Mayan Day in year 5!

8th May 2025S Admin (Biddick Hall Juniors)

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!

4CL had a brilliant time at Jarrow Hall.

6th March 2025S Admin (Biddick Hall Juniors)

4CL had a brilliant time at Jarrow Hall. We found out all about burials and battles.

We handled different artefacts and even took part in our own ferocious battle.

We enjoyed meeting the animals on farm and listening to the story of Beowulf around the fire in the Great Hall.

4KJ visited Jarrow Hall

13th February 2025S Admin (Biddick Hall Juniors)

4KJ visited Jarrow Hall on Tuesday 11th February. We had great fun investigating Anglo Saxon settlements and a farm and loved meeting the animals. We also found out more about Anglo Saxon religious beliefs and burials and had the opportunity to look at weapons from the period. The day ended with a fierce battle.

Year 6 enjoyed a visit from ‘That History Bloke’.

3rd February 2025S Admin (Biddick Hall Juniors)

As part of our new history topic ‘Impact of World War 2’, Year 6 enjoyed a visit from ‘That History Bloke’. We had great fun looking at artefacts including kit bags, gas masks, clothes and toys. They helped us to learn a lot about life during war-time. Just look at the fun we had!

In the second part of the workshop, we learned about aircraft and played a game which encouraged us to distinguish between English and German planes. We actually did really well, getting all of the answers correct!

We ended the session by listening to an air-raid siren . . . . it was extremely loud!

4CL visited the Sunderland Wintergardens.

14th November 2024S Admin (Biddick Hall Juniors)

4CL visited the Sunderland Wintergardens. We investigated the layers of the rainforest thinking about animals and plants.

We walked around answering questions to follow a trail. This was followed by sketching and colouring the plants.

Afterwards we went into Mowbray Park and completed questionnaires with members of the public about how they use the park.

We all had a fantastic day.

Year 5 were visited by ‘That History Bloke’ and we explored the Tudor times.

25th October 2024S Admin (Biddick Hall Juniors)

Year 5 were visited by ‘That History Bloke’ and we explored the Tudor times. We answered some true or false questions about the time period and looked at a Tudor instrument called the lute. We handled some Tudor objects and explored them, even looking at a real leech that would’ve been used by healers! We wrote a death warrant using a quill and ink which was trickier than we thought it would be, and we played a strategy game called Merelle which actually linked with battle tactics.

Year 4 had visitors from Durham university to learn about the Vikings.

6th June 2024S Admin (Biddick Hall Juniors)

Year 4 had visitors from Durham university to learn about the Vikings. We looked at where the Vikings came from, why they settled in Great Britain, and the origins of some of our words in the English language. We also learned about ancient Runes and designed our own. Finally, we looked at replicas of ancient Viking objects whilst pretending to be archaeologists.

A Mayan treat in Year 5!

26th April 2024S Admin (Biddick Hall Juniors)

We had an amazing name with Robbie (Aka Big Nose) and learned lots about the Maya people.  We learned how to say hello, and we counted to ten. We learned about their beliefs and creation story.  We loved taking part in a drama session where we got to re-enact an area of Maya life from sacrifices to chocolate! Robbie brought some Maya artefacts for us to look at and we had the opportunity to ask questions about them as well as use our artistic skills to sketch them.