Beech Weekly News

Week Beginning 15.09.21

We have had a very busy and enjoyable first full week back!  In Literacy some of our class have continued to follow our Read Write Inc programme to improve our spelling and reading.  In class we have started a new text 'My Favourite Game,' from the 'Book of Hopes.'  Using our clay models from last week,  we went around the school and found different situations that our miniature people might find themselves in from enjoyable settings like a picnic to more dangerous situation for example in a bin with a gigantic spider!  We then wrote feeling, thought and speech bubbles from the point of view of our miniature people.  We also watched a video of a bee to see what it is like to be a tiny thing in a big world.  

In maths we have begun learning about place value.  We used resources to find tens and ones in different combinations.  We partitioned numbers and recombined.  We also used greater than, less than and equal symbols to record our answers.  

In the afternoons we have begun our science topic about Light.  We had great fun in the dark investigating what is a light source and ways the light shines.  We found that some of our shoes were a source of colourful light!  From this we then investigated how light travels.  We used card with holes and torches to make the light shine from one end to the other.  We discovered we had to make sure that the holes were in a straight line for the light to appear at the other end.

In Art we looked at patterns all around us and in nature.  We then used various objects to print patterns on clack and white paper.  In P.E we played a range of games and continued to improve our ball skills.  

Next week we are going to be continuing with our new text and learn to write introductions.   In maths we are going to further our knowledge of place value and in science learn how we see light with our eyes.  

Week Beginning 8.9.21
It was delightful to welcome the children back and be able to all together again for assemblies.  The children have all settled really quickly and are happy to be back with their friends.  

We have spent the first few days settling back into normal school life and agreeing our class charter based around three basic ideas: We are READY to learn; We are RESPECTFUL of each other and school property and We are SAFE in and out of school and online.   

As well as this we made miniature people out of clay which we are going to use as part of our lessons next week.  We added wool to them and gave each one a name to make this as individual as we are.  We also painted a self-portrait using water colours.  This afternoon we had lots of fun in our P.E lesson with Saint Southwest and developed our throwing and catching skills.  We then moved to look at how we can bounce the ball effectively to each other.  

Please see our Class Dojo page which has lots of information about our class routines and also reading at home.  There are also lots of photographs of the class.

Next week we are going to be learning about place value in maths and read the Book of Hopes in Literacy.  We will also be starting our science topic all about Light.  

Week Beginning 5.7.21
This week we have had another busy week in Beech class ending in our sport's day!  The children tried their best and completed each event with great enthusiasm.  They also cheered loudly for each other and the other classes.  We are now eagerly awaiting the results in Monday's special assembly.  

In Maths this week, we have been measuring and comparing capacity. We have been working practically with the water bath, measuring millimetres and litres.  We also solved lots of reasoning problems. Some of us got a bit wet but we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

In Literacy we started our new book 'Slime!'  We evaluated the instructions from last week before investigating the different features of instructional texts.  We then turned statements into commands before up levelling a set of instructions to include conjunctions and sentence openers.  

We have carried on with Geography this week, comparing a rural village in Zambia with our town.  We learnt a lot about the school in Mugurameno.  We studied photos of the children, teachers, classrooms and playgrounds. We thought about what was the same and different to our school, and we had a go at explaining our ideas to each other. We voted with our feet, moving around the classroom to stand under the sign which we agreed with. We then used our oracy skills to justified our opinions. It was great to hear children using ‘because, so, if, but and although’ to extend their answers. They were interested to see that the children have a similar climbing frame but that only the boys were climbing on it. They also had a similar uniform to us and the same writing pencils! We noticed that they were studying Geography and that they had the same letters above the chalkboard. Some big differences were the lack of equipment such as computers and interactive whiteboards. We noticed that some children had to do PE without shoes. Once again, it was lovely to share some thoughtful conversations with Beech class.

In Music, we have been practising singing this week. We learnt how to sing along to a backing track, and then compared this to following a vocal track on YouTube. After some practise, we decided it was much better using the backing track, as we could really showcase our voices. We also tried singing a song in difference keys in order to decide which was the most comfortable. Finally, we learnt how to hold a note without tailing off!  

