Reading

This term, we finished reading the reading for pleasure book 'Alien in the Jam Factory' by Chrissie Sains. The children were captivated by the imaginative world and eccentric characters in the story. Following their enthusiasm for 'The Wild Robot' during guided reading, we transitioned it as our next reading for pleasure book choice.

Currently, our guided reading sessions are filled with exploration as we immerse ourselves in 'The Good Thieves' by Katherine Rundell. The children are deeply engaged in deciphering the adventures and challenges faced by Vita. Their reading skills are being put to the test, as they analyse characters, plot twists, and themes, fostering a deeper understanding of the narrative. 

Writing

This term the children wrote a letter based on the book "the  gardener' by Sarah Stuart. As a class we wrote a letter from Lydia Grace's point of view and the children learnt which features they needed to include; such as an address, a greeting, a compliment and facts. The children then moved on to their independent write which was a letter from uncle Jim's point of view. 

The students were engaged in a creative writing activity focusing on poetry based on the poem "I asked the little boy who couldn't see." To begin, the children participated in a colour hunt where they identified various colours and described them using their senses - taste, touch, smell, and hearing. As their confidence grew, they delved into exploring colour symbolisms. The students enthusiastically embraced this task and produced impressive similes and metaphors to vividly depict colours, such as "And blue is the whisper of the crying sea" and "pink is the taste of sweet sticky lolly pops." The children were given the opportunity to finalise and publish their poems, showcasing their creative expression and best handwriting. 

Link to class work.

Maths

This term, the children have had the opportunity to learn about mass & capacity, fractions, and money before moving to the topic of time.

During their exploration of mass & capacity, the children engaged in measuring in millilitres and litres and grasped the distinction between capacity and volume. They worked on subtraction and addition with fractions and partitioning whole fractions using part-part-whole models. While learning about money, they acquired an understanding of the value of pounds and pence, comprehending that 100p equates to £1. This knowledge facilitated their capability to convert pounds in readiness for adding and subtracting money. We also had a lesson on giving change, wherein the children took turns as shoppers and shopkeepers. The shopkeepers priced items around the classroom, and the shoppers were given £10 to spend. They then worked together to give out the correct change.

Link to class work.

 

Science

The children have enjoyed learning about forces and magnets this term.

Topic

In History the children studied local history regarding smugglers in Thanet. They learnt about Joss Snelling and were able to ask questions regarding the past. After a visit to Magate caves, the children created a multi-media piece using textiles, paint and sketching to represent the cave wall texture. They learnt these skills during the term and utilised their sketchbook to carefully practice and plan their final work. The children have enjoyed creating a branching database during computing. They have learnt how to ask questions which will lead to a yes or no answer and how to sort objects based on these questions. Please refer to class work page to view some of these in action.