Making the perfect hat!

This week in Reception, we have been making hats. 

After reading Jim and the Beanstalk, we decided that it would be best to measure our heads beforehand to ensure the perfect fit! Using a piece of string, we helped one another to measure around our heads. We cut of the bits of string that we didn't need and had a discussion about whose piece of string was the longest in the group, and what this meant.

Once we had done this, we used Unifix cubes as a non-standard measure to see how long each piece of string was. After counting each cube carefully, we were able to confirm our thoughts after discussion. We realised that the bigger the number, the longer the measurement!

We used the Unifix measures to cut the blue strip of paper accurately, so we had just the right length for our hats. After securing them with a piece of sellotape with help from a friend, the children had a lot of fun adding decorations to their hats. Some children, like Riley even labelled it "krn" for 'crown'.

What happens when I raise the temperature?

We set up a simulation this week in Year 4 for Science.  We modelled Antarctica (with a rock covered in thick ice) in the Antarctic Ocean (water in a tank).  By increasing the temperature, we predicted that the ice would melt and the sea level would rise.  In fact, we discovered that the sea levels rose so much that Antarctica was submerged! 

We looked at real life data showing the increases in global temperatures and sea levels since the year 1870.  We then looked at the thoeretical model about what would happen if the polar ice caps melted.  Sadly, Cambridge and parts of London would be under water!

Equaliteam Meeting 31/1/18

This week in our meeting we focused on looking around the school for our poster: Different Families, Same Care displayed. We found that it wasn't displayed in some rooms and others had them in the windows for parents but not in the classroom for children. Our action for our next meeting is to create anti-bullying posters to display around the school.

Boostering Year 6

We have now started running booster maths groups in Year 6 in preparation for the up and coming sats tests! They are working in small groups answering focused questions to support their learning. 

Drama - slow motion fight scene

Today. the Year 6 children took part in slow motion fight scenes to empathise with the character Theseus. They they went on to write their own fight scenes using fronted adverbials, short sentences and three action sentences.

Generating vocabulary - the Minotaur!

During Literacy, the children in Year 6 have been working together to generate descriptive vocabulary and phrases to describe the Minotaur and the ensuing battle!! 

O2 here we come!

Year 6 are on their final rehearsal for the O2, Young Voices concert. Well done to them all for learning the words and working so hard with the dances! Roll on Thursday...

Spectacular Spaghetti Structures in Year 1

As part of Maths Wonder Week, Year 1 made structures using marshmallows and spaghetti! We worked so well in our teams to produce some spectacular structures including cuboids, pyramids and prisms. Agent Perseverance helped us to keep going if our structure got damaged and Agent Problem Solver helped us to improve and strengthen our structures.

Year 5's Maths week

Well done to the children for kicking off a fantastic Maths week discussing their favourite numbers and sharing some wonderful knowledge and vocabulary.

It was a week of problem solving, team work and investigation during which the children applied much of what they have learnt in Maths this year and a resilient, methodical approach.

Thank you so much to all of you who attended our Maths workshop - it was so nice for the children to have an opportunity to both share some areas they had worked on in class as well as tackle new challenges with their adults and peers.

Newsletter Year 4

Wow! What an another amazing fortnight in year 4.  We have been writing diaries in English, imagining ourselves as Polar explorers from the beginning of the 20th Century.  (However, we struggled slightly at imagining ourselves eating Pemmican or penguin!). Perhaps the most exciting news was emailing a real life polar scientist and learning that 100 years later he had an espresso machine in Antarctica!  In maths we have been exploring the properties of quadrilaterals and other polygons.  It blew our minds when we realised that a square is actually a special type of rectangle!  Science has been equally exciting when we made several new discoveries about air.  However, without a doubt. maths week has been our best week of the year so far.  It is hard to know whether we enjoyed the escape room challenge or the parent workshop the most as our smiles were equally broad!  Thank you for all your continuing support in our endeavours.

