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Norton Juxta Kempsey CofE Primary School

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Slideshow

Ash 2019 2020

ASH CLASS 2020/2021

 

Please scroll down to see the fantastic learning in Ash class

Stone Age Knowledge Organiser Autumn Term 1

This half-term the children have been learning all about the Stone Age and what a fantastic topic it has been!  As part of our English, the children fully immersed themselves in the story 'The Stone Age Boy' by Satoshi Kitamura.  We used the story in our topic lessons as well to help us to learn about how people during this time lived their lives.  We looked at the different periods of the Stone Age, the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods and learnt about the similarities and differences.  Our learning was then brought to life with our WOW day.  The children spent the day studying artefacts, using VR headsets to explore Stone Age camps and they even got to have a go at some hands on activities which were linked to the Neolithic period. Have a look below at some of the pictures from the day.

THE STONE AGE WOW DAY

2019/2020

Ash Class

 

 

Summer Term 2 - The United Kingdom

Summer Term 1 - Great Rivers

For the learning activities over the period of school closure, please visit your child's Seesaw account.

Spring Term 2020

Please scroll down to see what Ash class have been upto.

We had a fabulous time at the outdoor centre in Malvern. The activities were great fun. We hope you've heard all about it.

Year 4 Malvern Trip

Over the last week, we have completed a fantastic Art project & used it as a vehicle for writing in English.  The children have been learning about the Mayans and in Ash class we have really enjoyed learning about the different gods that they believed in.  As part of our Art project we researched Mayan masks, designed a mask for our Mayan god & then created it using cardboard before finally adding a splash of colour.  A big thankyou to Mrs Aitken for coming in to help with the painting.

In English, the children then thought about the Mayan god that they had created a mask for and wrote an information text about their god.  Both the writing and the masks are fantastic.  Have a look at the pictures below.   

In P.E we have been developing the skills needed for dodgeball.  Today, lower key stage two spent the afternoon putting all their dodgeball skills into practise with an inter-house competition. All the teams played extremely well and showed great sportsmanship and teamwork.  Most importantly everyone had fun!  Have a look at the players in action below. 

There was excitement buzzing around Ash class on Thursday 16th January as we got fully immersed in learning about 'The Ancient Maya'.  We experienced the rainforest, the ruins at Tikal and Chichen Itza and dived into a Cenotes when we got to wear the virtual reality headsets - it really brought the learning we have done so far to life. 

 

The children also learnt about how the Maya made their clothes and they all had a go at weaving.  In the afternoon, we learnt our nahual name and how the Mayan calendar worked. As well as this, we also got to dress up as a Mayan and explored a variety of amazing artefacts, which included using a magnifying glass to look closely at the codex. 

 

Finally to end a spectacular day, we had a naming ceremony in the hall and learnt about the offerings the Mayans gave to the gods they worship.

 

Here are some things the children said throughout the day:

 

"Mrs Shoukry, this is awesome!" 

"I do like my History!"

"Wow, Mrs Shoukry I can see the monkeys in the rainforest!"

"I don't want to go home, I want to stay and learn more."

 

Have a look below at some of the pictures from the 'Mayan Day'.

 

                 Autumn 2 2019/2020

Scroll down to see what we have been up to.

And just like that we are in to the second half of the Autumn Term.  On Monday, we kick started our new 'Fabulous Forces and Marvellous Mechanisms' topic. For our WOW in, the children worked in groups to design and make a cardboard pinball machine - they had to think about how they would create the mechanism that would 'ping' the marble back up the board, what targets they would have and if there was going to  be a theme to their game.  

Cardboard Pinball Machines

This half-term we are going to be enjoying 'Clockwork' by Philip Pullman - both our reading and writing will be based around this fantastic book.  We have already explored the character of Dr Kalmenius  and gathered lots of fantastic new vocabulary for our Magpie board.  Over the next few weeks, we will look at characterisation and setting descriptions.

 

 

On Monday 11th November, we thought about all those who lost their lives fighting to keep our country safe and we thought about those service men and women who are still working hard today.  As part of Remembrance, the children completed an art project.  We looked at the artist Wassily Kandinsky and focused on his 'concentric circles'.  We linked the art to 'Remembrance Day' and the children imitated Kandinsky's circles and experimented with different tints and tones of red using powder paints.  They then chose their favourite tints and tones for their final poppy in the style of Kandinksy.  The children's work is on display in school and looks fantastic.  

