Beech Class

Week Beginning 19.04.23
​​It was lovely to welcome the children back after the Easter holidays and hear about all things they had been up to.  They have all come back with an amazing attitude and have worked really hard this week.
 
In Literacy we started our new book ‘Slime’.  The children had enormous fun following instructions to make gooey, stretch slime!  We then reviewed the instructions based on our experience of making slime.  We then investigated different features of instructions before looking at the difference between commands and statements.  From this we turned statements into commands and uplevelled these using conjunctions and frontal adverbials.
 
In maths we started the week by learning about weight.  We used scales to balance items and weight.  We then used the four operations to solve problems involving weight.  On Friday we started to learn about capacity.  We had lots of fun using the water tray and bottle of various sizes to solve the problem:  Does the height of a container mean the greater the capacity?
 
In science we concluded our topic about the human body.  We learnt about different ways you can help people apart from being a doctor or nurse.  We also learnt about vaccinations and how these can help protect us from diseases.  We then made a poster to show what we had learnt in our experiment.  Next week we are moving on to our new topic about changing states. 
 
This week we also had an extra special treat!  One of the children in our class brought in some of their lambs from their farm that they are hand feeding.  We learnt all about what you need to do to care for lambs.  We asked lots of great questions which were brilliant answered.  We were then very lucky as well all got hold one of the lambs.  We were all really surprised by how heavy they were!  We were very lucky to have this opportunity.  

Week Beginning 19.03.23
This week we have had another very busy week in Beach Class!  In Literacy we started a new book ‘Lila and the Special rain’ which is set in Kenya.  The story links to our geography topic.  We really enjoyed the story and performed brilliantly in role at various points in the story, using inference to understand how the characters were feeling.  We then drew a picture of the village in which Lila lives and labelled it using adventurous adjectives.  From this we wrote about the setting and used fantastic expanded noun phrases.
 
In maths we have finished our topic on multiplication and division  We can now confidently multiply and divide by 2, 5 and 10 and apply this to problems.  Next week we are going to be learning about measurement.
 
In science we learnt about how our bodies change when we get older.  We looked at the differences between babies and children, children and adults and adults and older people.  We investigated how our bodies changes at these stage and what that enables us to do for example children go to school, walk and talk.  We then started our bread experiment.  We have placed bread in different locations and rubbed how hands on some pieces to investigate germs.  We are going to be learning more about this next week.
 
We have also been learning a song with Year 3 to perform at our sharing assembly next week.  We are sounding beautifully and are looking forward to performing it for the school community.  

Week Beginning 11.03.23
We had a very busy and fun week as part of science week!  On Monday we had a brilliant day visiting Newquay zoo.  We saw lots of interesting animals and learnt all about zebras.   We then wrote a recount all about our amazing trip which were very interesting to read.

We also had visitors in school this week; a vet and police officers.  The police officers showed us the car and we listened to the very noisy siren!  We then learnt all about fingerprints and how they are unique to us.  We all had our fingerprints taken and compared them to different shapes.  We also learnt that kola bears have unique fingerprints too!  After we got to try on lots of different hats that have different functions.

For science week we held a science Olympics! We made paper aeroplanes to see which could fly the furthest.  We also made towers out of paper to see which was the tallest.  We also tried to make the biggest marble run!  Lastly we made boats out of tin foil and tried to see if we could make it carry a Duplo person without getting wet!  

We also learnt about healthy eating and a balanced diet.  We learnt about different food groups and why it is important to eat from every group.  We also made peppermint creams, drizzled in chocolate.   We learnt that it is ok to have a small amount of fats and oils but we need to eat more of the other food groups.

Week Beginning 06.03.23
We had another very busy week in Beech Class!  In Literacy we wrote our own stories based on the Disgusting Sandwich.  We set our stories in very exotic locations for example the desert and the jungle.  All the animals were desperate to get their hands on the food items but unfortunately ran into lots of problems such as in delicious, yellow bananas getting dropped in thorny, tangled vines!  We all used amazing, expanded noun phrases to help the reader form a picture about what was happening.  We also used perfect punctuation!  Well done Beech Class! 
 
