*Please note this half term, P.E will now run on Friday afternoons, with Forest School on Tuesday afternoons* 

This week in our maths lessons, we have been learning about mathematical vocabulary. We have improved our understanding of factors, multiples and common multiples along with squared, cubed and prime numbers. All children were able to answer reasoning and problem solving questions based on their understanding of these mathematical terms.

During our English lessons, we started a new learning journey; we learnt how authors manipulate language and how authors use figurative language to create a powerful image; we immersed ourselves with a variety of suspense stories and learnt the key features of these types of stories. We are having a large grammar focus this half term so will be learning key grammatical terms whilst writing our own suspense story.

On Tuesday, the children in year 6, travelled to Looe Community Academy for a STEM lesson, where they learnt the science behind fireworks. We had a session with the year 6 children from Duloe Academy, which was run by the teachers who our students will be taught by in year 7. This was a fantastic opportunity, not only science wise, but to get to know the secondary school, teachers and other year 6 children ready for the transition next September! The children had a great time using the Bunsen burners and burning salts which create the different colours in fireworks.

During our music lesson, the children wrote their own music piece and recorded their notes on a staff. They drew their notes depending on the pitch and tempo and tried to write it accurately enough that they could repeat exactly the same sounds when playing their piece of music again. 
For Remembrance Day, the children used their prior learning of poetry to write their own emotive poems giving thought and thanks to service men and women. The children practised speaking aloud to an audience when sharing in front of the class. A few children will be laying a wreath and sharing these poems at 11am on Monday.
This week we start our new topic, ‘Memories of the Past’. In a few weeks, the main focus of this topic will be, The Victorians, and what they did for us.

Things to remember for next week:
*Don’t forget to make an appointment for our parent consultations- you will find the sign-up sheets opposite Mrs Trevaskis at the office

*PE will be every Friday afternoon from this week so please ensure kits are in school
*Forest school clothes need to be in school for Tuesday afternoon. Please note that this is our new Forest School afternoon
*Homework books to be handed in on Thursday reading to be marked and returned on Friday

*Please read the events diary on this website for upcoming dates

Welcome to the first blog for Autumn 2.

On Tuesday, our first day back, we welcomed Matt Douglas into our class. He is a musician working with schools across the MAT to help us in our song writing for our Climate Change project. We enjoyed his vocal warm up games and the song writing activities, which he organised for us. When he left our class, we worked on our lyric ideas for when he comes back in a few weeks.
During a separate music lesson, the children learnt about different genres of music; they listened to examples of jazz, pop, rock, classical and reggae music. They learnt about tempo, pitch and the dynamics of the music and commented on each piece- including discussing how it made them feel. They then used these aspects of music to start planning their own piece of backing music to a scary clip, which links to their English work. They created a tool kit for the music and then used musical instruments, including keyboards, to start planning their ideas.

Our learning in English this week has been based on poetry. The children were focusing on poems with an eerie theme. They looked at how poets (and authors) create tension and build up suspense with their language and grammar choices. The children discussed the main purpose of each verse of their focus poem and summarised the key parts; they also practised their performance voices with some children sharing the poem in front of the class. They learnt how expression could affect how a piece of writing comes across and then they practised their best eerie voices in order for the poem to sound scary. The children then started developing their own ideas for a poem based on a character of their choice. They will continue these ideas next week.
In our maths lessons, year 6 children have improved their understanding of division with all children feeling more confident solving reasoning and problem solving questions. Year 5 children have been solving multi-step questions involving addition and subtraction including questions with negative numbers.

During Science, the children planned and carried out an investigation. Their key focus was making the investigation a fair test- thinking about variables and how they could accurately take measurements.

***Please note: I explained to the children on Friday, that I am keeping their homework books until next week. As we are starting a new topic, I would like all homework books in so they can all have the new homework grid  stuck in. If I have not received your child's pink homework book, please remind them to hand it in. If you wouldn’t mind back dating any homework that the children have completed, when you have the new grid this week, then the children can get their paper chains to add to their groups dragon. 
***Please note: From the week commencing the 11th of November, Class 4’s Forest School day will change from a Friday to a Tuesday. So to clarify, Forest school clothes this Friday and then the following Tuesday. P.E will remain in our Monday slot.