Next week we are going to be inventing our own slime recipes before writing instructions.  Last time we got very messy so we will see if we can improve!  At the end of the week we are also going to be making edible slime which will be delicious, hopefully!  In maths we are going to be learning about temperature and mass.  We also going to be doing some junk modelling.  

Week Beginning 28.6.21 
This week we have completed our end of year assessments.  We are so very proud of every member of Beech class for their hard work and determination, not only during the assessments, but this entire year.

This week in Geography, we have been using aerial photos to compare a village in Zambia with North Tawton. We noticed that both areas have roads and rivers. We spotted the traditional and modern houses in Mugurameno by looking at the shape of the roofs. We noticed that North Tawton has a lot more facilities. We are lucky to have a place of worship, town hall, restaurants and shops. Both places had schools! Next week we will compare the schools!
Also this week, in RSE, we have been talking about the differences between male and female bodies this afternoon. We have learnt the proper names for parts of the body - which was a bit embarrassing at first, but after a fit of the giggles, I was really impressed with the whole class's attitude. We also talked about the different stages of the human life cycle from baby to old person.

In Music, we have been learning to play the glockenspiels. We noticed that the notes have letters and there is a high and low C. We tried making loud and quiet sounds, like raindrops falling. We also played Baby shark together! Some children had a go at improvisation. 

In line with the RSE (relationships and sex education) curriculum for Key Stage one, we have been talking about the differences between male and female bodies. We have learnt the proper names for parts of the body - which was a bit embarrassing at first, but we were very impressed the whole class's attitude. We also talked about the different stages of the human life cycle from a baby to an old person.  We drew a picture of what we might look like when we are an adult and as an older person.

In P.E with Mr strong we had lots of fun practising for sport's day.  Friday afternoon we had enormous fun  making slime! At times it was very messy and the classroom looked we had been paint balling! However we had lots of laughs and it was certainly memorable.  Our last Literacy topic is all about slime and if today is anything to go by, we are certainly going to enjoy ourselves!

Next week we are going to be learning about measures in maths and continuing with our topic work.

Week Beginning 21.6.21 
Time is going so quickly in Beech class as we reach the end of another week.  In Maths we have continued learning about time. We have learnt the time to the nearest five minutes using the words 'past' and 'to' but we haven't learnt digital time yet. We have been working out how much time has past by counting in jumps of five minutes. We noticed that a clock is a numberline. We have also recapped the four operations  - both mental and written calculations. It's great to see how much our place value and number sense has improved over the year! 

In Literacy we invented our own stories based upon 'Lila and the Rain.'  We decided that a great snow storm had come to North Tawton and had sent the scorching sun away.  It was up to us to unfreeze the village by going to some of the landmarks within the local area for example the highest Tor in Dartmoor or the clock tower in the center of the village.  We were all able use extended noun phrases and a range of conjunctions to make our stories more interesting.    

In Geography, we have been comparing traditional and modern houses in a Zambian village and North Tawton.  We studied photos of houses from both locations. We noticed that both traditional houses were thatched. The big difference between our houses and those in Zambia were that we have running water, central heating and electricity. The person who showed us around their house in Zambia had to use batteries for power and a candle for light. One thing we had in common was the need for enough electricity to keep our gadgets powered up - people from both places love keeping in touch with others and listening to music! 

In science we looked at the importance of good hygiene.  We put pepper in water and saw what happened to it.  When then put soap on our fingers and compared what happened to the pepper.  It showed us the importance of using soap to remove germs from our hands.

Next week in assessment week and we know everyone is going to try their very best.  In the afternoons we are going to be continuing with our geography and science topics.  

Week Beginning 14.6.21 
We have had another busy but enjoyable week in Beech class!  In maths we have continued to learn to tell the time and can show and tell the time confidently to half past, quarter to and quarter past.  We also know how to tell the time past the hour.  We all found telling the time to the hour quite tricky especially reading the minute hand.  It is really important that we keep practising at home and at school so we can embed this necessary skill.

In Literacy this week we had lots of fun role playing scenes from our book 'Lila and the Rain.'  We freeze framed key points in the story, exploring characters' thoughts and feelings.  From this we then changed the problem that Lila encountered.  After carefully planned a new version before writing incredible stories.  On Friday we edited and improved our writing using thesaurus to help up level our adjectives.  Some extracts from our writing can be seen below.  Next week we are going to continue to link to our geography topic, contrasting localities, and write a story based in our local area.  

