OAK CLASS 2023 - 2024

We are made up of both Year 3 and Year 4 children. Our class teacher is Miss Chhibber and our teaching assistant is Mrs Rose. We are also lucky enough to have Mrs Tickle who will take the children for Forest School fortnightly. 

Weekly update - WB: 22.04.24

This week in Maths, Year 3 have been looking at mass, volume and capacity. We have spent time comparing, adding and subtracting and measuring in litres and millilitres as well as finishing off work on grams and kilograms. Year 4 have progressed to looking at hundredths, they have recognised hundredths as fractions, decimals and recognised them on a place value chart. In English, we have continued with our new story (still not knowing the name!), we have written descriptively about circus acts, written and drawn our predictions, discussed a new character and then written persuasively to encourage people to go and watch the magician Abdul Kazam!

In DT, we had our first lesson looking at microbits. We spent time experimenting with the microbits before we used devices to write a simple program to control LEDs. In Science, Year 3 enjoyed a Science/Forest School lesson with Mrs Tickle where they made mini compost bins. Year 4 completed an experiment with water in a bottle and pitch. We tested to see which volume of water in a bottle produced the highest pitch noise when blown. In Topic, we spent time exploring the origins of the Olympic games and Ancient Greek culture. We found out lots of strange but interesting facts about the original Olympics and discovered why they were cancelled. In PSHE we started our new unit looking at managing risks. We spent time discussing possible physical and emotional reactions to different risks. We enjoyed another sessions with our Hunts coach and experimented with the long jump. Both year groups also trialed using Duolingo as part of our French lessons this afternoon to boost our fluency. Year 3 looked at the story of 'le chien très gourmand' while Year 4 looked at months and seasons.

Weekly update - WB: 15.04.24

Welcome back to the Summer term! In Maths, Year 3 have been focusing on mass and have looked at reading scales, measuring in kilograms and grams and equivalent measurements. Year 4 have been looking at tenths - recognising them as fractions, decimals and on a place value chart and number line. In English, we have started our new book and have spent the week discussing the first few pages and characters, by completing character descriptions and freeze frames, but we still don't know the name of the book! In Exciting Writing, the children wrote part of a non-chronological report about Spring and early signs of the season. 

In Science, Year 4 looked at pitch by experimenting with musical instruments. We looked at the difference between pitch and volume and how the shape of keys in a glockenspiel changes the pitch. In Art we started our new unit focused on drawing, different shades, tones and textures. We used sketching pencils and charcoal to experiment with different shades that we will be using in our artwork this term. Also, we had our first session with Hunts where we are completing athletics activities. The children practiced different types of running and tried to coordinate their arm and leg movements to improve speed.  In RE we looked at our new enquiry question 'Why are places of worship important?' Miss Chhibber wanted to see if we already knew the names of places of worship and the associated religion so she quizzed us! We learned the names of the six world religions and their places of worship. We looked at our new Topic -Sports through time and we created our own Blooket quiz with information we researched. Mrs Rose helped the children with comprehension questions and went through how to find the answers in a text, especially when the answer requires detail. Finally, we spent time boosting our multiplication fluency by completing some code breaker activities.

Weekly update - WB: 18.03.24

This week in Maths, we have started to learn about fractions. We have thought about ordering and comparing, adding and subtracting and equivalent fractions. Year 4 have focused on mixed number fractions, using bar models to support them in working out whole numbers and remaining parts. Some Year 3 children also had to link their knowledge of equivalent fractions to adding and subtracting which challenged them quite a bit! In English, Miss Smithers has led some learning on persuasive adverts. We looked at features of a persuasive advert before looking closer at some of the features such as rhetorical questions, alliteration, subordinate clauses, lists of three, facts and imperative verbs. The children then planned and wrote a persuasive advert about India, thinking carefully about subheadings. In Science, Year 3 completed an experiment to explore more about the properties of different rocks whilst Year 4 focused on how sound travels through different materials. 

We enjoyed a visit from Genr8 who spoke to the children about how tricky it can be to say sorry, linking this to forgiveness and having a new start. In Art, the children tried embroidery using the back and running stitches. This links to our artist Gurjeet Singh who uses multimedia. In DT, we consolidated our recipes so that we can cook our own curries next week. In comprehension, Mrs Rose helped the children to practice answering 2 mark questions with enough detail and pulling one word directly from the text. For our last swimming session, the children loved float fun! 