In maths we continued our topic of multiplication and division.  We learnt about the difference between odd and even numbers and how to half and double.  We found this quite tricky at first but tried really hard and can now apply these concepts to problems.  We then learnt multiplying and dividing by the 10 times table.  We stopped the pattern that all numbers in the 10 x table end in a 0.  This helped us to make sure that our answers were correct.
 
In science we had lots of fun learning about exercise.  We conducted a fair test to see how our heart and breathing is affected when we do vigorous exercise.  We learnt why we need to breathe more and why our heart beats faster.  We then learnt about why it is important to exercise.  We were surprised to learn that exercise can help us to sleep better at night.  Next week we are going to be learning about healthy eating and make some treats. 
 
In Computing we continued to learn about computer programming.  First we programmed the BeeBots to go in different directions to reach a destination.  Then we made it more complicated by adding obstacles!    Some of our BeeBots went a little bit crazy but got there in the end!
 
On Friday we also had a virtual author visit with Rachel Morrisroe author of The Drama Llama.  We listened carefully as she read the story all about a little boy who when he gets worried, a Llama appears!  We then took part in an interactive quiz before learning techniques to help us when we are worried.  We were then shown how to draw the Llama from the book before we had a go.  Our Llama’s looked amazing! 
 
Next week is science week!  We are really looking forward to going to Newquay Zoo on Monday and all the other exciting visitors we have coming in.  Next Friday we are going to take part in the Science Olympics!

Week Beginning 27.02.23
We have had another very busy week in Beech class.  We have continued with our story 'The Disgusting Sandwich' and on Monday we acted out the story using props.  We were brilliant at pretending to be the different characters and used great expression and voices to retell the story.  We then wrote a version of the story and confidently used expanded noun phrases and speech marks.  Next week we are going to write a brand new story based upon this book.

In maths we continued with our work on division and multiplication.  We were able to make arrays and from this device multiplication questions before applying these to problems.  We also learnt about using formal methods to record 2 times table.  We are now very confident at counting up in twos and use reasoning to answer questions.  

This week was also World Book Day.  The class looked amazing in all their different costumes.  We had some characters from fiction stories for example Willy Wonker and some from non-fiction books for example Marie Curie.  We shared our favourite stories and listened to stories throughout the day.  It was a really fun day!

Week Beginning 20.02.23
It has been lovely welcoming the children back and hearing about their half term.  In Literacy we started our new story 'The Disgusting Sandwich.'  We thought the story was really very funny, especially the ending.   We learnt how to use the correct punctuation for speech and wrote sentences expressing what the characters might say.  On Thursday we went on a hunt around the school to find items that the characters from the story had left.  From this we wrote amazing expanded noun phrases explaining what the item was, where it was left and why it was left there.  On Friday we found examples of expanded noun phrases in the text and used these to describe a character and setting.

In maths we have continued our work on multiplication and division.  We enjoyed using counters to group and share different amounts.  From this we wrote division sentences and used our oral rehearsal to help us write these the correct way around.  We also learnt how to divide using number lines.  We were very good at remembering to start at 0 and count up in equal groups.  We are going to continue with this topic next week.

In science we started our new topic all about the human body.  We learnt about the functions of the main organs and their names.   In groups, we then drew around each other and drew these organs onto the body.  We then labelled each part.  We had lots of fun doing this.  

We also started learning our new song which we are going to be performing with other schools in the MAT.  ​

Week Beginning 06.02.23

We have had another very busy week in Beech Class!  In Literacy went on a journey down the river and saw lots of different things.  From this we wrote descriptive pieces about our journey.  We then read the story of Manfish and learnt all about the adventures of Jacques Cousteau.  We found lots of examples of expanded noun phrases within the text and from this wrote a description of a fish that Jacques saw.  We also investigated how conjunctions can improve our writing.  On Friday we watched a group of divers explore the underwater world, just like Jacques did.  From this we role played what it would be like to wear diving gear before exploring below the surface of the waves.  We then pretended to Jacques and used expanded noun phrases to answer questions we had written.