In science this week we had enormous fun continuing with our health and wellbeing topic by devising exercise plans.  We compared our heart rate at the start and after each of the different exercises.  We also recorded how each of the exercises affected our bodies and the reasons why. We found some of the exercises had greater impact on our bodies than others.   Next week we are going to look at the importance of good hygiene.  

In the afternoons we have also been making tally charts and inputting the data into an online pictograph.  We practised labelling each item carefully.  Next we collected data about pets to make block charts.  We discovered the most popular pet was a dog and the least common were guinea pigs and hamsters.  We used J2 data to make our block charts.  

Week Beginning 07.6.21 
We have had a busy but very enjoyable first week back.  In Literacy we started a new book called 'Lila and the Rain.'  We used the book to create a map of Lila's village in Kenya and used thesaurus to up level our adjectives to describe the different parts of the map.  From this we then wrote a description of the setting making sure we used all the words we had found.  

In maths this week we have been learning to tell the time and have played lots of games to support our learning.  We are all able to confidently tell the time when it shows o'clock and half past.  We were also able to find one hour earlier and later from a given time.  We also learnt to find half an hour earlier or later although this was tricker and we will need some more practice next week.  Telling the time is a really important skill so we need to keep practising at home!

We have had lots of fun in the afternoons learning about health and well-being.  First we investigated the types of food we should be eating.  Next we found how much fat and sugar there are in our favourite treats.  We carefully measured the amount of sugar in each product and compared the amounts.  We were very shocked by the amount of sugar in some of our favourite foods.  We then learnt about the importance of good dental care.  We used 'Fred' the giant teeth and his friends to learn how to brush correctly.  We also put a hard boiled egg in coke and left it for 24 hours.  We couldn't believe that the shell peeled away so easily after it came out of the coke.  It really showed us the importance of brushing our teeth.  Finally we looked at the importance of different types of exercises and the impact on our bodies for example yoga to help keep us flexible so we can move easily without any pain.  Most of all we decided that exercises should be fun and we had lots of fun trying out different exercise on the trim trail!  

In P.E with Mr Strong we have started our athletics topic.  This week we learnt how to throw a javelin.  One member of our class managed to throw it the entire length of the playground!  We are going to be continuing to learn new skills this week in preparation for our sports day.  

Next week we are going to be writing new stories based upon 'Lila and the Rain' and are going to be continuing to learn to tell the time.  

Week Beginning 24.5.21 
We have had a very busy week to finish off a very busy half term!  In Literacy we continued with our writing from last week and wrote descriptions about different aspects of our oceans for example coral reefs.  We also wrote about the impact of humans on our oceans in particular the impact of plastic.  We finished our writing by telling the reader what they can do to save our seas.  On Friday we turned into David Attenborough and recorded parts of writing to create our very own addition of 'Blue Planet.'

In Maths, we have been learning about position and direction. We have been using the words ‘forwards, backwards, left, right and a quarter turn’. Most of us have learnt our left and right, but this is still something to practise at home! We have also learning how to write programs for the Beebots. First we wrote a set of instructions using  ↑ ↓ → ← (this is an algorithm). Next, we programmed the instructions into the Beebot to make it move around a set of obstacles. Parents may remember carpet robots when they were at school – very little has changed in that respect apart from the computational language that we now use! Programming Beebots is the first step towards the more complicated Scratch programming that children will learn in KS2.  

We have been learning how to play B and A notes on the recorder. We have also learnt about the different musical notes and their time values. We enjoyed an online percussion lesson with some very talented musicians on Monday afternoon. They showed us how to play the vibraphone and marimba – explaining the way the damper bar works. The musicians played a medley of Disney tunes and challenged us to name each tune. They also playing ‘Baggy Trousers’ by Madness and we had a great dance! Finally, we joined in with some call and response on our percussion instruments.

In RE, we have been learning about the special places, people, books, leaders, symbols and practises of the Jewish faith. We have compared these to similar special things in Christianity and in our own lives. We’ve also remembered the things we learnt about Islam last term and found similarities and differences between all three faiths. We shared an interesting conversation about how we might remember special people in a personal way.  We also linked our RE to our other topic work and researched important people within the Jewish faith.  

