Flowerton Enterprises!

This half term we have been working for Regina Flowerton and have been exploring all things to do with plants! In Science, we set up 2 investigations. One to see how water travels up the stem using celery and food colouring, and one where we only gave certain seeds water to see how it affected their growth. We loved checking on our seeds weekly to see their progress. We also learned all about the male and female parts of a flower, how to look after plants and watch them thrive, and how seeds disperse.

In English we watched the movie ‘A Bug’s Life’ as our stimulus. We sequenced the events and learned all about the characters. We then read some informal diaries and looked at the features. We decided to write a diary entry in the style of the main character ‘Flik’.

In Maths, we focused on our times tables, using TT rockstars to practise our 3s, 4s and 8s, and then used this knowledge to solve problems. We then learned how to use the grid method to solve problems involving 2 by 1 digit numbers.

In Art, we used watercolours and canvases, and created some artwork in the style of Georgia O’Keeffe. We were so impressed with how they turned out!

Animals around the world…

This half term Chestnut class have been learning all about animals and humans. We have learned about different types of skeletons, and how our muscles and joints work. Chestnut class have also learned about how to keep our bodies healthy, and how to use food labels on different packaging to check the nutrients in what we eat. We have also learned how to solve problems when adding and subtracting in maths, and how to use the column method to do this. We enjoyed reading The Sheep Pig by Dick King-Smith in English, and have put lots of effort into learning how to use inverted commas correctly!

PORTAL ADVERTISING AGENCY #AGENCY3

This half term we have been working for Olive Stein at Portal Advertising Agency. Our classroom was transformed into Agency 3 and we became advertisers for the whole half term. We have worked super hard to earn Steins for our behaviour, attitude and effort towards the tasks Olive has been sending us.

Our main aim was to research plants, and then our product was an education plant toy aimed at teaching young children how plants grow and survive. We made our toy using cam mechanisms, which we researched and explored before designing, making, decorating and evaluating. Next came the advertising. We decided we needed a catching slogan to draw the consumer in. We then decided we would need some sort of offer or discount to make the toy attractive to everyone.

In maths, we learned a new method to add and subtract. We can now use the column method to solve tricky 3-digit problems. We also started learning how to multiply using equal groups.

In English, we started reading The Sheep Pig by Dick King-Smith. We predicted what might happen before we read each chapter, and then focused on the language used.

In science, the children have really enjoyed learning about parts of plants, and what their jobs are. They have planted seeds and started to watch them grow. The have learned all about seed dispersal and how pollination and fertilisation happens.

In Art, we created water colour paintings in the style of Georgia O’Keeffe.

Portal Design #lightandshadow

This half term Chestnut class have been working for Portal Design. Our main aim was to design, make and evaluate a hand puppet for Olive Stein.

We designed our puppet, cut it out using a template and felt and then had to sew it together using thread, a needle and we learned how to do a running stitch.

We also learned all about light and shadow, and how we need to keep ourselves safe in the sunlight. We sorted light sources, and then decided if they were man-made or natural. We also tested how reflective different materials were, and used our knowledge to design a reflective book bag for Olive too.

In maths, we continued to use concrete and pictorial models to solve addition and subtraction problems.

We also wrote instructions on how to build a snowman after watching the animation ‘Lily and the Snowman’.

The children have been amazing this half term, showing dedication, fantastic behaviour and a fantastic attitude towards their learning.

They all wowed me during the Christmas performance at the church, the singing was amazing! Well done Chestnut class!

 

Time Institute #thestoneage #rocksandsoils

This half term, Chestnut class have been working for the Time Institute, finding out all about The Stone Age and rocks and soils. We have visited the Great North Museum, to explore the exhibits including fossils, Stone Age items and many different rocks and gems. We have completed many different investigations in Science, including our rock hunt, describing rocks and sorting them in to groups.

We have also made our own clay sculptures in the style of Barbara Hepworth, and we learned all about her life.

In English we have been reading the story of Beowulf, and discussing the features and learning how to use speech marks. We have also been learning how to use dictionaries correctly.

In maths we have been learning about the place value of numbers to 1000. We have also started learning how to add and subtract a 3 digit number and hundreds.

BOOK OF WONDERS #FORCESANDMAGNETS

This half term we have been working for Portal Press, to create a book of wonder all about forces and magnets. To start off, we researched forces and magnets, and then we got the opportunity to go to the Centre For Life to take part in a magnets workshop – which was amazing! We learned so much about which metals were magnetic, and got to do a fun magnetic fishing rod challenge! We also finished reading our Science Fiction class reader ‘The Last Kids on Earth’ and learned how to tell the time to the nearest 5 and 1 minute intervals. We have also learned how to play cricket and rounders, and had a brilliant sports week. We loved using paints to create art in the style of Picasso.

Flowerton Enterprises #PLANTS

This half term Chestnut class have been working for Regina Flowerton, gathering information about plants for her garden centre. We have done some investigations on plants, to see what they need to live and grow. We have also looked at seeds and grouped them according to their properties. We have also been working hard in the finance department, learning how to divide and use fractions to make sure all the staff get the correct wages. We have written instructions on how to plant seeds and finished writing our play scripts for The Sheep Pig.

Portal Animation #Studio3

This half term our school has been transformed into Portal Animation Studios. We have been working for Olive Stein as animators, creating content for a showcase. In studio 3 we decided to create 3 animations about: equal groups, skeletons and french body parts. We researched, collected data, completed tasks, and then put all of the information we had into an animation app on the iPads to create our final pieces. We have really enjoyed working in this way this half term, and hope you enjoy our animations!

Light and Shadow #PORTALDESIGN

This half term Chestnut class have been working for portal design. We have been doing lots of practical maths to help us learn a new method for addition and subtraction. We then were able to use and apply this method in our work. We read the story ‘Beowulf’ and then wrote our own stories in the same style. We learned about light and shadow, and how light is reflected. We made puppets by sewing string onto felt.