Weekly update - WB: 11.03.24

This week has been British Science week so we have been completing lots of fun Science activities! The children conducted their own investigations, they were given the investigation question 'which biscuit is the most durable?' and they decided how to find out! Some children built towers, some dropped biscuits and others dunked biscuits. We also found out more about evolution and adaptation over time. We camouflaged moths and placed them around the classroom to see if they could be spotted by a predator. We did this a few times before discussing which characteristics the surviving moths had in comon and why we thought this was important. Also, we took part in the British Science Week Live lesson and completed activities alongside this. In Maths we have been focusing on fractions. The year 3s spent time recognising unit and non-unit fractions, how to make a whole and then placing fractions on a number line. The year 4s looked at fractions greater than one, how to count in fractions and then ended the week with how to find fractions of an amount. At the beginning of the week, the biscuits for our investigation mysteriously went missing, so we wrote newspaper reports based on this in Exciting Writing. In RE we discussed what the light at Hanukkah symbolises. In Computing, the children looked at repeated patterns when coding and how this can be used to create shapes. In our curriculum Science lessons, Year 3 started their new topic on rocks and fossils while Year 4 began working on sound. We were joined this afternoon by Year 5 to complete some computing and to design British Science Week posters. 

Weekly update - WB: 04.03.24

Another very busy week in Oak! This week, we spent the majority of our time completing assessments to check where the children are at with their learning and where we need to support them next. The children worked very hard as usual and enjoyed a lovely World Book Day to celebrate finishing their tests! We looked at the book 'The Black Book of Colours' which explored what colours were like from the perspective of a blind boy called Thomas. The children experienced the classroom without their sight, having a partner lead them from the corridor to their table space. We discussed what they could hear, smell (thankfully no awful smells!), and feel. We learned how to write in braille and the origin of it. Taking inspiration from the book, the children worked in pairs to create their own page. They wrote about colours using similes, translated a section into braille and used 3D pens to create matching artwork. 

In Science this week, Year 3 created magnetic games to finish our unit of work on forces and magnets whilst Year 4 created steady hand games to test their knowledge of electricity. Miss Smithers treated us to a topic lesson this week where the children used artificial henna to pipe mehndi patterns. We learned more about where henna comes from, why it is used and what some of the different patterns mean. In PSHE, we looked at youth campaigning against global warming and in Computing we wrote and tested algorithms, thinking about debugging incorrect coding. In DT, the children worked in their groups to write recipes for their own curries. They had to think about their equipment and ingredients before checking that their ingredients made sense. We continued to practice different strokes in swimming with some children working on water safety and confidence first. 

Weekly update - WB: 26.02.24

This week in English, Oak have been looking at celebration poems from around the world. We have focused on finding and creating imagery using expanded noun phrases, verbs and adverbs. The children started the week looking at the poem 'Carnival' and annotating key features of poetry including syllables, rhythm, rhyme, alliteration etc. We then split into smaller groups and looked at poems about Eid, St Patrick's Day, Trung Thu, Buddha Purnima and Chinese New year. Focusing on descriptive phrases, the children tried to create vivid imagery about Holi. Finally, the children collated their SPaG learning from the week to write their own acrostic poems about Diwali. In Maths this week, Year 3 started by comparing and ordering lengths. Using conversion skills that they have been practicing, they then moved onto finding perimeters of different shapes. Year 4 have been using their known facts about shapes to help them find missing lengths on shapes and then using these to find the perimeter of different shapes. In Art, the children used stamps that they have created using raised string to plan and create their own repeating patterns in groups. They worked so well together to create patterns that were repeating horizontally and/or vertically. In Topic, we learnt how to pronounce and write the numbers 1-10 in Hindi, this was tricky but we were very determined - and had a bit of an expert in Miss Chhibber! In Computing, the children started to program screen turtles and explored what would happen if you coded different commands. We spoke about the importance of being accurate to ensure that our final code is what we envisaged. In RE, we looked at Christian representations of light and faith. In French, we looked at different shops (YR4) and colours (YR3) and in Exciting Writing we wrote list-poems about ourselves. What a busy week!

