We always try to keep you informed about our learning and what’s going on in school by sending home our topic webs, curriculum plans, information letters and texts, but if you’d like a reminder of what’s being taught each half term here’s our current Curriculum Plans.
This year, the theme of British Science Week was growth. Children across the federation were able to engage with a science activity everyday through early morning work, science based stories and discussions. Further activities were arranged in each year group and children from across the federation were able to create posters to represent growth for the British Science Week poster competition.
Reception
The children in reception enjoyed listening to the stories, ‘It starts with a Seed’, ‘Nature’s tiny miracles: Bees’ and ‘A tadpole’s promise’.
On Tuesday the children made a seed bomb in class! They tore up paper, soaked it in water and then rolled a little bit of the pulp into a ball to dry in an ice cube tray. We discussed where seeds come from and what conditions they need to grow (water, soil and light). The children were very excited to take their seed bombs home to see what they will grow into!
Year 1
The children loved exploring throughout the week all about the different ways we, and the things around us can grow!
We focused in our early morning work, on plant and tree growth and of the properties of different materials. The children really enjoyed this. Mrs Pilbrow also surprised the children by bringing in some daffodils that we could watch grow throughout the day! Some children even had a go at sketching these, and observing their growth.
We also found out lots of interesting facts through our science week assembly, for example we found out that the Eiffel Tower grows up to 6 inches taller in the summer. Zach thought this was amazing, and described that “it expands because it’s hot, and then shrinks when it gets cold”.
The children were so excited by this whole week, and many of them spent lots of their break and lunch time, continuing to be scientists, investigating outside spaces, hunting for mini-beasts, and building bug hotels on the playground.
Many children also had a go at helping their bodies to grow by exercising at lunchtime, in our ‘outdoor gym’. The children got out equipment, and we spoke in our classes about how physical exercise is important for their physical development and growth.
Year 2
In year 2, the children thoroughly enjoyed exploring the theme of ‘growth’. We were lucky enough to have an assembly led by Dr. Phil Smith from the Joh Innes Centre, who introduced the week to the children. He talked about how the theme of ‘growth’ can include many different aspects of life, leading to lots of questions and enquiry from the children.
In class, we discussed how the bean that the children had planted had germinated and begun to grow leaves. The children thought about the different conditions that plants need to grow as well as discussing what humans need to grow too.
The children also smashed stereotypes in science. They drew pictures of what they thought scientists looked like before learning about all the different types of scientists. The children really enjoyed learning about the variety of ways people can be scientists and were surprised to discover that lots of everyday people do jobs involving science.
Year 3
Year 3 kicked off Science week with a familiar local scientist, Dr Phil Smith, a plant pathologist from the John Innes centre. He talked about pattern seeking in science connected to growth. The children really impressed him with their scientific observations and deductions.
Throughout the week, the children enjoyed watching unusual short videos linked to their current learning connected to plants, including explosive seed dispersal and the lifecycle of a bean, as well as their prior learning including macro photographic images of crystals and lava. They also enjoyed listening to the story, “A seed is sleepy” and answering questions about the text in guided reading. After their wellbeing visit from Mrs Owen, the children took some time to observe the growth of the trees on our site and sketched them.
Year 4
Year 4 had an amazing time during British Science Week! On Monday, we joined Dr Phil as he talked about how a scientist might go about conducting an experiment and it was exciting to hear how he played a part in bringing Dippy the Dinosaur to Norwich Cathedral.
During the week, we took part in discussions regarding plants and animals, states of matter, sound and electricity. We watched videos from the science website Explorify and we could start to use our scientific knowledge to explain what’s going on.
On Wednesday, each class enjoyed exploring the school grounds to try and identify tree species. We classified trees into deciduous and evergreen trees and looked carefully at the buds to identify individual species such as oak, cherry and birch trees.
Year 5
In Year 5, the children were investigating ‘do our body parts grow as we get older?’. We collected six hand spans per year group and measured the height of them. As a class, we filled in a table, working out the average height for each year group. After we had the averages, we plotted our data onto a scatter graph. The scientific enquiry we were focused on was pattern seeking. Our results matched our prediction that the older the children are, the taller the hand.
