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Willow 6

 
Welcome to Willow 6!
 
 
2022 - 2023
 
Mrs Webb/Mrs Scotchmer - Class Teachers
Mrs Finch/Mrs Tucker/Mrs Fisher - Teaching Assistants
 
 
Summer 2
 
Mayans
 
 
Come back soon to see our learning for this half term.
 
 
Summer 1
 
Africa
 
 
Spring 2
 
Tales of Terror
 
 
Spring 1
 
Frozen Kingdom
 

Year 6 enjoyed a fantastic workshop from Dog's Trust today, teaching them the importance of staying safe around dogs. We learnt about the different emotions that dogs feel and how we can tell how a dog is feeling from looking at it. 

 

 
This half term, Year 6 will be learning about our 'Frozen Kingdoms' - the Arctic and Antarctica. They will learn about the difficult journeys faced by Ernest Shackleton during his Endurance expedition. Alongside this, they will learn about the disaster of the Titanic and the reason of its significance within our history. 
 
 
Autumn 2
 
World War 2
 
Year 6 have had the opportunity to handle WW2 artefacts and hear from an expert today. They even heard about his family's German perspective of the war. In addition to this, they created some WW2 photographs using green screens and computing skills that they learned with Mr Bailey. 
 
'No gas bombs were dropped,' Lailah.
 
'They carried their gas masks in a box and the baby gas mask was the biggest so it could fit the baby inside,' Melissa.
 
'The pavements were painted brightly so you could see them with no streetlamps,' Alfie.
 
'There are still 5 WW2 bombs dug up every month in the UK; in Germany they still dig up 500 every month,' Nithil.
 
'The air raid siren was a machine that had to be turned by hand...it was rally loud,' Isla. 
 

Year 6 had Mr Bailey visit them this half term for some WW2 themed computing. They learned:

  • How to create animations using small changes to frames each time. 
  • Creating a post card in the style of an evacuee.
  • To use app-smashing, including colour smash to create a remembrance poster.
  • How easy it is to create fake news, and the importance of being discerning with what is read online. 

Since the beginning of the academic year, Willow class have been observing and caring for a group of 6 stick insects.  Their names have been carefully chosen to represent their personalities:  Cane, Twiggy, Woody, Stickler, Rowan and Willow.  They are now considerably bigger than the 1-2cm juveniles they were back in September.  They have also learned how to play dead when being cleaned out which causes a great deal of concern before they 'ping back to life' the moment they make contact with the fresh privet leaves.  The group of 6 proved a valuable resource when Willow class learned about animal adaptations and will be useful class mates in January when the children begin to look at classification in science.

Year 6 have visited Polesworth High School today to complete a science practical activity. They learned about safety in the science laboratory, before completing a 'firework' investigation. They looked at why fireworks are different colours, observing the different coloured flames when chemicals were added to heat. 
 
This half term, Year 6 will be learning about World War 2. They will learn the historical significance of the war, including why children were evacuated and the impact that the war had on the lives of families and individuals. They will also look at key historical figures, such as Alan Turing, and the significant impact that these people had on the outcomes of WW2. 
 
Autumn 1
 
Darwin's Delights
 
In recent weeks Year 6 have been learning all about Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.  They have researched how different creatures are adapted to their environments and have written excellent non-chronological reports to present their findings.  
 
In Science, children have been conducting experiments to look how finches' beaks are adapted to where they live. 
 
In PSHE, children have learned about protective behaviours and thought carefully about their own strengths and aspirations for the future. 
 
In Maths, we have been ensuring a thorough understanding of multiplication and division and Willow 6 have written some fantastic explanations. 
 
We are coming to the end of our class text 'Skelig' and are looking forward to seeing how the story is resolved.
 
In PE Year 6 have become orienteering expects and have developed their maths reading skills and efficiency over the term.
 
Home learning has been of a superb quality this term and it has been lovely for pupils to share this with their classmates. 
 
We investigated how beak shape effected the success of birds to collect different types of food. This helped us to understand how Charles Darwin made the connection between adaptation and evolution.
 
Willow class delivered their assembly on the theme of evolution and inheritance.  The knowledge packed show included facts about how the adaptations of plants and animals help them survive and how Charles Darwin helped develop the theory of evolution.  Also included were songs, raps and a performance of Lewis Carroll's 'The Jabberwoky'.  Well done everyone!
 
Today, we had Ash Dickinson come into school to teach us about poetry. He performed some of his poems to us and then we had a go at creating 2 different poems ourselves.
 
'I enjoyed writing poems and learning that poems can help you to let out your feelings and they can help you to feel happy.'
 
'I enjoyed having Ash in because he gave us freedom of writing our own poems but some rules to follow too.'
 
Year 6 visited Twycross Zoo today.
 
'I loved the penguins because they were so fast.  They swam through the water like fish, leaping in and out as the went,' Riley.
 
'I really enjoyed walking like a chimp to show how their posture is different even though I was a very clumsy chimp,' Bernard.
 
'I loved the baby bonobo because it was so cute and I learned they are our nearest relative in the animal kingdom,' Melissa.
 
'The giraffes were amazing with their really long adapted necks to help them reach the highest food,' Tayla
 

Yew 6 have begun this year by writing some brilliant persuasive speeches. There was a lot of competition as the speeches were brilliant this year and so many children had fantastic ideas about what they would do if they became a house captain.

Willow class have made a great start to Year 6.  The children have been busy writing, rehearsing and delivering superb speeches to convince others in their house that they should be this year’s house captain.   

In maths we have compared numbers up to 1 million and reviewed the most effective strategies for addition and subtraction.  The children have been working hard to reason and explain their answers.  

In science, we have been investigating how animals adapt to their environments. 

 
Welcome to Teak 5!
 
 
2021 - 2022
 
Mr Hammersley - Class Teacher
Mrs Shaw - Teaching Assistant
 
 
Summer 2
 
Pharaohs
 

To kick off their new theme, Year 5 took a trip back over 3,000 years to become ancient Egyptian embalmers! To practise, they completed the first stage of the embalming process on tomatoes!

The process was a little messy, but the children were able to scoop out the innards and preserve the tomato pharaohs in natron – a mixture of salt and bicarbonate of soda. Now they have to wait for them to try out before the next stage can take place.

The children are also investigating the life cycles of decomposers – in this case, mealworms! We will feed these creatures and observe the changes that take place over this half term.

 

 
Summer 1
 
Materials and their properties
 
and 
 
Take One Author - Kwame Alexander
 

Teak 5 made the long journey to the North of England as part of their residential trip to Lanchester.

First, we visited the famous Angel of the North sculpture and then we travelled to Durham for a tour of the cathedral. We learned about the history of the cathedral and even got to see where some of the scenes from Harry Potter were filmed! Afterwards, we ventured outside and took part in some team building activities.

Next, we had a delicious dinner at Pizza Express and then journeyed to Lanchester Primary School for fun and games at the local park before settling down for our sleepover.

The following day, we walked around Lanchester village before departing for Newcastle. We arrived at Gateshead Quayside and learned about the history of the many bridges.

Finally, we visited St James’ Park football stadium where we took a tour of Newcastle football team’s grounds.

We had an amazing time on our trip!

Inspired by our trip to Lanchester, some of Year 5 created these fabulous sculptures in the style of Antony Gormley (British sculptor and creator of The Angel of the North in Gateshead).  The sculptures represent the collective past, present and future linking to our local area of Dordon.
 
Year 5 travelled to the Black Country Living Museum to see what life was like for the workers and miners of Victorian Staffordshire and Warwickshire.
 
They learned how items were cast using different metals and even created our own souvenirs using molten pewter.
 
They also learned about the dangers of deadly gases which fill coal mines - with some quite explosive demonstrations!
 
Finally, they explored the streets of a Victorian pit village and saw how people lived in the 1800s.
 
Spring 2
 
 Industry and Inventions
 
Year 5 agreed to help the local historical society after they received an email with details about a Victorian time capsule being buried within the school grounds over 100 years ago. With the aid of a metal detector, the pupils set out in earnest to find it. They finally unearthed an old biscuit tin containing lots of different artefacts. 
 