 

Our marvellous mechanisms topic is going well.  Last week, we investigated different mechanisms used in pop-up story books and we have now started to explore how these mechanisms are created.  
                   Autumn 1 2019/2020
It's been a great first half-term!  The children have settled in really well.  Have a look below at some of the fantastic things we have been learning about in Ash class. 

The children's topic this half-term has been Ancient Egypt.  They have shown great enthusiasm throughout the learning especially when it came to learning about mummification and their beliefs in the afterlife. 

We looked at farming in Ancient Egypt and the 'Gift of the Nile'.  During the lesson, the children became the teachers and within their group put together a poster of information on a certain area of farming before teaching it to the rest of the class.  They then chose how to present their learning - there were some great informative posters!  

Active Learning - Farming In Ancient Egypt!

We've loved getting outdoors for our P.E lessons!  We have been focusing on learning the skills needed to play tag rugby!

Tag Rugby

We went GREEN to raise awareness for Dyslexia!

Hello and welcome to the parents of the year 3 children in Ash class and welcome back to the parents of the year 4 children in Ash.  It's been a good week back after the summer holidays and the children seem to have settled really well.  This week, we have focused on the classroom routine and we have been thinking about the qualities of a good learner and the qualities of a good talk partner which we now have displayed in the classroom.  The children came up with some great ideas. 

2018/2019

Ash Class

Scroll down to see all that we have been doing in Ash class

The children will have brought home a sponsorship form for the 'Buddy Workout'.  Last week, we had a visit from someone who works for the NSPCC.  The children took part in an assembly and learnt about the NSPCC and what the charity does to help keep children safe.  We were set the challenge to complete a Buddy work out to help raise money for the charity.  On Wednesday 22nd May, which was a very hot day, we completed our Buddy workout.  The children got into groups and did some long distance running - below are some pictures of them completing their workout!  It was definitely evident that all the children had worked hard by the red faces at the end! Well done to everyone!
Our most recent topic, which has been the Stone Age, has been one that we have all enjoyed!  We've immersed ourselves by enjoying the 'Stone Age Boy' during our English lessons, Stig of the Dump for our guided reading and the children have put together a whole class Stone Age dance during our P.E lessons.  Have a look below at some of the exciting learning! 

Stone Age WOW Day - making jewellery, cooking damper bread over the fire and creating Stone Age art using natural materials.

During our English lessons, the children have been stepping into the role of a news reporter and they have reported on the character Sherman Smith from the 'Wing It' animation and his successful flying invention.  Have a look at some of the children in action as they present the story.  

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What an exciting half-term we have had with our 'Bright Sparks' topic.  Our WOW Day was exciting as the children made lemon batteries and used them in a circuit to power an LED light.  The engagement and buzz around the classroom when the LED light lit up was fantastic.  

Lemon Batteries

Happy New Year!  I hope you all enjoyed a lovely break with friends and family over the festive period.  

 

This half term is an extremely exciting half-term as the children put on their inventing hats as part of our topic.  Our topic is 'Bright Sparks!'. The children will be learning all about electricity so that they can invent and make their own electrical game ready to play with their parents at our maths café.  Watch out for more information and pictures as our learning unfolds and the sparks of our creative imaginations fly.

 

This week, the children have started their new English topic which is based on the animation 'Wing It' which is all about an inventor called Sherman.  He spends hours in his workshop planning and trying to create a flying machine but he keeps failing until one evening some aliens visit and give him a helping hand.  The next day, he wakes up with a fantastic idea and gets to work straight away. So far the children have looked at different pictures from the story and used the clues to make inferences and predictions about what they think might happen.  I have put the animation below so that the children can share the story with you at home as they thoroughly enjoyed it when we watched it together today. 

 

WING IT Grand Prize winner AnimationSA 2012 The Animation School

Today, we went to Tallow Hill Mosque to continue our learning about prayer in RE.  It was a fantastic visit and the children learnt about the 5 pillars of Islam, Muslim prayer & the important features of a mosque.  Have a look at some of the pictures from our visit.
In R.E, we have been studying different religions and learning about the similarities and differences with their prayer.  Using our RE-Searchers we have put ourselves in others shoes and taken part in different acts of prayer.  This week, we have looked at Hindus and the shrines that they create within their homes and place of worship.  In Ash Class we set up our own shrine with the gods and goddesses, fruits, flowers, garlands, incense, candle and bell once we had learnt about it during our lesson.  See our shrine below - the classroom looked wonderfully colourful and smelt lovely with the incense burning. 