We also completed our P.E topic which focused on batting, throwing and catching.  We applied our skills to cricket and had enormous fun trying to knock down wickets.  We definitely have the next Stuart Broad and Heather Knight in our class!

Next term we are going to be learning all about Zambia and Kenya through a story called 'Lila and the Rain.'  In science we are going to be investigating life cycles and the importance of staying healthy which also links to our PSHE topic 'health and wellbeing.'    We also have lots of fun things planned to ensure our last term in KS1 is memorable!  

Week Beginning 18.5.21 
This week in Literacy, we have been reading and writing all about Jacques Cousteau. We have been using expanded noun phrases and conjunctions to write very descriptively about deep sea diving. We enjoyed describing all the sea creatures that Jacques may have come face to face with! On Friday we watched a clip about how the Earth looks from international space station and from the moon.  We used the writing we have been doing this week to write incredible noun phrases about the Earth.  Next week we are going to be diving further into the sea before filming our very own version of Blue Planet.  

In maths we have been using different methods to take away.  We are all now very confident and using number lines and can count forwards and backwards in multiples of tens and ones.  We are also able to bridge through ten for example 54 - 27 we were able to take away 4, then 3 before taking away 20.  We were able to apply our knowledge to dive deeper questions.  

Last week in Art, we experimented with modelling small figures. This week, we have been learning how to draw facial expressions. We learnt that the eyebrows, eyes and mouth convey the most emotions. We created different expressions by differing these features. We looked at some famous Pop Art and learnt a little bit about comic book art. We sketched our own portraits and then made a number of copies which we then coloured in the style of Andy Warhol! 

We have also continued with our explorer topic by focusing on Ibn Battuta.  We mapped his exploration and found interesting facts.  We found it quite surprising that he had ten wives!  We looked the evidence left behind which ensures we know all about him and also why he is remembered.  We then made a time line to show where he fitted with other famous explorers and found facts about each one.  In groups we discussed where would would like to explore and why we would like to go there.  

Week Beginning 11.5.21 
We have had another busy week in Beech Class!  In Literacy this week, we have started reading about Jacques Cousteau, linking to our topic work on explorers. As a starting point, we thought about what it might be like to travel down a river on a boat. We imagined the rocking of the boat and the feeling of water splashing on our faces. We always try to make our lessons as immersive as possible - so some of us got a bit wet!  We also found many examples of expanded noun phrases and used these in our writing about fish and plants living in the deep, blue sea.  

In maths we have been focusing on addition and subtraction.  We used fact families to write associated number sentences and our mental maths skills to investigate whether statements were true or false.  We also used the greater than and less than symbol to show which of our answers was bigger or smaller.  On Friday we also added using number lines.  We were all really good at adding tens to any number!

In the afternoons, we have been modelling with wire. We made a small figure on day 1 and then thought about how we could improve it the next day. We used extra wool and wire to strengthen the body. We decided that modelling with wire is fun because we can make lots of small adjustments.

We have also been learning about the equipment used by Robert Falcon Scott and Earnest Shackleton.  We learnt that Scott preferred to wear wooden goggles - to protect his eyes from the blinding sun. Scott and Shackleton would have had to wear lots of layers with a heavy coat on top. They would have had buttons in stead of zips and velcro. While their clothes were much heavier, they were much less insulating and extremely hard to move in. These days Arctic explorers wear very light down coats which trap the body heat very effectively. 

On Friday we also participated in the whole school event 'Pyjamaram"  We got to wear our pyjamas to school and listened to lots of stories.  We wrote book reviews to help our friends choose their next book and we made book marks.  We also read extracts from our favourite books.  

Next week we are going to be continuing with our explorer topic that we are very much enjoying.  
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Week Beginning 4.5.21
This week we been especially focusing upon our writing.  We continued to gather facts about Ernest Shackleton and looked at pictures of his adventures.  From this we wrote the most incredible biographies that were not only bursting with facts but also used ambitious vocabulary, a range of sentence openers and accurate punctuation.  We were so very proud of ourselves! On Friday we edited our writing by improving sentences and correcting any spelling mistakes.  We also published a piece of our writing using the computers.  We were all inspired by Shackleton's motto, "difficulties are just things to overcome." We discussed how when we find things hard we shouldn't give up and keep dreaming, just like he did.  