Year 6
The children have had visits from Dr David Murray (a marine biologist) and Dr Phil (a plant biologist). Both visitors talked about what it means to be a scientist; they told the children about their work and explained all of the things that we don’t yet know that future scientists will hopefully find out! The children were able to ask questions about the science our visitors specifically work within and consider a future in science for themselves.
This term in Reception the children have been excited to play on the new drum kit in the outside area. They have been focusing on how to make loud and quiet sounds, keeping a rhythm and following a beat. They have also been making up own games, such as musical statues or pretending to be part of a band.
Also in maths, the children have been learning patterns, and making up their own body percussion patterns such as clap, stomp, clap stomp. Please see the video of Mrs Goddard’s class making their own body percussion pattern.
In the last week of term the children went on a bus trip so we taught them the song, “The Wheels on the Bus” and they had the opportunity to sing it on an actual bus! Watch see the video below of their performance.
Year 1
During this half term, year 1 have celebrated a wide range of musical styles. The children have listened, sung, composed and performed both familiar songs like the lullaby, Hush Little Baby and new songs like learning the Days of the Week. They have once again enjoyed playing the chime bars, as well as discovering high and low notes in some of the songs they have learnt the lyrics to and performed.
Year 2
Over the next three half terms each Year 2 class will have the opportunity to learn how to play the ocarina. The first class started this half term and thoroughly enjoyed it! One child has even asked their parents if they can buy one so they practise at home! The children learnt how to hold the ocarina and how to blow into it correct so it doesn’t squeak! They also learnt the notes D, B and G. They have learnt how to play songs using these notes and performed them confidently. The other two classes are really looking forward to their turn over the coming weeks.
This term, Year 3 have designed, created and evaluated their own seed bags. They have created their own template and have used this to cut the fabric for their seed bags. They have chosen which stitch they would like to use in the creation of their seed bag – choosing either overcast or back stitch.
The seed bag was then completed with a Velcro fastener to ensure the seeds did not fall out. The children worked hard to produce a workable seed bag. They have evaluated their seed bag, commenting on the areas they felt could be improved and those they were pleased with.
Food Technology
We have also completed a Food Technology project, working in small groups to create healthy flapjacks.
The children focussed on the following skills:
To read and follow a simple recipe.
To follow basic food hygiene and safety rules.
To know how to get ready for cooking (wash and dry hands, tied long hair back, clean surfaces).
To know how to clean after cooking.
Using weighing scales and with supervision using a knife for cutting
To mix, stir and combine liquid and dry ingredients.
To evaluate finished product and identify how to improve it.
The children made healthy flapjacks, using dairy free spread, dates, pumpkin seeds, grated apple as well as lemon and maple syrup. They very carefully weighed the ingredients using the scales and spoons. Each child took their healthy snack home at the end of the day, to show their grown-ups and wrote their evaluation the following day. All the children enjoyed working on their Food Technology project and displayed fantastic team-work as they followed the recipe cards on their tables.
DT Spring Term Year 4
Year 4 have had a fabulous time cooking fish cakes; learning the D&T cooking skills of peeling and coating.
We started by peeling and cutting potatoes into chunks, before boiling them and mashing them.
We added this to tuna and grated lemon peel, finally flavouring it with parsley. We then scooped a handful of this mixture to press into a fish cake. We then practiced the skill of coating these fish cakes in to Rice Krispies to learn to how to create a coating.
The fish cakes went in to the oven for 20 minutes and we were able to take them home to taste them. They were delicious!
D.T. Spring Term Year 5
Food Technology
Year 5 have been cooking as part of their DT studies, learning to use a range of cooking tools safely and confidently. The children were regularly washing their hands as they shared utensils. The children discussed preparation techniques for different vegetables and learnt how to peel, chop, sieve and grate them, safely. They liked the colourful mixture of healthy ingredients.
First they made a vegetarian Mayan style broth; they carefully selected the ingredients they would need-especially the sweetcorn. They enjoyed tasting this with a tortilla. They then evaluated them, thinking how they could amend them for another time.
Next we made a vegetarian burger, carefully measuring out the ingredients and working with a different consistency. Once these were baked in the oven, the children enjoyed eating them in a bread roll, outside in the sunshine.
