Science investigation
Our mission, in science this week, was to investigate the effects of water resistance on objects. This followed on from our previous learning about how air resistance effects objects, in which the children found that the impact of air resistance increases, the larger the surface area of the object. We wondered if the same rule applied this time.
The children created five different shapes using plasticine. They had to ensure the mass of each one was the same, but the surface area needed to be different. This is known as the independent variable. The children dropped the shapes into a container of water and timed how long they took to reach the bottom. We had to be very quick at timing! The results were recorded in a table and our next job is to work out the average time for each shape and analyse the results. From this, the children will write a scientific conclusion.
Ask your child about the investigation. Can they tell you about different types of variables withing investigations? You could even set up a similar activity at home and see what results you get.
Living and learning : Mental Health
We’ve started a three week block of living and learning lessons around mental health this week. Being able to identify and talk about feelings and emotions is an important part of mental health. In our living and learning lessons, we have shared our feelings and emotions and talked about how emotions can change and that they don’t stay the same forever. We can look after our mental health by doing this regularly.
3,4B: writing
We’ve been enjoying our writing in 3,4B recently. During our history topic, we wrote some recounts. We imagined we were an Ancient Greek warrior returning to our homeland (Athens) after a long battle.
Check out these examples…
Throughout all our writing, we’ve been learning lots of grammar. In particular, we’ve been focussing on securing our knowledge of word classes.
We’ve learnt about lots of word classes:
nouns – a person, place or thing
proper nouns – the specific name of a person, place or thing
verbs – a doing or being word
adjectives – a word that describes a noun
It’s important to remember that the word class of a word can change. A word isn’t just a noun all of the time. It depends what it’s job is in that particular sentence.
In this sentence, walked (from the verb ‘to walk’) is a verb because it’s the action that’s been done by the dog.
The dog walked to the park.
In this sentence, walk is a noun because it’s the thing that’s being done. The verb would be ‘went’ coming from the verb ‘to be’.
The dog went for a walk.
Help at home by…
- asking your child about their writing learning
- asking them to spot nouns around the house
- practising their spellings
- reading with, and to, them (ideally, every day)
Writing: instructions
This week, children will be writing a set of instructions for our printing process in art.
Today, we had a go at reading and following a set of instructions. As you can see from the photos, we had different levels of success.
At home, discuss why you might need a set of instructions. Do all instructions share the same features? You might like to try following a set of instructions for an art project (https://artprojectsforkids.org/)
3,4 A Class News
Week 3 of this term has come and gone in a flash!
In Writing, we’ve been looking at expanded noun phrases and using them to write interesting character descriptions.
In Reading, we’ve been focusing on the skill of retrieval across three different winter poems.
In Maths, we’ve been working on column subtraction and continuing to practise our times tables.
In P.E (pictured), we have been creating sequences of different static shapes in groups and then incorporating a variety of movements between each shape.
Beyond our usual lessons, we also enjoyed our themed anti-bullying day and preparing for our upcoming class assembly!
Reading Records: WAGOLL
Your child may sometimes come home from school and say that they have seen a WAGOLL. We often use WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like) to demonstrate how we want a particular piece of work or behaviour to look like. Today I want to share an example of a WAGOLL Reading Record.
Our expectation for pupils is a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes reading at home each day with an adult. When the child has read with their adult, the date, book title and pages read needs to be recorded in the diary section, and the adult needs to sign this. Furthermore, if homework has been set, this must also be completed. This allows the pupil to immerse themselves into the text beyond simply reading to a target page. We are seeing an increasing number of pupils who either forget to bring their reading records or forgot to complete the homework.
It is vital that pupils are reading at home, and completing the homework when set.
Parents, please continue to support your child’s reading at home. Developing their competence in this area is vital in them being able to access the wider curriculum.
Class 5/6A News
Another week done and dusted in Class 5/6A. There’s only 20 days left of school until the Christmas holidays! Let’s catch up on the class goings-on from this week.
In Writing this week we have continued writing our narrative about an apocalyptic world using figurative language. The students have produced some very imaginative work and have really got to grips with engaging their reader in different ways.
Tuesday saw us become physicists in our Science lesson. Pupils recreated the famous experiment of Galileo Galilei to see if objects of differing mass fell to the ground at the same speed. Using a tennis ball, football and basketball, and dropping these from the same height, our students were able to show that despite the differing mass of the objects, the velocity of which they fell was broadly the same.
