We have reached the end of this half term and also the halfway point of the academic year! Always a good time to reflect on all that has happened and all the children have achieved. I am especially delighted that there has been no lockdowns and full class online learning! Long may this continue. 

This week in shared reading the children have based their learning on an extract from Kensuke's Kingdom. The first lesson saw the children pick out unfamiliar words from a passage and guess at the meaning of the word before using a dictionary to check their guesses. The children then visualised a setting from the book and drew their own map of the island using their own ideas and passages from the text. Finally, the children answered questions based on the text. In English we continued to rea The Executioner's Daughter and focussed on the frost fair that Moss and Salter visit. The children learnt more about actual frost fairs and then planned and designed an advert for their own frost fair stall. There was a fantastic range of things for sale ranging from gingerbread through to elephant rides (all historically accurate as well). In history the children took on the role of historical researchers and were tasked with reporting on the Spanish Armada. The children were given a range of sources to watch, study and analyse and the end results were amazing! Some brilliant presenting, reporting and interviewing and some really laugh out loud moments. Well done 5/6! In science we spent time learning about naturalists and behaviourists before focussing on the nations favourite, David Attenborough. We watched some clips of his programmes and learnt about the work that he has done not just for the natural world but also the world of showbiz (who knew he had a part to play in Monty Python!). In PE the children were given the chance to apply their gymnastic skills to apparatus around the hall. It was good to see the children really enjoy using apparatus they don't normally get to try. Finally, in RSE we discussed bereavement and loss. They are tricky subjects to talk about but as always I was impressed with the children's maturity and sensitivity. 

This week’s song choice is chosen by Mr Bown. As it was his last day before going on secondment it felt fitting that he should chose the song to help us remember this particular week. To really mix up the playlist, he has gone for Down Under (feat. Colin Hay) by Luude, Some old school drum and base vibes to it and a sample from an eighties banger.