Year 1 Making Connections: Number Bonds to 10 & 20!
???? Our Year 1 mathematicians at Darwen St James’ have been diving deep into the world of White Rose Maths this week! We’ve been busy building a rock-solid foundation by mastering our number bonds to 10. But the learning didn't stop there! Many of our brave learners took on the challenge to 20, showing incredible grit and "Nurturing Ambition" with every calculation. ???? How we learned today: Hands-On Discovery: Using Numicon and counters to visualize how numbers fit together. Collaborative Learning: Working in groups on the carpet to solve puzzles and share strategies. Independent Challenge: Applying our skills to worksheets and interactive games at our desks. It is wonderful to see our students' confidence grow as they spot patterns and unlock the secrets of addition! ???? #WhiteRoseMaths #Year1 #NumberBonds #DarwenStJames #NurturingAmbition #PrimaryMaths #MathsConfidence
Year 1 Handwriting
✍️ Big Pens, Big Dreams! Our Year 1 superstars at Darwen St James’ have been working incredibly hard on their handwriting this week! From practicing letter formations on the floor to mastering their sentences on whiteboards, these students are proving that practice makes perfect. We love seeing their confidence grow as they "Nurture Ambition" one letter at a time! ???? Highlights: Creative Spaces: Writing on large paper to develop those fine motor skills. Teamwork: Supporting each other at the writing stations. Success: Seeing those full sentences come to life! ???? #HandwritingHeroes #Year1 #DarwenStJames #NurturingAmbition #PrimaryEducation #LearningIsFun
Year 4 Maths Group - Adding 9 and 11
This week, the Year 4 Maths group have been becoming "Maths Ninjas" by using the Plus 10 Shortcut! To add 9, we jump forward 10 and hop back 1. To add 11, we jump forward 10 and hop forward 1 more. Fast, easy, and accurate!
Nursery - Music - Computing - Creating Music
This week, the children enjoyed making their own music using the 2Explore tool on Purple Mash. We focused on using the computer to find different noises and seeing how we could put them together to make a fun tune. The children thoroughly enjoyed listening to the wide variety of sounds available within the software. They practiced their navigational skills to select and trigger different instrumental notes and effects, discovering how the software combined their chosen sounds into a continuous song. This process allowed them to experiment with different noises and hear how they sounded together in a rhythmic way. There was a wonderful sense of achievement as the children listened back to their completed "songs." Many were so proud of their digital creations that they even began dancing to the beats they had produced.
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Year 2 - PE - Team Building
How can you find your way when you cannot see where you are going? This week, Year 2 have been putting their communication skills to the test during collaborative challenges in PE. The objective was to develop trust by guiding a blindfolded partner towards coloured cones and then into matching coloured hoops. While the children initially led their partners by the hand, the difficulty increased when they progressed to using only their voices. This shift required the pupils to think critically about how to give clear, precise instructions to ensure their partner felt safe and successful. It was a fantastic session that showcased the children's growing empathy and their ability to lead others through calm, effective communication. #PhysicalEducation #Year2 #CommunicationSkills #PrimaryPE #TrustGames #SchoolSports
Computing Club - Microbits
Can you transform a pocket-sized circuit board into a game of chance or a musical instrument? This week, our Computing Club used Micro:bits to bring their coding projects to life. The pupils programmed their devices to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, using a "shake" motion to trigger a random choice. They also explored sound and light by coding the Micro:bits to play custom tunes and display different animated characters and faces. It was a brilliant session that showed just how creative you can be with a little bit of logic and a lot of imagination. #ComputingClub #MicroBit #STEM #PrimaryCoding #DigitalLiteracy #FutureCoders #CodeClub
Year 5 Maths - Using Place Value Counters to understand Decimal Numbers
Exploring the Power of the Decimal Point This week, Year 5 have ventured into the fascinating world of decimals, marking the start of an important new unit where we will discover the intricate links between decimals, fractions, and percentages. To ensure the children have a deep understanding of these concepts rather than just learning a method, we began by using concrete manipulatives. Using decimal place value counters and formal place value grids, the pupils worked to represent numbers with up to two decimal places. By physically placing counters into the 'ones', 'tenths', and 'hundredths' columns, the children were able to clearly see the value of each digit. This hands-on approach is vital for helping pupils understand that while a digit may look the same, its position relative to the decimal point completely changes its worth. Once the children were confident in representing these values, they moved on to partitioning. They manipulated the counters to show that a number like 0.45 is not just a single value, but is composed of four tenths and five hundredths. This ability to break down and rebuild numbers provides a solid foundation for more complex calculations. The engagement in the classroom was excellent, and it was wonderful to hear the children using precise mathematical vocabulary to explain their thinking. We look forward to seeing them apply this newfound confidence as we begin to link these decimals to their fractional equivalents!
Year 3 - P.E - Dancing Like Machines
Our Year 3 dancers turned the school hall into a living, breathing factory floor this week! As part of our latest PE unit, the children have been exploring mechanical movement and the fascinating shapes associated with heavy machinery.
Year 3 - Art - Exploring Stitching
Our young artists are taking their volcano paintings to the next level by exploring the tactile world of textiles. Before we merge fabric with canvas, we spent today’s lesson mastering the foundational skill of stitching.
Year 2 - RE - Exploring Our Church
What makes a building truly special to a community? This week, Year 2 moved their RE lesson beyond the classroom for a visit to the local church to speak with Reverend Kev. The children explored the unique features of the building, discovering the importance of the pulpit, the cross, and the special box used to store the chalice and paten. They were fascinated to see the small wooden box containing the numbers for the hymns and were particularly amazed to look through original parish magazines dating all the way back to 1906. It was a wonderful opportunity for the pupils to learn about the history and sacred objects that make the church such a significant place for so many people. #ReligiousEducation #Year2 #LearningOutsideTheClassroom #Community #PrimaryEducation #RE
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Year 2 - Maths - Dividing by Grouping
Have you ever wondered how we can make sure everyone gets an equal share? This week, our Year 2 pupils have been answering that very question by using physical counters to practically group different amounts. Through this hands-on exploration, the children discovered that this process of sharing is called dividing. By physically moving the counters into separate piles, they observed a fundamental mathematical rule in action: when we divide, the resulting answer gets smaller than the number we started with. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they master these essential building blocks of arithmetic. #Mathematics #Year2 #PrimaryEducation #HandsOnLearning #Division
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Reception- Science-Bug Hunt and More
In the vibrant world of our Reception classroom, young scientists transform into intrepid explorers as they venture outdoors equipped with magnifying glasses to uncover the secrets of the undergrowth. This hands-on "bug hunt" allowed the children to develop keen observation skills, peering through lenses to identify the intricate patterns on a beetle’s wing or the rhythmic movement of a centipede. By investigating these tiny creatures in their natural environments, students begin to understand biological habits and physical features firsthand. This curiosity seamlessly transitioned back into the classroom, where the tactile learning continued. Children consolidate their findings by sculpting their own imaginative insects and engineering detailed micro-habitats within the sand tray, bridging the gap between scientific inquiry and creative expression.
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