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.
As part of our assembly theme of Friendship, we invited Reverend Anne from the Methodist Church in to talk to the Year 1 and Year 2 children. She told the story of The Good Samaritan and talked to the children about being a kind friend. She also talked about how important it is to be nice to others, even if you do not know them or they are different to you. The children really enjoyed this assembly, and could give many reasons as to how to be a good friend.
Year 5 were very lucky to have Matt Oldfield come to visit Toftwood Junior School today. He is an author of a series of football books. He found that some of our children had already read some of them.
He explained that it was his passion and knowledge that inspired him to write about football as well as his desire to learn more. He also acknowledged that maybe not all the children were inspired by football so he asked them what their passions might be; the children suggested gymnastics, music, motocross, gaming etc. Matt told them, “If we are writing about what we love, it is going to be fun.”
Matt also showed famous male and female footballers with their favourite books of the football-themed genre, thereby encouraging wider reading around the topic. Max in SJ5 impressed Matt with his quiz knowledge.
He made reference to “Reading is Cool. Books are cool” an inspirational quote by Marcus Rashford.
Matt reflected on his supportive family in Southampton and Brother Tom (who now lives in Canada) with whom he has written some of his books.
Matt discussed how we can make non-fiction books more fun so they are not just an overload of facts; you need to consider design, content and style.
We looked at old-fashioned book covers, Sam in SJ5 reflected that the characters seemed to lack emotion and others said they looked old fashioned and lacked bright colours. We looked at the new series by Matt Oldfield and the children could appreciate the importance of illustrations and covers, which were more exciting, realistic, detailed and in action poses. The title also is short and snappy.
“Do we judge a book by its cover? No. Matt explained that the content is important and requires research and planning. Research is not boring if it is a topic that we are interested in. Matt prompted the children to think about the kinds of facts that the children might need to research, which will be very useful as Year 5 are about to write biographies in their current writing unit.
He showed us two versions of some facts and asked the children to reflect on which one they preferred and why. They unanimously chose the second version because it was more descriptive and exciting to read.
Each class had an individual workshop led by Matt and he recommended in order to succeed in non-fiction writing, the children need to tell it in an interesting way. The children focused on two main components; setting and emotion. This makes good reference to our Alma writing before Christmas. After a class discussion, they planned a non-fiction story. Matt heard some being read aloud and commented on the enthusiasm that the children displayed.
Everybody in Year 5 had an enjoyable experience and produced some exceptional stories.
On the 15th November Reception children enjoyed taking part in Nursery Week. Every day for a week everyone got to listen to, discuss and enjoy different nursery rhymes and well known songs such as, ‘The Wheels On The Bus’, ‘Down In The Jungle’ and ‘5 Little Ducks’.
For Christmas, the children practised singing and signing ‘Santa Shark’, ‘I’m a Little Snow Man’ and ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and developed their performance skills.
In Year 1 the children focused on finding the beat in different types of music styles, whilst continuing to find the about pulse and rhythm in songs that they had learnt in Autumn 1. The children also concentrated on their listening and singing skills also performing such songs as ‘1-2-3-4-5’, ‘head shoulder knees and toes’ and ‘Shapes’. Before Christmas, the children enjoyed learning and listening to songs from pantomime, especially ‘Mr Blue-sky!’
Year 1 have also mastered the signs and lyrics to ‘Jingle Bells’, which they then performed in a video that was shared with their grown ups along with photos of clay snowmen the children had made.
In Year 2, the children have been focusing on dynamics and tempo. They have been thinking about the question, ‘How does music teach us about the past?’ whilst listening, singing, composing and performing. The children have learnt several different songs including, ‘Sparkle In The Sun’ and ‘The Orchestra Song’.
The children enjoyed learning how to perform ‘The Orchestra Song’ using the notes C, G and B♭ on their glockenspiels; building on notes C, D and E that they learnt when performing the song ‘Music in my Soul’ in Autumn 1.
At the very end of term, the whole Federation was able to be part of the audience for a pantomime performed for us and other schools across Norfolk. This musical version of Jack and the Beanstalk was thoroughly enjoyable and a wonderful way to end the term. Children from Reception right through to Year 6 enjoyed being part of this event and demonstrated their listening, singing and signing skills whilst enjoying the traditional and quite silly jokes!
We’re aware that at the moment not all families are able to experience a live pantomime for many reasons so it was lovely to be able to share this experience with children across the Federation.