Things to remember:
*PE kits need to be in school for our lesson on Monday afternoon
*Forest school clothes need to be in school for Friday afternoon this week (then the following Tuesday)
*Please read the events diary on this website for dates

**Clubs will begin again on week commencing 4th November

Welcome to the last Class 4 blog of this half term.


The week just gone, has been a rather busy one- with year 5 children finishing on an orienteering trip at Duchy College and year 6 children rounding off our dragon topic with map work of their own (see below for details).

This week we also completed our learning journey in English, where we wrote our adventure stories (based on The Dragon Machine), edited and improved them and then children, who wanted to, shared them with peers. Many children seem to have quite an interest in writing spooky stories so we will be building on this next half term- looking at building suspense in a story.


In our maths lessons this week, year 6 children started learning about division methods whilst year 5 children looked at negative numbers in the context of temperature. We will be continuing this learning in the first few days back to school.
On Wednesday, we created some super Christmas cards for the FOPs card sale- watch out for your child’s creations for you to purchase once they have been printed!
In our P.E lessons, we improved our understanding of tag rugby and worked on tactics as a team.
During our other P.E slot over the half term, we have been learning to listen to and follow instructions. We’ve been working in groups that we don’t normally work in and have been focusing on giving clear and concise instructions for others to understand, even when blind folded! We have also been learning to read and draw maps- especially thinking about compass directions and co-ordinates.
This particularly helped build up orienteering skills for the year 5 children, who went to ‘Duchy College’ on Friday on an orienteering day, with other year 5 children in the MAT. Firstly the year 5s were split into small groups with children from other schools. Then they played team building and communication games. After this, they were given a map and a dibber and had to locate specific points around Duchy College, with children from other schools. The children had a great day learning new skills and meeting new children.
On the last day, Year 6 children enjoyed spending time with Miss Edwards solving a dragon based co-ordinates challenge I set them. They had to create a map of the school ground and use co-ordinates across four quadrants to hide enchanted dragon treasure for others to locate, using their maps.
Over the half term there has been a high standard of homework. Spelling, reading and maths work has been completed along with a few topic pieces. I especially like the dragon dens created (see picture).

Things to remember for the first week back:
*PE kits need to be in school for our lesson on Monday afternoon
*Forest school clothes need to be in school for Friday afternoon
* Homework books to be handed in on Thursday
*Please read the events diary on this website for dates

**Monday 28th October is an INSET day. Children return to school on Tuesday 29th October

**Individual and sibling photographs on the day we return: Tuesday 28th October

**Clubs will begin again on week commencing 4th November

This week, we had a topic based day, where we learnt how scientific evidence can inform us about the past. We learnt about different types of fossils and how they are made. We also tried our hand at being palaeontologists; the children chipped and brushed away at sedimentary rock samples to try and delicately uncover an imprint inside. Only a few members of the class managed to preserve their imprint. 
We also welcome the author Jenny Leggott into class where she talked to us about her writing- answering any questions we had. She inspired us with ideas for our own stories, which we will be writing this coming week. She also taught us how to play 'Dragon Ball', an inclusive game she invented from her book series, 'Sammy Rambles'. We all loved the game, which felt like a mixture between tag rugby, ice hockey, football and quidditch to name just a few of the sports we noticed her game to have similarities with. 

In our English lessons this week, we have been learning about the story, 'The Dragon Machine'. We have learnt about how stories are organised and the language which authors use through the different parts of the story line. Next week we will be planning and writing our own stories using our author visit as extra inspiration. 

In our math's lessons, year 5 children have been learning about mental strategies to help with their understanding of number, whilst year 6 children have been learning to multiply accurately using different written methods. Both year groups then solved problems in different contexts, using their understanding.  

In our P.E lessons, we improved our understanding of tag rugby and worked on tactics as a team. We also designed and built adventurous assault courses in groups who we don't usually work with. We focused on communication and clear instructions as the participants had to complete the course blind folded! 


We are looking forward to our Harvest Festival on Monday where we will be singing alongside the rest of the school. 

Things to remember next week: 
*PE kits in school on Tuesday this week
*Forest school clothes need to be in school for Friday afternoons
*Homework books to be handed in on Thursdays 
*Any reading at home, if signed in the reading record, will help achieve more paper chains for your team's dragon