Once again Toftwood enjoyed a fabulous ‘Sign to Sing’ day learning how to sing and perform (using British sign language BSL) “Reach for the stars” by S Club 7. The children took part to show awareness of sign language and how it is seen as a language in itself. They practised very hard for 3 weeks, please see the link below to watch their performance.
In Year 3 we have continued to develop our ukulele playing skills, experimenting with different strumming patterns and beginning to change between chords. The children now find the first few songs we learned easy and fun to play and perform them with great enthusiasm!
The children in Year 4 have begun using the New Model Curriculum supported by the charanga. We have explored songs including ‘Hoedown’ and ‘I’m always there’. While learning to sing the songs and accompany them on recorder and glockenspiel, we have looked at how the notes can be written using standard notation. We have used some of the notes from the pieces to perform our own improvised melodies.
Year 5. We have been looking at Jazz and the concept of improvising around a melody. Children have concentrated on two pieces which exemplify how simple sequences of notes can form the basis of improvisation and getting the hang of the difference between ‘playing straight’ and ‘swing’.
Key Stage 2 Music Spring 2
Mr Hardy was like a kid on Christmas morning as he took delivery of 25 brand new, soprano glockenspiels to replace and add to our existing instruments. It is so great for every child to be able to use an instrument throughout the lesson.
In Year 3 the ukulele skills are growing all the time. Children loved playing the song ‘Dr Knickerbocker’ and were having so much fun that they didn’t notice that they had learned to play while standing (and moving), keep a rhythm and change between chords while singing!! We increased our repertoire of chords adding G7 (tricky as it uses 3 fingers on the fretboard). This is a bit of an ‘open sesame’ moment as with C, F and G7 hundreds of songs are possible and children ended the term using them to learn to play ‘3 Little Birds’.
We have been using the website Charanga to learn to sing new songs, including ‘Looking in the Mirror’ and ‘Take Time in Life’. When reading the sheet music to the songs, we have noticed the note lengths for a minim, crotchet and quaver and we have also noticed the symbols for some of the rests (a pause in the music). We have learned to play the instrumental sections by playing the metal glockenspiel. We have also learned how to compose our own sections of music, by using the same notes from the original score but in our own unique order.
This half-term, Year 5 have listened and responded to a variety of old school hip-hop songs. For each song, we tried to recognise the instruments and voices that we heard. We also tried to recognise the tempo, dynamics and whether the song had a hook. The children enjoyed performing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and accompanied this rap by playing recorders and glockenspiels.
In Year 6 we learned the song ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ by Carole King from the album, ‘Tapestry’ for which she won four Grammy Awards, one of the most successful albums by a female artist. Hopefully an inspiration for any of our budding young songwriters. In addition to all the musical learning involved in learning to sing and accompany quite a challenging song, this very emotional piece gave us a chance to think about what friendship meant to us and see how we could bring those feelings to our performance.
Finally, fancy a little Easter Puzzle?
Mr Hardy has composed this tune (you’ll notice it’s a waltz in 3/4 time) however it contains a secret message can you ‘crack’ it?
In Reception this term we have been thinking about kindness. We enjoyed reading ‘A kind stranger’ and thought about why it is important to make good choices and be kind to others. The children discussed how we can be kind in school and decided that these link to our school’s Golden rules.
Year 1
This term, Marsha and Todd visited the children and told them all about the celebration of Purim. The children were able to make masks for a Purim party and retold the Story of Esther using finger puppets. The children also made Hamuntaschen biscuits and learned some Purim songs.
Year 2
This term the children have been learning about how we may belong to a faith family. We invited Clare from Norwich Cathedral to enhance our learning. The children learnt about christenings, and who plays an important role in belonging to a faith family. The children wrote their own thankful prayers, which we are going to share with Norwich Cathedral too!
In reception, the children made pancakes for Pancake Day. They carefully measured the ingredients and took turns to whisk the batter. The children especially enjoyed getting to taste their finished products!
Year 1
In Year 1, the children discussed traveling around on the moon in a moon buggy. They looked at some photos of moon buggies and talked about what features a moon buggy would need such as wheels and a steering wheel. The children then worked hard as they designed and made their own moon buggies and tested them in motion.