Here are some of the comments children made after seeing the panto!
Reception:
“I liked it when the lady did a whizz pop!”
“I liked it when Mary and the cow got trapped in the giant’s castle.”
Year 1:
“I liked the singing”
“I liked when they sang Mamma Mia because we learned it before.”
“I liked when Jack climbed the beanstalk.”
Year 2:
“I like it when they were running from the giant.”
“I liked it when they chopped down the beanstalk so the giant couldn’t get them.”
“I thought it was funny when they kept turning around and the giant wasn’t there.”
“I really liked the songs”
What a wonderful term of Music! Year 3 have continued to enjoy learning to play the ukulele, progressing to changing between chords, strumming in different rhythms and exploring different picking patterns. Children have used different ways to read music such as staff notation and fret maps and are becoming very skilled at noticing difference in pitch (sharp or flat) when tuning up.
In Year 4, Ian Draycott from Norfolk Music Service has finished his time teaching the children to play the steel pans. This is a deceptively challenging instrument and all pupils have done incredibly well, not only at handling the beaters and playing the notes but also learning to perform with others as part of an ensemble. We are very grateful to Norfolk Music Hub for giving our children this opportunity.
The children in Year 5 have spent the term leading up to Christmas learning to play carols on the recorder. If you played recorder at school you will be well aware how easy it is to play recorder badly! Children have had to develop sensitivity of breath to avoid those shrill squeaks and a lot of dexterity to achieve the quick fingering needed to play the pieces. (Due to COVID pupils did not have the opportunity to play recorders last year so we have given them a real challenge.) This unit has also given pupils a chance to put their learning of standard notation into context.
Year 6 pupils have been investigating Jazz and Blues. Listening to both classic Music from the 20’s and contemporary pieces and gaining an understanding of the structure and conventions of these genres. This unit gives children an opportunity to further develop their improvisation on the glockenspiels, responding and replying to a theme in the moment.
On the final day of term, the whole federation came together to enjoy a streamed ‘virtual’ pantomime – ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. In addition to usual Music lessons, children had spent time learning the songs used in the performance so that we could all sing along. They also learnt about the conventions, characters and customs of pantomime so that it could be a fully interactive experience with ‘Booo’s, ‘Hooray’s and shouts of ‘It’s behind you!’. Did we enjoy it?
“OH YES WE DID!”
Year 3 Design and Technology Autumn 2021
In the Autumn term, Year 3 have used the following Design and Technology skills to cook Egyptian bread. They have demonstrated they are able to follow instructions in order, join and combine a range of ingredients whilst working safely and hygienically. During the Cooking session, the children worked in groups to measure and weigh food items.
We have baked Egyptian-style flat bread to enable the children to understand one of the cultural differences using an everyday food. The children were very surprised at its size and taste compared to traditional British bread!
After learning about the key processes of Ancient Egyptian life in History lessons, Year 3 learnt about key artefacts, including the cartouche that recorded a person’s name. As a class, we watched a tutorial on how to shape and mould separate pieces to layer the structure to ensure it looked authentic and how to join the pieces of clay effectively to ensure that, once dry, they would stay stuck together. We discussed and planned, as a class, the tools that may be most effective and useful for each stage of the product and how to be safe whilst using them in the classroom. We trialled and tested the proportions of clay that were needed for the base, the outer edge and the bar to ensure accurate assembling and the children assessed this as they went, remodelling where necessary. Once it was dry, we finished off the product by glazing it using paints to make it look more decorative to suit its purpose and seal the clay. The children chose colours that they thought the Egyptians would have had access to and used to show wealth.
Year 4 Design and Technology Autumn 2021
This term, Year 4 have been learning about the design and technology skill of lamination. We designed and made a cake stand in the Roman style, with a roman mosaic on the top. Children learned that if we layer materials (laminate), such as bendy cardboard or paper, it makes it sturdy and strong. They were able to discuss what was good about their products and what they could do to make them better.
Year 5 Design and Technology Autumn 2021
This term, year 5 have been busy making Viking longboats which include a pneumatic system.
First we looked at the design, materials and build of the real longboats and concluded that the Vikings had incredible DT skills of their own.