In English, we are linking our learning to our topic on Ancient Greece and we are studying a Greek myth.  The children explored a poem which described the Minotaur.  Once we had identified the different poetic techniques used to describe the character such as similes, metaphors and adjectives the children chose their own mythical creature and created their own poetry.  Have a read below at some of the poems. 

 

On Wednesday afternoon, we kick started our topic with a Greek Banquet for our WOW afternoon.  The children tasted and evaluated different Greek foods some of which they thought were delicious and others which caused funny faces to be pulled.  Our topic for this half-term is 'Groovy Greeks' and we will be looking at how buildings have been influenced by ancient Greek architecture.  

The Greek Banquet

We have been having a great time during our P.E lessons learning all the different skills in hockey.  The children have learnt and practised the different passing skills and techniques, how to stop the ball, how to hit the ball to score a goal & at the end of the sequence of learning we had a go at applying all the skills in a game.  
During our topic  lessons, we have been studying different types of rocks.  We've learnt about igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.  First of all, we closely looked at the different rocks and described what we could see, the texture of each one and we even made some predictions about what the rocks might have been used for in everyday life.  Following this, we then carried out different tests to see which rocks were the most permeable and which were the most durable.   
We had a great morning of Topic during our school open day where we learnt about the different layers of the Earth before creating our own Earth model using playdough.  
During our topic lessons, we have thought about how to plan a fair test experiment in order to answer the question - 'Which soil is the most permeable?'.  During the planning stage, we discussed as a class the equipment we would need, how to make it a fair test and how we were going to measure and record our findings.  Before carrying out the experiment, we made a prediction about whether we thought Mr Thomas's soil or the top soil from the garden centre would be the most permeable.  See the scientists in action below during the experiment. 
In our English, we are carrying on the theme of 'Rockin' around the world' by studying the 'Firework Maker's Daughter' by the great author Philip Pullman.  This week, we have looked at some poetry about a rainforest. The children have been thinking about the effect adjectives have on a reader. We've discussed the different pictures adjectives can paint in the reader's mind.  Watch this space for some great poetry which either uses adjectives to create a picture of a haunted or magical rainforest. 

 

What a FANTASTIC start to the new school year we have had in Ash class.  The children have settled in incredibly well.  

 

On Monday, we kick started our topic 'Rockin' around the world' by thinking about the questions - What is underneath our feet?  Lots of children said mud or soil so we then thought about what makes soil.  In groups the children got a container and filled it with soil and water, shook it and watch it separate into different layers.  From there we observed, using magnifying glasses, and found that we saw lots of different things - dead leaves, bits of roots, small broken bits of twigs, pebbles and sand.  Have a look below at the scientists in action. 

Ash Class

Summer Term

 

For the second half of the summer term we have been learning all about the 'Battle of Britain'.  All of Key Stage Two were involved in the play 'We'll meet again' which gave them a real insight into life during the war for children.  On Friday 13th July we finished off our topic with a WOW out that was truly amazing - a trip to the air tattoo show.  The flying displays were spectacular and we got to see the planes that were flown during the Battle of Britain.  We were also lucky enough to see the red arrows take to the skies.  We explored the Techno Zone which was full of lots of fun hands on STEM activities for the children.  Take a look at some of the moments captured throughout the day.

In Ash class, we have be learning about living things for the first part of the Summer term.  We have been Scientists and looked at the 7 life processes of living things, the different groups of animals - mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, amphibians, vertebrates and invertebrates and we have used our knowledge of their characteristics to classify and group different animals.

 

This week, we have been using our artistic flare to end our topic.  At the beginning of the week, the children looked at the work of Georgia O'Keefe, an American artist who painted pictures of flowers.  We took to the great outdoors and selected a flower to sketch, we observed closely and drew the flower and then used our shading techniques to show the different light & dark areas on the petals.  Following this we then looked again at Georgia's work and the colours, tints and tones that she used in her paintings.  Using powder paints, the children experimented with different colours and finally chose the tints & tones for their final piece of artwork. Have a look at the children in action.  I have been blown away by the quality of art from everyone.  

Some of the pictures which inspired our artwork!

Art work on display!

In P.E we have been having a go at the different athletics skills.  This week, we have be learning how to throw the javelin and some of us have even managed to master running up to build momentum before throwing it.  We have been focusing on challenging ourselves to beat our personal best so during the P.E lessons we have also been using our maths skills to measure how far our javelins went.  Take a look at some of the pictures of the children in action.

