Armley Mills
As part of our Design and Technology topic we have visited Armley Mills Industrial Museum in Leeds and learnt about the process of weaving. We followed the process of wool being brushed (carded) and then spun. We then worked as a class to weave and then produced some of our own. The children had a lovely time and behaved impeccably – they were a credit to the school.
Here are some pictures from the day:
Help at home – Ask your child about the day. What was the best thing they learnt? Can they remember what ‘warp’ and ‘weft’ means? Can they produce some weaving at home?
Biology – reproduction of plants
Years 5 and 6 are engaging really well in our biology unit (reproduction). This unit links really well to our RSE lessons – the children have made accurate and appropriate links during both of these sessions.
This week, we have been looking at the different ways that plants can reproduce:
Sexual reproduction:
This method requires two plants. We have learnt about the male and female parts of plants and how they interact to create a seed or fruit (offspring). The stamen (male) produces pollen, which is transferred, by insects or wind, to the stigma of another plant (female). Here, the pollen fertilises and egg within the ovary and offspring is produced.
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is where a plant can reproduce on its own – it doesn’t need another plant to be fertilised. There are various types of plants that are able to reproduce this way (below). The children found this extremely interesting – we even discussed being able to make clones of ourselves!
The children then went out into our gardening area to find some examples of plants that could reproduce in both ways.
Help at home:
Go outside with your child and explore some of the plants in your garden/in your local area. Which method of reproduction would match each plant? Why? Typically, flowering plants reproduce sexually, but not always!
Oracy and Prosody
Our oracy target for this half term is Liveliness and Flair.
The children are being encouraged to speak with enthusiasm and imagination where appropriate.
Every morning, the children are greeted at the door and wished ‘Good Morning’ in a cheery and enthusiastic manner. 
This is modeled by the adults and is a great opportunity for the class to return the gesture in a similar way. To add to this, some of Year 1 showcased this skill when auditioning for the talent show last week. Well done!
Prosody
Prosody helps children build an accurate picture of what’s being conveyed on a page. It shows children how books can speak through readers and how words in a text can come to life.
Over the year, the children have become very accustomed to reading with prosody. It is a skill that is continually being rehearsed in class especially when we read our daily poem.
Once children have listened to Mrs Freeman’s example, they then practice reading parts of the poem aloud as a group and to each other.
Here is a recording of this week’s poem.
Why not share it with you child and challenge each other to read with prosody. The children are experts!
Three friends sharing a shell..
This week the children have enjoyed reading ‘ Sharing a Shell’ By Julia Donaldson
This story highlights the important role that sharing plays in building lasting friendships.
- What did the Anemone do to the big fish?
- What two items did the sea creatures find in the rockpool? Should they be there and why?
- why did the three friends fall out?
- How did the bristleworm help them become friends again?
We got very creative this week, the children followed their own interests and wanted to make their own shells! we used lots of different materials from our junk modelling bucket, such as plastic bottles, tubs and milk cartons. They chose lots of bright and colourful materials to add to their shells including tissue paper, glittter, sequins and paint. They look amazing, I think I might like to stay in one!
Next week we are exploring our under the sea theme more!
We will be reading..
Can you guess which sea creature I’m describing?
Having eight arms can be useful,
you may think it looks a bit funny,
but it helps me to hold all my children
and tickle each one on the tummy.
Have a wonderful happy and healthy weekend!
Miss Ward, Miss Harvey and Miss Feldman
Seaside Poems
This week our focus book has been Seaside Poems.
We have really enjoyed looking at the rhyming words and reading the different poems. We also talked about and compared two environments, a city (Leeds) and the seaside. The children did a great job talking through their ideas.
“A city has lots of tall buildings. At the seaside you see boats.”
“I can see lots of people in the city. I can see lots of sand at the seaside.”
Our world of the week this week was City the children have really enjoyed using this during their learning.
“I have been to a city called Leeds, it is bigger than Wetherby.”
“London is a really big city. I have been there.”
Poetry Picnic
This week our poem was I Have A Little Frog
I have a little frog,
His name is Tiny Tim,
I put him in the bathtub,
To see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
And gobbled all the soap.
And when he tried to talk,
There were bubbles in his throat.
The classroom Challenges this week have been
- to sort the images of the seaside (coast) and the city.
- to write an I can see sentence about what you can see in the seaside picture.
- to pick two animals and add the amount of feet they have together.
- to find the tricky words hidden in the outdoor area.
- to use the loom bands to make a shape in the board.
Next week our Focus book is Sharing a Shell
Reminders and Notices
Class Photos- are on Wednesday, please send your child to school in their school uniform. We will still do PE, but in our school uniform for this week.
Forest School- Is on Thursday please send your child to school in their PE kit with their forest school water proofs 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.
Living and Learning: Families and people who care for me
Year 1 have been discussing the importance of families.
Families give us love and make us feel safe.
It is important to spend time with your family.
Listen to each other and help with problems.
The children noted that families (in school or the wider world) are all different to their own and that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care.
Here are some of the children’s family pictures.
Why not make a family tree with your child? Or, enjoy this book together as a family and create a family portrait in the same style as the book.
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.