Home Learning

Reception 2020 Challenges

I shared a video challenge with the children who are to join Reception Class in 2020.  The challenge was to go for a walk or look in your garden and find things from nature such as sticks, leaves, daisies, stones and create art with them or to plant some seeds and to watch them grow.  We had some wonderful creative work sent in:

  • Alice had wonderful fun responding to Mrs Emery's nature challenge.
  • Elliott made a picture using natural materials as suggested in Mrs Emery's video - it is of a rabbit! Elliott is really enjoying the challenges.
  • Eve went on a walk with her sister Florence to find things to use for her picture. We have been learning about dinosaurs and Eve then made a family of dinosaurs out of pebbles from the garden and used some of the flowers we found on our walk as food.
  • Flora collected nature on her walk with her Mummy and Poppy the dog. She made a picture of her grandma holding flowers and named all the different flowers she had collected.
  • Katie made a beautiful tree from leaves and twigs in the garden.
  • Max found lots of stones and sticks for his picture. He said he wanted to make the Earth and the sun. He found a nice marigold for the sun and used a dried twig for the rays. He stuck some green leaves and blue forget-me-nots on to ‘Earth’ and a piece of grass to represent Saturn. (He has been helping brother Edward make a model of the solar system, hence his interest). The only item we didn’t find on the day was a piece of natural jade which Mum dug up a couple of weeks ago which he put in for Mars. He had great fun arranging them all. We hope Mrs Emery likes the picture.
  • Nellie had a lot of fun with flowers and leaves creating her design.
  • Penelope loved the challenge and enjoyed sticking and glueing her picture.
  • Sophia found two rocks on her daily walk and asked if she could paint rainbows on them.  On our next walk, we will leave the painted rocks for our neighbours to find and bring a smile to their faces.
  • Uma went for a nature walk and found lots of leaves, flowers, twigs and made a picture.  She saw some sheep on the walk.  Uma has also been growing some herbs including rosemary, thyme, mint and oregano. 

Thank you all, I have loved seeing all your work.  They all made me smile.

Mrs Emery
Reception 2020 Class Teacher
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Reception - Jack And The Beanstalk

We’ve been busy this week sorting adjectives to describe the characters of Jack and the Giant. Many children recognise that it was wrong of Jack to steal from the Giant and that this behaviour wasn’t in keeping with our school promise to be good citizens.  In our expressive art and design work we created beanstalks in all sorts of wonderful ways.

Mrs Pullen
Reception Class Teacher
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Reception And Year 1 Outdoor Learning – Natural Art

Our activity this week took us outside to find natural bits and pieces and to then use them to create a picture or model. The children used all sorts of things – sticks, stones, leaves, flowers and pine cones with great imagination to produce some beautiful natural art.

Mrs Pullen
Reception Class Teacher
 
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Class 1E Design Their Coats Of Arms

Lots of fun was had in history this week when Class 1E learned all about shields. If you are head to toe in armour you need a way of identifying friend or foe and so family coats of arms were made.

We looked at the different shapes and what the different colours stood for. Reading levels were low in that time so symbols were used and they all had different meanings.

Some excellent mottos were added with colours and symbols to support them.

Mrs Emery
Class 1 Form Teacher
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Class 3S Psalms

Class 3S has been looking at the book of Psalms this week and the different poems and songs that are included. Some of us enjoyed colouring, some wrote out their favourite and one or two of us actually wrote their own!

Mrs Stapleton
Class 3S Form Teacher
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Class 3S - An Interview With My Great Grandad By Poppy Morris

On VE day, I Facetimed my Great-Grandad who lives in Felixstowe to ask him what he did on VE day. My Great-Grandad is my Mum’s Grandad and he is 90 years old. This is what I found out.

My Great-Grandad was 15 on VE day in 1945. At the time, he was living at Framlingham Boarding School, miles away from his mother. Sadly, his Father after surviving WW1, died from Pneumonia in 1943. His mother lived in the countryside so she was able to take in evacuees.

Luckily, his Granny lived close by to his school, so he was able visit her for tea.

On VE Day, when it was announced that the War was over, no one could believe it.

Great-Grandad said all the children began to lift up the lids of their desks and bang them loudly to celebrate. The teachers told the children that they were all allowed to go home and that there would be no school for a week!

The children were so happy!!

My Great-Grandad cycled to his Granny’s house, where he and his friends made plans to go to the near-by American Air Base.

When they got there, they all joined in the huge party. Great-Grandad said that there was a huge table laid out for the children, with all the foods that they could not get during the War. Things like Jam and Chocolate! There was a band playing and everyone was dancing.

He also told me something really naughty! He told me that some older students had set off fireworks in the teachers' toilets!

My Great-Grandad sent me a picture of himself in 1945 and he looks just like my Mum’s brother, my Uncle Haydn!!

I loved speaking to my Great-Grandad on Facetime, I really miss going to see them by the seaside.

By Poppy
Class 3S
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Class 4M Become Storytellers

Class 4M have been so inspired by studying the fiction of David Walliams, that they have started the process of creating their own stories this week, based loosely on the themes in Mr Stink. They have drawn up their story plans and here are a few of them. We have tales of free-divers, dancers, inventors and best-selling authors, among others. I can't wait to read the final versions on Friday and I'll share some of them in next week's Courier.

Mrs Monteith
Class 4M Form Teacher
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Class 4M Life In The Indus Valley

Class 4M have been learning about everyday life for members of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The children have been showing their learning in a range of ways including Miss Corbin delivering a lesson on the subject and Evie presenting from her own Indus house which she had constructed in her kitchen.