In maths we applied the four operations to problems involving length.  It has been a little while since we used the more formal methods for addition and subtraction and we got a little bit muddled.  Next week we are going to go back and focus on addition and subtraction to build our confidence once more.  We were however, able to apply our multiplication and division skills to a range of problems including ones that had more than one step.  We also all remembered how to find fractions of numbers from the previous weeks which was really great.  

In the afternoons we have been investigating other important explorers for example Christopher Columbus. We also looked at Walter Raleigh who was born in Devon like many of us!  On a map we plotted where each explorer went and the dates they travelled.  Everyone had so many interesting questions about all sorts of things related to the different time periods and we had lots of interesting discussions.  From this we focused on Ibn Buttan and where he went.  We planned what we would take on a expedition and why it would needed for example book to record the adventure. 

Next week in literacy we are going to be learning about Jacques Cousteau and in the afternoon we are going to be continuing to learn about Ibn Buttan.  We are also looking forward to next Friday when we can wear our pjs to school and read lots of wonderful stories.

Week Beginning 25.4.21
​We have had another very busy week in Beech class!  In Literacy, we have been finding out lots of information about Amelia Earhart. We enjoyed using the highlighters to mark the important information. We made lots of notes which helped us when writing biographies.  Our biographies were very interesting with much improved sentence structure and vocabulary choices.  On Friday we started to research another explorer, Ernest Shackleton, in preparation for our writing next week.  In the afternoon we took inspiration from the illustrator of 'Little People, Big Dreams', Olivia Holden, and recreated our own islands.  We thought about adjectives to describe what our island would be like and used natural materials that we had found during our Captain Tom challenge.

In Maths, we have been measuring in centimetres and metres. We found making accurate measurements a bit tricky, especially when the object was more than one metre. We had to put our finger at the end of the metre stick and then move the stick to measure the next metre. We practised this a lot up and down the hallway! We learnt how to use a trundle wheel and measured the tennis courts.  We then compared and ordered items in the classroom.  We even ordered ourselves from the shortest to the longest.  

In Science, we have continued to learn all about plants and trees. We have been naming the parts of flowers and trees, and describing what each part does. We have been testing the conditions needed for germination and trying to investigate what plants need to stay alive. Over the weekend, we left one plant without water, and made sure that the other plant had plenty. The dry  plant looked a bit sorry for itself after a few days.  Unfortunately we didn't complete a fair test as some our plants in the dark had light! 

We also took part in the 100 challenge for Captain Tom.  Linking with our science and maths work, we found 100 items from nature and then put them all in line before measuring the total length.  Some of the items were really small for example a leaf and some were really big such as tree branch.  To make it even more or a challenge we split into two teams to see who could make the longest line. The total length of the girls' items was 60m and the total length of the boys' items was 66m.

Next week we are going to be continuing learning about explorers in our Literacy and history lessons.  In maths we are going to be apply our knowledge of measure to the four operations.  

Week Beginning 18.4.21
It was lovely to welcome all the children back and hear about their holidays.  In class we have started a new text, ‘Little People, Big Dreams Amelia Earhart’ and everyone is really enjoying it.  We imagined we were Amelia and used role play and freeze frames to recreate her life.  From this we wrote a class timeline showing the key events.  We then watched a video showing her taking off on her final voyage before writing eyewitness accounts. Our writing has really improved as we were are using precise and ambitious vocabulary.   In maths this week we finished learning about fractions and were able to apply our knowledge to a range of problems.  We are all very confident and using our oral rehearsal to help us understand what we are doing and why.  
 
 We’ve been doing lots of Science this week. On Monday, we learnt all about the different ways seeds find their own space to grow. They can be blown by the wind, carried on water or via animals and some seedpods explode to throw the seeds a distance from the plant. We designed our own seedpods and tested how far they could be blown by the wind - the winningdesigns were by George, Marnie and Ashton.

What’s inside a broad bean? On Tuesday, we soaked the broad beans in water over night. We noticed that the seed coats split and came off easily.Inside, there was a yellow part. This is food for the baby seed. We spotted the seed embryo, which was very tiny and pointed. The seed embryo will grow into the shoot and root. We had lots of fun using the magnifying glasses!

