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OAK CLASS 2021.2022

SPRING TERM 2022

WB 21.02.22

What a busy first week back - So busy, we forgot to take lots of pictures!

In English this week we have been recapping the key features of a newspaper and finding out information about Skara Brae. The children were so intrigued by this Neolithic village and had lots of interesting questions that we found out answers to such as 'Why were their doors so small?' and 'Where did they sleep?'

In Maths we have been looking at statistics and data. The children looked at tally charts, pictograms, tables and block diagrams/bar charts. We used practical activities such as a bottle cap toss, squat challenges and tower building to collect data which we then presented in a variety of ways. The children also had some recapping about telling the time to the hour and half hour as we will be coming to this in the summer term.

In Science this week, the Year 2 children used their forest school time to design and construct a boat. Their aim was to make sure the boat could float and would move in water. We then evaluated our boats and thought about what went well and what we might improve next time. Year 3 completed their KWL for our new topic of Forces and Magnets. The children knew a lot more about forces and magnets than they thought and came up with some really interesting questions that they would like to investigate in this unit.

Our Geography this week focused on map skills to locate prehistoric monuments and settlements in the UK. We first identified the landmarks using aerial view pictures and then used atlases to find their location in the UK. We spoke lots about the different reasons that people may have chosen certain areas to set up settlement e.g. proximity to water, fertile land, advantage viewpoints on a hill.

WB 07.02.22

This week in Maths, we have been consolidating our learning of multiplication and division and applying this to problem solving. Year 2 have continued to hone in on their 2/5/10 times tables and division facts while YR3 have focused on 3/4/8.

In English, we have recapped prior learning SPaG and learnt about new ideas. We all looked at homophones and working hard to choose the correct spelling. We played games of homophone snap and used the pictures to help work out which spelling matched which meaning. YR2 have learnt about how to use apostrophes for possession and contractions, using fly swatters to match the corrected contractions and non-contracted phrases. YR3 looked at word families and how to change a word using a prefix or suffix. We have also used a spelling carousel to help learn and practice some of the trickier spelling rules e.g. using -le or -el, the 'j' sound written as -ge or -dge and making plurals with ies.

Safer Internet Day on Tuesday was wonderful and the children we able to write, type and digitally illustrate their own poem or short story about staying safe on the internet. We spoke lots about how it is so important to have a balance of online and offline activities in our lives. We thought about why screens are so important in our day to day lives but also how lovely it is to just go outside and play!

Linking to our fables work in English last week, in RE we have looked at the story of The Crying Camel and The Boy Who Threw Stones At Trees. We discussed how Muslims can learn lessons from these stories in the Quran about being kind to animals and the environment. In Art we also used different techniques to experiment with creating colour which the children loved!

WB 31.01.22

This week in Maths, Year 2 have been consolidating their understanding of multiplying and dividing by 2/5/10. We also spent time practicing subtraction and identifying and filling some of the gaps in learning we have. Year 3 have been partitioning in order to divide two-digit numbers by one digit numbers. We also looked a different methods for dividing when we have a remainder.

In English, we wrote and edited our own fables. We spent a lesson thinking about our characters and setting, and another planning the plot of our story. We found this quite tricky to get a moral across in our writing but we persevered and wrote some wonderful fables!

In Science, YR2 have been looked at the properties of materials and why certain materials are more suitable for objects that others. We thought about why some objects are made of multiple materials and how each material has a different property that makes it suitable. YR3 concluded their unit on fossils and rocks by finding out how soil is made and the 4 different soil formations.

In DT, we started to learn about roundhouses and drew and labeled a roundhouse and the key features. This will be part of our ongoing DT project. In PSHE, we looked at article 7 of the UN rights of the child which focuses on identity. We created our own coat of arms and thought about different parts of us which make up our unique identity. Finally, in Music, we used three different instruments to create an orchestra of music for our song. We also listened to and compared our song with the Status Quo classic ' Rocking All Over The World.'

