Class News

Reading – Non-fiction Navigators

In Reading, we’ve turned our attention to non-fiction texts and the ways in which they help us to take charge! We’ve explored the differences between fiction and non-fiction and discussed their features.

Non-fiction can be read in any order to learn about a specific topic. Most non-fiction books help you to find your way around with some helpful features you wouldn’t normally find in a fiction book…

• contents – The contents page (sometimes called the table of contents) lists the sections of information in the book and where to find them, often with a page number.
• glossary – Usually found at the back of the book, the glossary contains key words related to the topic and their definitions. This can help with unknown, technical vocabulary.
• index – An index is an alphabetical list of all the topics covered in the book and where to find them. This helps the reader locate information quickly.
• subheading – A subheading is a bit like a signpost. It gives the reader an idea of what each section is about. It can also capture your attention – a bit like a mini headline!

We really enjoyed exploring some non-fiction books, using the features above to find information quickly and efficiently.

Help at home by exploring some non-fiction text with your child. Encourage them to navigate the text using the contents, index, glossary and subheadings.

Year One Forest School Fun!

This term, Year One have begun Forest School and are loving their outdoor adventures! They’ve been learning about May Day traditions and created mini maypoles for an imaginary fairy garden.

In science, they’re exploring how flowers and trees are similar and different. Next week, they’ll be learning about deciduous trees (which lose their leaves in autumn) and evergreen trees (which keep their leaves all year) – which will be reflected in their forest school learning!

Help at home:
– Go on a walk and spot trees – are they deciduous or evergreen?
– Collect leaves or flowers to compare at home.
– Talk about changes trees go through across the seasons.

Local History

In topic,  Year 3 have been learning about local history, with carnival being a key stimulus. We began by exploring carnivals around the world and what they might look, sound and feel like. So far, we’ve looked at: Rio Carnival (Brazil); Venice Carnival (Italy); and the Leeds West Indian Carnival. The children are able to discuss similarities and differences between these carnivals and understand the reason behind these fantastic events.

Looking at the Leeds Carnival in more detail, our attention turned to Arthur France. Arthur is the founder of the Leeds West Indies Carnival and came to Britain as part of the Windrush Generation. This was after WWII when Britain needed help to rebuild from the war, and Britain invited people to immigrate.

Here’s  some of our learning about Arthur France – we used a timeline to sequence key parts of his life in chronological order.

Help at home: 

Talk to your child about the carnivals we’ve learnt about so far. Ask them questions on the similarities and differences between them. We’ve also talked a lot about staying safe at a carnival – perhaps explore this conversation in more detail at home.

RE

Kingdom of God

Today, we thought more in depth about God’s Kingdom and considered a parable that Jesus told:

The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14: 15-24):

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

Children thought carefully about the reading and wrote down any thoughts and questions they initially had:

• Who were the original three? Why did they refuse?
• Who is the master? Why does he want people in his house?
• I feel bad for the master as he was turned down three times.
• Disabilities don’t matter; we are all equal, all the same.

We then considered some prompts about Jesus and referred to our previous learning and soon understood that the parable was Jesus’ way illustrating the Kingdom and God’s readiness to invite all.

Children spoke to each other at length about the reading links to the Kingdom. Here’s some of the things they shared:

• Everyone is welcome in the Kingdom – it is a choice yet not everyone wants to enter.
• All are equal, God doesn’t judge.
• Everyone is loved.
• God doesn’t mind how many enter.
• Is the Kingdom in Heaven/house/castle? The Kingdom is everywhere.
• The Kingdom can be different for everyone.

Leo M was then able to link the Kingdom to other faiths. He spoke about how the Kingdom can be different for people and linked this to the Hindu faith where many deities are revered.

Outside Learning

We have been having so much fun outdoors.

The children have been playing games in the games station and recording their scores outside with chalk.

“Did I score a goal?”

“I hit the one that means 2 points!”

“Look how high mine goes!”

They’ve been baking delicious treats in the Mud Kitchen.

“Here’s some chocolate milkshake for your birthday!”

“This smells like toothpaste”

The houses and cars we make with the large construction are getting more and more impressive.

“This is our house and we need more tools inside.”

“We’re going to the beach!”

We’ve also had some little visitors in Nursery and we’re super excited to watch them grow!

See if the children can tell you about our caterpillars and what might happen to them next.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This week our focus book has been The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

We’ve had a fantastic time on the garden this week, planting more plants and developing our mud kitchen area. We’ve enjoyed smelling the new herbs that have been added and created some delicious spring dishes.

We’ve also been adding things to our amazing Bug Hotel that Mr Atkins made for us and have continued our search for minibeasts.

Help at Home: Go on a bug hunt in your garden or where you live, take some photos or draw some pictures of the minibeast you find.

Have a happy and healthy weekend and thank you as always for your support.

Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon, Mrs. Small and Mr. Smith

A visit from Leeds Rhinos!

St James had a very exciting visitor from the Leeds Rhinos in today during our Collective Worship. Ian came in to talk to the children about teamwork and inclusivity – two key skills that help us to be happy and healthy in our school. We got the opportunity to learn about the different teams that Leeds Rhinos have, such as: men’s and women’s rugby; netball; a wheelchair rugby team and many more. The children responded really well when discussing the importance of inclusivity, teamwork and stereotyping, particularly in sport.

Ian also reminded us of the fantastic offer from Leeds Rhinos for pupils to go and see one of their matches! If you/your child is interested in this, discounted tickets can be purchased through school. Here are the details of the match:

Leeds Rhinos vs Hull FC

Friday 16th May

Kick off: 20:00

Minibeasts

Minibeasts

We have been hunting for minibeasts! We found bees, ladybirds, worms and hundreds of woodlice. We made marks to record what we found. “I found a buzzy bee, it was trying to get that flower”

Number 4

The number we have been learning all about last week is the number 4! We can count 4 out, find shapes that represent 4 and we looked at the different number facts to 4. This week we will be moving onto the number 5.

Help at home: Keep practising our counting skills by giving us little counting tasks. For example, how many stairs do we need to climb? How many chips do you have left? How many cars can you see?

New starters

We’ve had some new starters in Nursery and they have settled in so well. All the children have been very welcoming and have enjoyed showing the new children our routines.

Living and Learning – I recognise the importance of sleep.

In Living and Learning this week, we’ve learnt about the importance of sleep; the things that help us to sleep and get a good night’s sleep.

A good night’s sleep can help us to feel:

• rested
• calm
• happy
• ready to learn

We discussed the importance of routine. A routine is a sequence of activities that is repeated. It helps us to know what to do and when – a bedtime routine can help our bodies and minds to get ready for sleep.

We explored the idea that different families might have different routines at bed time. These routines help us to mark the end of the day and get ready for sleep.

Sometimes, there are factors that can make it hard to fall asleep.

• busy body – jumpy legs, tummy ache
• busy mind – thinking, worrying
• surroundings – noise, screens before bedtime
• fears – dark, alone

Here are some good ways to relax at bedtime:

Help at home by discussing sleep with your child. What does bedtime look like in your house? How does your body and mind feel after a good night’s sleep? After a bad night’s sleep? What could you change to help you sleep better?

Trees and Spirituality in Year 1