This week seems to have flown by!  The children came back refreshed after their long weekend and ready to learn.  In topic we have been exploring the parts of a plant and what their different functions are.  We have been looking after our seeds carefully and they have just started to grow! Hopefully we will soon have some healthy bean plants.   

In maths we have progressed from looking at doubles to exploring odd and even numbers.  We investigated the different shapes of the Numberblocks and discussed how this helps us to see whether a number is odd or even (odd blocks and even tops).  

In phonics we have been working really hard on our phase 4 words.  We are realising how important our segmenting fingers are when spelling these longer words.  Phase 4 also contains a lot of new tricky (non-phonetic) words.  Please continue to practise these at home with your child. 

 Yesterday we had a lovely afternoon celebrating VE Day.  We talked about why the day is significant and looked at photographs of how people celebrated the end of the war 80 years ago.  Then we made flags and party crowns, listened to 1940s music and made sandwiches for our own celebratory afternoon tea!  

This week in English, we have continued exploring the Great Fire of London. At the start of the week, the children learned about similes and impressed us with some creative similes. Later in the week, we focused on personification. The children enjoyed giving human qualities to objects such as the flames and buildings and they produced some powerful sentences which will be useful when it comes to writing their poems.

In maths, our focus has been on odd and even numbers. The children have also been working on identifying halves and doubles of numbers and discovering the connection between this and multiplying and dividing by two. Any extra practice of this at home would really help to reinforce their understanding. Towards the end of the week, we moved on to multiplying by ten and identifying patterns in the 10 times table, particularly looking at how groups of ten relate to multiplication.

In history, Mrs Shelley took the class on a school tour, pointing out clues around the building that tell us how old it is. She also shared some interesting stories passed down from previous headteachers about the mischief some past pupils used to get up to 100 years ago! The children were captivated and enjoyed spotting historical features like old flagpoles, the outlines of chimney breasts and helping them to understand how our school building has changed over time.

In DT, the children used their problem-solving skills and knowledge from last week about wheels and axles to investigate why the wheels on the model cars weren’t turning properly.

Please can you check your child's PE kit to ensure that they have only got items belonging to them and that it is all named.  Thank you.

Timetable

Monday: Wellies and appropriate clothing for outdoor learning.

Tuesday: Swimming, please bring in swimming kit and towel.

Thursday: PE kits - please can those with longer hair have their hair tied up ready.

In maths this week, Y3 have been learning how to find both unit and non-unit fractions of amounts. This is where having a secure times tables knowledge really helps to make this easier. The children used counters and bar models to help support their learning, before we established that we could find the answer by dividing by the denominator and multiplying that answer by the numerator.

In maths this week, Y4 were using tenths and hundredths to make a whole. We used place value columns in order to help 'see' the numbers and discussed which columns the digits should be in. We also looked at how tenths and hundredths in fraction form should be written as decimals.

In science, we continued with our topic of 'Sound'. We looked at how vibrations travel from the object to our ears and how we can hear these louder and quieter. We then looked at diagrams of the ear and discussed the different bones in the ear and how sound waves travel to our brains.

In Computing this week, we’ve been building on the coding skills we developed using Scratch. Our focus was on using the 'time' and 'direction' blocks to design an interactive game where two sprites chase each other across the screen. It was a fun and creative way to deepen our understanding of programming logic and animation.

This week in English and Maths, the children have completed all the consolidation work needed to prepare them for their upcoming assessments. They’ve been revisiting key skills and practising strategies to help them feel confident and ready.

In PE, the children have continued their tennis and badminton lessons. They’ve been developing their game tactics and working hard to maintain rallies with increasing control and accuracy.

In History, the children have been exploring the Viking period. They’ve looked at a range of primary and secondary sources to learn more about what life was really like for the Vikings. Through this, they’ve been encouraged to challenge common stereotypes and think critically about the past.

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