Year 4 had a great time using the skills we had learned from the rugby coach in a rugby tournament.
We all tried really hard and had a fantastic morning.
In Year 5, we learned about food hygiene and how to safely prepare different vegetables including onion, garlic, courgette, pepper, mushroom, celery and carrot. These vegetables were then added to a pan – carrots and celery first, then onion and garlic, followed by peppers, then courgette and finally the mushrooms. then where they were sautéed in olive oil. We added chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and a small amount of beef stock and then blended it to make a smooth sauce. We added this sauce to browned mince and cooked it for another 20 minutes. We mixed it with spaghetti and enjoyed!
On Thursday 8th May Year 4 enjoyed a visit linked to the topic of Ancient Maya. During the day we enjoyed taking part in drama based activities to learn about the religious beliefs of the Maya. We also had the opportunity to examine artefacts and learn some of the language they used. We all had an enjoyable day and learned lots of new information.
Year 3 enjoyed learning more about the ancient Egyptians with That History Bloke. We found out about pharaohs and what happened to these in the afterlife. We practised writing our names using Egyptian hieroglyphics and played a game from ancient Egyptian times.
On Tuesday 8th May, we were visited by Robbie (Big Nose) from Past Productions who brought the Maya to life. We learned how to say ‘My name is…’ and how to count to ten in Mayan. We learned about sacrifice, why it was seen as an honour and the different ways in which it could happen; your beating heart being ripped out being one of them! We found out why maize was so important to the Maya – it was over 80% of their diet and they believed that humans were created from maize by the gods. We looked at some Mayan artefacts and produced our own museum cards with an image and a short synopsis of what it was. Using drama, we showed some of these rituals and stories. We had a great day and learned loads as history was brought to life!
This week, Year 3 had a visit from Katie from Science Buddies. We made predictions and investigated how shadows can be changed. First, we investigated whether we could make shadows smaller or larger then we investigated whether we could change the shape and colour of a shadow. We found that a shadow can be made smaller when the object is further away from the light source and the shadow is bigger when it is closer to the light source. We found that the shape and colour of the shadow could not be changed.
Year 5 visited Sandhaven beach in South Shields to conduct some Geography fieldwork. We have been studying Oceans, why they are important, how we use them, why they are in danger and how we can look after them. As part of our topic, we have looked at the impact that humans have on the oceans and we wanted to see how littered our local marine environment was. We drew a sketch map, selected 3 data collection points and then did a tally of the different types of litter that we found in each location. On the whole, the beach was very clean, and the litter was either in one place where some careless individuals hadn’t put their rubbish in the bin, or it was tangled in seaweed which means that it had been washed in by the sea. The second element of our trip linked to our Art study of landscapes. We sketched the beautiful coastal landscape using willow charcoal and chunky graphite pencils. When we returned to school we used the different techniques we’d been exploring to create a final landscape piece. Our end pieces were really impressive and they are going to be used to create a display in the corridor.
as part of our RE unit for this Spring term, ‘How and why is Easter celebrated by Christians?’
We were split into groups and we then visited different parts of a church hall which had been mapped out to tell us parts of the Easter story Christian’s believe. We found out about significant points of Jesus’ life leading up to his crucifixion. It was informative and allowed us to be reflective and ask questions linked to Christian beliefs. The church volunteers were extremely welcoming and even enabled us to plant our own sunflower seeds which they said was to represent new starts.
As part of our Design Technology unit of work, we have been designing and making playground structures. We began by sketching out each of the pieces of equipment and then decided how we could make them using the available materials. We developed a range of skills including measuring with accuracy and marking-out. Working in small groups, we used a variety of tools including saws, drills and glue-guns. It was important that each structure was sturdy, so we reinforced the corners to assist with this. Finally, we added cladding and other landscape features to ensure that our designs were aesthetically pleasing.
Father Thompson visited year 4 to talk about our unit question ‘Lent and why it is important to Christians’. We learnt that Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, lasts for 40 days (excluding Sundays), and ends on Good Friday. Lent is important to Christians as it is a time when Christians can prepare for the celebrations of Easter by reflecting on their behaviour over the last year and finding ways to live a life based on the teaching of Jesus. It was lovely to be able to ask Father Thompson questions and look at some of the artefacts that he brought with him.