Weekly update - WB: 12.02.24

We made it to the end of another half-term! In Maths, Year 3 have continued to look at measurement, focusing on equivalent lengths and measuring in mixed units. Year 4 have learned about perimeter and how this is different to area. They have worked hard to find the perimeter of shapes on a grid, rectangles and rectilinier shapes. In English, the children focused on how to punctuate speech correctly before using this in their story writing. Children either planned and wrote the ending to Oliver and the Seawigs or their own story based on it.

In Science, Year 4 continued to look at circuits, focusing on insulators and conductors. In Computing, we looked closer at how the internet works and how we get webpages when we search for them. In French, Year 4 looked at items of clothing and colours combined whilst Year 3 looked at instructions. In DT, we started to look at different curry recipes to think about which ingredients are vital to a curry and which the children might prefer to have. In PSHE, the children loved planning an imaginative birthday party for different characters. They used everything we have learnt about money and budgeting to stick to a limit of £100 to organise a birthday party for 10 children. We also had lots of fun playing the wonderful maths games that the children made. Have a lovely break!

Weekly update - WB:05.02.24

This week in Maths, we have been consolidating our understanding and different methods for division and multiplication and then we started our new topic - length and perimeter. In English, we recapped features of a non-chronological report and then planned, wrote and edited our own based on sea monkeys from Oliver and the Seawigs. In Art, we continued our work on repeating patterns based on Indian designs. The children made a template that they are going to use this week to create repeating patterns. For Safer Internet Day, we watched a live lesson which focused on fake news and AI. We then planned and created a special page on the school website with lots of tips and tricks for staying safe online. In RE, Miss Smithers discussed why light is important to Sikhs Bandi Chhor Divas (Sikh Diwali) and compared this to Diwali from last lesson. In Science, Year 3 conducted an investigation to find out which material created the most friction. We explored what friction is and how the properties of a material (smooth/rough) can make more or less friction. We ended the week by continuing to share our Gandhi and Mother Teresa homework.

Weekly update - WB: 29.01.24

This week in Maths, we have worked to consolidate our knowledge of division with and without remainders. The children have looked at different techniques to divide accurately including partitioning, flexible partitioning, place value charts, counting in multiples and using bus stop. As this is a tricky concept, we will come back to revisit this more in the near future. In English, the children read more of our text 'Oliver and the Seawigs' before writing and performing either a list poem or cinquain poem to describe the new island. We also thought about the new character Stacey de Lacey and created freeze frames depicting the reactions of Iris, Oliver and Stacey when they first met. 

The most exciting part of our week was probably our cooking sessions. As part of DT, the children followed a basic curry recipe and conducted taste tests of the ingredients to see which they liked and which they didn't. Some groups were more satisfied with their finished dish than others and it helped them to identify what they may include or remove when they plan their own recipes. In Science, Year 4 continued their work on electricity by making their own functioning closed circuits. They were allowed time to experiment and show off what they knew before we came together as a group to experiment. In PSHE, Miss Smithers explored money further with the children, focusing on measuring profit in enterprise. In Exciting Writing, the children wrote in character as Oliver, explaining to his diary the new events in the text. In French, we had lots of fun learning how to sing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' and playing games of snap and hot and cold with vegetable names. In Music, the children continued to look at Ravi Shankar, recapped what a drone was and practiced call and response before listening to this in his song. 

Weekly update: WB 22.01.24

This week in Maths, Year 3 have been dividing a 2-digit number by a 1-digit number before moving on to looking at flexible partitioning to help us when dividing. We also started to look at dividing with remainders. We used drawings, counting in groups of and physical resources to help us with this. Year 4 have been working hard at using the grid method to help them multiply 2 and 3 digit numbers by 1 or 2 digit numbers. There are realising more and more just how important learning their times tables is. In English, we have continued to read Oliver and the Seawigs. We have been exploring new vocabulary, how characters have been using different language to portray different emotions and then drew and wrote descriptively about our own illustration based on a paragraph from the book. 

