Science – Forces
In our new Science topic, we are learning about forces and magnets. Today’s lesson focussed on push and pull forces and the role that friction must play when objects move across a surface.
We enjoyed pushing and pulling objects around the classroom and observed what happened because of a force.
We found that surfaces like grass and stones have a high level of friction whereas tarmac or our classroom tables have a low level of friction.
Help at home – Ask your child which objects can be pushed or pulled. What is a contact force? Which surfaces in your home/garden have the most friction? Which have less friction?
Living and Learning
We have been looking at what makes a good friend and learning that friends can sometimes fall out and what we can do to put things right or make a situation easier.
The children were able to provide adjectives describing how someone might feel if they fall out with a friend. Here are some examples:
- Empty
- Hurt
- Disappointed
- Good
- Angry
- Sick
- Left out
We also spoke about what someone can do if a fall out occurs. Here are some of the ideas we came up with:
- Have some ‘alone time’.
- Talk to each other.
- Talk to a trusted adult.
- Use breathing techniques or meditation to calm down.
- Tell the truth. Follow our Christian value of honesty.
We finished with a whole class Collective Worship where children were able to reflect on the afternoon’s learning and share some ideas with each other.
Help at home – Ask your child what they might do if they fell out with a friend. Who do the see as being their friends? What does a good friend look like? What do the always/sometimes/never do?
Spellings for the final half-term
One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab.
Welcome to Summer 2! Our theme this half term is Seaside and Cities and our first focus book has been One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre.
This book is a counting book that counts familiar animals and how many legs each one has! We have had lots of fun with this story making up our own lines.
“5 is a snail and a dog!”
“6 is a dog and a man!”
“11 is a snail and a crab or 5 people and a snail!”
“100 is 10 crabs or 100 snails!”
Our word of the week was country the children have really enjoyed using this during their learning.
“I went to another country on my holiday.”
“We live in the country called England.”
Help at home: how many different countries can you name with your grown ups? can you write a list?
Also this week we released our butterflies, Mrs Rippon looked after them for us over the holidays and we had two to set free on Monday. It was great fun to watch them fly!
The classroom Challenges this week have been
- to write a message to the school fairies
- to join two materials together
- to find some shapes in the outside area
- to draw a shell or crab
- to order numbers from 1 to 10
Next week our focus book is Seaside Poems
Reminders and Notices
PE- is on Wednesday, please send your child to school in their PE and in trainers they can fasten themselves.
Forest School- is on a Thursday please can you send your child to school in their PE kits with waterproofs and wellies in a labelled plastic bag.
Please can you send your child to school with a sun hat and sun cream already applied on sunny days.
Waste Innovation- Please don’t forget to send in any donations for us to be creative.
Have a happy and healthy weekend and please don’t forget to email any pictures from home to stjames@spherefederation.org thank you as always for your support.
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman.
Day 2 at Robinwood
Our Year 6 children have had another busy, fun day at Robinwood.
Save the Whale!
Our theme this term is ‘Let’s make a splash!’
We started this week off with Julia Donalson’s, ‘The Snail and the Whale’
A beautiful tale of an unlikely friendship, a tour of the world and a heroic rescue!
We’ve been talking about the differences in the world around us, from the countryside to the seaside, we looked at some artwork and here’s what we thought…
We don’t have beaches at home but we have one outside in our garden’- Ella D
There is lots of grass- Oria
I like the seaside, I went on my holiday – Elliott
I love getting an ice-cream, with sprinkles and red sauce- Louie
It’s full of tree’s and big wall’s – Immy
After the half-term, the Caterpillars had finished growing in their cocoon and we’re ready to be released. We had 4 in total!
They spotted our wild flowers in the garden and went on the hunt for some delicious pollen.
Miss Ward, Miss Harvey and Miss Feldman
A new Science topic – Growing and Cooking!
This half term, the children in Year 1, are learning about growing and cooking in science. They will be exploring the difference between fruit and vegetables and where they come from. They will also be preparing a simple meal!
Today, the class started by learning about the difference between fruit and vegetables. They recalled how plants are grown and discovered which parts of the plant we can eat.
We investigated the differences and similarities between a strawberry and a carrot. The children thought about smell, taste and texture.
The children identified that the main different between a fruit and a vegetable is that fruit has seeds. Which means that cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes are in fact fruits!
Year 6 residential
The Year 6 children have arrived at Robinwood and having a great first day and night. They’ve been raft building, canoeing and swinging on the trapeze!
Design and Technology: Textiles
Our new topic is Design and Technology. The children will be planning, making and evaluating a puppet.
Today, we discussed the vocabulary that we will be using throughout this learning. Some of these words were familiar to the children and they could confidently speak about them.
A needle has a little hole in it and you can put string through it. Vincent
Needles are sharp! Olly
We made a plan when we wrote a report. Daisy
| design process | the steps that need to happen for something to go from an idea to a finished product |
| to plan | to think about and decide how you’re going to do something |
| to evaluate | to decide, after careful consideration, how good or bad something is |
| felt | a kind of cloth made from wool |
| needle | a thin piece of metal or plastic with a point at one end and a hole or eye for thread in the other, used in sewing |
| thread | a long, thin strand of cotton used in sewing or weaving |
| over stitch | a stitch that circles the edge of a piece of fabric |
What is Design and Technology?
I think it means we will need to draw a picture. Daisy
We need a plan first. Vincent
Does it mean we are going to build something? Woody
Design and technology is a subject that explores designing and making products that solve problems, and then evaluating how successful the results are.
Help at home by revising the listed vocabulary regularly and discuss the definitions of each word. Can your child use one of the words in a sentence?
For example:
The thread goes through the needle.
I will use felt for the body of my puppet.
The video below explains the design process in five steps. Watch this with your child and ask them the following questions.
- What would happen if we didn’t plan first?
- Why can’t we just make the product?
- How will I get some ideas?
- Are houses designed before they are built?
Leeds United Wildcats!
Our key stage 2 girls were visited by Leeds United this week to explore and develop routes into football for girls. The morning began with a presentation on current female role models, football backgrounds and some top tips on how to achieve the best you can in all sports.
The children then went outside to take part in some fantastic drills and games run by Leeds. Each and every pupil tried their best and we were super proud of everyone – they were fantastic role models for St James.
We had lots of fantastic talent on show, too! Our visitors left with beaming smiles on their faces, as all of our pupils showed a real interest and desire to take part. Every pupil also used their manners extremely well all morning.
Help at home: There will be some leaflets and information on how our children can continue to be involved with Leeds United. Encourage your children to take up a sport, as they really enjoyed today’s workshop. If you need help getting in touch with any local clubs or events, please let me (Mr Freeman) know and I’ll help!