Year 4 - English : Information Texts
We have started our first non-fiction unit in English this week. We will be making good use of the rich geography knowledge we have gained about the Amazon Rainforest in order to create information texts over the next couple of weeks. We began by researching the Amazon using a range of secondary sources such as fact files and websites. We then looked at a number of examples of information texts and spent time identifying key features, such as subheadings and text boxes.
Year 4 Geography - What is it like in a rainforest city?
In our geography lesson we are studying the Amazon Rainforest. Today we compared and contrasted Darwen with Manaus which is a city located with the Amazon. We highlighted physical and human features and then moved onto looking at climates within each continent across the world.
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Year 4 - Writing Metaphors in Poetry
We are currently studying similes and metaphors in free-form poetry and, today, we started writing our own poems. We used images, word banks and oral rehearsal to create metaphors about the Amazon rainforest. Our finished poems will be entered into a poetry competition with a chance of them being published.
Year 5 - Mayan Challenges
This afternoon, Year 5 continued to explore the challenges the Mayans faced while living in the rainforest. The children learned about the difficulties the Mayans encountered, such as the dense forest environment, lack of resources, and the need for sustainable farming. Before discovering the historical solutions used by the Mayans, the children engaged in critical thinking, offering their own creative solutions to these problems. Afterward, they compared their ideas to the actual strategies the Mayans employed, deepening their understanding of how this ancient civilisation adapted to their challenging environment.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Reception class had their first Muddy Monday session and they walked up to our school field. The children stayed close to each other whilst walking and they all managed to get to the field safely. The children enjoyed rolling down the hill, racing and finding bugs in the grass. It was pouring down but the rain did not stop the,. They are looking forward to next week's Muddy Monday.
Year 1 Geography- Identifying Hot and Cold Places on a World Map
In Geography, Year 1 have been learning to name and locate the 7 continents of the world. They have done amazingly well at this and have used their observations to help them identify which one is which. For example, they used clues such as Asia being the biggest, Africa being on the equator, Australia being the smallest and Antarctica being the South Pole. They have also explored a map and identified where the warm places are such as Africa and the top of South America which are on or near to the equator and cold places such as the Arctic (North Pole) and Antarctica (South Pole) because they are furthest away from the equator. Well done Year 1.
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Year 4 Art - Soap Sculptures
Our art session this week focused on Soap sculptures. We looked at the work of Barbara Hepworth and how things can be sculpted from a variety of materials. We used bars of soap for our sculptures and decided to stick with our rainforest animal theme. We decided between a butterfly, fish or turtle and then selected various tools to create our design. The children soon realised the need for a calm and steady hand in order to make intricate designs especially with the fish scales. As you can see we had some wonderful examples by the end of the lesson.
Year 4 English - Planning a narrative based on The Explorer
As part of our English lessons, we are reading The Explorer by Jaqueline Wilson which is set in the South American rainforest. Today we have started to write our own narrative linked to a specific success criteria which included using fronted adverbials for time and place. We can’t wait to carry this on over the next few weeks to produce a final piece.
Year 4 Geography - Where is the Amazon Rainforest?
In our first geography lesson of the year we looked at where the Amazon rainforest is in terms of continent and where it sits with reference to the equator and both tropics. The children worked hard to establish which countries the Amazon covered and then they moved on to labelling all seven continents, equator and tropics on a world map. The children used the atlases confidently and worked well in pairs to label accurately.
Class Worship- How can communities help each other in times of difficulty?
During our class worship, Year 3 looked at a story about the summer when riots occurred in England and Northern Ireland, causing damage to cars and buildings. We defined the term 'communities' and discussed the importance of everyone feeling welcome and safe within their community. The children reflected on their differences and similarities, recognising that our school community is special because it is made up of so many different individuals with unique interests. We discussed our British value of mutual respect and tolerance, considering how our words and actions can impact others. We then sang ' When I needed a neighbour' and ended the worship by thanking God for our school community.
Reception: Our First Day Group 1
This morning we welcomed our first group to Reception. They were superstars and settled in really well. They enjoyed exploring our indoor classroom today. We are so glad they have joined our St Barnabas family.
Reception: Our First Day Group 2
This afternoon we welcomed our second group to Reception. They were superstars and settled in really well. They enjoyed exploring our indoor classroom today. We are so glad they have joined our St Barnabas family.