PYP Inquiry

Little Moles

This term, Little Moles have been looking at how the world works with the central idea that ‘all living things go through a process of change’. The children have been engaged and excited about this topic and it has sent us in all sorts of directions to explore and inquire. The children in Little Moles had a wonderful opportunity to watch chicks hatch from their eggs and get to hold and care for the chicks as they got bigger and began to change. We also watched how caterpillars turn into butterflies as well growing our very own (magic) beans. The children learned what plants need in order to grow. The lifecycles and process of change has brought huge excitement and fantastic learning opportunities for our children in Little Moles. We also hosted a successful Mothers Day Pamper session and enjoyed taking part in new sporting activities such as rugby. 

Key Stage One

This term our transdisciplinary theme has been ‘Sharing the planet’ and we have been exploring the central idea - People and animals live together in different ways. The children have enjoyed learning about the animals they share the planet with and the important things all animals need to survive.. The children have spent time out in our forest school area identifying the habitats of local animals and have been able to hunt for minibeasts in their microhabitats. We were also lucky enough to be able to visit the newly hatched chicks in our Little Moles nursery to experience first hand part of the chicken life cycle. The children have learnt about the different groups of animals and were interested to learn the terms carnivore, herbivore and omnivore. The children have been big thinkers this term, demonstrating our learning profile attribute to be principled. They have developed an understanding of climate change and the impact humans are having on the world. All children have contributed to making changes at Molehill including picking up litter, turning off lights and ensuring waste paper goes into our recycling boxes. The children particularly enjoyed learning about the impact Greta Thunberg has had on climate change and produced some lovely pieces of writing linked to a story based on her life. The children have also learnt about endangered animals and it was lovely to hear children discussing the importance of caring for animals during our trip to Howletts Wild Animal Park. The children were incredibly well behaved and we all had a wonderful (if not slightly damp) day seeing the animals. 

Upper Key Stage Two

This term, UKS2 have been looking at how the world works and specifically how our understanding of the environment has changed as science and technology have advanced. We have continued to learn about the Industrial Revolution and the rapid development in technology at this time. We have also looked at the negative impact that some of this development has had on our planet. We enjoyed learning more about life-cycles in British Science Week investigating the different life-cycles of various animal classifications and even housing tadpoles in our classroom to help with our understanding. We have investigated many writing styles this term, including non-chronological reports on animals, persuasive posters about water consumption and story telling with alternative endings against the usual 'Happy ever after' stereotype. 

In Falcon Class this term we have been exploring the theme How the World Works specifically looking at how scientific and technological advancements have impacted on the environment. Through reading and history, the children have investigated the Industrial Revolution, how it started and its impact on Britain including the benefit and drawbacks of various inventions and innovations. Through British Science Week, pupils enjoyed learning about the impacts of farming on the environment, particularly dairy and cattle farming and they considered the benefits and drawbacks of a meat based diet. In science, Falcon Class have focussed their attention on lifecycles and developing their understanding of how lifecycles are similar and different between the different classes of animals: amphibians, insects, reptiles, mammals and birds. Connected to this, in Spanish this term the children have learnt about habitats around the world. Underpinning all of this fantastic work, our pupils have worked incredibly hard at developing their knowledge and confidence in the core areas of maths, reading and grammar in preparation for their SATs in Term 5. 

This term, Eagle Class have been looking at how the world works and specifically how our understanding of the environment has changed as science and technology have advanced. We have continued to learn about the Industrial Revolution and the rapid development in technology at this time and have considered the negative impact that some of this development has had on our planet. We enjoyed learning more about the environment in British Science Week, looking at the effect of cows on the environment. We wrote a discussion piece following this, about whether we should eat meat. Eagles have also continued their preparations for the SATs in Term 5 by developing their knowledge and confidence in their key maths, reading and grammar skills. We are really proud of all they have achieved.