Term 1 Week 6
William’s Wonderful Writing!
What a pleasure to receive another story from William this week!
He has been busy writing at home, taking the time to develop his ideas and share them with me. His latest adventure follows Bob into the Stone Age, where he makes new friends, discovers cave paintings and has a dramatic encounter with a bear! He has included characters inspired by the book we are currently reading in class. How lovely to see our reading finding its way into his own storytelling!
I am so pleased to see William’s enthusiasm for writing extending beyond the classroom. Choosing to write in his own time shows such interest and commitment.
Well done, William..... keep those stories coming!!
There were plenty more ideas on paper during Free Write Friday. This week, our picture showed a snail carrying a tiny wooden cottage, and the children took their stories in all sorts of directions! We had magical shells, new friendships and exciting rescues. It is always interesting to see how one picture can inspire so many different ideas.
Free Write is an opportunity for the children to write independently and let their imaginations take the lead. We want them to have a go, try out ideas and enjoy telling a story without worrying about getting everything right straight away. Giving children that space is so important. Their ideas matter, and we want them to feel confident putting them onto paper. Have a look at some of their writing below
In Art, we continued exploring prehistoric cave art, with Lascaux in France as our starting point. This week, our focus was on drawing human figures. Mrs Chrimes modelled the process on the board, helping the children see how they could use lines and shapes to build their figures.
We looked carefully at the size of different body parts and how changing the position of arms and legs could show movement. The children then created their own scenes, adding shading and their own details.
We are gradually bringing our drawing skills together as we work towards our final prehistoric artwork.
In French, the children have been learning the names of different sports. They worked together to match picture cards with French words, including le football, le tennis and la natation (swimming). Using the cards gave them a chance to practise recognising and remembering the vocabulary. Perhaps you could ask your child how many sports they can name in French!
Our History lesson took us to Skara Brae in Orkney, Scotland. We investigated what this settlement can tell us about life in the Neolithic period. The children researched where it is, how it was discovered and what people’s homes were like. They used the evidence to think about how people lived and recorded their findings in their own words.
There were some thoughtful questions too. How did they build the village? How did they keep warm in winter?
Plenty to keep our young historians thinking!
In PSHE, we asked, “Who makes the decisions?” We looked at different situations, including families, courts, Parliament and talent shows. The children shared their first thoughts with partners and then as a class, discussing who makes decisions and why it matters that those decisions are fair.
Our floor book gives you a little glimpse into their thinking and the connections they made.
During our class worship, we began exploring the five British Values and what they mean in our everyday lives. We talked about democracy and made connections with our PSHE learning about decision making. What impressed me most was how the children recognised links with our Christian values and the messages Ms Munday shares in assembly. This led to a really interesting discussion about how these values guide the way we treat each other.
It was lovely to hear the children making these connections for themselves and thinking about what “living life in all its fullness” means for us.
Reminders
Reading: Please listen to your child read four times a week. Thank you for supporting their reading at home.
PE: Our PE days are currently Tuesday and Thursday, with gymnastics on Tuesday and MNR on Thursday.
Parents’ evening: Appointments for our class are on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. I look forward to meeting with you and sharing how your child is getting on.