Class News

Super Science at Allerton Grange!

Today, Year 5 went to Allerton Grange for a science lesson. The children leant a lot of new words: pH, alkali and hydrophobic! They also were able to practise their pipetting skills. We had try to identify unknown chemicals by using indicators. The children were amazing at following instructions and had a wonderful time.

New spelling list for half term 6!

HT6

Year 3,4

This half-term, our spellings are linked to the rules and strategies we’ll be learning in class:

• alternative graphemes: tion, sion, ssion, cian
• alternative graphemes: i, ie, y, i-e
• homophones: he’ll, heel, plain, plane, groan, grown, rain, rein, reign
• alternative graphemes: sc
• spelling patterns: que
• alternative graphemes: u spelled ou

Each Friday, you’ll be tested on 8 of the words from the list below.

Design & Technology: How have designers changed the world?

This week, Year 5 have started their design and technology topic. Our first lesson looked at how designers have changed the world. The children had time to research three different designers: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, George Stephenson and Lewis Latimer.

Year 5 discussed that they changed the world in lots of different ways:

• Isambard’s bridges meant that people could join together and travel over water.
• George’s locomotive meant that people could travel faster and more efficiently as well as hauling larger quantities of coal out of mines.
• Lewis’ electric lightbulb meant that people could have light immediately and stop using candles.

All of these designers were creative, imaginative and problem-solvers. They all had great determination, perseverance and scientific skills.

Help at home: What other designers do you know? How did they change the world?

Cricketers

Today, some of our Year 5 and 6 children took part in the Leeds School Games Y5/6 mixed cricket event at Old Leos.

It was a cold and damp June day for the event but despite the conditions, the children worked hard as a team and performed some great cricketing skills. Well done to all the children who took part and thanks to Mrs Russell and Miss Kidd for taking and supporting the children.

Science – Does the amount of seeds affect the growth of a plant?

Hello! We hope you’ve had a relaxing half term.

We’ve come back to some amazing growth from our sunflower seeds! With the warm and sunny weather, they’ve shot up.

There is still a big difference between the heights of the plants in each pot too. With the plants with 2 seeds in now being the tallest and the pot with 1 seed being the shortest.

Check back next week to see more growth!

We are scientists

This half term, we’ve continued to be biologists in our science learning.

We planned an investigation to see what would happen if we planted a seed and a bulb in warm and cold conditions.

After three weeks, here are the results.

In the warm

In the cold

This comparative test shows that as well as water and sunlight, plants need a suitable temperature to grow healthily.

We’ve also been thinking about the benefits of wildlife and the importance of caring for wildlife.

Here are some ideas we’ve been learning about to look after wildlife.

Look at this hedgehog house ready for visitors!

Help at home: ask your child for some ideas for helping wildlife in the local area.

Geography: Kenya reports

This week we rounded off our Geography topic by writing a report all about Kenya. We were able to show off both our knowledge of Kenya and the world as well as our impressive writing skills. Both Miss Parwani and I thought everybody’s writing was excellent. They have learnt so much during this topic and they enjoyed the chance to write about it.

Help at home by discussing what they have learnt about Kenya and maybe choosing a different country to explore! What hemisphere is it in? What continent? Is it near the equator? What is the weather like? How is it different to the UK?

Geography double-page spreads

This half term, we have been geographers.

We have been learning all about the world around us in our ‘Explorers’ Geography unit. This has included lots of learning about Venice and York and looking at their similarities and differences.

Today, Year 4 created some ‘double page spreads’ that showcased all their Geography learning from this half term. Check some examples out below!

Summer1: Week6

On Monday, we had a very exciting day. We released our butterflies. The children have enjoyed observing the life cycle of the butterflies over the last few weeks and were happy to set them free.

Maths

This week we have been learning how to use the rekenreks. We have been subitising numbers on them aswell as making different amounts within ten.

English

During our English this week, we have been learning about our bodies. The children were able to say and write a fact about the human body.

Poetry Picnic

This week’s poem was called Monkey Babies. The children have enjoyed both reading and performing this poem throughout the week.

PE

During this half term the children have been developing their ball skills. They have been practising bouncing a ball in a hoop and catching a ball that someone else has bounced to them.

Help at home: by reading lots, both to and with your child over the half term.

Living and Learning: I know that being physically active is healthy mentally and physically.

In Living and Learning, Year 4 have been discussing how to stay healthy mentally and physically.

Physical activity helps us to strength our muscles, develop our coordination, improve our fitness and maintain a healthy weight.

Being active also releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good – boosting your self-esteem and helping you concentrate as well as sleep well and feel better.

It is recommended that children get one hour of physical activity every day. We spent time going through a typical week and assessing whether we met the criteria each day.

It was reassuring to know that most children in our class meet this target each day – it seems some never sit still!

Help at home and ask your child when they have been active today.