Spring Term

 

What shall we do in the last Maths lesson before Easter - A MATHS THEMED EASTER EGG HUNT!  The children had great fun today solving fraction problems as part of their Easter Hunt.  With a map of the school and bundles of enthusiasm, the children raced around the school grounds finding the eggs.  In each egg there was a maths problem related to fractions which has been our maths topic recently.  I was so impressed with how the children applied their knowledge of fractions to solve the problems.

Easter Egg Hunt

 

It has been an energetic afternoon in Key Stage Two today!  In P.E we have been learning how to play Dodgeball.  Within the sequence of learning we have focused on developing key skills which are used in the game such as dodging, catching and throwing.  Today, the whole of Key Stage Two took part in a tournament in the hall.  Below are some of the pictures of the children in action - everyone showed fantastic team spirit and brilliant sportsmanship.

Welcome back to Ash Class!

Spring Term

 

What a brilliant first Wednesday back after the half-term break.  Thank you to all the parents who came to the KS2 maths café today.  The bread making and tasting went down a storm.  It was fantastic to see the children playing the Roman Numeral games and activities with their parents.  The atmosphere and buzz in the classroom was lovely.

 

 

Roman Mosaics

 

We have had a fantastic last week before half-term.  During our topic sessions, we have researched, designed and made our own mosaic tiles.  Have a look at the pictures below to see the children in action and the final products.

We had a great afternoon learning about Roman soldiers.  The children split themselves into centuries and then they selected a Centurion. Once they had learnt about the different Roman army formations, they had a go at creating them with their shields in the hall. Keep an eye out for our Roman soldier diary entries.

Roman Army Formations

In Ash class, we have been studying poetry and we've focused on the poetic technique of personification.  For our new English unit we are looking at a warning story called 'The Caravan' by Pie Corbett.  The character Mitch is warned not to go playing by the pylon however he ignores the warning and goes anyway and it is there he finds  an abandoned caravan.  The children based their poetry on an abandoned place and they have brought the nouns alive using personification.  We are hoping to use some of the great description in our warning stories when we write them.

Welcome to Ash Class 2017-2018!

Autumn 2nd Half

We have kick started our new topic for the second half of the Autumn Term with an amazing trip to the 'Black Country Living Museum'.  The topic is called 'Overground, Underground' and the children will be learning about the natural resources that are found underground in our local area and the Black Country. They will think about the past and learn about the mining of those natural resources and how this impacted the industries in our local area as well as thinking about today and how natural resources are used.

 

The children got a real feel for the life of a miner during the Victorian times at the Black Country Living Museum as we put our hard hats on and went down into a coal mine.  Through all the passageways there were figures explaining what people used to do down in the mines and how the coal was taken up to the surface and distributed.  Once we were out of the mine, we saw how the coal was used to make the fire to melt the iron so that nails and chains could be made.  We were lucky enough to have live demonstrations.

 

Have a look at some of the pictures to see how fantastic our WOW day really was and keep an eye out for the brilliant recounts that the children have written about the trip.

Recounts of our WOW trip to the Black Country Museum

As part of our topic we have studied the work of the artist L. S Lowry.  The children looked at the colours that he used in his paintings and we experimented with making different colours by mixing using the primary colours. We used black and white paint to create different shades and tones.  Once the children had looked at colour mixing, they moved on to plan and create their own piece of art work inspired by Lowry.  Our work was based on his painting 'Yachts'. 

 

Image result for lowry yachts

Lowry Inspired Art

 

Autumn Term

 

What an exciting few weeks back we have had.  In topic, we have been learning all about the digestive system which was kick started with a digestive system demonstration on our WOW afternoon.  Once we had learnt about all the different parts, the children then worked in groups and created a 3D model of the digestive system.  We've also had fun learning about teeth and the different types of teeth we have in our mouths and their functions.  The children have used mirrors to have a look at their teeth and then using plastercine they made a model of the teeth in their mouths.  Take a look at some of the fab learning that has been going on!

 

We have had a fabulous Friday 13th October.  We were lucky enough to have an artist visit who taught us how to draw Wallace from 'Wallace and Gromit'.  We learnt about using dots to help us draw and thought about using our fingers to help us measure so that we could make our picture symmetrical. Everyone had success and more importantly every showed a fantastic attitude - we definitely developed our growth mindset by persevering, learning from the mistakes we made and realising to do a good job, that we are proud of, might take some time and effort.  Take a look below at the children's success with Art.

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