Class 3 had a wonderful afternoon in the woods learning all about invertebrates and their importance. We all enjoyed a mindfulness activity, lying on the forest floor and looking at the trees and sky above. We went on a minibeast hunt and discussed habitats and the importance of looking after our world.
This week, our pupils have enjoyed a range of rich and varied activities, designed to deepen their understanding across the curriculum and inspire curiosity beyond the classroom.
A highlight of the week was our visit to a local secondary school science laboratory. Pupils had the opportunity to work in an authentic laboratory environment, using microscopes to carefully observe onion cells. This hands-on experience allowed them to apply their prior knowledge of living things and develop their scientific enquiry skills. Pupils also investigated how different chemicals affect the colour of a Bunsen burner flame, sparking excitement and thoughtful discussion about chemical reactions.
We were also delighted to welcome a visitor from SCARF, who led an engaging and informative session on the risks associated with both legal and illegal drugs. Through clear, age-appropriate discussion, pupils developed their understanding of making safe and informed choices, supporting the PSHE curriculum. The session was made even more memorable with a visit from Harold the Talking Giraffe, who helped to reinforce key messages (and give us stickers!)
Later in the week, pupils visited Park End Wetlands, where they took part in a fieldwork investigation to assess water quality. Developing their scientific sampling techniques, they measured both the number and variety of invertebrate species present. This is an activity completed by Levens pupils in the past, so it was a great opportunity to measure the health of the wetlands over time. Mrs Mason who supported on the trip was even there when the wetlands were first developed and planted by the community!
The week concluded with a special assembly, where pupils had the opportunity to share their learning with parents and carers. As part of this, they developed their oracy skills, preparing short presentations about an aspect of the week that had particularly interested them. Pupils worked hard to speak confidently without relying on a script, focusing on maintaining eye contact and using a clear, expressive voice.
I am incredibly proud of the pupils’ enthusiasm, curiosity and independence. It has been a fantastic way to end the term and get outside the classroom walls following the hard work our year 6 pupils put in throughout SATS week.
Check out a selection of photos from the week below!
The children had a very informative lesson with Bob this week. They learnt all about first aid and even had a good at resuscitation and placing people in the recovery position. They also produced some fantastic posters using all their newly gained know.
Last week, we celebrated the birthday of David Attenborough by creating informative posters all about his life and work. We learned about how he helps people understand the importance of looking after our planet and protecting wildlife.
The posters were a fantastic way to begin our new environment topic in school over the next couple of weeks. We enjoyed researching facts, designing eye-catching layouts and sharing ideas about how we can help care for the Earth.
Class 2 have made their very own pouches! This fit in perfectly with our money work in maths. First, we practised our sewing skills by learning how to do a running stitch. Then we carefully cut our fabric and sewed the pieces together to create our pouch shapes.
Class 3 have been working on their translation skills by studying a version of Jacques et le Haricot Magique. We had great fun ready the story and then spent our golden time drawing the key characters and props. We then used French dictionaries to label these.
The sun was shining when Class 3 visited Tristrams for the school rounders event. All the children had a fantastic afternoon playing in two teams, encouraging and supporting each other. We came away with a 2nd and 3rd in our groups. Thank you very much to Dallam School for organising and hosting.
This term, our geography learning has taken us on an exciting journey into the world of maps and mountains. We have been studying contour lines and learning how they are used to show elevation and height on maps.
To begin with, we explored contour maps of familiar local places, including Patterdale Hall and Levens village. Looking at areas we know well helped us to understand how contour lines work in real life. We noticed that:
By comparing the maps with what we know of these locations, we were able to see how hills, valleys and flatter areas are represented on Ordnance Survey maps.
To bring our learning to life, we then designed and built our own mountains using thick card. Each layer of card represented a different contour line, stacked carefully to show increasing height. This helped us visualise how a flat map can represent a three‑dimensional landscape.
Each mountain was unique. Some had:
Once our individual mountains were complete, we combined them into one large imaginary mountain range, creating an exciting landscape with a variety of elevation features. Some students also noticed that this is how features like rivers and lakes are formed in nature, so we added some of those too.
A slightly late blog, but with a good excuse – we’ve been busy building another trophy for the collection!
Yes, we’ve been to the Cumbria LEGO League competition once again. What’s more, we’ve returned with a trophy for the third year in a row!
LEGO League is an exciting international STEM competition that challenges young people to think like engineers, programmers and innovators. Working in teams, the children designed, built and programmed a LEGO robot to complete a series of missions linked to the theme of “archaeology’. Alongside this, they researched a problem in the field of archaeology, developed an innovative solution and presented their ideas to judges.
And it’s the innovation project that won the trophy this time. Our idea was to use use the power of AI to scan and identify possible historical artefacts discovered by regular people. Metal-detectorists, mud-larkers, builders, people digging flower beds; all of these people often stumble across interesting artefacts without knowing anything about what they’ve discovered. With our app, simply taking a photograph could give a quick indication of whether what has been found is important and interesting, or just an old pot. With help, we even used AI to mock up a version of what we think the app could look like. The judges were very impressed!
Check out the photos of the day below. Maybe next year we’ll get through to the national finals!
Following our fantastic workshop learning all about internet safety the final badge designed arrived in school. A grand reveal created great excitement as the children discovered which designs had been chosen for the badges. Thanks again Screen Savvy Kidz. www.facebook.com/screensavvykidz
Here are the brilliant badges!
