Design and Technology
We had a fantastic opportunity this morning to listen to and speak to Joel Wilson. Joel is a footwear designer for DR Martens, he has previously worked at brands like Lacoste and Ellesse.
Speaking to Joel fits in perfectly with our current Design and Technology work. We are currently in the process of creating a pouch. We follow a design brief and specific design criteria to produce an end product. We found that Joel follows a similar process in his area of work.
He told us all about his childhood and how he loved to draw and then about his journey into designing clothes. Can you believe that he didn’t even know that being a designer was a job?
We learnt about the process of creating a pair of Dr Martens – it takes about 18 months from the first design stage to a completed pair of shoes!
The children were extremely engaged and had lots of questions. We have been inspired by what Joel had to say.
It’s inspired me to design clothes.
Shae
I have always wanted to design clothes but now I’m thinking about shoes because when he answered his questions I gave me ideas about what I would like to do.
Emily M
It’s inspired me becasue now I am keen to draw and design clothes and footwear.
Emily G
I never knew that people drew the shoes that we wear!
Beau
Help at home – Ask your child about what they remember from Joel. What design criteria do we need to incorporate into our pouches? What is the purpose of your pouch? Who is it for?
Armley Mills
As part of our Design and Technology topic we have visited Armley Mills Industrial Museum in Leeds and learnt about the process of weaving. We followed the process of wool being brushed (carded) and then spun. We then worked as a class to weave and then produced some of our own. The children had a lovely time and behaved impeccably – they were a credit to the school.
Here are some pictures from the day:
Help at home – Ask your child about the day. What was the best thing they learnt? Can they remember what ‘warp’ and ‘weft’ means? Can they produce some weaving at home?
Science – Forces
In our new Science topic, we are learning about forces and magnets. Today’s lesson focussed on push and pull forces and the role that friction must play when objects move across a surface.
We enjoyed pushing and pulling objects around the classroom and observed what happened because of a force.
We found that surfaces like grass and stones have a high level of friction whereas tarmac or our classroom tables have a low level of friction.
Help at home – Ask your child which objects can be pushed or pulled. What is a contact force? Which surfaces in your home/garden have the most friction? Which have less friction?
Living and Learning
We have been looking at what makes a good friend and learning that friends can sometimes fall out and what we can do to put things right or make a situation easier.
The children were able to provide adjectives describing how someone might feel if they fall out with a friend. Here are some examples:
- Empty
- Hurt
- Disappointed
- Good
- Angry
- Sick
- Left out
We also spoke about what someone can do if a fall out occurs. Here are some of the ideas we came up with:
- Have some ‘alone time’.
- Talk to each other.
- Talk to a trusted adult.
- Use breathing techniques or meditation to calm down.
- Tell the truth. Follow our Christian value of honesty.
We finished with a whole class Collective Worship where children were able to reflect on the afternoon’s learning and share some ideas with each other.
Help at home – Ask your child what they might do if they fell out with a friend. Who do the see as being their friends? What does a good friend look like? What do the always/sometimes/never do?
Leeds United Wildcats!
Our key stage 2 girls were visited by Leeds United this week to explore and develop routes into football for girls. The morning began with a presentation on current female role models, football backgrounds and some top tips on how to achieve the best you can in all sports.
The children then went outside to take part in some fantastic drills and games run by Leeds. Each and every pupil tried their best and we were super proud of everyone – they were fantastic role models for St James.
We had lots of fantastic talent on show, too! Our visitors left with beaming smiles on their faces, as all of our pupils showed a real interest and desire to take part. Every pupil also used their manners extremely well all morning.
Help at home: There will be some leaflets and information on how our children can continue to be involved with Leeds United. Encourage your children to take up a sport, as they really enjoyed today’s workshop. If you need help getting in touch with any local clubs or events, please let me (Mr Freeman) know and I’ll help!
Living and Learning
I know that being physically active is mentally and physically healthy.
This week in Living and Learning we have been thinking about being physically active and how that is important for our mental and physical health.
Writing
In Year 3 and 4, we have been building up to writing a narrative about the picture book, Flood:
https://justimagine.co.uk/childrens-books-review/flood/
We have been working hard to include speech in our writing. It is difficult to do and there are lots of key things to remember. We have focussed on the spoken word, adverbial clauses and adding extra detail.
Here’s some snippets from the children…
“We need to make a plan,” announced mum.
– Leo S
Mum considered, as she sat down, “We should put sandbags around our house.”
– Valerie
“What are we going to do? This is so serious!” cried Donna with her head in her hands.
– Elara
“We will come back as soon as the storm is over,” cried mum as she fastened her seatbelt.
– Alba
Dan reassured his family, “We could come back when the storm is done.”
– Beau
Preston asked whilst trying not to look, “Can you be less dramatic?”
– Christian
Alex sighed as he held a box, “I don’t want to leave.”
– Kiara
Frankie shouted, banging his hands on the table, “I don’t want to leave!”
– Lily
Science – Plants
Enquiry questions:
How do plants transport water?
Does the number of seeds within one plant pot affect the growth of the plants?
Working scientifically:
I can set up a simple practical enquiry.
Ask relevant questions and use different scientific enquiry types to answer them.
This afternoon, we carried out various science experiments that encourage us to observe over time whilst ensuring our tests are fair.
We placed a white flower into a pot of red water. We made predictions based on our prior knowledge and understanding. Tomorrow morning, we will be able to view the results and see if our predictions were correct.
The fun didn’t stop there. We then began an experiment to see what would happen if we planted one sunflower seed in a pot compared to two, four and eight. Again, we made predictions; we will take measurements over the coming weeks.
Finally, we planted our own sunflowers. We really enjoyed getting our hands dirty and it was so lovely to see the excitement in children.
Let’s hope for lots of sun and the children will be able to bring some tall sunflowers home.
Help at home – try planting some seeds of your own at home. Can you grow something you can eat? What does a plant need to grow? What is the function of the roots/stem/soil? What happens in the leaves?
Send pictures in and we can display in the classroom.
Maths
We had some fun in the sun today, with a maths arithmetic relay – combining maths and PE.
Help at home – set your own maths relay in the garden or park.
Basketball
Today, the sun was shining and we had another superb PE lesson learning key basketball skills. We began by recapping the key principles of dribbling and then moved onto stealing/tackling.
Here’s what the children had to say:
Remember to bounce the ball at waist height to keep control. Use fingers not palms to bounce.
Gabriel Y3
You can’t walk with the ball; you must bounce as you move. Must use two hands. Two hands would be a double dribble.
Madeleine Y4
Use our bodies to block the person trying to steal.
Emily M Y3
Today, I enjoyed playing Gauntlet.
Emily G Y3
I really enjoyed playing Gauntlet and stealing bibs.
Christian Y4
