Super Science Learning

This week, we’ve started our new mini-topic… Power – forces. In Year 5 and 6, we’ll be focussing on electricity to make sure that we’re covering all of the National Curriculum. We started our unit by thinking about what electricity is (learning about: which materials conduct electricity?). Each group were given a basket full of electrical equipment and given one challenge: make the bulb give off light. All of the groups managed to do this (despite some equipment failures) pretty quickly – I was impressed.

Then, we discussed different materials and predicted* if they would conduct electricity or not. To find out how accurate our predictions were, we placed each material in the circuit and observed* if the bulb still worked or not. Ask your child which materials were conductors, and which ones weren’t.

*Two key skills covered in the working scientifically part of the National Curriculum. 

What materials conduct electricity?

As part of our mini topic, Forces: Electricity, we investigated which materials conduct electricity and which don’t today.

We recapped what a circuit was first by creating a human-sized version:

Then, we worked in groups to test different materials by inserting objects made out of them into the circuit. If the bulb lit, the material was conductive.

Money, money, money

Year 2 are currently learning all about money and are working on the following Maths objectives (to be achieved by the end of the year).

26. recognise and use symbols for pounds (£) and pence (p); combine amounts to make a particular value
27. find different combinations of coins that equal the same amounts of money
28. solve simple problems in a practical context involving addition and subtraction of money of the same unit, including giving change

To support your child at home, give them the opportunity to count money by combining different coins/notes.  If you receive a supermarket or shop flyer in the post, let your child have a look at the cost of the items and attempt to add some of the amounts together.

Community Heroes

Today, we performed our acrostic poems about our chosen community hero. 

“Rhythm makes the poem easy to remember.”

– Phoebe

“Harris’ poem rhymed in lots of places!”

– Talha

“Imagery helps put a picture in your head.”

– Hifza

“Jess really thought about her poem and she really took her time and the rhythm was really good.”

– Musa 

Mindfulness

On Friday, we enjoyed a mindfulness workshop – ask your child if they can explain what mindfulness is.

We started off by thinking about a situation (being kicked in the leg in the playground) and thought about how we might react. Our response could be negative: we could react in a retaliatory way. However, being mindful would allow us to respond more positively: taking a moment away from the situation to calm down and find a suitable solution.

Then, we watched a clip from ‘Kung-Fu Panda’. In the clip, we saw two characters. One had a special power: mindfulness. Being mindful allowed the character to respond to a tricky situation by staying calm, thinking through his options and finding a solution that was best for all involved.

As our themed week is all about who we are, we discussed that learning to accept our emotions is a huge part of our identity. We talked about how we were feeling and reflected on times when we haven’t felt so upbeat and positive. We agreed that feeling anxious, sad or stressed is OK because we know that no matter how we are feeling it will always get better. To help, we learnt a few relaxation techniques:

• self hug
• breathing tree
• OK breathing
• nasal breathing (risky in the winter if you have a cold!)

Another technique we learnt to help us be mindful when we’re feeling anxious or worried is an emotions bottle. To create an emotions bottle at home, simply add different coloured glitter to a bottle of still water. Once made, decide what emotion each colour represents, shake the bottle, watch all the emotions mix then breath calmly as the bottle (and your emotions) reset. We have our own emotions bottle (or ‘Worry Waver’ as we’ve decided to call ours) in class that children can use at any time they wish – maybe, you could have one at home, too?

Another simple method to help us relax was to sit still and silent and focus on our senses. You could listen out for 10 sounds, find 10 shapes you haven’t noticed before or use your sense of touch to find contrasting textures around the room.

We’ll keep talking about mindfulness in class and we’ll be trying out some of the techniques.

Year 1 homework

Year 1 had a great discussion about different charities following their talk time homework.  It was great to hear about such a variety of good causes covering many areas from homelessness to giving shoes to children in Africa.  Some children also selected charities we had worked with in our themed week, for example RNIB.

Once we had come up with our full list, we held a vote for the charity we wanted to be the Year 1 choice.  Harry’s choice of Plastic Oceans Foundation was chosen by the children.  He was very passionate about this!

Who do we think we are!

We’ve enjoyed having lots of different visitors and activities as part of our themed week.

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Keeping safe in the community

Year 1 became police officers for the afternoon during our themed week and were under the instruction of PCSO Michelle.

After an initial safety briefing, it was time to go outside school to learn about road and pedestrian safety in our immediate area.  Then, all children had the chance to check whether drivers were following the new 20mph speed limit along Shadwell Lane by using the hand held speed gun.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good news with children catching drivers in excess of the 20mph limit.  We talked about the reasons for the new speed limit and the children were very concerned that not all cars were travelling as slow as they should have been.

Thank you to PCSO Michelle for working with us.  Make sure you say hello if you see her in the community.

Who do you think you are?

It’s been a very busy week in Year 4.

With a big focus on our identity, we began the week discussing and thinking about  all the different things that make us who we are.

As well as identity, we thought about the community we live in and how that is a big part of our lives.

On Wednesday, Year 4 spent the morning visiting St Gemma’s Hospice in Moortown.

Who We Are 

“We are a Leeds-based charity providing expert care and support for local people with terminal illnesses. We offer specialist medical and nursing care to thousands of local people each year and offer invaluable support to their families and friends. Opened in 1978, we are the largest hospice in Yorkshire and one of the largest in England.

We provide expert care, support, advice and information for patients and their families, carers and loved ones. We are also a world leader in palliative care research and our Academic Unit provides training and education for professionals. We provide information and support for children and young people when someone in their family is seriously ill or has died.”

This hospice is a big part of our community and lots of us have personal links to it. During our visit, the children learnt how the charity supports some very poorly people and their families.

The St Gemma’s Young People’s Service arranges all kinds of fun activities for children of all ages, to help them cope with their feelings and worries.

These are some of the methods used by the team to help families.

• We meet with children, young people and their families.
• We sometimes do activities such as artwork or an activity book. We also talk about the person who is ill or has died.
• We are used to talking about difficult things and don’t mind if you get upset.
• Sometimes groups of children and young people meet together to talk about how things are.
• If we are working with a child or a young person and they ask a question, we will answer it openly and honestly.

Did you know that St Gemma’s was originally a school? It was run by a group of nuns.

During our visit, the children were able to look around the beautiful, well tendered gardens. These are a great comfort to many and a lovely area to spend time with loved ones.

It is always a very humbling experience visiting St Gemma’s. This was made even more so by the respect, care, patience and behaviour of all of the Year 4 children. It was an absolute pleasure to take them.

We Are Mindful Superheroes!

Today, we learnt a new superpower: mindfulness! This new skill can help calm us down in stressful situations and can help us talk about our emotions and understand them.

To demonstrate how mindfulness works, we were shown a bottle of water. We named emotions and assigned them to colours of glitter, which were poured into the bottle one by one. If the emotions were shaken up and not dealt with, it was hard to see through the water clearly. We practised some breathing techniques…

… to calm and relax us. As we did so, the glittery emotions in the bottle settled and the water (symbolising our thinking) was now clear!

In the wise words of Master Oogway: “Your mind is like the water. When it becomes agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear.”