WB 24.01.22

This week in Maths, we have been working on our division skills. Year 2 started the week by practically dividing numbers into equal groups using cubes or counters, we then moved on to using pictures and drawings to help us. We have ended the week by dividing using written methods and creating fact families for the 2/5/10 facts. Year 3 have been looking at different written methods of division for the 3/4/8 times tables.

In English, we have looked at a variety of fables and have identified the key features and learnt about morals. We compared the characters and plot of 'The Ant and The Grasshopper' and 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.' We then practiced comprehension style questions for 'The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse' or 'The North Wind and The Sun.' We ended the week by role playing our favourite fable and creating freeze frames to show each scene.

Our RE learning this week has focused on the story of Prophet Adam. We linked this to our knowledge of the bible and the story of Adam and Eve. We found out that Prophet Adam was the first human made by Allah out of the piles of soil. We learnt that Muslims believe that a jinn called Iblis tricked Adam into eating from the forbidden tree.

In Art, we used watercolours to create different tones of the primary colours. In Science, Year 3 found out the process of how fossils are created underground and how they are eventually found again. Year 2 worked on their data handling by creating a bar chart to show how many objects of each material they could see outside.

17.01.22

This week in Maths, YR2 have been consolidating their learning of odd/even numbers and multiplication using arrays and equal groups. YR3 have been practicing the 3/4/8 times tables and ended the week looking at multiplying 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers using a partitioning method. YR3 have been given an extra piece of homework this week to practice this skill. We ended the week by playing a game of 'hungry hippos!'

In English, we continued to work on Stone Age Boy. We planned and wrote instructions for either how to make a fire, how to make a spear or how to prepare meat. We focused on using imperative verbs and a variety of time connectives to make our instructions clear.

Year 3 completed an experiment about rocks this week in order to compare and group them by their properties. We tested how durable, how permeable, how dense and how soft/hard the stones were. Then we recorded our findings in a chart. YR2 have continued their learning about materials by finding objects that can be made of more than one material e.g. a ruler can be made from plastic or metal.

In PSHE, we thought about how to keep our bodies healthy. We sorted activities into groups to explore what we can do to keep our minds, hearts and muscles healthy. Our new unit in RE is Islam and we learnt about who Allah is and the Islamic creation story. We spoke about how this was similar and how it was different to the Christian version. Finally, in music, we continued to practice our recorder playing and learnt the words and actions to our new song. Have a lovely weekend!

WB 10.01.2022:

What a lovely but busy first week back! After the excitement of Grafham last week, the children have worked so hard. In Maths, we have started our unit on multiplication. We have looked at making arrays and equal groups before showing this as a multiplication. Year 2 have focused on groups of 2/5 and 10 while Year 3 have looked at groups of 3 - they particularly enjoyed the 'Uptown Funk' cover of counting in 3s to help them remember.

In English, we looked at the story 'Stone Age Boy.' We first polished our predicting skills before listening to the story and retelling it verbally using pictures and phrases to prompt our memories. We wrote diary entries in character as the boy from the text with a focus on describing our settings.

In Science, YR2 have started their topic on materials but finding different objects around the classroom and grouping them into different materials. YR3 have started their topic on rocks and fossils by learning about how the three different type of rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic) are formed.

In Geography, we practiced using an index in an atlas - The children were able to find locations using the index and then find it on the correct page too. We also wrote a diary extract in Exciting Writing from the POV of a hunter-gatherer, building on our learning from last week. We had lots of fun in PE using the mats for gymnastics. We concluded our week by perfecting and presenting PowerPoint Presentations about Stonehenge. The children worked hard last week to gather information and we found out lots of interesting facts! We had our first music lesson for the song 'I Wanna Play In A Band' and tried to learn the notes high C and G.

AUTUMN TERM 2021

WB 06.12.21

This week in English, we started to think about different types of poetry. We started the week looking at rhyme schemes and identifying these in different poems. We then moved on to planning and composing our own rhyming poems based around a season or animal. Most of us wrote poems with an AABB or ABAB rhyme scheme but some children challenge themselves with an ABCB rhyme scheme. We finished the week by looking at Haiku poems - the children were absolutely amazing at these!