Year 2
In Year 2 the children talked about different ways of travel. The children learnt about boats and designed their own. They thought about what materials would be best to use and how to ensure their boat would travel on water. The children chose their own materials to make their boats and tested them to see if their design and build had been successful. They then evaluated their boats and thought about what they would do differently next time.
This year, the theme of British Science Week was growth. Children across the federation were able to engage with a science activity everyday through early morning work, science based stories and discussions. Further activities were arranged in each year group and children from across the federation were able to create posters to represent growth for the British Science Week poster competition.
Reception
The children in reception enjoyed listening to the stories, ‘It starts with a Seed’, ‘Nature’s tiny miracles: Bees’ and ‘A tadpole’s promise’.
On Tuesday the children made a seed bomb in class! They tore up paper, soaked it in water and then rolled a little bit of the pulp into a ball to dry in an ice cube tray. We discussed where seeds come from and what conditions they need to grow (water, soil and light). The children were very excited to take their seed bombs home to see what they will grow into!
Year 1
The children loved exploring throughout the week all about the different ways we, and the things around us can grow!
We focused in our early morning work, on plant and tree growth and of the properties of different materials. The children really enjoyed this. Mrs Pilbrow also surprised the children by bringing in some daffodils that we could watch grow throughout the day! Some children even had a go at sketching these, and observing their growth.
We also found out lots of interesting facts through our science week assembly, for example we found out that the Eiffel Tower grows up to 6 inches taller in the summer. Zach thought this was amazing, and described that “it expands because it’s hot, and then shrinks when it gets cold”.
The children were so excited by this whole week, and many of them spent lots of their break and lunch time, continuing to be scientists, investigating outside spaces, hunting for mini-beasts, and building bug hotels on the playground.
Many children also had a go at helping their bodies to grow by exercising at lunchtime, in our ‘outdoor gym’. The children got out equipment, and we spoke in our classes about how physical exercise is important for their physical development and growth.
Year 2
In year 2, the children thoroughly enjoyed exploring the theme of ‘growth’. We were lucky enough to have an assembly led by Dr. Phil Smith from the Joh Innes Centre, who introduced the week to the children. He talked about how the theme of ‘growth’ can include many different aspects of life, leading to lots of questions and enquiry from the children.
In class, we discussed how the bean that the children had planted had germinated and begun to grow leaves. The children thought about the different conditions that plants need to grow as well as discussing what humans need to grow too.
The children also smashed stereotypes in science. They drew pictures of what they thought scientists looked like before learning about all the different types of scientists. The children really enjoyed learning about the variety of ways people can be scientists and were surprised to discover that lots of everyday people do jobs involving science.
Year 3
Year 3 kicked off Science week with a familiar local scientist, Dr Phil Smith, a plant pathologist from the John Innes centre. He talked about pattern seeking in science connected to growth. The children really impressed him with their scientific observations and deductions.
Throughout the week, the children enjoyed watching unusual short videos linked to their current learning connected to plants, including explosive seed dispersal and the lifecycle of a bean, as well as their prior learning including macro photographic images of crystals and lava. They also enjoyed listening to the story, “A seed is sleepy” and answering questions about the text in guided reading. After their wellbeing visit from Mrs Owen, the children took some time to observe the growth of the trees on our site and sketched them.
Year 4
Year 4 had an amazing time during British Science Week! On Monday, we joined Dr Phil as he talked about how a scientist might go about conducting an experiment and it was exciting to hear how he played a part in bringing Dippy the Dinosaur to Norwich Cathedral.
During the week, we took part in discussions regarding plants and animals, states of matter, sound and electricity. We watched videos from the science website Explorify and we could start to use our scientific knowledge to explain what’s going on.
On Wednesday, each class enjoyed exploring the school grounds to try and identify tree species. We classified trees into deciduous and evergreen trees and looked carefully at the buds to identify individual species such as oak, cherry and birch trees.