On Wednesday, we looked at different types of seed - pea, sweet corn,runner bean, broad bean, coriander, tomato and some flower seeds. They were all different sizes! We talked about the conditions needed for a seed to germinate and set up a test together. We planted 10 runner bean seeds,changing the conditions for each one. The factors we have changed are light,water, soil and temperature.

What do plants need to live?  On Thursday we investigated the importance of leaves and roots to a plant’s survival.  We planted strawberries and changed their conditions to find out which is the optimum condition for growing.  

On Friday we had enormous fun pretending to be bees!  We made attractive flowers and bees for our fingers.  We went from flower to flower spreading pollen (Wotsits) just like real bees!  
 
Next week we are going to be continuing to learn about Amelia Earhart and we are excited to see the results of all our science experiments.

Week Beginning 29.3.21
We have had a very a busy last week!  In Literacy we used our imagination to write stories based on 'The Disgusting Sandwich.'  The unfortunate animals got into all sorts of trouble with their food item ending up in swamps, the darkest depths of the sea, muddy puddles and many other places.  Some of the animals in the stories even ended up being dinner for another creature!  

In maths we continued our work on fractions as we moved to investigate non-unit fractions.  By the end of the week  we were even able to apply our knowledge to finding non-unit fractions of Easter eggs!

We have been throughly enjoying our P.E lessons with our new P.E teacher.  We have participated in lots of games that have not only strengthened our hand eye co-ordination but also our team work skills.  We really enjoyed working as a team to try and knock over all the cones!  In the afternoons we have also continued learning about the Easter story and Spring.  We had enormous fun in the nature garden again not only looking for signs of spring but also playing with our friends.  We also had a discussion about the Easter story and made Easter baskets with some Easter treats.

We are so proud of everyone in our class for the resilience and enthusiasm they have shown since returning to school.  Everyone has worked hard and tried their very best which is why all of Beech Class was our Learner of the Week!

Week Beginning 22.3.21
We have been learning about the Easter story in RE this week. We tried to spot Judas in the painting The Last Supper. The children had some good ideas about which person he was in the end though we had to Google it! We also learnt about Palm Sunday and watched a short film about Dan the Donkey - which explained about the parade Jesus took through Jerusalem. Although only Year 2, Beech class have been mature when talking about religion- they know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that respect of each others believes is an important British value. We had some fun acting out both the Palm Sunday parade and the Last Supper (everyone wanted to be the donkey and Judas).  We also had a discussion about the importance of Jesus' words at the  Last Supper.  We then created friendship flowers with each petal showing a different quality that like about us.  

We are learning also about why Easter is important to Christians. We talked about new life and the changes we can see around us in Spring. We had a great time looking for signs of new life in the nature garden! We also had lots of fun playing outside with our friends. We have been rolling, jumping, running and chasing! We are so happy to be altogether again!  In celebration we planted either a sweet pea or a pea in pots that we had made ourselves out of newspaper.  Once the shoot grows we can then plant these in our garden as the pots are biodegradable.  

In Literacy, we have continued reading and retelling the story of the disgusting sandwich. The children really enjoyed all the revolting adjectives and came up with lots if their own!  They have also got much better at editing and improving their writing and used dictionaries and word maps to help correct any spelling mistakes.  

In maths we have continued learning about fractions.  We all understand the difference between the denominator and the numerator and able to apply this to halves, quarters and thirds.  We also wrote really clear explanations about why fractions should have equal parts.

Next week we are going to be continuing with our work on Fractions and we are going to be writing our own version of the Disgusting Sandwich.  We are also going to do some Easter craft activities before we finish for the holidays.  

Week Beginning 15.3.21
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This week in Maths, we started learning about fractions . It’s interesting how division helps us to understand fractions. We practised sharing counters into equal groups - this helped us understand halves. We also talked about equal shares of shapes.......pizzas, cakes, anything delicious!  By the end of the week we were able to write precise explanations which demonstrated our knowledge and understanding.  In Literacy we have started a new book called 'The Disgusting Sandwich' which we are very much enjoying.  We used our acting skills to retell the and discussed at which point in the story we not eat the sandwich.  One member of our class said they would eat it with sand on it because it is called a sandwich after all!  We have also focused on developing our proof-reading skills, ensuring our spelling, punctuation and grammar are correct.  

