How lovely it is to be back with our classes for the Summer Term!
Although Year 8 may be dreading the thought of exams in June, their excellent attitude to learning should stand them in good stead – they have already started to get stuck into SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar), creative writing, poetry and reading comprehension work.
In English, I often like to set a ‘choice’ of prep so that pupils can pick their own creative and cross-curricular piece of work to do. It could be to write a poem, paint a picture or create a collage (all on the same or a similar theme). The children are motivated, inspired and empowered to produce their best work.
Last week, I invited our Year 8 pupils (many of whom are eco-warriors and passionate about environmental issues) to produce pieces of work with messages to mark Earth Week.
So, Sofia E made this colourful collage:
Rory R produced this striking poster:
Clemmie D created this clever collage:
Ottoline painted this beautiful picture:
And Chaya L and Francesca F (8PB) collaboratively wrote this fabulous rap:
And Isabelle Ho cleverly created this thoughtful poster out of a recyled prep sheet:
Some of our EAL pupils took a break from their Cambridge PET studies with Ms Newcomb to produce these pieces of work about St George for display:
Year 7 pupils have been reflecting on Equality and Rights, the theme of the term, and have produced a stunning set of posters to highlight some key ideas.
We have just started reading the South African comedian Trevor Noah’s autobiography “Born a Crime” which should raise some interesting discussions!
We also listened to “Where is the Love?” by The Black Eyed Peas and took inspiration from the lyrics to create collages and more:
Poster by Arthur P
Year 6
We have just started our class novel for the term, the deliciously creepy “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman.
Our work began with comparing book covers and considering what we might expect from the book based on the illustrations.
In addition, some members of Year 6 took their English books to the bluebell woods so that they could record their observations and make sketches of the flowers as they gathered inspiration for poems.
Here is a small sample of the poetry created by the Year 6 pupils, including a poem by Elizabeth H:
A fantastic acrostic poem by Charlie P:
And a beautifully illustrated poem by Elizabeth O:
Finally, here are two heart-felt poems by Elsie B and Rosie D:
Year 5
At the end of the Lent Term, the Year 5 pupils explored a very enjoyable unit as they read, studied and performed poetry by the British poet, Joseph Coelho. The pupils researched his background, enjoyed watching videos of his expressive style and thought of ways in which they could perform one of his poems with enthusiasm in order to captivate their audience.
This term, we have begun to explore short, spooky stories written by Kevin Crossley-Holland. Alarming, creepy, bizarre and downright scary – the pupils have thoroughly enjoyed reading a range of Crossley-Holland’s works, along with analysing the features of horror stories. They have learnt that plot, setting, characters, structure and language are all crafted in a particular way to keep the reader in suspense right until the end. The Year 5s recently enjoyed composing and sharing their own ending to the chilling tale There’s Room for One More.
By Isobel F
By Yoshi C
Year 4
This term, Year 4 pupils have been learning how to write a recount. They have enjoyed reading Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears and have used this story to write a recount, imagining they were the Little Mouse recounting how her phobia of water began. The Year 4s spent time looking at the features of a recount which may include: past tense, use of adjectives, first or third person and the use of time adverbs. They used these features as they further developed their paragraph writing skills when they wrote a recount of their own fear. They wrote three well-composed paragraphs explaining: (1) how the fear started, (2) a time when it caused a problem, and (3) when they overcame their fear. They enjoyed publishing this text in the style of Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears.
By India P
By Zara SW
By Matilda B
Year 3
3E have begun reading ‘Dear Hound’ by Jill Murphy as a class reader. The children are becoming more confident reading in front of each other, with expression and an appropriate speed. For some, this means slowing down so their articulation is as clear as possible, a skill that needs practice. Some children have now received a badge for reading twelve books from Mrs Platt. This has spurred them on to read more independently and most of them are now able to settle down in the Junior Library, reading quietly, ‘in their head’.
Of course, the nitty gritty of spelling, phonic patterns and beautiful handwriting still need practice and we continue to spend time on these skills. Our weekly dictation and homework spent practising those words not yet embedded is important too.
How far would you go to look cool?
Year 3 are enjoying researching fashion styles from the past, as well as contemporary trends. Learning to retrieve information, by scanning and skimming texts, they have begun to think about sentence order and summarise paragraphs. All of them are fascinated to know that the young have always tried to shock the older generations!
Mrs Everist is looking forward to seeing how Year 3 prepare and write in role as fashion reporters, having first designed a ‘shocking style’ of their own. Perhaps we will have some future designers in our midst! Maybe sustainability and recycling will feature in their designs too.
And finally…
A reminder that all pupils from Year 2 to Year 8 are participating in the Readathon (as mentioned recently in my letter to parents dated 23rd April and attached here for convenience). The Readathon will continue all Summer Term and end on 22nd June. A reminder that all books (fiction and non-fiction), audio books and magazines count!
A big thank you to all parents and carers in advance for supporting both your child with their reading and the valuable work of this charity which chimes perfectly with our motto, Pro Allis Optimum Agere (To do our best for the benefit of others).
Emily Platt, Head of Department
