Image of Year 6: English - Poetry
8 Dec

Year 6: English - Poetry

This week in English Year 6 are analysing lyrics by Joni Mitchell, we will analyse another poem with a similar theme before creating our own.

Image of Year 3 - English - Developing A Persuasive Argument
3 Dec

Year 3 - English - Developing A Persuasive Argument

Year 3 students channeled their inner advocates and dived into the exciting world of persuasive writing. We focused on developing strong, coherent arguments by tackling a very local and important issue: persuading the council to keep our beloved local fast food restaurant open.

Image of Pre-School-Literacy-Story Map
2 Dec

Pre-School-Literacy-Story Map

In literacy, we’ve been enjoying We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. The children worked together to create a story map, marking out the key events from beginning to end. Everyone added their own part, drawing the moment they remembered came next in the story. They were completely absorbed in the task, and it sparked lots of rich vocabulary. I was really impressed with how much they could recall.

Image of Nursery - Communication And Language - Decorating The Christmas Tree
1 Dec

Nursery - Communication And Language - Decorating The Christmas Tree

The children in nursery class were full of excitement this week as we marked the start of the Christmas countdown by decorating our Christmas tree. This activity became a rich foundation for developing communication and descriptive language. While using their fine motor skills to carefully hang the decorations, the children spontaneously engaged in conversation, actively discussing the different sizes, shapes, and colours they could see. This provided a natural opportunity to expand their descriptive vocabulary. Furthermore, the excitement prompted the children to share personal experiences, talking about their own Christmas trees at home and sharing their thoughts and knowledge about Santa. The activity successfully promoted peer-to-peer communication and the sharing of imaginative ideas.

Image of Year 6: English - Subordinating Conjunctions
27 Nov

Year 6: English - Subordinating Conjunctions

This week during our grammar starters in English, year 6 have been practicing using subordinating conjunctions. We follow the i-model and use kung-fu punctuation to help!

Image of Year 2 - English - Instructions
27 Nov

Year 2 - English - Instructions

After learning about instructions in English, Year 2 worked in groups to invent new games using the P.E. equipment. They then clearly and confidently presented the rules to their classmates.

Image of Year 3 - English - Understanding The Main Reasons For A Letter
25 Nov

Year 3 - English - Understanding The Main Reasons For A Letter

This week, Year 3 have been discovering how to change minds with words! We started our new unit on Persuasive Letters by acting as text detectives. Our specific focus was identifying the main reasons within a text. The children read example letters and worked hard to pick out exactly why the author was writing and what arguments they used to support their point of view. It was a great introduction to understanding how to build a strong argument before we start writing our own!

Image of Pre-School English Sensory Story Telling
24 Nov

Pre-School English Sensory Story Telling

Our literacy focus this week was We're Going on a Bear Hunt. We conducted a sensory storytelling session where children engaged their sense of touch by exploring trays set up with materials representing parts of the story. These included long wavy grass, thick oozy mud, sticks and leaves for the forest, and melting ice for the snowstorm. The children were highly engaged throughout, especially enjoying the sensory experience of climbing under the dark table to enter the cave.

Image of Year 2 - English - Instructions
20 Nov

Year 2 - English - Instructions

Year 2 have started an exciting new unit focused on instructions! We began by exploring how to play various playground games. The children acted as detectives, using their highlighters to successfully identify the crucial command words (or 'bossy words') that tell us exactly what to do.

Image of Reception- PSHE-Gruffalo Hunt
19 Nov

Reception- PSHE-Gruffalo Hunt

This week, Reception class stepped into the deep dark wood and enjoyed an exciting, cross-curricular Gruffalo Hunt! We used our investigative skills to search around the school grounds for the familiar characters from Julia Donaldson's much-loved story. The children were thrilled to spot the fox, the owl, the snake, and, of course, the fearsome Gruffalo himself! Following our successful hunt, we gathered to discuss the story's true hero: the little Mouse. We talked about how the Mouse used his wits and bravery to outsmart all the bigger, scarier animals. The children were brilliant at identifying what it means to be brave, even when you are feeling a little scared. The highlight of the discussion was sharing our own personal stories. Each child had a chance to talk about a time they were brave—whether it was trying a new food, going on a tall slide, or sleeping without their nightlight. It was wonderful to see the children supporting each other and celebrating their courage! This activity was a fantastic way to combine our literacy skills with our Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (PSED), helping us understand that even the smallest among us can be the bravest.

Image of Year 4 English - Creating Dialogue
19 Nov

Year 4 English - Creating Dialogue

In English, Year 4 have been innovating the story of The Pied Piper and needed to change the characters in the tale, to make it our own version. We have been looking at dialogue and how the original characters spoke and acted with one another, to then transfer that to our own ideas and character creations. What better way to do it, than act it out?! We really enjoyed 'becoming' our characters and acting like they would, so we then could create dialogue for them.

Image of Year 2 - English - Story Maps
13 Nov

Year 2 - English - Story Maps

Traditional Tales Get a Twist! Year 2 have been busy giving classic stories a fabulous facelift! We've been exploring traditional tales with a twist, proving that sometimes the villains might be nice and the heroes might be naughty! The children used story maps to plan their fantastic ideas: - What if Goldilocks was lovely and the bears were rude? - What if Jack climbed a giant sunflower instead of a beanstalk? - Could an evil wizard have caught Hansel and Gretel instead of a witch? Our amazing authors orally retold their tales and gave brilliant, constructive feedback to their classmates. Now the planning is done, it's time to write! Mrs. Cookson can't wait to read the finished stories at the end of the week.