Year 5
In Year 5, the children were investigating ‘do our body parts grow as we get older?’. We collected six hand spans per year group and measured the height of them. As a class, we filled in a table, working out the average height for each year group. After we had the averages, we plotted our data onto a scatter graph. The scientific enquiry we were focused on was pattern seeking. Our results matched our prediction that the older the children are, the taller the hand.
Year 6
The children have had visits from Dr David Murray (a marine biologist) and Dr Phil (a plant biologist). Both visitors talked about what it means to be a scientist; they told the children about their work and explained all of the things that we don’t yet know that future scientists will hopefully find out! The children were able to ask questions about the science our visitors specifically work within and consider a future in science for themselves.
Events across Toftwood Federation – Autumn Term 2020
This term, the children have taken part in a competition to design a poster all about protecting the environment and the different pollution that the planet faces. This was for global Pollution Prevention Week, which also coincided with U.K. Recycling Week. The children watched an assembly with videos and shared their ideas about the effects of pollution and how to recycle. They were then given the task to design a poster with an oak tree as the ‘prize’ for doing so. Almost 40 children across Infants and Juniors submitted amazing posters – have a look at Olivia from CP3’s poster and Katherine from RL5 with her tree! Those children who entered received an oak tree for their garden! The posters were thoughtful, imaginative and well presented, as you can see, and they really show what an amazing bunch of thoughtful and environmentally-conscious children we have across the Toftwood Federation. Planting trees is a major way we can tackle pollution and climate change and the children who received one made a promise to look after it, with instructions on how to care for their tree.
On Friday 11th December, Year 1 and Year 5 classes joined a virtual presentation from Libby Jackson, who is part of British Astronaut Tim Peake’s team. It was all about life at Christmas on the International Space Station (ISS). We learned about Christmas traditions – and why Christmas Day is in fact Celebrated twice – and how Santa delivers presents out in space! At the end of the presentation, which included videos of life on the ISS and how Libby works in Mission Control – schools who had joined from across the country got to submit questions via the ‘chat’ link in the video. One of our questions, ‘What do you like about your job?’ was even seen and answered by Libby Jackson herself!
It has been a different kind of term without visitors and the usual science events in school, so it was really nice to be able to be a part of something as engaging and interactive as the Libby Jackson talk and to be able to do something for the environment by giving away oak trees. We look forward to more exciting events next term!
Toftwood Junior Science Day 2020: part of British Science Week
On
Friday 13th March, we were lucky to have two scientists from Mad
Science (Dr DNA and Scientiffany) deliver an amazing assembly for the whole of
KS2. Dr DNA started by discussing the pressing crisis affecting everyone at the
moment: the short supply of toilet paper! An experiment involving lift, thrust,
gravity and drag was performed using toilet roll. Wren in Year 3 and an
industrial hairdryer helped to propel the toilet paper across the hall.
After singing happy birthday – twice – to Willow in Year 6 to emphasise how long to wash our hands for, two Oliver and Ellouise in Year 3 were selected to play ‘Toilet War: Paper vs Wipes.’ This was an experiment to show what we should put down the toilet (the three Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper) and what not to put down it. One side of the hall was encouraging the toilet paper to get through a funnel first and the other side encouraged the wet wipes to get through first. The funnel represented the toilet pipes and both sides made a whirlwind to show the toilet being flushed. Of course, toilet paper won and the wet wipes just got stuck! To show how strong wet wipes are and that they don’t break down easily, Dr DNA used a wet wipe rope to safely pull Harrison from Year 5 along on a trolley.
Then,
photos of blockages in sinks and drains were displayed and an experiment was
conducted where Dr DNA, Scientiffany and their volunteers tried to unblock a
fat-stuffed sink with washing-up liquid and boiling water. The explosion
hopefully reminded people not to put fat, oils and other items down the sink.
After all, “Fat and oil down your sink creates a massive stink!”
Finally,
a Year 3 volunteer – Zayn – was selected to help get an egg (Eggbert, one of
the Mad Science crew) into his ‘house,’ which was a glass flask. Using a match
to deprive the flask of oxygen, Eggbert was successfully sucked into the flask.
He was then pulled out of his house by Dr DNA, who blew into the flask to put
the oxygen back into it. Unfortunately, poor Eggbert didn’t survive Zayn pulling
him out of his flask-house!