In Science, Year 3 looked at push and pull forces and identified them in everyday life. We discussed what a force is and that is is invisible but we can see how it affects things. In Topic, we used our map skills to explore Indian rivers and oceans. The children wrote fact files about the river Ganges, focusing on the religious signifcance to Hindu people. In RE we discussed why light is important to Hindus at Diwali and we looked at the story of Diwali. Children had to orally retell the story and discuss the moral of the story. In Art we explored colour, pattern and print through simple repeated patterns. We will continue to make mood boards showing our responses next week. Our PE session on Monday involved learning a section of a mechanical dance before the children performed this in different formations. 

Weekly update - WB: 15.01.24

This week in English we have continued to read Oliver and the Seawigs. The children first wrote a diary in character as Oliver before we met Iris the mermaid and created role-on-the-wall descriptions for her. We used these description to create eye-charts linking to Iris' poor vision. The children also used story mapping to recall what has happened in our story so far. In Maths, Year 3 have learnt how to use the grid method to multiply two-digit numbers by one-digit numbers with LOTS of success. Year 4 also enjoyed lots of success with multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100, including decimal numbers!

In Science, Year 4 started their unit on electricity by finding out more information about sources of electricity and different household objects that run on it. In PE, the children choreographed and lead their own warm-up using dance movement, trying hard to stay in time with the beat. In PSHE, we started to look at money and savings. We spoke about different ways of gaining money as an adult and how we might protect this money by saving or investing. In French, Year 3 learned how to repeat and follow classroom instructions while Year 4 learned how to give their opinion on different pieces of fruit. We learned more about the geography of India in our topic lesson and used compass directions to locate cities. We were also treated to a live lesson with Year 5 yesterday where the children learned more about space and rocket launches. This built on their understanding of the world and also how different forces react. Finally, we had a lovely, unexpected surprise today when we were joined by a few children from Great Staughton. The children were so friendly and they loved a joined music lesson too!

Weekly update - WB: 08.01.24

Happy New Year and welcome back. This week we have started our new topic of India. We loved our enrichment Indian Dance workshop and created multiple choice questions about India. We used laptops and non-fiction books to find out information before collating it onto a Blooket quiz. The children then completed the quiz in groups to help them learn some of the facts. We will do this lots during our topic to help the children remember key facts. In Exciting Writing, we wrote a recount of our enrichment activity, focusing on adverbials of time as well as key recount skills that we looked at before Christmas. In Music, the children started a new unit looking at the Indian musician, Ravi Shankar. They learned more about different instruments, including the sitar, before drawing different instruments we saw in the orchestra. In RE, we started our new enquiry question which focuses on light in different faiths. We looked at religious and non-religious celebrations which include light and thought about what light could represent. 

In Maths, Year 4 looked at factors and factor pairs before consolidating with problem solving questions while Year 3 finished their unit on the 2,4 and 8 times tables. In English, we have started a new class text 'Oliver and the Seawigs'. We have predicted what we think will happen in the text based on illustrations and chunks of information. We also created a role-on-the-wall to help us write character descriptions about our main character, Oliver. The children thought about what it meant to be an explorer and listed some items, with reason, that they would need if they were explorers. We also finished our units in Science by experimenting with shadows and creating water cycle bags. Our new units will be magnets and forces (YR3) and electricity (YR4).

Weekly update - WB 18.12.23

Even though it has only been three days, we have still been busy! In Maths and Enlglish this week, children have been consolidating their learning from the term with Christmas themed activity booklets. In PSHE, we identified people who were special to us, and we recognised how they support us and sometimes each other. In Topic and RE we finished our units and completed the KWHL grids. The children have loved the Victorians this term! In Science, Year 4 explored how some materials change between states and learned a bit about non-Newtonian fluids. Finally, we ended our week with Reward Day! We completed Christmas crafts and activities, had the amazing surprise of watching Aladdin Pantomime and then ended the day with a film and sweets. We all want to say a massive well done to all the children this term, they have worked so hard and definitely deserve the break. We hope you all have a lovely Christmas and see you in the New Year!

Weekly update - WB: 11.12.23

This week in Maths, Year 3 have been working hard to multiply and divid by 4 and 8. We looked at doubling to help us and explored how knowing the 4 times tables will help with the 8s. Year 4 have started their work on area, looking at finding the area of a rectilinear shape. They now understand what area is, can find the area of different shapes and they can compare areas of different shapes. In English, we explored a variety of Christmas Haikus. We then moved onto brainstorming ideas about Winter and then we created our own Winter Tanka poems.

