Learning Experience 9 -

Unbe-LEAF-able Plants

During this Learning Experience, we will be learning all about the life cycle of a plant. We will be conducting experiments, looking at what plants need to grow and flourish and identifying the different parts of a plant and learning about the role that these play in the life cycle of a plant. Finally, we will use all of the knowledge that we have gained to create an amazing informational leaflet.

If you would like to find out more about the objectives that we will be covering, please click on the links below.  

Learning Experience 8 - Blinded by the Lights

During this Learning Experience, we will be exploring light and shadows. We will learn about different light sources and explore if they are chemical, electrical or burning light. We will also be exploring the absence of light. 
Then, we will be completing experiments, testing to see if different types of materials will block the light and whether we can change the size of a shadow. 
Finally, we will use all of our knowledge to create a sundial. 

We completed our learning experience by designing and creating sundials. We learnt about their purpose and how they were used to tell the time in the past. We thought about the shape and how to design the 'gnomon' to cast the shadow. We tested our sundials throughout the day and learnt about how the position of the sun changes throughout the day. 

For our most recent experiment, we were testing how the distance between an opaque shape and a light source would affect the size of its shadow. We were amazed by the results! 

We enjoyed conducting different experiments throughout this learning experience. We tested whether materials were transparent, translucent or opaque and whether their transparency affects how much light it will let through. 

We have enjoyed learning about different types of light sources and thinking of examples of each. We were shocked to discover that the moon isn't a light source, but reflects the light from the Sun back to the Earth. 

We were fortunate that there was a partial eclipse occurring during our learning experience. We seized this opportunity to make pinhole cameras to watch the eclipse. They were not too successful, but we were able to see some differences as the eclipse progressed. We were amazed by the sight of the eclipse and keen to learn more. 

Ingenious Innovators

In this Learning Experience, we will be getting into the mind of inventors and will be designing and making our own iPad stands.

We will be analysing existing products to see what is already available, the appearance, effectiveness and how they appeal to the target audience. Our research will inform a questionnaire that we will send out to help us to gather information about what our target audience wants from the product. Next, we will investigate different materials to determine which would be the most appropriate and practise joining techniques. We will use all of the information that we have gathered to inform our final designs and whilst we create our ingenious inventions.

If you would like to know more about the objectives we will be covering, please click on the link below.

We had a lot of fun exploring how to cut and join different materials. Well done for showing resilience whilst using the tools Sycamores! 

We created a questionnaire to collect some data to help us with our market research. Here is the data that we analysed. 

Learning Experience 6: Hunters, Gatherers and Woolly Mammoths

We will begin our learning experience with an exciting working shop that will introduce us to the Prehistoric Era. We will be exploring the Stone Age in more detail, looking at the chronology of the era through to the Iron Age looking at how the people would have lived and the developments that occurred throughout the different eras of the Stone Age: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. 

Cave Painting
Today we learnt about cave paintings. We found out what materials they would have used to paint. We then went outside and had a go at creating our own cave paintings. 

Interactive Workshop

We started with a timeline, examined Stone Age poo, competed in a quiz, explored artefacts and made our own Stone Age houses from the different eras: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic.

Sculpt a Pose

Throughout this learning experience, Sycamores will be working on the sculpting skills to create models of the human body. We will begin by recreating the human form using junk models! We will then study two sculptors: Anthony Gormley and Rick Kirby, who have created a number of sculptures in the human form. Once we are inspired by these artists, we will learn how to create wire armatures to support our models and various techniques to model and join clay. Finally, children will be using the skills which they have learnt to create their own sculptures based on the human body! 

Science Learning Experience 

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

In this exciting Science learning experience, Sycamores will be learning all about the many forces that make our world work in the way that it does. 
 

They will be becoming scientists and investigating the effects that forces have on objects, people and on other forces. 
 

Sycamores will be focusing on pushing and pulling, friction and magnetism in their investigation, working towards planning and carrying out their very own experiment at the end of term. 
 

Keep checking in to see our progress! 

The progress grid for this learning experience is available here: 

Remembrance Day 2020

History Learning Experience 
ROMANS ON THE RAMPAGE

In this Learning Experience, Sycamore class will be exploring the history of the Roman Empire and it’s effect on Ancient Britain, known to the Romans as Britannia. 
 

We will be discovering everything there is to know about Rome, from it’s foundation by the legendary Romulus to its eventual fall a thousand years later, learning about important Roman events, leaders, military organisation and religion along the way. 
 

We will also be learning about the Roman’s many clashes with the Celts in Britain, such as the infamous uprising of the Iceni tribe under the rule of Boudicca. 
 

All of this knowledge will help children to write our final product, an exciting and informative guide to the Roman Empire over the ages. 
 

Keep checking this page to see our progress!!! 
 

The progress grid for the Learning Experience is available here:

Art and Design Learning Experience

Sewing Me, Sewing You

In this exciting practical Learning Experience, Sycamore Class will be diving into the world of Textiles, learning about different types of stitches, methods of fabric modification and product design skills. 

Sycamores will first test out different types of textile work on T-shirts and other fabric, learning to sew, dye, decorate and change the appearance of this fabric. 

They will also be learning about the applications and properties of different types of fabrics and researching historic and current designers and textile artists. 

All of this knowledge will then go into a final project which, with any luck, every child will be able to successfully design, make and use. 

Keep checking on here and on SeeSaw to see how we get on. 

The progression grid for this Learning Experience is available here:

e-Safety Standalone Week

(28th September - 2nd October)

This week in Sycamores, we are learning all about how to be safe on the Internet. 

We will be looking at the different ways that the Internet is used in our lives, thinking about how to ration screen time and how to improve our digital footprint through kindness and responsibility, discussing the impact of social media and online gaming on our lives and learning about cyber-bullying. 

By the end of the week everyone in Sycamore class will be experts on online safety and responsibility.

Here are some of the impressive pieces of work that Sycamore class have been doing during our e-Safety week. The children have been thinking carefully about what the best uses for time on the Internet are, and what impact overuse of the Internet might have on a person’s life. They have also reflected on their own screen time and online footprint. 

We also had a brilliant debate together as a class, discussing whether or not social media and online gaming was a good or a bad thing in their lives and in the lives of other children. Everyone made excellent contributions and had really interesting thoughts to share. 

Geography Learning Experience

Passport To Europe

In this Learning Experience, Sycamore class will be exploring the exciting continent of Europe. 

At first, we will be finding out where Europe is in the world, and what interesting and diverse countries there are within it. 

Next, we will focus in on our home, the United Kingdom. We will be learning about the countries that make up our nation, the counties of England, some important cities in the UK.  

After this, Sycamores will be investigating the landmarks, culture, tradition and even foods that make the UK the country that it is. 

Then, we will be jetting off to Italy and finding out how it compares to the UK, again exploring cities, landmarks, foods and culture. 

Our final outcome for this learning experience will be an exciting travel guide from the UK to Italy, including an illustrated map and lots of information about what to do while we are there. Keep checking here to see how we get on!

Our progression grid for this Learning Experience is available here: