Getting creative with clay
This week, we’ve been enriching our history topic with some clay work. We looked carefully at some pictures of stone age jewellery and how it advanced throughout the bronze and iron age.
We decided to use clay to recreate some jewellery from the stone age. We practised shaping the clay and created different shapes including bone and teeth shapes. Then we practised using a variety of tools to create patterns and add detail to each bead.
After that, we mixed some paints using similar colours available during this period. We’re looking forward to painting our jewellery to create our finished product.
Odd Socks Day
To kick off Anti-Bullying Week next week, we are taking part in Odd Socks Day. All you need to do is come to school wearing odd socks! This will help us celebrate what makes us all unique!
English – all about nouns
This week, we have been learning about how different words can have different ‘jobs’. We have talked about nouns this week. We learnt a song to help us.
NOUNS
Every person, place or thing,
Needs a name and so we sing,
Nouns means names.
We went on a noun hunt around our classroom – there are nouns everywhere!
Handwriting – a helpful video
The Year 1s we have started learning how to write letters using a lead-in line. We have practised ‘c’ and ‘o’ so far. Next week, we will be practising ‘a’. In year two, children are encouraged to join letters. A copy of the handwriting guide can be found here. Try watching this at home to support your child’s learning. (This is a YouTube link. Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog along the play bar and turn off autoplay – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.)
Children In Need
It’s Children In Need this Friday and we are celebrating it by having a non-uniform day – the first one for Foundation!
Children can come to school in their own clothes.
Please remember that we enjoy getting messy in Foundation so make sure your child still comes to school in suitable clothing and footwear.
What’s that coming over the hill…
This week in our writing, we have been learning to use adjectives (gives more information about a noun) and expanded noun phrases ( adds more detail to the noun by adding one or more adjectives). The children have been using these to describe their greek mythical creatures. Have a look at a few of our descriptions (copied exactly from their books – how fantastic are our writers!):
Over the hill came a monster…It was a three-eyed, prickly faced monster. Its face was as stripy as a zebra! It has two ears on each side of its head and a patch of freckles on its nose. It had a four-armed, purple body like a purple, slimy alien. It was as small as a mouse and you would barely see it coming! Its footsteps were so quiet adventurers can’t even catch one! It has six legs. On one side it has three spikey feet and on the other it has three human feet. The finger nails were as sharp as a knife. It had a ripped, beautiful butterfly shirt and one eye closed at one side of its face. It kind of had the nose of a lion. After hours, it finally ran away silently. (Leah)
Over the hill came a monster… Its head looked like a tiger. Its enormous eyes would surely be able to see everything but the scariest part is that it has venomous, purple prickles on its back! There’s more about this monster, it has dark spots and black stripes on his arms. The legs are like a human, feet even with shoes on! It has ears like a polar bear, pretty good to hear with. The last and smallest part is the really sharp teeth. Some even as sharp as a shark! So now you know it’s scary if you see it run! (Jacob)
Over the hill came a monster… with its smelly and venomous spots. Its eyes as big as boulders could catch anything at the corner of his eyes! They glistened around the gloomy, eerie forest. The ears would point out like razor, sharp knives scaring the other animals. Feet as small as cute as little bunny paws. Its neck was as wavy as an aliens’ arm. The legs were as long as the alphabet and were as bendy as a sheet of paper. It makes sounds which are as noisy as a monkey and it chomped on its food hungrily. It also has lived for over 100 years. (Siana)
Art – a type of therapy as well as a lesson?
We have being doing lots of art since we returned to school in September. It has been proven to help us relax, is enjoyable, gives us time to talk to each other and helps us express ourselves.
Living and Learning: I can show perseverance
This week, our living and learning statement is “I can show perseverance”.
The children were able to describe that perseverance was “keeping on going when things get difficult” and “not giving up”. We talked about the different ways we could show perseverance in school and at home.
During our living and learning session, we practised perseverance. In pairs, we had some tangrams to complete.
“We had to persevere to make the different shapes because it wasn’t easy and we couldn’t do it the first time we tried.”
The children have been fantastic at showing perseverance in school this week especially during their maths learning.
Hunter-gatherers
This week, we’ve been enjoying our history topic all about the Stone, Bronze and Iron Age. One of the words we’re learning from our history vocabulary list is hunter-gatherer. We found out that hunter-gatherers were pre-historic nomadic groups who would move around searching for food for basic survival.
Hunter-gatherers would rely on hunting and fishing animals and gathering for wild vegetation and other nutrients like honey, for food.
The early hunter-gatherers used simple tools. During the Stone Age, sharpened stones were used for cutting in order to hunt and gather.
So, we decided to become hunter-gatherers in our school grounds but focused on the gathering of plants!
We found out that there were lots of plants that hunter-gatherers would eat/drink that are not as popular today. Some of these include dandelions, beechnuts, acorns, nettles and hawthorns.
Celebration certificates
It was great to see (nearly) everyone back this week. Lockdown will not get us down!
As we can’t have our usual celebration assembly on a Friday at the moment, I will be posting the certificate winners on here each week.
For great learning…
Murielle: for great learning in writing this week – using adjectives in your sentences about the Great Fire of London.
For living and learning…
Aubree: for showing perseverance in your first week at St James’. You are a brilliant role model.