In Science, Year 3 demonstrated and explained how light travels to form a shadow. They conducted an investigation to see which material would be the best for curtains. In Topic we explored the differences between Victorian Christmas and a modern Christmas. We learned that lots of our modern celebrations have origins in Germany or Victorian England. In Geography, we named and located areas of high ground in the UK, using a legend to help us identify these areas. In PSHE, we learned more about how to develop strategies for managing friendship problems. We also created our final Art pieces and used different materials to collage a Victorian piece of clothing. 

Weekly update - WB: 04.12.23

This week in Maths Year 3 have been focusing on the three times tables while Year 4 have been problem solving and consolidating their learning of multiplication and division. We are really pushing the use of TTRockstars to boost their knowledge as this will make the rest of their learning easier. We also started to look at using multiplication grids for some Year 3 children who knew their times tables and some of the Year 4 children started to look at bus stop division. In English, we have been looking at the features of Kenning poems and then creating and performing our own - all with the theme of Christmas. I've uploaded the videos on our website here: Christmas poetry readings | Kimbolton Primary Academy (secure-primarysite.net) Can you guess what the children are talking about?

On Thursday, we had our Christingle service which was lovely as always! We spent some time during the day making our Christingles and reminding ourselves of their meanings. In Science, Year 4 investigated materials as they change state and completed an investigation where they were melting chocolate at different temperatures. We found that the chocolate melted well in temperatures above 30 degrees but struggled to change at room temperature in the winter! In Art, we started to make our final art pieced which focus on material and textures. We looked at Victorian Christmas in Topic and thought about how much of our modern-day traditions come from this period. Year 3 used their knowledge of numbers to ask and answer the question 'quel âge as-tu?' in French and we looked closer at the homophones 'to', 'too' and 'two' in our Exciting Writing edit.

Weekly update - WB: 27.11.23

This week in English we have been filling in gaps as identified from assessment week and our in class learning. We have looked closely at using apostrophes for singular and plural possession, creating word families, correctly punctuating sentences starting with subordinate clauses and adding detail to our writing using different word classes. All of these things will continue to help us with our writing as once the children understand the SPaG, they can successfully apply it in their work. In Maths, Year 3 have started to look at multiplication using arrays and equal groups. Children should be confident with the 2/5/10 times tables to help them be as successful as possible in our Year 3 learning. Some children have been using TTRockstars to consolidate this learning before we move on to the 3,4 and 8 times tables. Year 4 have continued to focus on multiplication and division and have looked at 11s, 12s, 1s and 0s. We have looked at the difference between dividing a number by 1 and by itself. 

We spent a large part of our week creating and evaluating our DT projects. The children made their Victorian games independently with a large focus on editing their designs as they worked. We had lots of very successful projects and the children are VERY proud of their work. In Science, Year 3 looked at UV rays whilst discussing the benefits and dangers of the sun. They designed sunglasses and explained how UV rays can harm us by causing sunburn, wrinkles and potentially skin cancers. We discussed how we could protect ourselves from the sun and keep safe. In PE, we played short games of Netball to consolidate our passing and shooting skills. In Exciting Writing, we wrote persuasive letters to Father Christmas explaining why we deserve to be on the Nice List this year - let's hope he agrees! We enjoyed a festive visit from Genr8 who led an assembly called 'Christmas Hope.' It looked at the Christian belief that Jesus was born to bring hope to the world. In Topic, Oak also enjoyed making their own penny spinners as a look into what a Victorian Christmas present might be like. We hope you also enjoy our festive Christmas jumpers in aid of Save The Children.  

Weekly update - WB: 24.11.23

What a week! This week, Oak have been working really hard to complete their first assessments of the year. These help us to see what the children are doing really well with and any topics that we may need to cover. I am extremely impressed with all of them as their hard work has definitely started to pay off. As well as assessments, we have completed some Science, PSHE, PE, Geography, DT, Art and Computing - VERY busy!