We carefully traced around a template of the hull, onto a cereal box, and cut it carefully using a craft knife and craft mat. We made accurate measurements of square doweling to find midway points to drill a hole, using a hand drill. We measured the round doweling to find 1/3 of the length to make the mast, which we then cut with a hacksaw. There was a lot of problem solving involved, where we had to sharpen the round doweling to fit snugly into the hole, before securing with a glue gun. As we used cereal boxes, we sometimes found the folds were weak spots in the hull, so we reinforced these areas with patches of card.
We had to talk a lot about using the tools safely and so we used blu-tac to poke holes in the card safely for the shields to be attached with split pins.
The boats also have to look good as a finished product, so we used a technique called decoupage, to strengthen and join the structure, and to make the boats look wooden.
Sails were attached with glue guns and a pneumatic system attached to make the sail “blow“ in the wind.
Time was also given to evaluate our finished products and think of alternate ways to make use of the pneumatic system i.e blowing a shield off the boat!
Year 6 Design and Technology Autumn 2021
This term Year 6 have enjoyed designing and creating their own Greek labyrinths to link to our history topic. Before we started thinking about our own designs, we enjoyed finding out about the history of mazes and labyrinths and exploring images of famous mazes around the world. We spent some time thinking about our designs to ensure that they were fit for purpose. We had to be very careful when measuring to ensure that our dimensions were accurate and precise – this involved some maths skills too. When marking out our mazes, different sketching techniques were used to show lighter and darker areas. We had to make sure that we had one entrance and one exit. The children enjoyed adding in extra paths that lead to nowhere!
To create our labyrinth we used cardboard for the base and art straws to represent the walls of the maze. We had to cut the straws to size, measuring each wall accurately from our plans. The children used glue to secure their walls. Over time, we found that we needed to refine some of our designs and make improvements so that the product was fit for purpose. After the labyrinths were complete, the children evaluated their product to identify what went well and what could have been made even better. Creating the labyrinths definitely reinforced the importance of measuring carefully and precisely.
Year 3
The children in year 3 have been investigating light and the effect of opacity on shadow formation. They recapped their learning of transparent and opaque objects and then furthered their investigation into how to make shadows change size by building a shadow puppet theatre and using props at different measurements from the screen to see how they would alter for the audience. The children discovered that if they placed the props and puppets closer to the light source then they would block a greater portion of the light source and produce a greater shadow.
Year 4
Year 4 have explored the science of sound waves by making our own walkie-talkies! In Science we have learned that sound is made by molecules vibrating. In this experiment, we made sounds by vibrating our vocal cords and forcing the sound to travel down a piece of string. The string carried the sound wave and we could clearly hear the sounds on the other end of the walkie-talkie! We successfully passed a secret message down the walkie-talkie and heard it on the other end.
By experimenting, we found out that the string carries less sound waves when it was slack and carried the sound better when the string was tighter. Finally, we added two strings across each other to make a 4-way telephone. Amazingly, the sound we made through one cup travelled down both strings and could be heard on the other three-cup receivers!
Year 5
Year 5 have taken part in a very exciting STEM day, which we linked to our current science topic of materials. The children have learnt about densities of solids and liquids and explored this in an experiment. We learnt the word “immiscible” when we were finding out why water and oil do not mix. The oil floats on the top because it is less dense than the water. We also added syrup to the mix then introduced small objects of different densities, trying to predict what layer they might be suspended in.
The children also developed this knowledge further, using marbling inks, lifting the oily colours off the surface of the water. We wondered why it was called “marbling” so we thought back to our prior learning in geography about earthquakes and volcanoes and how rocks are subjected to heat to make the lovely swirly patterns. The children have then used these beautiful papers to make a Christmas card.
Year 6
Year 6 enjoyed completing a maths and science task in STEM week linked to our current learning – light. The children learnt that when light is reflected it obeys the law of reflection: the angle of incidence always equals the angle of reflection. The children then had a go themselves measuring the angles with a protractor. They had to be very accurate and work as a team to all hold a different piece of apparatus! Most groups were able to find that the angles were equal.
The children in Reception were focusing on healthy eating and where fruit comes from. The children had a look at a variety of fruits and discussed which ones they enjoy to eat. They also learnt that fruit have vitamins in them to gives us energy, helps us grow and stay strong. The children then had the challenge to make their own fruit kababs and try some fruits they never had tried before.
Some of the children shared their thoughts:
Leo said, “I had strawberries, grapes, blueberries and pineapple. My
favourite was strawberry. It had yummy flavours.”
shared, “I like blueberries. I never tried them before! It gave me lots of energy.”
