Year 6 newsletter

 Year 6 have continued to work their hardest as we approach the Christmas break. Last week, a number of the children undertook a very successful ‘Bikeability’ course - the next generation of road cyclists safe and ready to ride! The children really enjoyed being out and about on their bikes, and they were all recognised for being responsible and careful when following the guidance given.

We have also enjoyed developing our speaking skills, and have debated many current affairs - some linked to our World War I topic - using Philosophy for Children. We were blown away by the mature, thoughtful approach all the children took - and their curiosity about the world around them. We look forward to building more of these meaningful sessions into our work, as they give children a lens into both world views, and the opportunity to reflect on some of the deep issues we cover in our topic lessons.

In writing, we have started work on composing non-chronological reports on pesky, pernicious predatorial lizards! We certainly have a year group full of David Attenborough fans, as the expert language being used is fantastic to read. We look forward to sharing some of the end pieces with you...and in the meantime, stay well clear of repellent reptiles!

Year 2 newsletter

This week it is UK Parliament Week which is a celebration of people power – everyone to have their own voice. We looked at individual liberty. Individual liberty means each of us having the freedom to make our own choices and do what we want - within reason. We must respect the rights of others.

We had a class debate to exercise our right to individual liberty. The debate statement was: "Animals should be set free from zoos."

First we decided whether we agreed or disagreed and we discussed our ideas with people who shared the
same opinion as us. We were very passionate!

Each side took it in turns to share their opinion, either with a new idea or building on an idea from the person before. We were all reflective, open minded and listened carefully to what others said. Everyone was able to communicate their ideas clearly and coherently.

 

No:

No! Zoos are good for protecting animals. It means we can keep all the endangered animals safe from poachers.

I disagree because if we let all the animals go back to their homes they wouldn’t actually have anywhere to go to as their habitats are being destroyed.

Yes:

I agree because animals should be able to individual liberty like people. It’s not fair that they don’t get to choose where the live.

Yes, I think they should. The zoo keepers choose their lunch every day and I would hate that. They might even like the food that they’re given. They should be able to catch their own food.

In Science, the children have been learning about the importance of  exercise and how exercising daily helps us stay strong and healthy. We learnt how to measure our pulse by placing two fingers on our wrist, neck or temple. It was tricky to feel it, so we had to sit very still and quiet. We measured our resting heart rate and then predicted whether our heart rate would increase, decrease or stay the same after walking and running on the spot. We completed the experiment and concluded that exercise increases our heart rate and therefore strengthens our heart muscle.

    

Graffiti: Art or crime?

 Graffiti Workshop

In English, we have been exploring balanced arguments and whether we believe that graffiti is art or crime. To help us gain a better insight into this, we took part in our very own graffiti workshop and created some awesome art styled board. 

We had a great time testing out different techniques to spray the paint, create splatters, designing stencils and even writing our own name! 

Thank you so much to everyone who took part, we had a great day!