In our Wider Curriculum lesson, we have been learning about hot and cold countries. We have naming continents, countries, poles and the Equator. On Monday, we actively gathered lots of information about Antarctica! On Tuesday, we learnt about how people, animals and plants survive in the desert. Wednesday we learnt that rainforests are very dense and have a number of layers. We learnt that they are close to the equator like deserts. Deserts are dry and hot, whereas rainforests are wet and hot. Antarctica is cold and dry. In some places it hasn’t rained for over 2 million years.  On Thursday we investigated how animals have adapted to their environment and created a new animal that could live in either a hot or a cold country.  We are learning so much about hot and cold places!  On Friday we took part in the cross-country challenge and everyone ran a whole mile!  We were very proud of our certificates.

Next week we are going to be continuing learning about fractions and are going to be writing stories based upon 'The Disgusting Sandwich.'  We are also going to be looking at why Christians celebrate Easter.  Next week we are going to be revising Set 3 sounds in spelling as we are able to read them confidently but are not applying these to our writing.  

Here are some photographs from this week.  There are lots more on our Class Dojo page.  

Week Beginning 08.3.21
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​We were delighted to welcome all the children back to Beech Class.  The children have all settled back into school really well and have had lots of fun completing a wide range of activities including those that supported our mental wellbeing.   In Literacy we linked our home learning to our writing and children brought in lots of facts to share about an animal from a hot country.  From this we wrote interesting reports and painted some amazing watercolor pictures of our chosen animal.  In maths we completed a range of activities that involved going outside and using musical instruments for place value and adding.
 
This week we were also fortunate to work with the Dartmoor Ogden Partnership who provided us with the equipment to make rocket cars.  Firstly we had to make the cars ensuring that the axel and the wheels were straight and the cap was screwed on tightly!  Next came the fun part!  Using a bicycle pump, we pumped air into the bottles and then tested to see how far they could travel.   Lots went whoosing down the corridor although some liked to bump into the walls!

It has been a really great week back and we are looking forward to all the interesting and fun activities we have planned for next week.   

Week Beginning 01.3.21

​This week we have completed, what we hope is the very last, week of home learning and CWC.   We have been learning all about 3D shapes. We learnt the difference between a flat shape and a 3D shape and we started describing 3D shapes according to the number of edges, faces and vertices. We also looked at repeating patterns, made 3D shapes with the polydron and with playdoh and straws. In Literacy we have continued to learn about reports. We used all the information we found last week to write leaflets about Emperor penguins.  We edited and improved these before using our compute skills to publish them. In the afternoons, we learnt lots of new words for a range of emotions. In our topic work, we are learning about hot and cold places.  We discovered that penguins and polar bears are from different poles and that there is an aurora in the South Pole, like the North Pole! We also celebrated World Book Day and dressed up as our favourite book character.  We had great fun guessing who everyone was   We shared stories and made a book character from a tube.  In our final week of learning apart, we spent some time this week chatting online – it was so great to catch up with our friends! We are very much looking forward to being together as a class next week.  

Week Beginning 22.2.21

This week we have been learning all about 2D shapes in Maths. We have learnt how to spot vertical and horizontal lines of symmetry and we noticed that some shapes have lots of lines of symmetry. We have been making patterns with shapes.  In Literacy we have been reading reports all about Penguins and learning how to extend our sentences.  We have continued to practice our cursive and pre-cursive writing and we have revised different ways to write the sound /j/.   We created beautiful hare collages using some colourful wallpaper. We have been programming Beebots to follow simple pathways through mazes and maps. We also practised being robots in the playground and following a simple set of instructions.  From this we created maps with instructions to find buried treasure.   It was lovely to catch up with home learners over Google meet, and some children who had not seen each other for a while were able to have a chat.  Our home learners have continued to work very hard and we are looking forward to when we are all back together.   