 
Spring 1
 
The Black Death
 
To complete our theme of the Black Death and the Middle Ages, we travelled back in time to the 1300s! With our guide Richard, we explored everything from the life of a Knight, terrifying medieval weapons, amazing armour, colossal castles, measly middle-age medicine and the poverty-stricken lives of poor peasants!
 
During ‘Number Day’ we used our mathematical skills to help us with some cooking. We looked at measuring ingredients, reading scales, cutting into equal parts (fractions) and calculating time durations.
 
 
Autumn 2
 
The Solar System
 
 
Autumn 1
 
Marvellous Mechanisms
 

So far this term in our outdoor adventurous activities, the children have been challenged to use their planning and communication skills to create challenging activities, which draw on lots of different physical skills such as throwing, catching, sprinting, and co-ordination. They have designed their own obstacle courses and participated in competitions between teams of their classmates.

'I love the sprinting activities!' Louis.

'Balancing activities are tricky, but I’m getting there!' Oscar.

'I like using my creativity to design the different courses,' Lailah.

 

This half term, we have been practising the team game of rounders. The children have worked very hard to improve their throwing, catching, batting and communication skills and are really getting to grips with the game! In the latest session, we saw some fantastic batting and fielding and a positive competitive spirit.

'I love this game – particularly the batting part!' Martyna.

'I scored the first rounder!' Evan.

'I’m getting really good at catching people out!' Elsie.

To kick-start our new theme, we took the plunge into the wild world of rollercoasters! We looked at the forces that make these marvellous machines work. We tested the strength of levers by moving the fulcrum closer and further away from the load and then used our knowledge of gravity to make loop-the-loop rollercoasters.

 

 
Welcome to Pine 4!
 
 
2020 - 2021
 
Miss Mould - Class Teacher
Mrs Hill - Class Teacher
Miss Richardson - Teaching Assistant
 
 
Summer 2
 
Burps, Bottoms and Bile
 
and
 
Take One Author - Michael Morpurgo
 

This term in Pine 4, we have enjoyed learning about teeth and digestion, taking part in a number of experiments and activities to explore and replicate the processes within the digestive system, and to improve our teeth hygiene. We have also loved studying a number of books by Michael Morpurgo as part of our Take One Author English study - we really enjoyed the War Horse film, have read The Butterfly Lion as a class and many children have decided to read one of our library Michael Morpurgo books as their ‘reading for pleasure’ book. This term, we also enjoyed a fantastic trip to Think Tank in Birmingham, where we participated in workshops on the human body, local inventions and animals and their habitats. Well done Pine 4 - you have completed some fantastic learning this term!

 

 
Spring 2
 
Raiders and Traders
 

 

This half term, Year 4 have been learning about Vikings and Anglo Saxons. We have been on many adventures with Erik the Viking, made Viking longships inspired by Erik’s Golden Dragon, learnt about Viking Gods and Goddesses and made our own brooches inspired by the Anglo Saxons!

 

 
Autumn 2
 
Emperors and Empires
 
To start our learning journey this half term, a Roman soldier in full armour introduced the children to the day to day life of Roman in Britain. We experienced a detailed examination and try-on session of a legionary’s kit, and had the chance to explore world-class artefacts. Children explored the Roman conquest of Britain, and the incredible stories of Caratacus and Boudicca. After all of this, children performed some marching and shield drills (in Latin), and then explored a Roman bath house and a games arena. Children finished the day with some Roman stories and games!
 
 
Autumn 1 
 
 Misty Mountain, Winding River
 

King of the Cloud Forests by Michael Morpurgu

At the start of term, Year 4 found Ashley’s backpack on the school field containing lots of things such as photographs, interesting drawings and maps of China and Japan. We used our detective and inference skills to think about why Ashley might have these things in his bag.

A few weeks in, we are now on an adventure through the snowy Himalayas with Ashley and his new friends - a group of yetis!

 
Welcome to Maple 3!
 
 
2019 - 2020
 
Mrs Smith - Class Teacher
Mrs Calloway - Teaching Assistant
 
 
Spring 2
 
Tales of the Unexpected
 
 
Spring 1
 
Tribal Tales
 
 
Autumn 2
 
Underground, Overground
 
and
 
Take One Author - Aaran Becker
  
 
We are continuing with gymnastics this half term on Friday morning. Children are starting to develop their balances now to form a sequence of movements within a group. 
 
