Nursery And Pre-School - Music - Whats In The Bag
Taking advantage of the beautiful sunshine, the children in Nursery and Preschool gathered outside this week to enjoy a lovely session of refreshments and music. This outdoor setting provided a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere for the children to engage in a group singing activity using our "What’s in the Bag?" mystery bag. The children practiced their patience and turn-taking skills as they waited to see what was hidden inside the bag. Each child had the opportunity to choose a toy, which acted as a visual prompt to identify a specific nursery rhyme. For example, finding a star prompted a rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle," while a bus led to "The Wheels on the Bus." This activity was a fantastic way for the children to build their confidence in singing as part of a group and to practice their memory skills as they recalled the lyrics and associated actions. It was a joy to see everyone happily singing together in the fresh air, enjoying the sunshine and the company of their friends.
Year 3 - Maths - Finding The Total of Coins
Hands-On Maths: Market Day in Year 3 Our classroom transformed into a bustling marketplace today as Year 3 students put their money skills to the test. Each student designed their own shop on their whiteboard, complete with a variety of items and price tags. Using a collection of coins, students took turns acting as both customers and shopkeepers. This activity provided a practical way to practice: Identifying coin denominations. Calculating totals for multiple items. Determining the correct change to give back after a transaction.
Year 3 - Science - Planning An Investigation
Budding Scientists at Work! Our Year 3 class has officially launched their latest scientific investigation. We are diving into the world of botany to answer a central question: How does the amount of water affect how a plant grows? The children have been busy planning their experiment, ensuring it is a "fair test" by: Standardizing Conditions: Using identical seeds, the same type of soil, and placing every pot in the same sunny spot. Controlling the Variable: Carefully measuring out different specific amounts of water for each plant to observe the differences.
Year 5 PSHE - Roleplaying Active Listening
Are You Listening? Year 5 Explore the Art of Communication This week in PSHE, Year 5 have been exploring the vital skill of active listening—and things started in a rather unusual way! To kick off the lesson, we had a very brave volunteer attempt to tell Mrs Thompson all about her day. Meanwhile, Mrs Thompson did her absolute best to be the "worst listener ever"—interrupting, fiddling with objects, and even wandering off mid-sentence! While it gave us all a good giggle, it sent a very powerful message about how it feels when our words are ignored. Putting Skills into Practice: Following the demonstration, the children took centre stage to act out various scenarios. They compared: The "Don'ts": Looking at phones, interrupting, and distracted body language. The "Dos": Making eye contact, using encouraging nods, and responding with empathy. It made us realise that listening isn't just about being quiet; it's about making the other person feel like what they are saying really matters. The children gained incredible insight into the emotional impact of our communication. We’ve all come away with a fresh commitment to being better friends and better listeners!
Year 5 English - Finding Dialogue from the Text on a Spectrum
Bringing Characters to Life: A Spectrum of Dialogue in Year 5 This term, Year 5 have been immersed in the moving world of Goodnight Mister Tom. To deepen our understanding of the protagonists, we stepped away from our desks for a unique, kinaesthetic lesson exploring the power of voice and personality. We created a visual "Character Spectrum" to map out the distinct personalities of Mister Tom, Willie, and Zach: Blue: Representing Mister Tom at his most blunt and gruff. Grey: Capturing Willie’s quiet, hesitant timidity. Red: Reflecting Zach’s vibrant, cheerful exuberance. Mrs Thompson put our listening skills to the test by reading anonymous lines of dialogue from the novel. Without knowing the speaker, the children had to physically move and place themselves on the spectrum based on the "flavour" of the speech and the emotions conveyed. It was a brilliant way to see how Michelle Magorian uses language to build such distinct identities. The children were incredibly perceptive at picking up on the subtle cues in the text! By stepping into the shoes (and voices) of these iconic characters, Year 5 have gained a much richer insight into how authors portray growth and change through dialogue.
