Living and Learning: I know the difference between being proud and showing off
This week, the children thought about what they are proud of and why. We talked about how it can be difficult to say what we are proud of sometimes and how it takes confidence. Everyone has lots to be proud of! During circle time, the class took turns to say what they were proud of and also what they think other children in the class are good at so giving each other a boost! The class then wrote thought bubbles to share what they are proud of. Comments on these thought bubbles included: “I’m proud of my football skills because it makes me unique” and, “I am proud of my dancing because I practise a lot and even though I’m not the best and dancing, I am still proud of what I can do so far”. Some really thoughtful and reflective comments from Year 3 and 4. Well done – you have lots to be proud of!
Arrays and factor pairs
Today, we had a very hands on practical lesson learning about factor pairs. A factor pair is two numbers that when multiplied together give a particular product. For example, the number 24 has factor pairs of: 2 and 12; 1 and 24; 3 and 8; and 4 and 6.
We used multilink cubes to make arrays that allowed us to spot the factor pairs for numbers we were given.
‘Using multilink helped me see the numbers easily’
‘I always like using apparatus to help me’
Living and Learning: I can pay and receive compliments in a sensible way.
We started our Living and Learning session this week by paying ourselves some compliments!
The children reflected on what they were good at, both in and out of school. Following this, they wrote down three compliments for themselves. We then gave each other some compliments, which the children enjoyed receiving, saying they made them feel: ‘happy, ‘warm inside’ and ‘proud’. The children wrote some lovely comments for each other and also thanked each other for their compliments.
World Book Day
Today was that time of year again, the best day of the year – World Book Day. The costumes were simply amazing and we all looked brilliant. It was also great to see some Roald Dahl Characters: Veruca Salt, The BFG and Mr Willy Wonka.
We spent part of the morning making our ‘book door’ for the whole school competition. We based it on a Wonka Bar and surrounded it with our very own Golden Tickets.
Skipping Festival
Earlier this week, we finally got the chance to show off our skipping skills at the skipping festival at Wetherby High School. We started by competing in the skills showdown. In pairs we demonstrated: speed bouncing, side swings and crossover skips. Even though only 1 minute long, each competitor was exhausted from the effort they put in.
Then we moved onto our skip dance routine. We’ve worked really hard on this over the last few weeks. It wasn’t only about showing our skipping skills; we had to count beats, watch other children move for cues and be looking where we were standing.
We came away with a haul of certificates for our efforts as well as first place in the crossover and butterfly skills.
Well done, 3/4.
Chocolate Masterteers
Finally the time came this week to make our chocolate bars! After much tasting, testing and planning, we began by melting the chocolate on the cooker with the help of Mrs Walton. We then had to rapidly mix our fillings and flavours in before the chocolate began to harden again. We finished by pouring the chocolate into moulds and allowing it to harden overnight.
Our job didn’t end there though. We then had to design the logo and the packaging to go with our chocolate. We looked into what makes a good chocolate bar name and also studied existing design. Finally, we got to take them home and devour them.
Mr Wonka’s Challenge
Last week, we received a letter – or challenge should we say – from Mr Wonka himself. It turns out he is trying to make a chocolate bar that wouldn’t melt in children’s pockets. He thought the best people to test this would be children themselves.
So we set about: collecting different samples of chocolate; heating them up; observing when how long and at what temperature they melted; and then recorded our results.
During this investigation, we focused on making sure we were carrying out a fair test. We used the same amount of chocolate, the same cups etc and only changed the type of chocolate.
Living and Learning: Staying Safe
Recently, we had a theme week all about staying safe. We thought about all the times and places that we needed to stay safe. We first considered the classroom and how we could make it a safe place. We had brilliant suggestions about keeping the room tidy as well as how we can make people who are feeling upset feel safe.
We also had workshops from the Police about stranger danger and how to recognise adults who can help us. Our road safety workshop was especially interesting. We learn all about the need for wearing a seatbelt and the consequences of what can happen in you don’t.
Chance to Shine Cricket
Over the last few weeks, Tom from Yorkshire Country Cricket has been coming in every Wednesday to help develop our cricket skills. We have played some fast-paced and fun games as well as working on our batting, fielding, bowling and teamwork skills. All the while we have also been focusing on: being a team player; showing resilience and perseverance; and showing respect to our fellow players.
The cricket coaching is part of the Chance to Shine movement allowing young children to play and learn through cricket. A letter will shortly be coming home about opportunities to play cricket in the local community along with the All Stars Cricket Coaching later in the year.
This would be a great opportunity for children to ensure they are getting their 60 minutes of activity each day.
Welcome to the Chocolate Room
What a day yesterday was! After finding the last golden ticket and meeting Mr Wonka, we – along with Charlie and the four awful brats – found ourselves outside the Chocolate Room.
The hall had been transformed and filled with contraptions from Mr Wonka’s imagination to make his most wonderful sweets and chocolate. We let our imaginations run wild as to what everything could be and what it might smell, taste, or even sound like.
We then went back and wrote all about our experiences in the chocolate room. The pieces of work and descriptions that came out were simply amazing. We can’t wait to see what other surprises await in Mr Wonka’s factory.