Maths skills in the forest

Moore class put their knowledge of mathematical structures to the test in Forest this afternoon by creating sledges as part of Polar survival skills learning.  Some of us were keen to see if they would support our own weight... Maybe this explains why we needed to use our decoding skills to make distress signals as well...

Year 3 mathematical spagetti structures

Towns Class had an amazing and fun-filled maths, science and R.E. cross-curricular lesson today where they were given the task of making the skeleton structure of a church using spagetti and marshmallows.
The completed structures included church features such as a bell tower, a nave and even some tombstones.
We then evaluated our structures and identified the different 2-D and 3-D shapes we could see in an aerial view of our structures, a front view and a back view.

Year 5 Computing

In Year 5 we have been looking at the topic 'Morphing Images'.  For this theme we have been focusing on simulations and 3D modelling.  We have been using the software 'SketchUp' (free online version: https://www.sketchup.com) to create our own 3D house. We have linked this to the Year 5 topic of 1930's by carefully observing the art deco design of the Empire State Building and using this as a basis have been creating our own Empire State Building using the tools in SketchUp on the PC's and looking at the 3D modelling of the Empire State Building on Google Earth.

Antiques roadshow...

As usual the children have embraced their topic this term with enthusiasm and excitement. They are extremely busy researching and preparing items from the 1930s for auction. 

Although I cant give away too many details, their team work and growth mindset have really helped them to work independently and maximise their resources.

Going, going, gone!

Year 5 had a fantastic time visiting Acorn Antiques, an auction house in Sawbridgeworth today.

Not only were we lucky enough to examine the lots and browse the catalogue, but were able to watch and take part in our very own auction.

The children placed bits (albeit rather frivolously), showed their paddles and won some interesting lots with a genuine auctioneer.

Before we left, we toured the adjoining antiques shop which allowed the children the opportunity to locate and investigate items of interest as well as gain an understanding of pricing structures for their own auction. 

 

Year 4 Computing

Year 4 Computing

In Year 4 we have been looking at the topic of 'Programming and Games'.  For this theme we have been focusing on how computers can represent the real world in simulations.  We have explored many simulations including looking at how pilots train in aircraft simulators.  We discussed how these simulations are similar and different to the real world and how they can be of benefit as well as their limitations.  One of the favourite activities so far as been flying a hot air balloon over our school via a website that utilises Google Earth http://www.geo-fs.com/geofs.php.  Have a go and see if you can fly a hot air balloon (or a plane) around Bishop's Stortford!

Year 1 Newsletter

Wow, what an exciting time we have had in year 1! The children have worked so hard during our Maths Wonder week. They embraced the escape room challenge as a team and showed great perseverance! 

To end the week we investigated making 3D structures using spaghetti and marshmallows. This encouraged lots of measuring,communicating, planning, adjusting and problem solving to get their structures to stand up! Some children worked independently while others teamed up to support each other.

Thank you again to all the parents who were able to attend the Maths workshop at the beginning of the week, they children loved sharing our Maths games with you!

Year 3 Computing

Year 3 Computing

In Year 3 we have been looking at the topic 'Bringing Images to Life'.  For this theme we have been looking at digital and non-digital images and how we can easily change digital images with image editing software.  The pupils have had a lot of fun manipulating a digital image taken when they were in Reception dressed up as pirates.  They have been adding beards, eye-patches, hook hands and other pirate details to the photograph.  We have also been looking at how digital images are made up of millions of pixels and creating our own pixel art using Excel.

Year 1 Computing

Year 1 Computing

In Year 1 we have been covering the topic of 'Visual Information'.  For this theme we have been looking at how information is provided in visual form such as graphs and charts.  We made our own 'people' graph and this week have been gathering data to find how many of us like which drink, fruit, pet or chocolate bar.  We will transfer this data into a graph on the computers and use it to answer simple questions such as what is the most and least popular fruit.