It is wonderful to see the creativity of the children shining through during home learning and also the skills they are developing on Seesaw.

The photos show some of these Seesaw skills in use by Sachin, Stephanie, Katherine and James.

Mrs Yates
Head of History
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Class 5F - A Poem By Alyssa - A different Time

Alyssa and her family have been working hard this week on a poem poignant for this time in lockdown, I think you will agree it sums up life very well.

 
2020 has been a strange year
There’s so much on the news, to make us all fear
Covid 19 has spread across the earth
It has reminded us how much life is really worth
 
Our lives really changed almost overnight
The airports slowed till there were virtually no flights
Schools and businesses shut their doors 
As saving lives was their vital cause
 
Life on lockdown is surreal
Every day things have a different feel
We stay at home, we play, draw and write
The highlight of our day is talking to loved ones on skype
 
From every corner of the globe 
This terrible virus did explode
Affecting people  of all ages, colours and creeds
Exposing that we share common needs
To protect and preserve life
Life that is precious and worth the fight
 
In hospitals up and down our land
Doctors and nurses are taking a stand
Working on the front lines
Treating with love our sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers
We thank you for all your care
With a gratitude that we must share
 
Thankyou to the cleaners and care home staff 
Working so selflessly on a tireless path
To all our key workers fighting Covid 19 head on
Please keep going, please keep strong
 
To the volunteers collecting shopping and prescriptions
Who are checking up on people battling the new restrictions
Thank you from the bottom of our heart 
We long for the day when this is over and we can make a new start
 
Learning maths, science French and more
Home learning can make our brains sore! 
But even if it is hard going
The amazing teachers keep our lessons flowing
 
Even though this virus is keeping us apart
We are trying to act sensible and smart
Rainbows popping up to show our support
For the amazing NHS who have fought 
 
Heroic, awesome Captain T
Has given our world some victory
Walking 100 laps around his home 
Proud to show we’re not alone
 
Yes, even though we are apart
We send lots of kisses and hearts 
To our family, pets, and friends
Our love to them all never ends
 
One day we may look back and reflect on these days
How things used to be, acting in so many different ways
Everything is strange and seems a mystery 
But hopefully this virus will be consigned to history
 
Mrs Webb
Assistant Head

Year 5 and 6 Listen to Wartime Music

Years 5 and 6 were asked to listen to some wartime music and choose their favourite, explaining why they chose that particular one. 

  • Jack said: I liked In The Mood by the Glenn Miller Orchestra because I prefer just the orchestra playing. The melody is jolly and uplifting. I particularly like when the music goes to piano, then goes up with a crescendo up to forte.
  • Marco said: I chose We'll Meet Again -  this song is about the men going of to war while the women stay home hoping they will come back and they meet once again. I like the message of the song, which is staying positive no matter what is going on around you. Because it says we WILL meet again. It kind of reminds me of the situation we are in now with my friends because we're hoping to see each other again.
  • Ollie said: I listened to lots of 1940s music and war music (and a radio programme with Winston Churchill telling everyone that the war was over). I really liked Wish Me Luck When You Wave Me Goodbye, There'll Be Bluebirds Over and the Big Band music from Glenn Miller. I listened to it when I was making a cake and bunting.

You can read more song choices on the photos attached.

Mrs Barnes
Director of Music
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Year 6 English

Year 6 have been beginning to look at information texts. This week they did did some research and considered the types of layout and styles used in different Information Texts.

Below are a couple of our good examples:

Sienna

Archie

Mrs Webb
Year 6 English Teacher

Pupils Get Competitive With Sport

The children have been relighting their competitive fires at home this week, as all children have had the opportunity to take part in the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Virtual School Games.

They have been doing some sprinting and standing long jump at home. There are prizes up for grabs for the winners - we await the results.

Last week, the Years 4-6 children had an inter-school sitting throw competition. The winners were:

Years 5 & 6:

  • 1st George Bell 5.45m
  • 2nd Keshav Gupta 5.43m
  • 3rd Henry Corbin 4.80m

Years 3 & 4:

  • 1st Stephanie Bolton 10.00m
  • 2nd Charlotte Corbin 3.80m
  • 3rd Sachin Gupta 3.71m

Stephanie's monster 'Rory Delap' throw was videoed and so I can verify that it actually did happen. Great use of the whole of her upper body to generate power.'

Thanks

Mr Phillips
Head of PE and Games

Isla Dissects Owl Pellets

Isla's Mum sent in some photos showing what she has been doing this week:

"Isla has been doing something a bit different with me this week - she has been helping me with my work for Warwickshire Wildlife Trust by dissecting a Barn Owl pellet! This was the subject of one of my blogs for work and Isla spent an hour carefully teasing out the bones.  I've attached some pictures - I hope they're interesting! She found the skulls of 2 shrews and 3 voles." 

The blog post is here: 

Discovery through dissection - a Barn Owl's dinner! | Warwickshire Wildlife Trust 

Wow this looks interesting Isla.  Thanks for sharing.

Crescent School

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Tumi Performs In The Blessing

Last week Tumi participated in a virtual choir of children from around the world. They sang a worship song called A Blessing. Tumi managed to learn and record the song in less than an hour and the result is stunning.

Congratulations to Tumi for being part of such an amazing performance.

Here is the link to watch it:

https://youtu.be/uiWZXLsdE9w

Mrs Barnes
Director of Music