In reception this week we have been hooked into our new story The Sleepy Bumblebee. We found a locked box in our classroom and went on a journey around the school to find the key. We visited lots of different adults until we found the key to open the lock. Inside the box was a selection of brand new stories for our class to enjoy. We have continued to learn about space in our topic lessons and this week we looked at the first moon landing. We discovered that there is no gravity on the moon so the astronauts had to tie themselves to the spacecraft so they didn't float away!

This week in Year 1, the children have been learning about the human body. They explored the names and functions of different body parts and practised using key vocabulary. Today, the children worked collaboratively by carefully drawing around each other and then using body part key words to label their person. The children showed great teamwork and enthusiasm and it was lovely to see them using their scientific language so confidently.

This week in Year 2/3, we began our new English unit using 'Meerkat Mail' to explore how to describe different settings. As a creative hook, each class discovered a mystery box filled with items linked to meerkats and desert habitats, sparking lots of curiosity and discussion. The children took part in drama activities, acting like meerkats and learning fun facts, before using coffee grains to create different shades of brown for their desert backgrounds. The children loved the experience and the classroom was filled with the smell of coffee!

It has been a busy and productive week in Year 4! In English, we have been diving into our new class text through "short burst" writing, using descriptive poetry and prose to bring our settings to life with powerful vocabulary. Our Maths lessons focused on the mechanics of multiplying by 10 and 100, where the children explored place value shifts and the related number facts. In Science, we have been investigating the different states of matter, learning how to identify and distinguish between solids, liquids, and gases. We are so impressed with the children's hard work and curiosity across all subjects!

This week, Year 5 students were thrilled to continue their hands-on Geography unit on volcanoes. Building on last week’s discussion regarding why explosive volcanoes form distinct cone shapes, the children put their theories to the test. The highlight of the week was completing their experiments by triggering their very own "eruptions" to see geographical concepts in action!

In Science this week, Year 6 has been investigating variation and asking the big question: what makes us unique? The children explored the difference between inherited variation (traits passed down from parents, like eye colour) and environmental variation (traits influenced by our surroundings and choices, like a scar or dyed hair).

The refining of our pedagogy continued this week as we explored task designs that encourage interactive learning. We used history as the context to explore the use of Think-Pair-Share, Jigsaw and Gallery strategies for learning.