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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Year 5 English - Beowulf
Our study of the legendary poem, Beowulf, has successfully inspired Year 5 to embark on writing their own heroic tales. Following the narrative structure of the original, students devoted today's lesson to deep design and planning. They used a combination of imaginative thinking, name generators, and online image searches to meticulously create and describe the key components of their legends: the vivid settings, the noble heroes, and the terrifying monsters.
Year 6: English - Analysing a Classic Text
In English lessons, we have been analysing the language features and grammatical techniques used in an extract of our classic text 'The Wizard of Oz'.
Year 2 - English - Independent Write
What a fantastic way to wrap up the half term! Year 2 has completely immersed themselves in writing an independent story inspired by the beautiful book, The Way Home for Wolf. Before putting pen to paper, the children researched different animals to weave into their tales and crafted brilliant plans to guide them through the writing process. This preparation paid off, as Mrs. Cookson was absolutely blown away by the huge improvement in writing stamina the class demonstrated. She is incredibly proud of their dedication and can't wait to curl up and read their imaginative final stories!
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