In Maths, we have finished our unit on money and worked to create and find change using subtraction. This is quite a tricky concept for children to understand so it would be great if you could continue practicing at home to calculate totals and change.

We consolidated our learning about the Romans with another carousel of activities while some children finished painting their shields. We then had a pretend battle on the playground with rulers as swords! We also put our geography skills to use this week as we drew a map of the school using an agreed key. The children enjoyed looking at the symbols but found it tricky to draw a map of the school in the right proportions. We used our knowledge of compass points to work out which rooms needed to be at the top of our map.

The Year 3 children continued their French learning by singing 'Heads, shoulders, knees and toes' in French with actions and we all enjoyed some Christmas cosmic yoga this afternoon.

29.11.21:

This week in Maths we have mainly been looking at our tests papers to see if we can solve the trickier questions in pairs and spot our own mistakes. We have also continued our learning about money by refreshing our knowledge of coins and calculating change in our pretend shops!

In English this week, we have focused on spelling rules as this is a big area for improvement for the whole class. We also started to look at the key features of instructions and wrote our own instructions about how to complete an assessment in school.

In history, we have completed a few different activities to consolidate some of our learning as we are near the end of our Roman topic. We looked at Roman numerals, created a double-page non-chronological report about the Romans and ordered a timeline to see where the Romans fit in history! We completed these activities on a carousel as part of our exploration zone learning to try to build independence in learning.

Half of the class this week also practiced their ICT skills on a laptop while the others did forest school. This is such a key skill and Mrs Rose covered the basics like how to turn a laptop on, how to open the internet and how to browse safely online! You would be surprised at how many children try to touch the screen on a laptop, especially the younger ones!

It has been a very busy week, especially with our surprise visitors on Tuesday but the children worked really hard to show our visitors just how special our little school is!

22.11.21

Well done to everyone for getting through the first assessment week of the year. The children worked really hard to demonstrate their knowledge of Maths, Reading and SPaG and helped to identify areas for development. The children showed that they have learnt so much this year so far and are starting to fill lots of their Covid gaps. Give a super well done to your children for their determination and resilience.

In Art this week, we have looked at a sculpture by Antoni Guardi. We spoke about the different colours that we could see and tried to use more accurate shade colours e.g. cyan or sky instead of just blue. We then mixed colouring pencils to create shades of primary or secondary colours and match them to our colour chart. Afterwards, we used a viewfinder to focus on a smaller section of the sculpture. We tried to copy the style into our sketch books and colour them in using our new knowledge of colour shades.

In Topic we have been working hard on our Roman shields. Some children needed to finish planning their shield and creating a design and by the end of the week, we all started to make our shields. Some children started to draw their designs on a cardboard cut out, some started gluing string on to create a 3D effect, and some children even managed to paint their shields. We will continue this next week!

In PSHE, we focused on people who help us. We played a version of 'Guess Who' to familiarize ourselves with different people who help us. We thought about who we would most likely need in an emergency e.g. police or a paramedic, and who we might need to help us in a more general sense e.g. family, teachers.

In Science this week, we looked at how animals in different habitats depend on each other (YR2) and sun safety (YR3). YR2 thought about animals and plants depending on each other e.g. a squirrel needs an oak tree for shelter and food but an oak tree also needs a squirrel to spread acorn seeds. YR3 looked at the pros and cons of the sun and spoke about UV rays. We then designed our own sunglasses/sunhat to keep us safe.

15.11.21

Another busy week in Oak Class topped off with some great Children in Need fun! In English this week, we have been writing and editing our own chapter for a Jeremy Strong book. We have also been focusing on prefixes and suffixes to change the meaning of words or to change them to an adjective.

In Maths, we have moved onto money which has been a really successful topic as the children are very confident with recognizing coins and adding them together to make a total. We have worked practically with coins and had a competition at the end of the week to see which group could make an amount the most efficiently.