Year 5 Maths - Exploring 3D Shapes
Getting to Grips with Geometry: Year 5 Explore 3D Shapes! Our mathematicians have been busy transitioning from flat planes to the third dimension! After mastering the worlds of angles and polygons, we’ve levelled up our Shape unit by investigating 3D solids. This wasn’t just a lesson from a textbook; it was a full "hands-on" investigation. We filled the classroom with physical shapes, allowing the children to handle, rotate, and examine them from every angle. What we’ve been investigating: Naming Names: We’ve been identifying everything from cubes and cuboids to various pyramids and prisms. The Big Three: Using our tactile models, we’ve been counting and recording the faces, edges, and vertices of each shape. Real-World Connections: Learning how these geometric properties help us understand the world around us. It was brilliant to see the children’s 'aha!' moments as they felt the sharp vertices of a pyramid or traced the long edges of a prism. The level of focus was fantastic—it’s safe to say our students are shaping up to be excellent geometricians!
Year 5 Visit to Darwen Library Theatre
Behind the Scenes: Year 5 Take Over Darwen Library Theatre! Our Year 5 artists traded the classroom for the spotlight this week with an incredible trip to Darwen Library Theatre. As part of our current project on Set Design, we went backstage to see how the magic actually happens! It was an action-packed morning where our pupils moved from the audience to the wings: Atmospheric Art: We learned how lighting technicians use colour and intensity to completely shift the mood of a scene. The Science of Sound: We experimented with audio modification—the echo and reverberation effects were a huge hit! Stage Presence: Every student had the chance to step up to the microphone on stage to deliver their best jokes. (We might have some future stand-up comedians in our midst!) VIP Access: A huge thank you to the staff who showed us the inner workings of the backstage areas. The team at the theatre were absolutely fantastic with the children, who blew us away with their insightful questions and curiosity. "It wasn't just a trip; it was a masterclass in how creativity meets technology!" Check out some of the highlights from our visit!
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Year 2 - Art - Worry Dolls
In this creative Art lesson, Year 2 explored the origin and purpose of Worry Dolls, learning how these traditional figures help hold our worries for us. Using twigs collected from around the school grounds, the children carefully selected sticks that suggested human forms, identifying natural shapes for arms and legs. To bring their characters to life, they mastered wrapping techniques with colourful wool, adding vibrant textures to their unique creations. It was a wonderful way to combine fine motor skills with an important discussion about wellbeing and sharing our feelings.
Year 2 - History - Bayeux Tapestry
In this lesson, our Year 2 historians became detectives to uncover how William the Conqueror claimed the English throne. By exploring the Bayeux Tapestry—a 70-metre embroidery nearly 1,000 years old—the children hunted for historical clues like crowns and thrones. Through a "gallery walk" and caption-matching challenge, they pieced together the story of the Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings. It was wonderful to see the children recognise how royal traditions, such as coronations, have remained remarkably similar from King Harold’s time to the present day!
Year 4 Computing - Effective Searching Online
In this week's Computing lesson, Year 4 were looking at how to stay safe whilst searching online. We looked at different child-friendly search engines and worked in partnerships to try and complete the questions we needed to find the answers to. We found out we had to be precise and concise with our wording when searching for different things, as this really could affect the kind of results we received. It was definitely a lesson were lots was learnt!
Reception- Fine Motor Skills- Supertato
The classroom was a hive of focused energy as the Reception children transformed into little heroes to create their very own Supertato characters. Using the Mr. Potato Head sets, the children carefully exercised their fine motor skills, pinching and pushing colorful ears, eyes, and capes into the plastic spuds to bring their defenders of the fruit aisle to life. The creative mission continued at the art station, where the children demonstrated impressive hand-eye coordination and scissor control to navigate around the curves of their paper potatoes. Once the cutting was complete, the real decision-making began; with tongues poked out in concentration, they sifted through a tray of vibrant felt, glittery masks, and paper boots to select the perfect heroic ensemble for their new starchy sidekicks.
Year 4 Geography - River Features
This week's Geography lesson was all about the different features of a river. We found out about the different river courses and what we could expect to find at each one and were all amazed to find out that all rivers end up at the sea! We had to work as a team to represent what we had been learning about, by creating our very own representations of rivers and their features out of Lego, before presenting our creations to others. It really helped us learn what we needed to include and all of the different feature names.
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