Spring Term 2
General
We have had a very full half term! Coming back and cracking straight on with DT food festival, quickly going into Science week and then finishing up the term with our fantastic Spring Sing.
English
In English this half term, we started looking at instructional writing. We were able to link this to our DT food festival piece and rewrote our healthy beans on soda bread. We were able to look at different ways of writing including bullet points for ingredients, numbered steps for the method and introducing and concluding a healthy meal - just like a cook book! We then went into performance poetry, where we looked at Baba Yaga and compared this to a poem called Rollercoaster. We were able to look at different poetic devices as well as learn to build our poetic verse while speaking aloud. To finish English this half term we recapped some key English writing techniques; how to form full sentences, pronouns, expanded noun phrases, looking at precise adjectives, adverbs and how to link clauses with conjunctions. We then applied this into a big independent write to show off what we can do independently. We really enjoyed being given the opportunity to use our creative flare within our writing!
Quotes:
“I enjoy that we get to learn about different types of writing within our English sessions” Imogen.
“I really enjoy looking at expanded noun phrases and linking sentence starters to them to build on our writing” Pablo.
“I like that we were able to write up our own recipe for what we had made” Jasmine.
Guided Reading
Over the previous term, we have read ‘The girl who stole an elephant.’ The children enjoyed the different setting compared to any books we have previously read. The story was set in Sri Lanka and the children were interested in the difference in cultures and lifestyles, such as the clothes people wear. The book explored relationships between characters and how people change how they behave around different people, as well as personal morals. We explored a variety of skills, such as understanding subtle clues left in the text by the author that foreshadow future events.
Maths
This term, we have learnt how to do column addition and subtraction. We looked at the importance of how we lay out the column method and how we should always start from the right hand side. We loved regrouping the tens and ones to help us complete our addition and borrowing in subtraction.
We also have focused on the three times tables, learning different ways to help us to recall our 3 times table multiplication facts. We will then use this to help us with the 6 times tables, which we are really looking forward to!
Quotes:
“I enjoyed maths and looking at exchanging to develop our learning” Noah.
Science
In science, we explored the biology of plants. The half term was split into three areas: flowering plants, food and survival and finally the function of flowers. In the flowering plants lessons, the children researched different types of flowers and when they flower. The children were surprised that not all flowers bloom in spring. The children then categorised the flowers by when they bloom. In the following lessons, pupils looked at how plants create their own energy and the functions of different parts of the plant. The high level vocabulary took some time to get used to but we enjoyed using the topic specific vocabulary. Finally we looked at pollination and the role it plays in the life cycle of a plant.
Geography
In Geography this half term we have been looking at the United Kingdom. We learnt that a country is made up of many counties; a country has a government that makes national decisions and tells local governments what to do and a county is a large area that has its own local government, such as Suffolk or Norfolk. We also learnt that Britain has a distinct topography and pattern of land formation. We started off by briefly looking at the 4 countries that make up the UK and their capitals. We then looked at the regions in England and where they are compared to London. As we progressed through the unit we then compared the 4 countries. It was great to explore Northern Ireland with Ms Patton because this is where her family are from; she introduced us to the giant Finn MacCool who is the folk story of the giants causeway (we also looked at the volcanic aspect of the causeway, not just a story) and she was able to run us through Belfast and Londonderry on google earth, talking about some of the history of the country.
Quotes:
“I enjoyed learning about different cultures and countries within the UK, looking at the highest mountains of each UK country and the rivers that flow through. I also enjoyed looking at Irish folk stories that Ms Patton listened to while growing up and seeing where her grandparents took her in Northern Ireland” Pablo.
Design Technology
This term we finished making our toys using levers to help them move, but the highlight of the term was the Food festival! We had so much fun learning about nutrition and how versatile legumes were. We enjoyed making baked beans from scratch and especially loved the soda bread. Overall we had a fantastic week and can’t wait for next year!
Quotes:
“The taste was good” Abigail.
“I liked the beans on toast, it was a fun way to start school” Feliks.
RE
This half term we have been learning about the bible and its significance to Christianity. We learnt about why the bible is sacred to Christians and looked at the different stories within the bible, comparing it to other religious books. We have also explored Ramadan and learnt why Muslims fast. It was great learning from our peers about Ramadan and are looking forward to the Eid celebration!
RE Quotes:
“I find RE interesting to learn about different religions and all they do” Shaneya.
“I like respecting other religions because we are able to talk and communicate about our religions” Jasmine.
PSHE
In PSHE, we looked at being healthy. We began by looking at what our bodies need and food types. We explored that everything is fine in moderation and looked at the eat well plate. During this lesson, we also identified different foods and placed them in each group: Carbohydrates, protein, fruit and vegetables, dairy and fats. We then looked at exercise and how we need to balance what we eat with how much we exercise to ensure we can maintain a healthy weight. In the final lessons, we looked at being safe and what things are safe and unsafe to eat or do as we grow.