2018/19

FINAL FOREST?

Silver Birch will be learning about deforestation and the impacts on our world.

To save paper, we have decided to put as many resources as possible on the school website. So you may be seeing posters, guided reading samples and other examples as work uploaded to this page!

"There is no Planet B"

We were lucky enough to be visited by Pulse CSI who gave us a fantastic day, exploring the world of forensic science. We learnt the skills essential in crime scene investigation, and then spent the afternoon applying our knowledge to solve a crime!

We will then be spending a week investigating a crime which has occurred in Silver Birch class- an important and mysterious package (which Mr Andrews asked us to keep safe) has gone missing! We will be collecting evidence, taking witness/suspect statements, writing reports and presenting a news bulletin on the event!

The children will receive communication from the class aliens (Rufus and family)- they are planning a galactic holiday but do not know where to go or how to get there. Can the children create them a holiday brochure of the galaxy, with information about the position of the planets, how they move in relation to the Sun and what is special about each of the planets in our Solar System? The experience will progress with an out of this world opportunity for the children- a visit from an astrodome! On their journey through space, the children will also explore some other big scientific questions about day and night, the spherical nature of the Earth, Sun and Moon, and the relationship between the Earth and its Moon. Following this, the children will create their Hot Task Galactic Guides!

The class aliens had a message for Silver Birch Trees!

Phases of the moon!

Throughout this learning experience, we have been keeping moon diaries. We look at the moon at the same time each evening, and draw how the moon appears in the sky. We noticed that it seems to change shape.

During our lessons, we have learnt that the moon appears to change shape due to its orbit around the Earth, and position in relation to the sun.

The eight phases of the moon are:

- New moon

- Waxing crescent

- First quarter

- Waxing gibbous

- Full moon

- Waning gibbous

- Last quarter

- Waning crescent

We then recreated these phases using Oreos! Check out our brilliant diagrams below!

Monsters vs Aliens!

We will be producing some narrative writing, retelling part of the film ‘Monsters vs Aliens’. To help us with this, we watched some of the movie, sequenced key events and used our excellent grasp of descriptive devices to describe the key characters. Watch this space to see our fantastic narrative outcomes!

Fantastic Fractions!

This term in maths, we are exploring fractions. We began by investigating and representing fractions that we could see in the classroom (and also some sweets!). We were really creative and unique in the fractions we could spot!

Kicking off with a Mexican-themed afternoon, the children will taste-taste Mexican cuisine, enjoy listening to traditional music from the country and explore the sights and wonders of Mexico. They will learn about the geographical location and identify the major human and physical features, through research and atlas work. Deeper exploration will help children to identify traditional delicacies, cultural trends and celebrations. Once research has been gathered, children will then enhance their Spanish speaking skills, to communicate their findings into sentences and paragraphs. This will then form the basis for their Hot Task: to create an informative travel video about Mexico.

Hot Task!

Take a look at our fantastic travel guide Hot Tasks!

A MEXICAN FEAST!

We were lucky enough to enjoy some delicious Mexican cuisine, cooked for us by a local takeaway, Mexigo! We sampled a range of traditional dishes, including tortilla chips, burritos, guacamole and salsa. Some of us were brave enough to try the spicy jalapeños!

Take a look Mexigo’s website below- we highly recommend their delicious food!

We then used our Spanish skills to discuss our opinions of the food we tried!

Cold Task!

Take a look at our Cold Task videos- a travel guide to Mexico, spoken in Spanish! (Some of us were very innovative and made use of Google Translate on the iPads!)

The learning experience will begin with a poppy craft morning, where parents/carers will be invited to work with the children to create poppies to be displayed at Maidstone Museum. The children will then undertake the cold task: write a First World War inspired poem in the style of influential poets of the time. Throughout the experience, the children will gain a deeper understanding of these poems and the experience that inspired them. With a visit to a trench and engaging accompanying lessons, children will immerse themselves into the life of a soldier in the First World War, developing an understanding and empathy regarding life on the front line. After exploring a range of poetic techniques, children will apply these to create their own World War One poem for their final outcome.

If you're wondering what objectives we'll be covering during this exciting Learning Experience, click the link below!

Hot Task

Take a look at our fantastic Hot Task poems. We have worked so hard to include poetry features such as rhyme, repetition and rhythm, as well as a range of fantastic figurative language. 

Victory Party!

To celebrate 100 years since the end of WW1, the whole school attended a Victory Party. We dressed up, had tea and cake, took part in WW1 themed art and craft activities and shared our excellent knowledge gained throughout the learning experience. 

Analysing poetry

We have begun to analyse well-known war poems, starting with ‘Does It Matter?’ by Siegfried Sassoon. We discussed the meaning behind the poem as identified poetry features such as: stanzas, lines, rhyming scheme and syllable pattern.

Reward time in Silver Birch Class!

As a result of 100% attendance AND winning our TT Rockstars war against Sycamore Class, we got doughnuts as a treat! 🍩 Yummy!

Analysing historical sources...

In order to gather as much information about World War One as possible, we have been analysing a range of both primary and secondary sources, including photographs, documents, diaries, newspapers, website and books. We showed excellent teamwork while completing this task, made some really insightful observations and asked some thoughtful questions.

A trip to the trenches!

We were lucky enough to visit the Hawthorne Trench, near Canterbury. It is a replica World War One trench, built by Richard and his son, Toby. There is a small version of a German front-line trench and a larger, brilliantly detailed replica of a British trench. 

We we had an excellent day experiencing life in the trenches and finding out lots of fantastic information about what it was like to be a soldier in World War One. 

We were lucky enough to handle some World War One memorabilia including: gas masks, guns, clothing, boots and belts. 

The experience will begin with a Cold Task where children will create a painting in the style of Andy Warhol. Following this, the artwork of Warhol will be explored in depth, focussing on his influences and the techniques he used to create his iconic pieces. Working in sketchbooks, the children will then have the opportunity to develop their sketching skills through careful observations of everyday objects. In addition, there will be many opportunities to explore how Warhol uses colour and repetition to create similar – yet contrasting- images. Applying these skills, children will recreate one of Warhol’s pieces, before designing and creating their own unique Warhol-inspired piece of art.

Hot Task!

Look at our brilliant Pop Art Hot Tasks. We have worked so hard to think carefully about using Warhol-inspired colours, objects and patterns. 

Sketching Skills...

We practised our sketching skills by creating three drawings of everyday/commercial items. We gave ourselves and peers feedback in order to improve and develop our drawings.