Year 1 - Maths Fluency
Buzzing with Fluency! Our Year 1 stars at Darwen St James’ have been busy bees today, sharpening their number skills! We are focusing on developing fluency by combining hands-on learning with digital practice. From tactile counters to high-tech hits, the progress is amazing to watch. ???? Today’s Math Toolkit: White Rose Fluency Bee: Building those vital number foundations through active, structured play. NumBots: Leveling up our mental recall and subtraction/addition speed on the laptops! ???? Watch out, world—these mathematicians are becoming faster and more confident by the second!
Maths Magic in Year 1
Maths Magic in Year 1 A huge thank you to all the families who joined our Year 1 Parents Workshop on Friday. It was wonderful to see so many of you engaging with all things maths as part of our NSPCC Number Day celebrations. Our young mathematicians had a fantastic time showing how they are developing fluency using some of our favourite tools: White Rose Fluency Bee: Hands-on resources building solid number foundations. NumBots: Leveling up recall skills on the laptops. Working together, at school and at home, is how we keep nurturing ambition in every child. #DarwenStJames #Year1 #NSPCCNumberDay #MathsFluency #WhiteRoseMaths #NumBots #ParentPartnership
Year 1 - Active Learning in English
Year 1 have been diving into the world of Oliver's Vegetables this week. To help us retell the story, the children created a physical map of the garden, using it to navigate through the days of the week and the different vegetables Oliver finds. By moving through the map, the children are using active learning to cement their sequencing skills and build confidence in their storytelling. It was a fantastic way to bring the book to life and get everyone moving while they learn.
Year 4 Computing - Internet Safety
In this week's computing lesson, Year 4 have been exploring the ways in which we can keep ourselves safe when using the Internet. We have learnt that we cannot always trust what we see and that we should never tell others personal things about ourselves when we are online. Year 4 completed a quiz to show their expertise and enjoyed playing a game, helping our character make the right choices when faced with an online problem.
Year 2 R.E. - Can You Find Features of a Mosque and a Synagogue?
Our Year 2 explorers went on a scavenger hunt this week to discover the beautiful features of a Mosque and a Synagogue. Working in teams, the children raced to find clues hidden around the classroom, matching descriptions to pictures of important features. From the tall minarets of a mosque to the Ark within a synagogue, our learners showed fantastic teamwork and curiosity. It was wonderful to see the children discussing how these special buildings are similar or different to our church that we visited last week. Well done, Year 2! #Year2RE #CuriousLearners #Teamwork #RespectAndUnderstanding #SchoolScavengerHunt
Year 2 Maths: Doubling and Halving
Double the Fun in Year 2! Our mathematicians in Year 2 have been busy exploring the magical relationship between doubling and halving this week! Using colorful connecting cubes, the children moved from hands-on building to writing formal calculations. By mastering their 2 times tables, they discovered that doubling a number is just like multiplying by 2, and halving is the same as dividing by 2! It was wonderful to see so many "lightbulb moments" as the children realised that if they know their 2 times-table, they already know how to find double or half! ✨#Year2Maths #HandsOnLearning #YoungMathematicians #DoublingAndHalving #ConcretePictorialAbstract
Year 5 Art - Creating Backgrounds for our Monoprints
Year 5’s Hauntingly Creative Backgrounds Our Year 5 artists have been working hard to master the art of monoprinting. This week, we explored the vibrant properties of acrylic painted paper to create a series of beautifully layered, complex backgrounds. Drawing inspiration from the atmospheric poem A Ghost in the Garden by Berlie Doherty, the children used their custom-made booklets to experiment with colour and texture, resulting in some truly haunting and visually stunning pieces. These textured sheets will serve as the perfect foundation for the next stage of our printmaking journey. If you were imagining a ghost in your own garden, what colours and textures do you think would best capture the mystery?
Year 5 Number Day - Exploring Islamic Geometric Designs
Last Friday, Year 5 celebrated NSPCC Number Day by exploring the stunning intersection of mathematics and art. The children discovered that maths can be incredibly beautiful as they studied the intricate geometric designs found in Islamic architecture. Using their precision and plotting skills, the pupils worked with great care and perseverance to recreate these complex, symmetrical patterns. It was wonderful to see such focus in the classroom, resulting in some truly striking pieces of work that prove maths is so much more than just calculations on a page! Can you spot any geometric shapes or repeating patterns in the architecture around our local town?
Reception- Science- Exploring Colours
Our classroom transformed into a mini-laboratory today as the children became scientists exploring the magic of colour! Using clear jars of vibrant primary-coloured water, the children took part in a hands-on experiment to discover what happens when colours collide. There were gasps of excitement and plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" as they carefully poured and mixed the liquids themselves. They watched with wide eyes as the blue and yellow swirled together to create a bright green, and red and blue transformed into a deep purple. By taking the lead in their own investigations, the children were able to see the immediate "cause and effect" of their actions, sparking wonderful scientific discussions about how many new shades they could create.
Reception- PSHE-Teamwork
In our sand area today, our little builders turned into a team of royal architects! The children worked brilliantly together to create a magnificent castle fit for a giant. Using a mix of sturdy bricks and textured sand, they communicated their ideas with wonderful clarity, discussing exactly how to make the walls tall enough and where the giant would sleep. It was fantastic to hear them negotiating space, with one child suggesting, "Let's use the sand to make a moat!" while another added, "We need the biggest bricks for the giant's tower!" By sharing their thoughts and listening to each other’s suggestions, they successfully added a grand entrance and a lookout point, proving that their teamwork was just as strong as their building.
Nursery - Literacy - Bakery Creations
This week, the children loved visiting our classroom Valentine's bakery, where they used playdough to "bake" their own cakes, biscuits, and treats. The activity provided a fantastic workout for their fine motor skills. The children worked hard to squeeze, splat, roll, pinch, and poke the dough, building the hand strength needed for future writing. They used cutters to create heart-shaped biscuits and carefully placed dough into cupcake cases, adding various decorations to finish their "bakes." As the play progressed, some children were inspired to record their work. They moved from the dough table to the drawing area, where they transferred their real-life creations into drawings. This was a wonderful way for the children to give meaning to their marks, as they explained what they had drawn and matched their pictures to the treats they had made in the bakery.
Year 3 - Number Day
Our classroom was buzzing with mathematical energy today as we celebrated NSPCC Number Day! We swapped our traditional textbooks for hands-on challenges, all while supporting a fantastic cause. We explored how maths lives everywhere—from the games we play to the art we create.
.png)
