As we prepare for the phonics screening check in June, here are some useful websites that are great for supporting your child with their phonics.  In school, we are teaching the children level 5 phonics.  In reception, they have already learnt level 3 and 4 phonics.  Please practise all 3 levels.  https://www.satspapers.org.uk/Page.aspx?TId=21 - this website has every single past paper on it.  https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/5 - real and fake words https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/resources/phase/5/picnic-on-pluto - real and fake words. 

S tory focus : A Superhero Like You by Dr Ranj  Literacy focus : we have daily Phonics and handwriting sessions.  We have individual reading sessions, practising our blue Phonics book or reading books.  Maths focus: composition of 7  7 is made of 5 and 2. 7 is made of 6 and  7 is made of 4 and 3. PE focus : we played a new game called Tidy Up. We had to sort the rubbish into bins and then we had some children be litterbugs and mix the rubbish up!  PSED focus : being safe online. Science focus : seasonal changes - Spring   Understanding the World focus:  using our book, we discussed different occupations such as carer, doctor, vet, scientist, firefighter.  We then chose one to find out more about. In RJ we found out more about firefighers and fire investigation search dogs.  We always enjoy COOL Time (Choosing Our Own Learning) and we practise lots of skills during this time.

 This week in science, Year 4 have been learning all about insulators and conductors. We learnt the definitions of these words and spoke about real life examples. We then set up an investigation to test which materials were good insulators and conductors. We found out that metal objects were good conductors because the light bulb lit up when these objects were connected within the circuit. 

 Today in maths fluency, the children were learning about odd and even numbers.  The children were also finding odd and even numbers within 10.  Stem sentence:  I see the odd numbers 5 and 5.  I see the even numbers 6 and 4. 

 On Friday 13th February we had our Rotakids charity day. The children were allowed to come in wearing pyjamas. The chosen charity was for the Orangutan UK Appeal.  Within this we decided to adopt an Orangutan for the year.  We received our adoption pack last week along with our cuddly Orangutan mascot. Thank you to everyone who donated to this charity, here are a couple of pictures of our Orangutan called Napagang, along with our mascot and our adoption certificate.

We thought back to Science week and linked Science and PSHE! We read the story of the Ugly duckling and how he must have felt being told he was different and left out. We used skittles to represent our class and our feelings.  We talked about how if one of us is not working as a team, it can make the water 'muddy' (the colours mix too much), but when we work together showing kindness, honesty and respect, we create a wonderful rainbow, showing that we are all unique and beautiful!  

  Stone Age History Day Our children had a fantastic time stepping back in history during our Stone Age Dress-Up Day !  Dressed as Stone Age people, they explored where the Stone Age fits on the historical timeline and discovered just how long ago it was and how vast this time period really was. During the morning, the children became archaeologists as they took part in an archaeological dig , learning about the importance of artefacts and what they can tell us about the lives of Stone Age people. They also examined a range of Stone Age artefacts and discussed what daily life may have been like, as well as how life gradually evolved up until the arrival of the Romans. After break, the children experienced what Stone Age “school” might have been like! They practised hunting techniques, learned about the animals that Stone Age people would have eaten, handled real flint arrowheads and even had a go at archery. In the afternoon, creativity took over as the children learned about...