Monthly archives: September 2017


Amazing Author Anthony Browne!

Skiddaw class are enjoying exploring The Tunnel written and illustrated by Anthony Browne. He loves to hide clues in all his illustrations and we have loved searching and making connections between the pictures and the text. The front cover, pictured here, has elicited many questions such as: Who is she? Where is she going? Why has she left her book behind? What book is it and why was she reading it? Where does the tunnel lead? We’ll soon be finding out and exploring ideas through drama, reading and writing.

 


Numbers

All of Bowfell class have been thinking all things number since the start of the school year.

In Reception we have been sequencing and counting numbers to 20. The children have been working hard, especially with the tricky teen numbers.

In Year 1 we have been making, recognising and sequencing 2-digits numbers. The children have been getting to know the 100 square and using it to support their maths work.

In Year 2, we have taken it one step further and have begun to identify the tens and ones in a number using cubes and then dienes equipment.

 


Scafell Forest Schools

Today was all about tools!  Everyone in Scafell listened carefully to the instructions; worked well in pairs; demonstrated self-regulation and responsibility; and learnt how to use a range of tools including: bow saws, palm drills, sanding blocks and secateurs; safely and efficiently.  We also discovered how to whittle wood using a potato peeler!


I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow…

Reception and Year 1 have been thinking about Harvest and autumn this week. We have been reading Julia Donaldson’s ‘Scarecrow Wedding’ and singing the much loved song in preparation for the Harvest service.

Today we made our own scarecrows using wooden spoons. A big thank you to parents for their contributions of spoons and extra resources to help create our Scarecrow Spoons.

We’re going to carry on this week, writing instructions, sequencing the story and beginning to look out for more signs of autumn.


Good Work Assembly

It was lovely for parents to join us today to celebrate all of the children’s achievements throughout the week. Bowfell showed us their fantastic counting skills and ‘noun’ knowledge, Skiddaw impressively taught us 10 school-related words in sign language and Scafell presented their wonderful ‘Picasso-inspired’ artwork. What a lovely end to a great week! Thank you to all of the parents that joined us this afternoon.

 


Messy but worth it! Learning about State of Matter in Science.

Most people buy cornstarch to make custard or gravy, but Scafell have been using it to solve a longstanding physics problem with a substance known to generations of Dr. Seuss readers as “Oobleck”; and to scientists as a non-Newtonian liquid! Today Scafell were investigating states of matter, working out a very baffling question…what state of matter is Oobleck? By moving it around, it stays solid, yet keep it still for 2 seconds and it becomes a gloopy liquid. Did we discover the important answer to the ongoing science mystery? Maybe not! But we did have lots of fun and learn a lot about state of matter. The children were also very helpful when it came to clearing up. Sorry about the mess Mrs Farraday!


Picasso…Scafell’s way!

Scafell have been practising their artistic skills this week, learning about Pablo Picasso and his unique art. Firstly, we enjoyed looking at Picasso’s famous portraits; discussing words such as abstract, cubism and angular. The children then learnt various drawing skills using graphite pencils and oil pastels, resulting in fantastic, weird but wonderful portraits! Some of the children worked in pairs, drew each other or worked independently using a mirror. They were happy to have the chance to show off their amazing artwork in our Parent Good Work assembly today! Well done Scafell.


Understanding decimals in year 5 & 6

This morning, Scafell have been exploring the place value of decimals; including identifying the value of each digit; reading, comparing and ordering numbers with up to 3 decimal places; and partitioning decimals:

Some of our pupils have set you a challenge to solve!  Can you order these decimals from smallest to largest?

Here’s the solution:


Exploring maps

Year 2 have been exploring OS maps of the local area. They have loved finding where they live, the places they visit and using the key to find out what all the symbols and lines mean.


KS2 Visit to Westmorland County Show

As we do every year; Levens School attended the Westmorland County Show on Thursday and enjoyed a wonderful day learning more about our locality and our heritage.

Can you spot Prince Charles?

A huge thank you to the parents who accompanied us on the day and well done to our pupils who showed their livestock and won rosettes!  They told us all about it in Good Work Assembly on Friday.