Thank
you to Dr. DNA, Scientiffany and all of the volunteers for such a memorable assembly!
Year 3:
Year 3 took on the topic of ‘Diverse Places’ as
part of the ‘Our Diverse Planet’ theme for this year. They started by taking
part in an activity called ‘Don’t Tip the Ship.’
As
cargo ships have been around for thousands of years, transporting goods around
the world, the children built boats and investigated how much weight could be
added to the boats before they sank. They learned that the best way of loading
a ship is to spread the load (the weight) evenly across the ship. If too much
is put in one place, the ship will tip!
After that, Year
3 children worked in groups and read about Bransfield’s journey to the
Antarctic in 1819-20. The children researched and talked about what equipment
they would need to take with them and why. They looked at maps and charts to
learn about Antarctica, Bransfield’s journey there and how diverse habitats on
our planet are from one another.
Later
in the afternoon, Year 3 joined Year 5 to learn and play games that the older
children had developed based on the topic of ‘Diverse People.’ The aim of Year
5’s task was to adapt games for people who may be visually or hearing impaired,
or who may have some other kind of physical disability. Year 3 contributed
their own ideas to help Year 5 evaluate and develop their games further.
Year
4:
To
celebrate ‘Our Diverse Planet’ Science Day, Year 4 took part in a carousel of
activities on the topic of camouflage. We learned about the four types of
camouflage: concealing, disruptive, disguise and mimicry. As well as learning
about animals that do camouflage themselves to their environment, we also
considered animals that do not have any camouflage. Each child then each chose
an animal that they thought would like to be camouflaged and decided which way
they could camouflage them. The children used their imaginations and created
some superb camouflaged animals. For example a deer was given green and brown
stripes to blend in with its environment this is called disruptive camouflage.
An orang-utan was given tiger stripes so that fewer trees would be cut down as
people would be afraid of the orang-utan! This camouflage is called mimicry.
Another
of our activities was researching animals that use camouflage and the reason
for the camouflage. The children worked in pairs to research their chosen
animal and create an information poster. We had a variety of different animals
including sidewinder rattlesnakes, artic wolves and leaf insects! They all
worked really well together and created some wonderful pieces of work.
Building
on this, the children took the opportunity to develop their artistic skills
through creating their own watercolours based on camouflage art. Using
watercolours can be tricky, but year 4 persevered to make some wonderful art.
The children were creative with their approach, thinking about the colouration
of animals and the patterns they have that help them when they are out in the
wild.
All
in all, a fabulous day for year 4.
Year
5:
In
Year 5, the children learned about games that had been adapted for ‘Diverse
People.’ They watched videos and researched games such as Hugby, which is a
form of rugby that has been developed for visually impaired people. Instead of
tackling, people hug each other and then the person being hugged calls out
their team name so that the person hugging them knows whether they are on the
same team or not. The children thought about other games and activities and
researched their own ways to develop them.
In
the hall, the Year 5 children used equipment to pursue their ideas further.
They came up with individual and team games that could be played to include
people with a range of disabilities and diverse people. As our focus was on
inclusion, the children came up with ideas and played games against each other
using such things as blindfolds, sitting on chairs or having one arm held
behind their backs to simulate what it is like for those who do not have full
use of their senses or limbs. This meant that everyone playing had the same
chance of scoring or winning a game.
After
lunch, Year 5 children researched their own games to play using laptops and
tried out ideas for their adapted games in groups. They came up with rules and
instructions for their games so that they could rehearse them ready to show a
different year group. Each Year 5 class then teamed up with a Year 3 class to
teach the children how to play their adapted games. Year 3 contributed their
own ideas to help Year 5 evaluate their games scientifically and to help
develop them further.
Year
6:
As part of
British Science Week, Year 6 focused on adaptation and diversity in plants and
animals to explore the theme of ‘our diverse planet’. This links closely with
our current Science unit, evolution and inheritance. We studied the work and
research of Charles Darwin and learnt how influential his theories are today.