In maths we started our new topic of multiplication and division.  We learnt about the importance of equal groups and had lots of fun organising ourselves into equal groups.  We then made equal groups using counters.  From this we wrote multiplication sums to match our groups.  We were brilliant and understanding the difference group and the number within the group.  We will continue with this after half term.

In Computing we pretended to be robots and programmers.  We had to give our robot clear instructions to get to different places in the playground.  From this we then had to get our robot around a maze but to make it trickier, the robot had to close their eyes!

In science we finished our topic on habitats.  We reviewed the different animals and plants we found around the school and discussed why these are in this habitat.  We then produced a bar graph to show our results.  Next we discussed which other animals that we didn't see live in this habitat and which animals and plants we would not find.  Next term we are going to be learning about the human body.

This week was also Children's Mental Health Week.  On Friday we dressed to impress and all looked so colourful in our clothes!   

Week Beginning 30.01.23

​We have had another very busy week in Beech Class!  In Literacy we wrote all out the life of Ernest Shackleton.  We remembered to use a range of conjunctions to extend our sentences and correct punctuation.  ​We also tried really hard to join our handwriting and remember the spellings that we know.  We then published our writing.  Next week we are going to be reading Manfish.  

In maths we finished our topic about money.  By Friday we were able to confidently use a number line to add amounts and find change.  We were also able to apply these skills to a range of problems.  We also practiced counting forward and backwards in 10s from any number as this really helped us with our money problems.  Next week we are going to be learning about multiplication.  

In science we investigated two contrasting habitats - the rainforest and the desert.  We were amazed to discover how cold the desert can get in the night compared to how hot it is during the day.  We also looked at different animals and plant and how they are suited to their habitat.  On Friday we then investigated the habitat around our school.  We got very muddy but really enjoyed ourselves.  Next week we are going to be making bar graphs from what we found.

This week we also collected items from nature to use in art.  We made islands that Amelia Earhart or Ernest Shackleton may have discovered on their adventures.  The art looked amazing and is going to make a wonderful display.  


Week Beginning 21.01.23

​We have had another very busy week in Beech Class!  In Literacy we finished our biographies about Amelia Earhart and started learning about Ernest Shackleton.  We performed in role key areas of his life and pretended to interview him.  We the wrote a plan about his life.  Next week we are going to be writing about his life. 
 
In maths we continued to learn about money.  We applied our addition and subtraction skills to adding amounts and finding the difference.  We remembered to use the pound and pence symbols to show the amounts.  Next week we are going to finish our topic on money. 

In history we started learning about Mary Seacole and her life.  We then reordered the story and found it interesting to see how determined was.  This linked to what we discovered Ernest Shackleton. 
 
In science we continued learning about habitats.  We looked at pictures of plants and animals and from these we made food chains.  We were very careful to ensure the arrows were in the right direction.  We also learnt about mico-habitats and the different animals and plants that can be found.  Next week we are going to go on a hunt around the school trying locate different animals and plants that live within our grounds.
 
On Wednesday we had the visit from the Dog Trust.  The talked to us about how to look after a dog safely and what they like and don’t like.  

Week Beginning 16.01.23
We have had a very exciting week with all the snow!    In Literacy we found more facts about Amelia Earhart and used these to write a biography about her life.  We are now very good at using conjunctions to extend our sentences and remembering to use the correct punctuation.

In maths we started a new topic - money.  We learnt about the different coins and notes and how much they are worth.  We counted different amounts of money and found as many ways as we could to make £20.  We learnt that when adding money we need to separate it first into pounds and pence first.  

In science we learnt what a habitat is and debated whether a zoo is a habitat.   We then sorted pictures into habitats and non-habitats before researching which animals we find in different habitats for example woodland.  We discovered that some animals can have different habitats for example frogs.  Next week we are going to investigate micro-habitats.  

We have also started to use Numbots to help us improve our mental maths skills.  We were very excited at all the coins we collected!

Next week we are going to be continuing with our topic of money and we are going to be reading a biography of Earnest Shackleton.  

