Curriculum News

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.

Music in Autumn 2 2017

The children in Nursery have been exploring how the CD player works and listening to different music and stories on there. They have also been playing the instruments in the outdoor area.

The children in Reception have been learning about ‘Celebrations’ this half term. When they were learning about fireworks, they spent some time listening to music about fireworks and using instruments to make their own music.  They watched an orchestra playing a classical piece called ‘The Firebird’ and talked about the different instruments they could see being played and the role of the conductor.  They talked about the music and how it changed from quiet to loud, and from slow to fast.

The children then had the opportunity to explore the instruments. They talked about what the instruments were all called and everyone was given an instrument to play.  They explored playing the instruments at different volumes, and playing a slow beat and a fast beat.  After they had finished working together many of the children continued to play and explore the instruments and how they could be used to make different types of sounds.

The children in Key Stage 1 have been busy rehearsing and performing their Christmas play and pantomime. Year One teamed up with the Reception children to perform ‘Baubles’ and the Year Two children have been putting together a pantomime, ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ All the children have worked incredibly hard to learn lots of new songs, actions and lines to perform to the rest of the school and their grown-ups.

Science Autumn 2017

Early scientific learning starts with exploring and expanding our knowledge about the world around us.

Nursery

We have been learning about colours. We explored making new colours by colour mixing with our hands.

We looked at the book called “The Rainbow Fish”. We printed our own fish using celery for the scales.

We have enjoyed exploring our outdoor environment.

Reception

The Reception children have been exploring the world around them using different equipment such as magnets, binoculars, magnifying glasses and the digital microscopes.

They have been asking questions and testing their ideas as well.

They have also been working together, sharing ideas and solving problems.

Year 1

Year 1 have been learning about Animal Life. They visited the Sealife Centre in Great Yarmouth to learn about sea creatures including starfish, rays and sharks. They learnt what these animals eat, where they live in the sea and how they survive.

They had a visit from Zootastic which included meeting and learning about lots of different animals, including a snake, a tarantula and two owls!

 

They have grouped animals, observed different animals closely and learnt about the parts of the human body and their senses.

They have also been carrying out experiments in the classroom. One experiment was to find out which material was the best to stop ice melting and another explored why penguins have oily feathers!

Year 2

Year 2 have been learning all about materials. They have looked at different types of material and thought about describing them using their properties.

They have also considered the materials used for building a castle and why these materials would have been used in Medieval times.

They used what they had learnt to build a throne for a Lord and a bridge for a castle.

They had to consider the best materials for the job. Then they tested and evaluated their bridges.

 

 

Indoor Athletics Competition

On Monday 4th December, 18 children from year 5 and 6 visited the UEA to compete against other schools in the area at a range of athletic events. Each member of the team completed two track (running) and two field (throwing or jumping) events. The track events included long and short distance races and two obstacle races with hurdles to go over and under.

The field events which the children took part in included: standing long jump and triple jump, vertical jump, chest push, speed bounce and javelin. By competing in each of their events each competitor won points for the school.

All of our children tried extremely hard during the day, several of our children scored maximum points after gaining the highest scores against the other children in their group.  The whole team were proud of their efforts.

Fun Sporting Event

On Tuesday 17th October, a group of children from Toftwood Junior School took part in a non-competitive sports event at the UEA Sportspark. This event was organised to encourage children in a range different sporting events for fun.

The children arrived to the Sportspark by coach and our first event of the morning was Table Tennis. Targets were set up on the tables for the children to either hit, score goals or objects to knock down. Games were also set up between the children using different bats and sized table tennis Balls.

The second event was learning new Boxing and self-defence skills with ex-professional Boxing champion John Thaxton. Children worked in pair to attack and defend against their partner using a range of punches. Most importantly they learned about safety and control and where their new skills could be used (only in the Gym not in the playground!).

The last activity of the day was either Rugby or Boccia, the children got the opportunity to move around at a faster pace and to support each other in small groups.

All children had a fabulous day and didn’t seem too disappointed about missing English and Maths!

Tennis

All the children in Year 1 and 2 were able to have some tennis coaching with a coach from the Tennis Foundation. The children had to have a go at various activities to show they had control of the tennis ball. They were taught to focus on the ball, they then had to bounce and catch the ball which progressed onto bouncing and catching with a clap in between! Next they had to control the tennis ball with a tennis racket, first by balancing it on the racket and then dribbling it around the room with the racket to guide it. All the children worked really hard to gain these new skills. They all received a certificate and an invitation to The Tennis Foundation Roadshow at Easton College Tennis Centre on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd October, a free event for children aged 3-10 years.

Design and Technology – Autumn 2017

Reception

Reception watched the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and talked about healthy and unhealthy food. They talked about the importance of staying healthy, and how the caterpillar needed to eat lots of healthy food to help him grow big and strong to turn into a butterfly.  All the children made their own fruit salad; they were asked to cut up their own fruit carefully with a knife, and add it to their cup. They were very good at trying new things just like The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Year 1

During Harvest open afternoon, the year one children enjoyed making their very own apple crumble. Learning to cook is an important skill and the children would be able to replicate this recipe at home. They were extremely proud of what they had made. It smelt amazing and we’re sure it tasted just as good!

Year 2

During year 2’s ‘Medieval Norwich’ topic they have designed and made a drawbridge suitable for a castle. They all had the same materials to use for their designs and had to discuss each design in their teams before they started to make their bridge. We tested out their bridges using weights and discussed why some people’s designs were stronger than others and what they would change about their design if they were to do it again.

Design and Technology – Summer 2017

This term children in the EYFS have enjoyed taking advantage of the glorious weather and have taken their design and technology skills outside. They have enjoyed using the outdoor area to build dens and have been practising evaluating and adapting their dens when they have not been fit for purpose. They have also enjoyed developing their ideas using the large construction equipment available.

Inside the classroom the children have enjoyed being involved in whole class junk modelling activities to design animals and habitats that they saw at the zoo.

Children have been learning new skills and have practised these skills in their free choice activities.

All children in the EYFS have continued to enjoy daily access to creative resources and have been encouraged to develop their ideas and adapt their creations when necessary.

Children in Year One have also enjoyed taking design and technology outside this term. They have been using their DT skills to design and create boats. The children used a range of materials to create their boats and then tested to see if they would float. The children were encouraged to talk about their creations and adapt their ideas when things did not turn out as they had expected.

Children in year two have been busy exploring our school and drawing maps. They were challenged to create a 3D map of our school and they used their design and technology skills to create 3D map using junk modelling. The children were very proud of their creations.

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