Week Beginning 8.2.21

This week we have been reading the Shoemaker and the Elves, and developing our descriptive writing by using pairs of adjectives. We are really good at spotting and using adjectives but still need to think about using better words  - for example ‘enormous’ instead of ‘big’. We also wrote a postcard imagining what the elves did once they had left the workshop.  We are continuing to practice our cursive and pre-cursive writing and we learning about soft ‘c’ in our spellings – fancy, race, nice. In Maths we are learning about 2D and 3D shapes.  We were able to apply our knowledge of shapes to a range of problems.  In the afternoons, we have been doing lots of arts, crafts and some junk modelling. We have been using watercolours , masking tape and wax crayons to create different effects.  We made marble runs and catapults and even had a competition to see which catapult could fire the furthest!  We have also made many objects associated with Chinese New Year and wrote our name using Chinese characters.  Our home learners have also been very busy this week completing their work to a very high standard. It has been a very strange half term but the class have shown enormous resilience. We are incredibly proud of every child in our class.  ​

Week Beginning 1.2.21
 This week, we have been looking at performance poetry based on the Great Fire of London.  We have investigated rhyming and sound within poems.  We recreated the sound of the fire and the gunpowder.  We also devised actions and changed our voices when performing poems.  We watched poems performed by Michael Rosen to inspire us.  At the end of the week we wrote incredible poems all about the Great Fire of London, taking into account all that we have learnt.  We definitely have the next Michael Rosen in our class!  In mathematics we begun looking at data handling.  We are now very confident at interpreting tally charts.  We also applied our knowledge of multiplication to pictograms.  We have continued to have lots of fun with our science experiments.  We devised an absorbency test to see which material absorbed the most water.  We also sorted materials into natural or human-made.  We used this knowledge to make a chair from junk modelling which could hold a 1kg weight.  All our chairs were very sturdy and survived the test!  Finally this week we have also been involved in many activities for mental health week, dress to express.  As part of our activities we discussed why it was important to look after ourselves and what makes us happy.  Our home learners have continued to join us on our Zoom lessons and are continuing to work incredibly hard.  

Week Beginning 25.1.21
This week, we have become really confident with the ÷ symbol. We already understand grouping and sharing and have done lots of practise with counters. We can now tackle more abstract maths using the ÷ symbol. Learning how to use the division symbol has meant that we can get higher scores on Times Tables Rock Stars! In Literacy we have continued to write interesting diary entries but this time about an important event within our own lives.  We have also been investigating verbs in the past progressive form.  In the afternoons we have been doing Science - learning all about the properties of different materials and their uses in the real world. We had a lot of fun testing different materials for a hamster cage. Instead of using our teeth like a hamster, we used a nail file to recreate the chewing action. We enjoyed testing the polystyrene as it looked like it had snowed in Beech class.  Another investigation we conducted was to test which material made the best umbrella. Beech class were very careful to ensure they carried out a fair test.   We have also continued learning the ukulele. We are getting really good at 'My Dog Has Fleas' and have started strumming a C chord. We have learnt about beats and rests.  The home learners have continued to join us everyday for our Zoom Literacy lessons and they have contributed many ideas.  They are working incredibly hard and we are so proud of the work that they have produced.  ​

Week beginning 18.1.21

This week we have carried on our learning about the Great Fire of London. We have looked at how the fire spread so quickly and why it was so difficult to put out. We have compared the equipment used by the fire brigade now and in 1666.  We have learnt that the famous diarist Samuel Pepys buried his parmesan cheese and wine in the garden to protect it from the fire. We have explored colour mixing with water colour paints to create a flame effect. We have overlaid a silhouette of Tudor houses. In Maths, we have begun looking at division. We are sharing and grouping counters. In Literacy, we have continued with our diary writing. Home learners have been baking bread and painting watercolour pictures too. We are getting good at unmuting ourselves during a zoom lesson, so that everyone gets a turn to share their ideas!

Week beginning 11.1.21
We have learning been all about the Great Fire of London this week and were able to interview Thomas Farrinor, who popped into Beech class to say hello. He told us all about his bread over and how the fire may have started. We learnt about how houses were built and what they were made in 1666. We designed and made our own Tudor houses, with beams and straw roofs. We have also started learning the ukuleles this week. In Maths, we have been continuing to learn all about multiplication and linking our learning to real problems. We have been writing diary entries in the style of Samuel Pepys in Literacy. The children who are home learning have been joining us everyday for Literacy lessons and to share our work at the end of the day.