Year 2
The children in year 2 were challenged to create their own Pizzeria that focuses on healthy eating. The children discussed the Eatwell Guide and looked at the different food groups and the amount that we need from each food group to stay healthy. The children then created a list of healthy toppings that they could use on their pizzas.
Next, to make sure that their pizzeria would be popular, the children conducted some market research to find out the most popular pizza toppings. They did this by voting on their tablets and creating class bar charts. They then used this research to design their pizzas.
After that, the children looked at logos and marketing. They discussed how effective different logos can be and that a catchy name helps people remember. Using their tablets, the children created digital logos to promote their pizzerias.
Finally, the children cooked, tasted and evaluated their pizzas.
Year 1
We had so much fun investigating hibernating animals in our STEM afternoon. We learnt lots of interesting facts about animals which hibernate for cold weather and we even enjoyed some games and quizzes with our learning partners.
We even led our own experiment on insulation to find out what materials would keep warm water the warmest. We insulated our cups using lots of different materials: cotton wool, card, tin foil, wool, and we even had a control cup with nothing on it! Some children and teachers in each class helped to record our results, and we showed this on a table of results.
We used our Maths skills to help us measure the temperature on thermometers before and after the cups were outside for 10 minutes.
Some children even started speaking about this at home! Harry from RP1 found a hedgehog, and fed it some cat food, before him and his family took it back to the sanctuary. Harry wondered “Why the hedgehog was not hibernating?”
Autumn term
Reception
The Reception children have been learning about the celebration of Diwali; the Hindu Festival of Light. They have designed their own Mehndis, rangoli patterns and Diva lamps. They took part in a dance workshop with Miss Helen; she taught them some dance moves and they listened to the story of Diwali. The children learnt all about Rama and Sita, Ravana the ten headed demon and Hanuman the Monkey King! They all enjoyed wearing Bindis, saris and sashes whilst dancing. They have looked at Diwali information books, read stories and watched videos to find out about the celebration too.
Year 1
This term, the year 1 children focused their learning on Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism. The children linked their RE learning to their senses which was what they had learnt about as part of their science topic during the autumn term.
The children used their sense of smell to learn about incense. They learnt about how the use of incense is a religious ritual for many includes Christian, Jewish and Hindu people.
To use their sense of hearing, the children listened to and learnt to sing some Jewish and Christian songs; they also listened to Hindu meditation music. The children also enjoyed tasting some different foods associated with different religions; a lot of children’s favourite was the Jewish Bagel.
For their sense of touch, the children felt some different religious artefacts and tried to guess what they were, linking to what they had previously learnt about. They also used their eyes to then see these different artefacts and compare them to what they thought they could be. The children had the opportunity to make and decorate, using their own patterns and colours, their own Christian cross.
The children also learnt about Puja, a worship ritual performed by Hindus that involves the use of their 5 senses. The children thought about and discussed what they would have on their own Puja tray involving all of their senses.
Year 2
This term, the children in Year 2 have been thinking about why light is an important symbol for Christians, Jews and Hindus. The children talked about some of the different light sources and why they are important, and looked at the significance of Christingle. They made their own Christingle thinking carefully about what each part of it signifies.
The children learnt about the celebration of Hannukah and made their own dreidel. They were really excited to learn some of the Hebrew alphabet. Lastly, the children looked at the story of Rama and Sita and thought about why light was important in this story. They designed their own Rangoli patterns which were beautiful!
A wonderful start to a new school year! Musicians from Norfolk Music Service came and performed a concert for us, taking us through a flying tour of orchestral music from the last thousand years. Allowing children to see and hear instruments being played and gaining an understanding of how they work. Year 3 children watched in the hall while the rest of the federation joined remotely, through the wonders of video calling.
Year 3 pupils have been very excited to start learning to play the ukulele. They have learned a number of songs to practise different picking and strumming techniques and how to play the C major chord.
Children in Year 4 are very fortunate to have Ian Draycott from Norfolk Music Hub in teaching them how to play the steel pans! This will continue throughout Autumn Term so they get a great experience of ensemble playing with a music Specialist.
Year 5 have been sent back to the 80’s, rocking out to ‘Living on a Prayer’ and Year 6 have had the joy of ‘Happy’ – singing together in different parts and accompanying with melodies on the glockenspiels. So lovely to hear children singing in school again – it really hasn’t been the same without it.