Our first activity involved investigating diversity within plants and exploring
how plants have adapted to suit new environments. This gave us the information
we needed when choosing our own environments and plants to design. Our plants
had to have been adapted in some way to highlight the diverse environments such
as: a lack of water, very hot conditions, very shady conditions or bright
sunshine.
Our second
activity highlighted the theory of ‘survival of the fittest’. To do this, we
read an interesting story about peppered moths. The story outlined the effects
of the industrial revolution on environments. This had an impact on the
environments in which everything lived including people, plants, animals
and even insects. Originally, the majority of the moths were white so they
could camouflage against the lighter birch
trees. As pollution discoloured the air, the birch trees
became darker, as did the moths. This meant that the darker moths were able to
disguise themselves against the bark which resulted in them living longer and
the number white moths falling. Our task was to illustrate the story of the
peppered moths in a comic strip style to show how the peppered moths changed
colour and camouflaged against the bark.
‘Our Diverse Planet’- Spring 2 2020
As part of British Science week the children enjoyed a super science day to learn more around the topic ‘Our Diverse Planet’. We started the day with a show hosted by ‘Mad Science’. They have visited many times and always ensure the children are enjoying their science learning. The scientists discussed the importance of good hygiene including effective hand washing. We believe this is particularly relevant based on current health measures in place by the government. The scientists discussed how we need to care for our planet and how part of this is how we dispose of rubbish (either down sinks or toilets). This builds on the children’s previous learning about recycling and reducing waste. The Mad Science team showed the children how some materials, such as wet wipes, are not biodegradable and can cause blockages. The children were shocked to see real pictures of ‘fatbergs’ that had been created by these non-biodegradable materials as well as congealed oils and fats. Discussions such as these help the children be mindful of how they dispose of waste and how they can protect the planet.
In the afternoon year 1 and 2 were visited by teachers and students from Neatherd high school. The teachers completed an enquiry that investigated the adaptation of finches beaks. This builds on the children’s previous learning about animal life. The children learnt that Charles Darwin discovered on the different Galapagos Islands finches had adapted to have different shaped beaks. They made a prediction about which beak they thought would be best for collecting seeds. The children used chopsticks, tweezers and peg to imitate the shapes of the beaks and took turns to attempt picking up seeds. They recorded their findings in a table and shared their results as a class.
Meanwhile, Reception children explored how to make bubbles, making their own bubble wand and being creative using washing up liquid, paint and straw to make some wonderful bubble pictures. This builds on them exploring a variety of media and materials to be imaginative.
Throughout the week the children have completed several science enquiries which have supported their working scientifically skills and encouraged them to ask their own questions. Year 1 enjoyed investigating whether our bodies are all the same, how animals can camouflage to their environment and which materials are the best insulators (imagining they were trying to survive in Antarctica!)
Year 1 and 2 both investigated how much weight can be added to a ship before it begins to sink. This experiment was based on the Cutty Sark which was used to transport tea from China to London. They took turns to make observations and Year 2 extended this investigation further by using different designs for their boats.
It is fantastic to see the children so enthusiastic about science and able to extend their skills through practical hands on learning!
Science Week 2019, EYFS and KS1
This year’s theme for science week was journeys. The children explored the journeys of food and other journeys they see around them.
Nursery
The nursery children looked at the journey for making bread. We used the book, The Little Red Hen for this. We explored bread dough and corn in the tuff tray. We made our own flour with a pestle and mortar. We made our own bread and butter. We also completed an investigation with a balloon and the yeast. Nursery children made coleslaw. They talked about the journey of the vegetables.
Reception
In Reception we looked at our journey from being a baby to a child. For our home learning we had to find a picture of us as a baby to share with the rest of the class. We all enjoyed looking at each other’s baby photos and we had fun trying to guess who each baby was. We discussed the changes that we could see and noticed small changes such as hair colour and bigger changes like growing much taller!
Year 1
We started the week thinking about where our food comes from. We learnt that food comes from either plants or animals. We sorted different foods into the correct groups.
We used our problem solving skills to create Lego tunnels for a toy car to go through.
We went on a journey round our school grounds to collect different natural objects to make journey sticks. We also used went on a senses journey and thought about all the things we can taste, touch, hear, see and smell around our school.