YR3 in Science have been looking at mirrors and reflections as part of our light topic. We spent an afternoon completing mirror challenges to think about how a smooth surface reflects light. YR2 have looked at food chains and identified producers, consumers, prey and predators as well as herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. We spoke about how humans are omnivores, however not always as some people choose a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.

For Topic this week, we looked at the different roles in Roman society and then created a short drama piece to show this. We looked at emperors, slaves and gladiators mainly and focused on using our body language to covey power.

08.11.21

In English this week we have continued to compare the two stories by Jeremy Strong and have finished the week by planning a new ending to either The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog or My Dad's Got an Alligator! Our learning has focused on expanded noun phrases, subordinating conjunctions and sequencing key events. I am looking forward to reading the children's stories next week!

In Maths, we have been consolidating our understanding of subtraction using number lines and place value charts. Some of the children were even confident enough to subtract using column method. We ended the week by playing a dice rolling game where the children had to roll a dice three times, add together the 3 1-digit numbers and see who made the largest number. This was a definite hit!

In Science, Year 2 have continued our topic of living things and habitats. We have thought about items that are living, dead or never alive and explored how we can work this out based on MRSGREN. The children have tried hard to remember the acronym for movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion and nutrients. Year 3 have continued to look at light and dark. We conducted an experiment with a felt bag to see if we could guess the objects without a light source present. We spoke about natural and artificial light and how it affects our vision.

Finally, in RE, we have looked at the miracles of Jesus with a focus on healing a blind man. We sequenced the events and thought about what a miracle is and why these were so important to Jesus.

WB 01.11.21

This week in Maths we have been recapping addition using the column method. We used dienes to create numbers 2 and 3 digit numbers and drew a place value chart to help us remember when to exchange. We then moved onto using column method to show our working out. The children are really starting to understand this concept which is lovely to see!

In English, we have started to look at two Jeremy Strong books: The Hundred-Mile-an-Hour Dog and My Dad's Got an Alligator. So far we have read up to Chapter 4 in each book. We started the week by predicting what might happen in each text and comparing the first chapters. We then completed some comprehension style questions to improve our retrieval and inference skills. We created freeze frames in a drama lesson to reflect the key phrases in a chapter and then used this to write down our thoughts using speech marks (pictures below). Finally, we looked at different types of sentences and tried to find exclamations and questions in a chapter before writing statements, command, exclamations and questions of our own.

In Science, we looked at nutrition for animals including humans and thought about the different food groups that we need to eat from in order to stay healthy. Year 3 took this one step further and looked at the different nutrients that we need. The children really enjoyed this lesson and it sparked a long conversation about what is healthy and what happens if you are not eating a balanced diet.

In Forest School, Mrs Tickle took half of the class to look at pumpkins and they spent some time picking out the seeds to be planted again. The other half of the class created a beautiful rangoli pattern for Diwali using rice.

WB 11.10.21

Sharing musical videos has now become the highlight of my weekly update! This week in Music, we composed our own songs on the glockenspiel using the notes G, A, B and C. The children were very clever and even wrote their song down on sheet music using the notes. In topic this week, we have either been designing our own Roman shield to create after half term or we have been researching a Roman invention that changed modern day.

In English this week, we have started to look at diaries and the life of Boudicca. We focused on key features that we will include in our writing next week. We have also been focusing more on editing, starting the week by editing our narrative stories.

In Maths, Year 3 have continued their work on the column method for adding and subtracting 2- and 3- digit numbers. Year 2 have been using our knowledge of number bonds to work out addition and subtraction questions with a focus on 10s.

In Science, we worked in groups to create a human body filled with organs, muscles and bones.

In light of World Mental Health Day last Sunday, we have also looked at what mental health is and how we can look after ours. We spoke about mental health and physical health being equally important as each other and reminding ourselves that when we are poorly (mentally or physically) we need to rest. 

