This term, we are going to be using the book Curiosity. This is a book about making and then sending to Mars the Curiosity Rover. We will be looking at the building, journey, landing and the work that the rover does on the red planet. We will be writing explanation texts that explain how the robot works and how it can complete the experiments that it does. 

Uploads of texts to follow. 

Over this term, we have been using the book Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo. We started by writing scary stories where our hero was trapped in his cabin while an unknown creature stalked them from outside. 

The class put huge amounts of effort into their stories and used all the tools that they were given to create stories that were tense and atmospheric. They has to ensure that they kept the threat hidden and slowly built the tension in their stories. 

They could then choose how they wanted to end it. Most people chose to end their stories on a cliff hanger where the reader would not know about what happened to their protagonist. 

After this, we decided to write a letter to Beowulf asking him if we could apply for the job to be his sidekick and help him rid the world of all the monsters and creatures that roam the planet. 

The children had to write P.E.E paragraphs where they made a bold statement explaining why they should be hired, gave evidence to prove their point and then explained how it would be helpful to Beowulf. 

The children chose skills that ranged from being super strong, the world's best swordsmen, archers, blacksmiths that could make and repair armour and even musicians that could entertain Beowulf when he returned to camp. 

Over the past two weeks, we have been reading a book called The Island. in this book, a strange man washed upon the shore of an island. he is different to the islanders and they do not like it one bit. The story follows the man and how he is treated, spoken to and looked after by the islanders while he is in their care, which is to say - not well. 

The book is an excellent tool to teach about empathy and respect and how we treat others. It is also a fantastic tool to get into discussions about racism, xenophobia, fear, rumours, immigration and tolerance of people from other cultures. 

This week (20/11/23) we are planning and going to begin writing diaries from the perspective of the man. Followed by a narrative about the man.  

Over the last couple of weeks, the children have been learning about the features of a newspaper. We have been using the fantastic book 'The True Tale of the Three Little Pigs' a book where Alexander. T. Wolf is telling his version of events from a jail cell, and is protesting his innocence. The children were tasked with writing a newspaper about these events and could choose if they were going to be bias towards or bias against the wolf. I have added a few pictures of their newspapers below. 

Week beginning 16/10/23

This week we are writing discussion texts based upon the newspapers that we wrote last a couple of weeks ago and the book that we have been reading. The children, over the past two weeks have been learning how to write a discussion text with the ultimate goal of writing one to answer the question: Should Alexander. T. Wolf be found guilty of Murder? 

Completed Discussion texts will be posted in a couple of days. 

Science in Upper Key Stage 2

We have been studying Light Theory and took advantage of the dark mornings to look at how shadows are made, focusing on how shadows keep the shape of the object because light travels in a straight line. We have also investigated how filters absorb colours and measured how much light travels through them using data loggers as light sensors.