All the children loved learning about the journey of bees and they all created their own bee headbands! We pretended to be the bees going to collect nectar from the flowers and taking it back to the hive.
We carried out an experiment to see how many people get our germs when we sneeze without a tissue or our hand!
We also learnt about the journey our food takes through our bodies with the help of teachers from Northgate High School.
Year 2
The children made some delicious cheese straws and enjoyed measuring the ingredients using the scales. This linked well with the children’s maths lessons. Later in the week we were visited by teachers from Northgate high school who showed the children the journey food goes through in a workshop called ‘From gums to bums’. The children were amazed by all the things that are happening inside their bodies.
Next the children thought about how plastic is affecting the world and the journey that a plastic bottle can go on. They saw how plastic can end up in landfill, in the ocean or how it can be recycled and reused. The children were shocked by how plastic affected animals. They thought of ways they could make small changes to reduce the amount of plastic they were using such as reusable drinks bottles and reusable bags when shopping.
The children were fascinated learning about the journey of bees, especially how they are important and helpful. We showed the children how bees collect nectar for honey and how they cause cross pollination. We recreated these processes using a simple game. Afterwards the children enjoyed researching more information about bees using books and the internet.
We were visited by scientist Simone Payne from the UEA who taught the children about the journey of germs and how germs can be hiding on their hands. She showed the children the importance of washing their hands correctly. Simone took fingerprints from the children in agar plates and took them back to her lab. She then brought them back to school on the Monday to show how the bacteria had grown. In class we carried out an enquiry called ‘the sneeze zone’. We observed the differences between how far germs from a sneeze travels when you use a tissue compared to when you don’t. We also talked about how we can look after ourselves and were visited by dental nurses on Friday to talk about good dental hygiene.
Throughout the week the children enjoyed sharing a variety of books about famous scientists and inventions. We have discussed how there are many careers that involve STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths. There are lots of children who have been inspired to do a future career using STEM subjects!
During this term, the children in Reception have been learning about Chinese New Year and enjoyed their online lesson from Miss Helens in music and movement. The children experienced dancing with fans, listening to instruments they like to use in China and pretending to feed a Chinese dragon wanting to eat cabbages!
The children have also enjoyed listening and dancing to sea shanties during Pirate week and ‘Heroes Unite’ during superhero week!
In Year 1 the children have enjoyed introducing Tempo and Dynamics into their lessons and celebrating a wide range of musical styles. They have enjoyed listening, singing, playing, composing and performing to a variety of music which has included Reggae and Funk. The children loved performing Funk music using the chime bars.
In Year 2 this half term the children have been focusing on the theme ‘How Does Music Make the World a Better Place?’ We learnt to sing and perform the songs ‘Rainbows’, ‘Hands, Feet, Heart’ and ‘All Around the World.’ The children also learnt how to play the notes for these songs on the chime bars, focusing on learning A minor. The children enjoyed finding out about a steady beat, and following rhythmic and melodic patterns. They enjoyed listening to a range of songs from different genres and we discussed our opinions about these songs.
At the end of Spring 1, the federation was involved with learning how to sing and perform (using British sign language BSL) “Reach for the stars” by S Club 7. The children took part to show awareness of sign language and how it is seen as a language in itself. They practised very hard for 3 weeks, please see the link below to watch their performance.
Janet Marshall came in to talk to the children about Shrove Tuesday, eating all of the fatty foods in your house before giving up something for Lent, and Ash Wednesday when Christians burn all of the palms from the crosses from Palm Sunday.
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Year 3 kicked off Science week with a familiar local scientist, Dr Phil Smith, a plant pathologist from the John Innes centre. He talked about pattern seeking in science connected to growth. The children really impressed him with their scientific observations and deductions.
Year 5 have been cooking as part of their DT studies, learning to use a range of cooking tools safely and confidently. The children were regularly washing their hands as they shared utensils. The children discussed preparation techniques for different vegetables and learnt how to peel, chop, sieve and grate them, safely. They liked the colourful mixture of healthy ingredients.
Next we made a vegetarian burger, carefully measuring out the ingredients and working with a different consistency. Once these were baked in the oven, the children enjoyed eating them in a bread roll, outside in the sunshine.