WB 04.10.21

In Maths this week we have started our new unit on addition and subtraction. The Year Two children have focused on number bonds to 10/20 and adding and subtracting up to 20. Year 3 have started to recap using the column method to add 2 and 3-digit numbers and subtracting 2 and 3-digit numbers without regrouping. In English, we have planned and written our own stories based on a familiar setting. We have tried really hard to follow a basic structure of a story and to include expanded noun phrases and adverbs in our writing. To celebrate Black History Month, Oak Class have looked at some important black people throughout history and created information sheets about them. We talked about why it was so important to discuss the achievements of people of colour, especially those who contributed so heavily to British society. In preparation for our harvest assembly on Thursday, we have also looked at the different types of foods that are harvested and why this time of year is so important to Christians. In topic, we looked at some Roman gods - the children particularly found the idea of cupid funny and had lots of funny suggestions about inanimate objects falling in love with each other! Finally, in PE this week, the children enjoyed some target practice games with Mrs G. To celebrate National Poetry Day on Thursday, we also read a poem that we had practiced for homework and even read some that we had written!

WB 27.09.21

In English this week we have continued looking at The Detective Dog. We focused on description and choosing high quality language. We created our own character and used expanded noun phrases and adverbs to describe them, as well as describing the familiar settings. In Maths, we have finished our final week on place value for now. The Year Two children looked at counting in 2s,5s, 10s and 3s from any given number and used this knowledge to solve word problems. Year Three children focused on using number lines to estimate numbers, and multiples of 50. To celebrate European Day of Languages, we found out some more information about the landmarks and culture of France and celebrated with some pain au chocolate at break time! In Science, we have continued by looking at the life cycle of certain animals and the function of skeletons. We looked at two well-known parables as told by Jesus in the bible - 'The Good Samaritan' and 'The Lost Sheep.' We then answered comprehension questions about the parables and thought about why Jesus chose this method to spread his message. We also picked our Golden Ticket winners for September - The children have been trying incredibly hard to earn golden tickets this month!

WB 20.09.21

This week in Oak Class has been another busy one! Half of the class enjoyed their first forest session of the year with Mrs Tickle and the other half will be taking part next week. As a class, Mrs Tickle asked us to pick an endangered animal that we wanted to help save and we decided to adopt a giant panda cub. We also had our first Science lessons this week with Year 2 focusing on animals and their babies and Year 3 looking at types of skeletons. The children were very confused by some baby animal names such as 'kid' being a baby goat. In Maths, we have continued to look at place value with a focus on more than, less than and equal to. In English, we started a unit of work based on the Julia Donaldson book The Detective Dog. We predicted what would happen in the book and created character descriptions before reading on. Year 3 also enjoyed their first French lesson, working on types of greetings!

WB 13.09.21

What a lovely week we have had in Oak Class! We are back to our usual timetable this week and have been very busy learning. On Monday afternoon, we finished our project on The Secret Sky Garden by planting our flowers near the sensory garden. In Maths we have been looking at place value, focusing on using dienes to make parts of a whole number. By the end of the week, we were able to use our knowledge to solve place value problems. In English, we have focused on SPaG, looking at using capital letters and full stops, word groups and practicing our thesaurus skills (something we found very tricky!) We have started our unit in RE and are looking at Jesus and why he was important. We have completed a growth mindset lesson this afternoon, thinking about how we can help a child with a fixed mindset. Our first music lesson was a blast and we practiced finding the pulse of a song and learnt the words and actions to a new song too. We also sadly said goodbye to Landon today but wish him the best of luck in America.

WB 06.09.21

What a brilliant first full week we have had! This week we have been looking at The Secret Sky Garden, and exploring the issue of littering. We made posters to encourage people to stop littering, and did our first piece of exciting writing persuading people to stop and telling them why it is bad. We spent some time outside where we focused on our senses and we drew what we could hear, see and smell and how it felt to be outside. We also started to plan a gardening session to try to create a garden as beautiful as Funni's. In line with our topic of The Roman Empire, we designed and created our own clay coins based on the Roman coins that we saw. We then painted them to make them look old and realistic. We created roman mosaics in different patterns and thought about how long it would have taken the Romans to make such enormous pieces of work!