It has been really pleasing to see the number of pupils who have improved their arithmetic test scores this week in both Year 5 and 6. Year 5 have begun to look at unit and non-unit fractions, whilst Year 6 have explored long division. Parents, you can help support your child’s maths development a home by accessing a number of resources through the Scholes website. Click here https://www.scholeselmet.leeds.sch.uk/learn-more/calculations/ for more details.
Mrs. Thorn and the class have produced some excellent pieces of Art this week. The pupils have been looking at using different mediums, with this week focusing on chalk pastels. They have produced some very colourful pieces as you can see.
In Topic we have looked at how printing on a large scale is used to replicate the works of William Morris. Our pupils have today had a go at their own printing methods to create monochrome leaf pictures.
Before we go, let’s see who the lucky recipients of our certificates are this week:
Great learning – Sam B. Always on time and on task. A great role model for behaviour and attitude to learning and does himself and the class proud.
P.E – Will. Gives 100% in every lesson. Plays every game in the right spirit and is a great partner and teammate.
Living and Learning – Ruby. Polite, considerate and on task. Ruby can always be relied upon to do the right thing first time, every time.
Enjoy your weekend!
Mr. Robson
World Nursery Rhyme Week
We always sing lots of rhymes in Nursery, but as it was World Nursery Rhyme Week, we sang even more than usual! Nursery rhymes are an essential part of developing early literacy skills and have many benefits.
Here’s a link to lots of popular Nursery Rhymes – pick your favourite to sing along to at home, or find a new one to learn together. What’s your child’s favourite rhyme? Send us an email to let us know and we’ll make sure we sing it in Nursery. scholesnursery@spherefederation.org
This week, lots of our areas of provision were linked to popular rhymes. We sorted Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars in the maths area and made some simple repeating patterns. Big star, little star, big star, little star... Children carefully folded legs for Incy Wincy Spider and printed Baa Baa Black sheep at the creative table. In the sensory area, children loved making Jelly on a plate wibble and wobble! We also had lots of cups of tea in the water area as we sang I’m a Little Teapot.
On Friday, we enjoyed joining in with some fun, spotty themed activities to join in with fundraising for Children in Need.
Children in Need
We have had a brilliant day down in KS1 for Children in Need day. We have raised lots of money as a school and are looking forward to seeing what a difference the money will make, to those that need it. We’ve had done lots of activities today based on Children in Need and Pudsey bear. Why not take a look?
Nursery Rhyme Week
This week in literacy we have been reading the book Each Peach Pear Plum with a focus on rhyming words. We enjoyed spotting the characters on each page.
I spy the witch in the sky. Ellie
I spy Jill behind the tree. Hattie
I spy the man in the tree. Eddy
I spy Bo Peep on the hill. Lenny
Listen to the story. Can your child hear any rhyming words?
Tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog (it’s along the play bar) and turn off auto play – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.
Maths
This week, we have been exploring the concept of ‘wholes’ and ‘parts’. We investigated this using our own bodies and toys to understand that whole things are often made up of smaller parts and that a whole is, therefore, bigger than it’s parts.
My legs are a part. My body is the whole.
My head is a part. My body is the whole.
Using the stem sentence, can your child say what parts make the whole?
The ____ is/are a part. The cat is the whole.
___ is a part. Three is the whole.
This week’s maths challenge was to explore one less using familiar nursery rhymes – 10 green bottles and 10 in a bed.
Phonics
This week, the children have learnt the phonemes z, qu, ch. (the sound a letter makes) . They’ve also been practicing writing the graphemes (the written letters). We have been challenging the children by asking them to spell words using the letters that they know. This week your child has been spelling the words; can, back, run, had and sun. Can your child tell you what phonemes (the sound a letter makes) they can hear in these words?
quick chip zip chop quit zap
This week, your child has learnt the tricky words; go no to and into. A tricky word is a word you cannot sound out – you just have to know it by sight!
Poetry Picnic
This week, Poetry Picnic was a little bit different as it was Nursery Rhyme week. Each day we have sung a new or familiar nursery rhyme.
Music
We were joined my Mr Nash and his guitar for some singing! Using our knowledge of rhyming words we sang lots of wonderful and funny songs.
Our favourite was Down By the Bay as it had lots of funny rhyming parts, such as a ghost eating toast.
Maths Stay and Play
Thank you for all the grown-up that were able to attended our stay and play on Thursday. It was wonderful to see the children proudly showing off their learning.
If you haven’t done so already, please remember to bring back your feedback form as this helps us to develop our sessions in the future.
Home link
As the weather has taken a turn, it is a great opportunity for your child to become more independent in their own self care by learning to zip their coat up and put on hats, gloves and scarves.
Please support your child to zip their own coat up independently if they are not able to do so yet.