Year 2 English Gathering Ideas for Writing
Look at our busy Year 2 writers at Darwen St James! In our Ready Steady Write English lesson today, we stepped right into the illustrations of The Night Gardener to gather ideas for our writing! Using role play and our senses, we imagined what we could see, hear, smell, touch, and feel if we were standing right there on Grimloch Lane. Look how hard everyone worked to record their fantastic vocabulary—including: Similes (as tall as a tower, leaves rustling like whispers!) Question marks & exclamations (What is happening to the trees? How magical!) Adjectives & suffixes (-ly, -less, -ful) like mysterious, quietly, endless, and wonderful! We have filled our planning sheets with brilliant ideas and can’t wait to turn them into our very own setting narratives! What would you most like to see sculpted out of a tree?
Year 2 Maths Finding the Missing Number
Our Year 2 mathematicians have been hard at work using counters and manipulatives to solve missing number problems and balance number sentences! Great problem-solving and teamwork on display today.
Year 1 - P.E - To develop and combine travelling movements.
In PE this week, our learning objective was to develop and combine travelling movements. We worked hard to meet our success criteria by experimenting with different body parts to travel on—such as hands, feet, tummies, and backs—and linking our movements smoothly at both high and low levels. Fantastic control and creativity from everyone!
Nursery/Preschool- UTW- Diwali
This week, our nursery children have been busy developing their knowledge and understanding of Diwali, the Hindu and Sikh Festival of Lights. We began our learning journey gathered together on the carpet to share the wonderful story of Rama and Sita. The children listened intently, learning all about how little clay lamps were lit to guide Rama and Sita safely home through the dark, and how Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Inspired by our story, the children took their learning straight into continuous provision, exploring the celebrations through hands-on, creative activities: making Diya lamps on the workshop table using colourful materials to design the lamps and Rangoli patterns with bright pens. The children thoroughly enjoyed sharing their creations with their friends and talking about how different families celebrate special festivals. It has been a joyful, colourful week of purposeful play, curiosity, and cultural exploration across the nursery!
Year 3 - D.T. - Making Mock Ups Of Seasonal Tarts
Our Year 3 pupils have been putting their science and design technology skills into action! Using their knowledge of nutrients and seasonal food, the children have been busy designing and planning their own delicious tarts. We cannot wait to see them bring their fantastic creations to life!
Year 6 - Padel Festival
A group of our pupils had a fantastic afternoon representing the school at the Padel Festival hosted by Clubhouse Padel Club in Blackburn. Accompanied by Miss Meagher, the children took part in an expert coaching session run by the club's coaches to learn the fundamentals of padel—a fast-paced, exciting mix of tennis and squash. After getting to grips with the rackets and court walls, they jumped straight into a series of lively, friendly festival games. The children demonstrated brilliant teamwork, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm throughout the afternoon, picking up new skills and having a wonderful time on court. A huge well done to everyone involved!
Year 6 - Maths - Fractions
It has been a busy and productive week in Year 6 as the children tackled the tricky world of fractions! They explored how to compare fractions, getting their heads around the counter-intuitive rule that when numerators are the same, a smaller denominator actually means a larger fraction—quite confusing at first glance! Rising brilliantly to the challenge, the pupils then moved on to converting fractions into common denominators to add and subtract them accurately, before mastering how to simplify their final answers into their simplest form. It was truly demanding work, but their perseverance shone through. Well done, Year 6—keep up the fantastic effort!
Year 6 - Maths - Fractions
It has been a busy and productive week in Year 6 as the children tackled the tricky world of fractions! They explored how to compare fractions, getting their heads around the counter-intuitive rule that when numerators are the same, a smaller denominator actually means a larger fraction—quite confusing at first glance! Rising brilliantly to the challenge, the pupils then moved on to converting fractions into common denominators to add and subtract them accurately, before mastering how to simplify their final answers into their simplest form. It was truly demanding work, but their perseverance shone through. Well done, Year 6—keep up the fantastic effort!
Year 5 Class Worship - Ways We Can Show Kindness Today
In class worship this week, Year 5 gathered to reflect on our special "Kindness Kite". Inspired by its messages and verses reminding us that God is kind, the children shared thoughtful ideas on how to put kindness into action right away—from offering a helping hand in the classroom to sharing a smile and inviting others to play at breaktime. It was a lovely opportunity to reflect on how small acts of care can lift everyone up.
Year 5 DT - Following a Recipe to Make Bolognese Sauce
Year 5 Cooking Up a Storm in DT! Year 5 put their culinary skills to the test in Design & Technology this week, following our adapted, vegetarian, and vegetable-rich Bolognese sauce recipe! Working brilliantly as a team, the children carefully chopped, grated, and stirred their ingredients to create a delicious and healthy sauce. Alongside their practical cooking, they also produced clear, beautifully handwritten recipe instructions for others to follow. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed making their tasty creations, and each child was delighted to take a pot home to enjoy with some pasta!
Reception-UTW-Diwali
Reception have had a fantastic week exploring the wonderful festival of Diwali! The children were fascinated by the story of Rama and Sita, learning all about why Diwali is celebrated as the Festival of Light. In our small world area, they brilliantly retold the story using picture prompts. We then took our learning outdoors, cooking up imaginative Diwali treats in the mud kitchen and creating bright, beautiful Rangoli patterns on the floor with colourful chalk!
Reception-English-Star In The Jar
Reception have started an exciting new English story—Star in the Jar! The children loved discovering how a little boy finds the ultimate treasure: a bright, shining star! Inspired by the story, all the children got creative and crafted their own special star in a jar to take home and care for.
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