In Science, Year 4 looked closer at gases and completed 3 experiments to explore the properties of gas. In PSHE, we spoke about trust and how it can be maintained or broken in a friendship. In Geography, we zoomed in to the UK and looked at different counties and their placement on a map. In Computing, half of the children spent some time exploring Scratch while the other half started on our DT projects. We also continued our work on Charles Frederick, looking closely at different textures.

Weekly update - WB: 6.11.23

We have enjoyed a very busy Careers Week! The children have enjoyed all of our visitors: a civil servant; an agronomist; a farmer; a fire crew and a gentleman from Cambridge University. We have talked lots about the different careers available and how we can achieve those careers. Our visit from the farmer and fire department allowed the children to get up close and personal with VERY large vehicles. The Civil Servant explained to us about the Parliament and government. We then had our own KPA political vote at the polling station and Oak presented an idea to improve the local parks. Our Cambridge University visitor provided inspiration and knowledge about what university would be like. The children also thoroughly enjoyed Kidzania! yesterday. The children had to make very grown up choices about how to save, earn or spend their kidZos on different activities. We explored air vents, became pilots, cabin crew, drummers, news presenters, Pokemon designers, nurses and delivery drivers! The children then got to spend their remaining wages in our very own Kidzania shop in school. The children had to work out how much they could afford to buy based on what they had earnt.

In English, we wrote application letters for our dream jobs and learned more about budgeting in Maths. This afternoon, we have had a little bit of normality with some Science lessons. Year 4 worked with a partner to research information about our new topic 'States of matter' whilst Year 3 looked at light and dark. We completed a game where the children had to feel 5 items without looking and see if they could draw/guess what the items were. We spoke about dark being the absence of light and discussed different light sources. 

Weekly update - WB: 16.10.23

This week in English we have immersed ourselves in performance poetry. We started the week by focusing on nonsense poetry and the features of interesting poems such an onomatopoeia and portmanteau. We practiced creating our own examples of portmanteau which means mixing two real words together to create a new word e.g. brunch, chortled. We then applied this to the poem 'The Jabberwocky' by Lewis Carroll. The children worked in pairs to learn a stanza or two off-by-heart before performing it to the group, using interesting voices and actions to bring it to life. In Maths, Year 4 consolidated their learning of addition and subtraction using column method, ensuring that they could use the inverse accurately to correct their answers. Year 3 continued to work on addition when crossing 10/100. We consolidated our understanding of column method to do this and applied it to some worded problems. 

In Science, Year 4 have enjoyed our egg experiment which compared the shell of an egg to the enamel of our teeth. We submerged 3 eggs into black coffee, Vimto and milk to see which impacted the egg shell the most. Throughout the week we observed the eggs and they were disgusting. The milk had curdled, causing the first egg to develop a slimy film. The black coffee had stained the shell of the white egg, turning it brown and the Vimto had created a rotten-like film with green bumps on the outside - VILE! In PSHE, we used a case study to discuss when we need to ask for help and when we can sort problems for ourselves. We had an interesting conversation about charity and poverty in RE based around the life of Marcus Rashford. The children really had to think about their own life views and experiences around charity and poverty before deciding if Marcus Rashford acted based on his religion or experiences. In Geography, we looked at compass directions on maps, using the 8 compass directions carefully. We also enjoyed another PE session with Mrs G and our harvest festival this week. Have a lovely half term! 

Weekly update - WB:09.10.23

This week in Maths we have been focusing on addition and subtraction using column method, the children worked really hard on this method- particularly when we needed to carry or exchange! At the start of the week, Year 3 learnt how to carry when adding in column method and used dienes to consolidate. Year 4 have continued to impress me with their addition and subtraction of 4-digit numbers. In English, we planned and wrote our own ending to Street Child. Lots of the children decided that Jim would have a happy ending and find his sisters Emily and Lizzie whilst working at the circus. We tried hard to focus on descriptive language. We will finish the story next week and see if any of our endings were close to the real ending!

