical knowledge by creating a heatmap of the world. The children identified and coloured countries that participate in purchasing fair trade products, allowing them to visualise global patterns and consider which regions are more actively involved in supporting fair trade practices. To deepen their understanding, we also discussed why fair trade is important, including how it supports producers in developing countries, promotes ethical trading practices and contributes to more sustainable livelihoods. The children engaged thoughtfully with these ideas and demonstrated an increasing awareness of their role as global citizens.
Year 1 Geography: Exploring Darwen
As part of our Geography unit, Year 1 explored our local area in Darwen. We visited many places such as India Mill, Darwen Town Hall, Darwen Heritage Centre, Darwen Leisure Centre and Bold Venture Park. It was a long 8km walk and the children enjoyed seeing different areas in their town.
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Year 1 Geography: Darwen Heritage Centre
Year 1 enjoyed exploring Darwen Heritage Centre. The volunteers gave us lots of information about Darwen Tower, Whitehall Park, Sunnyhurst Woods and Bold Venture Park. One volunteer was even a student at St Barnabas when he was younger! The children were shocked to hear that at one time, Darwen did not have any schools. When schools were created, children only came to school for five years then went to work. We loved seeing the models of Darwen Tower and India Mill.