 
Maple 3 have been extending their understanding of the French language by building upon their knowledge from last half term and are now focusing more on the spoken and written element. 
 
Here are some photos showing Maple children using a combination of reading, listening and speaking skills. Hopefully we will continue to progress well!
 
 
Maple 3 have been learning how to read maps and locate canals on them.  Working in pairs they measured and calculated the distance between locations. Noticing where they are and when they cross over other canals. 
 
 
Maple 3 working in teams to use the new innovative IT equipment to mix mathematics skills with their computing. The children worked on a range of times table questions to test their knowledge and communication skills.
 
 
After the success of Autumn 1 we have entered Autumn 2 with enthusiasm and excitement.

This half term our theme is Underground, Overground which is a history based theme around the local canals and mining. The children enjoyed an amazing hook day where we discovered a hidden time capsule on the playground, it contained a letter from our mystery friend and many clues.

Over the course of the half term we will be learning about the canal system, water safety and the construction of the canals. How important they were for days gone by and the laborious  jobs of the adults and children hundreds of years ago. Additionally we will be exploring the mining history of the local area and how dangerous, important and essential mining was for the local area and beyond. What was it like to be a miner? What age did people start going down the mine? And many more questions will be answered.
 
 
Journey by Aaron Becker

A picture adventure book to invoke the imaginations of the children in Year 3! We have chosen this book to allow the children to develop their inference skills, apply their own ideas to interpret this glorious book applying a range of English genres along the way.

We will follow a little girl (who the class have named Josephine) on a magical adventure of her own making, encouraging our children to imagine her feelings and thoughts throughout.

Aaron Becker is a famous illustration author who has produced many wordless books. Captivating children and adults by the turn of each page.
 
Journey by Aaran Becker
 
Here is a brief overview of our learning for this half term:
 
RE

This half term we have moved away from Hinduism and are embarking on a journey through Christianity. We are concentrating on Lent and the importance this has on Christians throughout the world.

PE

We will be going out and learning a range of different skills outdoors. 

Friday Gymnastics- the children will be continuing on their gymnastics lessons. 

Computing
 
Our learning for this half term involves digital literacy.  Building on our Internet Safety knowledge from Autumn 1, we feel it is important that our children have the ability to find, use and create information online in a beneficial and useful way. To link with our Underground, Overground theme, Year 3 will have the opportunity of creating their own fairy tale, or retelling a traditional fairy tale, with an underground/overground message such as Jack in the Bean Stalk or Alice in Wonderland.  We will be using Book Creator on iPads to support this.

Science

Light and shadow is the focus this half term. The children will begin investigating the difference between different sources of light, the way light is made and the terms connected to it such as reflections, beams, translucent and transparency.
 
Maths
 
Our focus this half term will continue to expand but parents can help children by practising their 4, 8 and 3 times tables. Helping your children with quick recall. 
 
In addition to this support, helping your children with continuing to work on addition and subtraction using the column method would really help them. If any assistance is needed please let me know!
 
 
Autumn 1
 
Lost in the USA
 
 
We have been having such a wonderful time since the start of the year!
 
Our theme is Lost in New York. We have been following Larry around the USA where he keeps getting lost. During his travels we have helped him with postcards, letters and so many geography lessons. In addition we have been participating in so many practical math's activities, our favourite was the Now Press Play lesson! Where we went on an adventure helping to solve a crime in New York!
 
The children have had French, computing and even RE lessons. Here are some of our beautiful elephant photos to show their Hindu masks.
 
On Mondays the children have been participating in dance lessons with Embody dance and every child has really shown off their creative talents during these sessions. We cannot wait to get the whole dance finished.
 
English has seen the children working on a number of different areas of Literacy, based on the theme books and Snow White lost in New York. We have wrote character descriptions of the Evil Step mother and acted out many parts of the story during guided reading sessions. There have been many improvements in the children's confidence and approach to these sessions.
 
Science we are working on Animals including humans and looking at the differences and similarities of their skeletons and how they work.
 
We have to say that the children are showing amazing attitudes to their learning and are participating wholeheartedly in all their tasks!
 
Well done Maple 3!
 
Mrs Smith and Mrs Calloway