In Science, the Year 3s learned more about the skeleton. The children labelled the bones and thought about their uses. In Topic, some of the children shared their homework projects with each other and then focused on comparing Victorian life to Modern life. We had a long discussion about the differences between Victorian schooling and modern schooling - then children were shocked by the use of the cane! On Thursday, Year 3 went to a sports event at the Prep where they played games of netball and dodgeball - we had a blast and even saw some familiar faces! We focused on mental health on Tuesday as the 10th October was World Mental Health Day. The children were treated to a Miss Chhibber PE lesson where we played benchball and 'the floor is lava' to work on speed and hand-eye coordination. In DT, the children started to brainstorm ideas for their games based on consumer research from their partner. In French this afternoon, Year 4 learned how to count in French and applied this to create calculations using French numbers and operations. Year 3 learned how to respond to the question 'comment ca va?' in a variety of ways too. 

Weekly update - WB: 02.10.23

Another busy week in Oak class! In Maths, Year 3 have been consolidating their understanding of number bonds, adding and subtracting 1s,10s and 100s and then ended the week with focusing on pattern spotting. I introduced the children to column method addition to speed up their calculations and they absolutely smashed it. Most Year 3 children we able to add 3 digit numbers crossing 10s and 100s with very little support. Year 4 have been spending time looking at counting forwards and backwards past zero into negative numbers, adding and subtracting 2s, 10s, 100s and 1,000s. They then ended the week by consolidating their previous learning of addition. They have remembered lots of their prior learning and are addition champions! In English, we spent time focusing on using expanded noun phrases to write a setting description before focusing on speech marks and apostrophes. The children still need lots of support to understand the different uses of an apostrophe but can use them mainly accurately to show contractions or singular possession.

In RE we spoke about Humanism and we researched about Greta Thunberg and how she impacted the world. We learnt that Humanists don't believe in god or an afterlife and belief we should look after our world and the people in it. Year 4 learned more about teeth in Science while Year 3 enjoyed their forest school session. They learnt about the different types of teeth and their roles in the mouth. In Art, we spent time exploring different Victorian fashion and how this has influenced fashion in modern day. Our Geography lesson made use of our developing atlas skills, finding out which countries were above, on or under the equator. We also spoke about how this changes the climate based on a country's distance from the equator. We consolidated this with a Blooket quiz to match the countries to their continents.  

Weekly Update - WB 25.09.23 

In English this week we have continued our work on Street Child by Berlie Doherty. With the support of Mr Anns and Mrs Rose, the children wrote a diary entry from the perspective of Jim and his life in the workhouse so far. We watched a video which showed the conditions for children in Victorian workhouses which really helped the children get into character. We also practiced our illustration skills by drawing the scene that we could visualise while we listened to Chapter 8 again. We thought about descriptive vocabulary and tried hard to incorporate this into free verse poems from the perspective of Jim when he escaped. In Maths, the children built on their knowledge of number lines to identify and estimate numbers up to 1,000 (Year 3) and 10,000 (Year 4). We started to order and compare numbers up to the same value before Year 3 learnt how to count in multiples of 50 and Year 4 worked on their rounding skills. This marks the end of our Place Value unit for Year 3 and we will be starting Addition and Subtraction next. 

In topic, we looked at Victorian inventions and discussed how they changed the world for the better (or the worse!) The children then picked an invention and created an advertisement poster, thinking about the main benefits of the product. We celebrated European Day of Languages on Tuesday by playing some language games. Children took turns trying to match up phrases in different European languages to their language name. In PE, we worked on netball skills as part of our multi-skills lessons with Hunts SSP. I was really impressed with the children's Exciting Writing pieces this week as we created non-chronological reports about Autumn, focusing on animals and harvest as subheadings. Year 4 started their French unit 'All around Town' and learnt the names of some French towns and cities. They also used French dictionaries to translate names of places in French before deciding  if they do have it in Kimbolton, or do not. Year 3 continued their Science work, moving on to think about skeletons. We learnt about endo, exo and hydroskeletons before sorting animals into these categories. The children asked really interesting questions, particularly about how some exoskeletons shed their shells. In PSHE, we created comic book strips to show different coping mechanisms for new situations. Finally, we practiced our sawing and joining skills in DT where we made wooden frames to help us with our Victorian toys projects.