Week Beginning 09.01.23
We have had another very busy week in Beech Class!  This week we did some practice assessments in reading and maths.  We were so proud of everyone and the progress they are making.  Well done Beech Class!

In Literacy we continued learning about Amelia Earhart.  We reenacted parts of her life and imagined how she must have felt.  On Friday we watched a newsreel of Amelia setting off on her final journey around the world.  We then pretended to be someone in the crowd and wrote an eyewitness account.  Next week we are going to be writing a biography about her.

In maths we continued with our topic on shape.  We learnt the names of 3d shapes and counted the edges, vertices and faces.  We then sorted shapes using Venn diagrams in a variety of ways.  

In science we learnt about the 7 processes that all living things do.  We acted out each stage and drew a picture to match.  We thought about how each of these processes applied to plants.  We then sorted pictures into living and non-living things.


Week Beginning 04.01.23
It was lovely to see all the children back and hear about their holidays.  

We have started our new topic, famous people.  In Literacy we read Little People Big Dreams Amelia Earhart.  We were amazed to discover that she wanted to be a pilot from a very young age and that her determination and courage helped her to achieve her dream.  We also revised the simple past tense and found examples throughout the book. 

In maths we continued our shape topic from last term.  We learnt how to complete a shape with vertical symmetry by counting squares.  We had lots of fun sorting 2d shapes in different ways and applied this to Venn diagrams.  On Friday we started to investigate 3d shapes.

This week we also performed our nativity from last term.  Everyone did so amazingly well and we were so very proud of everyone.  Well done Beech Class!  

Next week is assessment week and we shall be completing reading and maths tests.  


Week Beginning 05.12.22

We have had another busy week in Beech Class!  In Literacy we thought really carefully about different conjunctions and adjectives that we could use in our writing and how we could use vocabulary from ‘Stuck’ in our own stories.  We wrote all about a very naughty cat who tried to eat a fish from its bowl but disaster struck!
 
In maths we started our work on shape.  We reminded ourselves about the names of different 2D shapes before counting the sides and deciding if they were straight or curved.  We then named 3D shapes before learning about symmetry.  We had lots of fun folding shapes to see if they had a vertical line of symmetry.  We had to be very careful to make sure we folded down the middle.
 
In science we learnt about constellations.  We were amazed to learn that on a clear night we could see 3,000 stars but that there are billions more we cannot see.  We also discovered that blue stars are the hottest and red of the coldest.  We found this a bit confusing as we usually associate hot with red and blue with cold.  We then looked at different constellations that can be found in the northern and southern hemisphere.  From this we used stars and chalk to draw the Big Dipper and we made a wonderful display for our classroom.
 
We have been practicing very hard for our Nativity ‘Lights, Camel, Action’.  We had to get used to speaking into a microphone and where to stand on the stage.  Our production is sounding amazing, and we are looking forward to having a real audience.
 
On Tuesday we had a wonderful surprise…Santa Clause came to visit!  We absolutely loved it and we were very thankful to receive a present.  On Friday we took part in the whole school carol concert which we really enjoyed.  



Week Beginning 28.11.22

In Literacy we have started a new book Stuck by Oliver Jeffers.   A little boy gets his Kite stuck up the tree and tries all sorts of things to get it down.  We had lots of fun adding items to the tree in the order of the story.  We found conjunctions in the text and used these to write our own stories.  On Thursday Fred the frog got stuck on top of the tall bookcase in our classroom.  We tried all sorts of things to get him down from a scarf to headphones but nothing worked!  We then wrote different solutions to how we could free him.

In science we learnt about different ways that we have explored space.  We were amazed to discover that flies were the first living organisms to be sent into space.  We watched a video of the moon landing and heard Neil Armstrong's famous words.  We then produced a timeline showing the important explorations.  

In Maths we finished our unit on addition and subtraction and the children are now starting to learn about shape.  Miss Genduso has taught the children about 2D and 3D shape names and we will continue to look at the properties of shapes next week. 

Much of the week has been spent practising the Christmas show, learning lines, dancing and singing songs. It's been a busy one!