Class Three have had a wonderful time learning all about applique and cross stitch while making cushions for our D and T topic. The class showed resilience and great team work, helping each other when needed. We used running stitch, cross stitch and over sewing, along with applique for the decorations. I think you will agree they look fantastic!
Class 3 have been exploring cave paintings in their sketch books in our recent art lessons.
We have been re-visiting our prior learning by recapping on primary and secondary colours and we have been finding out exactly how to make brown! Did you know that there are three formulas to make it accurately: it is not a case of just mixing as many colours as possible together!
We have been looking at all the different ways to describe and make the endless shades of brown that can be created using acrylic paints, watercolours, oil pastels and watercolours. As well as looking closely at the earthy tones made by natural materials used in ancient cave paintings found in France, Spain and Argentina that date back thousands of years.
Here we are at work in our classroom this week….
What an amazing day we all enjoyed in Keswick last week, which began with a visit to Castlerigg Stone Circle in the morning. Despite the wet, windy weather blowing across the clearing, we were able to get up close to the stones as we considered what their purpose might have been 4500 years ago.
We have several theories – it was certainly a place of very special significance – perhaps of religious importance or a place for people to gather and trade! Other stone circles around the UK, are believed to have been burial grounds, but not Castlerigg, as no human bones have every been found in the locality.
During the afternoon, we moved indoors to enjoy three workshops with the museum staff. We were able to handle ancient stone axes that had been found in a cave on the Pike of Stickle which were believed to have been the remains of a stone-age axe factory! We learnt about how hunter gatherers during the neolithic period survived in ancient Britain and we also became real archaeologists searching for hidden artefacts in the earth.
See us here, learning more about life in Stone-Age Britain and how historians have been able to piece together so much information about this time long before writing was invented!
What an amazing and busy time we had last week! The whole school took part in different Design and Technology projects. Class 1 were developing their cutting skills and exploring a range of different junk modelling materials. Class 2 were learning about fruit and vegetables, using their senses to explore them and then creating their own smoothies. Class 3 explored how to use a simple pneumatic system to make box monsters. Class 4 were learning about different ways to join fabric including different stictches, before designing and making their own soft toys. Each class enjoyed learning new skills, acquiring new knowledge and had opportunities to design, make and evaluate their work.
Class 4’s Soft Toys
Class 3’s Monster Boxes
Class 2’s Smoothies
Class 1’s Junk Modelling
Have you ever tried to follow the instructions for making a Lego model and faced all kinds of difficulties?
This week, Class 3 have been learning all about how to write clear, detailed and precise instructions so that the reader is able to follow the instructions and have a very successful outcome. We have been talking though each stage of the process of making a jam sandwich so that the reader doesn’t make any mistakes like: butter both sides of the bread, or put a dollop of jam in the centre of each slice and not spread across the whole surface of the slice.
We have also talked about the key features of good instructions which has included using imperative verbs, adverbs and time or adverbial openers. The instructions also need to be in chronological order. Year 4 have extended their work to include modal verbs. If you have any trouble understanding any of these terms – ask anyone in Class 3!
Here we are making our sandwiches – this is called ‘Talk for Writing’! it is where we rehearse our ideas with our talking partners so that we are ready to put our ideas onto paper. Look out for our amazing written instructions coming very soon…..!
Here we are settling in well and doing our handwriting – look at those lovely smiles!
We are practising our joined handwriting and spotting which letters are formed in similar ways.
Class 3 have been enjoying experimenting with colour, shape and pattern through the incredible work of French artist Henri Rousseau. His work reminds us of the Amazon landscape (a link to our geography studies during this term) although the places that he painted do not actually exist. Each of his compositions – many of which look like tropical jungles – are actually imaginary places conjured up from the studies he did of plants and animals observed in zoos and gardens in and around Paris.
We have been using a range of media, including watercolour, ink pens and pencil crayons to create our own studies and details of foliage.
We then developed our learning further by exploring Rousseau’s use of colour, line, pattern and texture in details of his inspirational work.
What can you make if you have a cup, some sellotape, felt-tip pens, a motor, a rubber, a battery and some crocodile clips? That’s exactly the question which was posed to class 4 last week! It wasn’t much to go on, but then they were given a prototype of a “Scrawler”
A Scrawler is an automatic drawing robot! A motor on top of the robot spins with an offset weight, causing it to vibrate. As it vibrates, the pens making up the “legs” of the robot wobble across the page and draw patterns as they go.
Class 4 wasted no time in taking the prototype to pieces to discover how it worked. With no further instructions, just some reverse-engineering, small teams got to work building a Scrawler of their very own!
Once we had perfected and tested our own versions, we took them apart for a further challenge. Was it possible to teach Class 3 how to make one of their own, without using our hands? That meant no pointing or touching, and no getting frustrated when somebody else was doing the wrong thing! With only 20 minutes to complete the project time was not on our side, but I think the gallery below proves our success!
Class 3 have been bringing together this year’s history and science knowledge in producing a special electric poster for a museum display to inform visitors about the Romans. They considered where to place a light bulb to draw people’s attention to an aspect of their poster – some are on the titles, others incorporated into their illustrations and others by their facts. It was great to see pupils helping each other to problem solve when circuits didn’t work as expected – this is certainly an important aspect of the job of a designer and engineer.
After missing performing for two years, we were delighted to be entertained on Friday morning by our marvellous pianists and violinists. We enjoyed solos, duets as well as small group performances introduced and supported by our first class instrumental teachers Mrs Rainbow and Mrs Hurley.
All year 2 pupils have learned to play the violin this year and the group who have been keen to continue presented a selection of pieces showing many different ways to produce sound on the violin including pizzicato (plucking the string) and arco (bowing). Our year 3 violinists showed their beautiful smooth bowing action that produced a lovely mellow tone.
The pianists all played different tunes, solos and duets that really got our feet tapping and produced smiles all around the appreciative audience. Well done to all performers and those who have supported and encouraged them this year – the fruits of that labour were clear to see thi