Weekly Update - WB 18.09.23 

This week in English, we have started our new text called 'Street Child'. We analysed the front cover of the text and discussed what questions we have and what we think we know about the book. We read the first few chapters of the text as a class, thinking really carefully about some of the trickier, old-fashioned vocabulary. We created a role-on-the wall for the main character Jim Jarvis thinking about both his physical appearance and what his personality might be like. Finally, the children created freeze frames to depict the scenes before writing how their character was feeling, using the text as evidence. In Maths, we have continued with Place Value, moving onto larger numbers - Year 3 looked at numbers up to 1,000 and Year 4 looked at numbers to 10,000. We focused on partitioning and flexible partitioning before working on 1/10/100/1,000 more and less. We ended the week with a focus on Roman Numerals, especially linked to time telling. 

In Science, Year 4 started their unit by looking at food chains. We discussed the terms prey, predator and producer as well as primary and secondary consumers. Year 3 carried on with their French learning, looking at introducing themselves using 'je m'appelle' and asking the question 'comment tu t'appelles.' In PSHE, we looked at the rules that we want to follow in Oak Class and why these are important. In RE, we began our unit about people of faith by looking at a few influential people of faith such as Mother Theresa and Marcus Rashford. The children brainstormed their own beliefs and shared some lovely thoughts such as 'I believe that I am loved' and 'I believe that everyone should have somewhere warm to live.' Our PE lesson looked at catching and throwing with aim and precision. In Art, we started to look at the Victorian designer Charles Frederick Worth. He is often known as the first fashion designer! The children really impressed me with their Exciting Writing editing which focused on subordinate conjunctions. Year 3 children learned (Year 4 recapped) using ISAWAWABUB to add detail to our clauses before applying this to our writing. 

Weekly Update - WB 11.09.23 

This week we have continued our work on 'In Our Hands.' The Year 3 children planned, wrote and drew their own books which followed on from the end of our text. Year 4 were especially good helpers and supported Year 3 in their work. They tried hard to follow the story of a magical seed which would restore colour when nurtured but in a different location and with their own characters. In Maths, we started our lessons on Place Value. Year 3 have worked hard to recap their knowledge of numbers up to 100 while Year 4 recapped numbers up to 1,000. We looked at the value of each digit as well as partitioning the numbers and representing them in different ways.

In our first DT lesson of the term, we looked at out design brief to create a wooden toy which could be played by a bed-ridden Victorian child. We looked at different non-electronic toys and had a go at playing them. Children had to think about these games, such as dominoes, chess, card games etc, and consider what the game required to play. For example, the children thought about whether dominoes was a game of chance, skill, hand-eye coordination or strategy. In French, Year 3 learned how to say 'hello' in lots of different ways before practicing their pronunciation. In PE, we had our first lesson with our HUNTS coach which focused on hand-eye coordination as part of multi-skills. They practiced throwing and catching balls and beanbags independently before throwing and catching with a partner. Year 3 started their Science lessons about animals and learned more about the different food groups and their nutritional importance. We also completed our William Morris wallpaper designs in Art. Year 4 had a lovely time at Grafham Waters on their residential trip and loved the water sports! 

Weekly Update - WB 04.09.23 

Welcome back! This week we have spent time getting back into routines and getting used to our new class. We have started our year by looking at the book 'In Our Hands.' The story focuses on something called 'the dulling' which is taking the colour out of the world. We have looked lots at the pictures and made inferences and predictions about the story and the personality of the main character. The children predicted what they thought would happen in the book based on the cover and the blurb before adapting their predictions as we read more of the story. We also tried to draw the main character by following along with the illustrator. In Maths, we have been completing fun activities such as problem solving, addition and subtraction colouring and array games. We have been reminding ourselves of some basic facts before we start place value next week and dive into our new learning. Children have also completed MathsWhizz and AR tests this week. They should be coming home with a dotted book to read which they can do a quiz on in school when they have finished it.

Our new topic is the Victorians and we have emerged ourself in new knowledge this week. We found out more about the era as a whole before sorting key events chronologically. We learned that life for the Victorians was very different depending on if you were rich or poor. We also found out how Queen Victoria is related to King Charles III by making and researching information to create a family tree. Did you know there are 6 generations of royals including Victoria and Charles? We learned about the Victorian artist William Morris and planned our own wallpaper using repeating patters or lines of symmetry. We will be finishing these next week. Finally, we ended this very hot week with some ice pops as a treat for all of their hard work!