Welcome to Fox Class!

 Welcome Back! I hope you have had a lovely Easter Break. I am looking forward to getting stuck into our next topic, 'Flaming Hot'

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to ask me.

Miss Goatham

Here is a weekly timetable that shows the subject areas that we will be covering. For this term,  PE will be on a Wednesday afternoon and swimming will be on a Friday morning.

Please be aware that sometimes the timetable may change depending on events going on throughout the school. 

Our Topic for this term is...

                                                                                               FLAMING HOT!
 

Science

This half term, the children will be learning about electricity. They have/will carry out a range of investigations using the circuit equipment. The children have tested what circuits create the brightest bulb and what materials are insulators and conductors. Additionally, they have had the opportunity to learn some of the electrical symbols when drawing their own circuits. 

Visit to the Apex

Fox class were fortunate enough to attend the Apex on Monday 19th June. We were joined by lots of other schools to celebrate the power of music and musical instruments. The children rehearsed ALL morning, and then they performed in front of a large audience. I am very proud of the children - their flute playing was amazing (we were definitely the BEST school!)

The Animal Experience

Today, Fox Class were fortunate enough to have 'The animal experience' visit the school. The children learnt about the classification of animals - specifically learning about mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. 

The children got to meet a meerkat, barn owl, python, hissing cockroach, blue tongue skink and a bearded dragon! Some of the pictures below show the children holding some of these animals. This was such an amazing experience and the children loved every second! 

Science

This week the children have been learning about states of matter, focusing specifically on identifying solids, liquids and gases.  In addition to this, we have looked at the formation of particles within each of these states of matter. 

Looking at the particles, can you tell me which is solid, liquid or gas?

States of Matter

Fox class have been using the POW App on the IPads to showcase their knowledge about the particles in solids, liquids and gases. 

Topic

This week, we have been learning about the Earth's layers...

Feel free to ask Fox Class some of the following questions...they should know them!

1. What is the thickness of the Earth's crust?

2. What is the mantle made up of?

3. Is the outer core made up of liquid or solid?

4. How hot is the inner core?

Our Topic for this term is...

For this topic, we will be looking at the history of the Anglo Saxons and where they settled in England, and why they settled in England. Then, after half term, continuing our learning about them but focusing on farming because we all know Anglo Saxons were amazing farmers!

Making Anglo Saxon Soup

This week, the children have been making their own Anglo Saxon soup. They could only use vegetables that were grown in the Anglo Saxon Period (carrots, parsnips, green beans, peas, onions and cabbage). We sourced some of our vegetables from our recent trip to Abrey Farm! The children had to work in groups to chop and peel vegetables, and then cook and blend their soup. 

When the soup was ready, the children were able to taste and evaluate their product using a star analysis grid; they focused on evaluating the smell, sight, texture and taste. Overall, the children had a fantastic time making their Anglo Saxon soup and they were fortunate enough to take some home.

WARNING: Fox class will now smell of onions for the next fortnight!!!

Vegetable food tasting

Fox class have been learning about the food available during the Anglo Saxon era. Because Anglo Saxon's were amazing farmers, they used to grow their own vegetables; they then used these to make soup. 

Next week, Fox Class will be making their own Anglo Saxon soup. To do this, they needed to know what vegetables were around during this time, and make sure they knew what they tasted like. Today, the children tasted parsnip, green beans, cabbage, onion, peas and carrots and evaluated the taste. As a result, this will help them plan the type of soup that they want to make. 

Visitors in the form of carrots!

Fox class were very lucky to have Giles and Matthew visit us from Euston and Abrey Farm. The children learnt lots about the vegetables grown locally and how they are stored before they are released into the supermarkets. 

The children had a fantastic afternoon learning lots of new information about local produce and they asked some brilliant questions! Take a look at some of the photos below...

English

We have been reading the book 'Beowulf', written by Michael Morpurgo; and have been focusing specifically on the section, ‘Grendel the Monster of the Night'. This is a legend that dates back to when the Anglo Saxons around.

The children will be writing HOT tasks based on when Grendel slaughtered all the nightly guards and Lords at Heorot. Below, are some freeze frames of the children acting out this particular part of the story; from this, they have learnt the order of events.

Our Topic for this term is...

Sticks, Stones and Bones!

Learning about 2D shapes...

We have been naming a range of 2D shapes. I have challenged some of the children to make as many hexagons as they can...they had to consider regular and irregular shapes to complete this challenge...

An investigation: What drinks affect your teeth?

This week, the children have carried out their first science investigation, 'What drinks affect your teeth?', the options being between: water, coke, orange juice, milk and coffee. What is your prediction? The children predicted what they thought would happen, and then they carried out their investigation, recorded their results, and concluded their findings. They are great scientists! 

The children carried out the experiment using an egg (acting as a tooth); the outer shell of the hard boiled egg acts as the enamel of a tooth. Take a look at our findings (before and after). We wanted to see how the liquid affected the outer shell, and the inside of the egg; it got messy and very smelly!

Science: A mysterious skull was discovered by William Rogers...

Fox class were out by the pond area during a science lesson, one pupil found something very interesting.

The children were able to combine their science learning with computing; they produced a newspaper report (in pairs) using the ipads...The children were trying to determine what animal the skull belonged to, by looking at their teeth! What do you think?!

Bringing learning to life with a caveman in the classroom

KS2 were fortunate enough to have a visitor (Will Lord) and his companion arrive at school as cavemen today. They taught Fox class a valuable lesson in prehistory by covering a wide range of skills and knowledge that is needed to survive during the Stone Age. I am pretty confident that the children have learnt enough to make brilliant cavemen in that period of history!

The children made fire; tools using flint; learnt how to make mud paint for cave drawings; in addition they dissected a fish, cooked it and ate it! Overall, it was a fantastic day whereby the learning was just phenomenal. I am looking forward to continuing this in the classroom...

ART

The children have been learning about the cave drawings/paintings that were discovered from the Stone Age. In addition to this, we have learnt about why people in the Stone Age drew/painted certain images; we know they liked to show their hopes and dream through their creativity. We also know that they signed their work with a handprint!

The children have created their own cave drawings on a piece of concrete paving slab, using chalks and pastels. What do you think?