Bird beaks!

Year 5 and 6

This week in Science we have been exploring adaptation and evolution. To help us understand why birds beaks have developed the way they have, we conducted and experiment using chop sticks, tweezers and other utensils to help us pick up different objects. We were able to explain how a bird’s diet has a direct impact on the structure of the beak and vice versa.

Top Tips to help with children's behaviour

Top Tips

• Be consistent: say what you mean and stick to it.

• Make the consequence fit the crime.

• Empathise, but keep boundaries in place.

• Never say ‘no’, use ‘when and then’ instead.

• Don’t say don’t. say what you do want.

• Calm and controlled voice.

• Notice and praise.

• Thank you, not please.

Mummification and News Reports

Year 3 and 4

Children in year 3 and 4 have been writing a fact file on mummification linked to our work in history and English. As part of our curriculum work, appreciate, participate and innovate, this shows children starting to innovate. They have the knowledge of the topic, and they were tasked with presenting it however they like in order to best communicate their ideas.

Children in Years 3 and 4 have been working on their 'Discover' Arts Award, an introductory award, certified by Trinity College, London. The children had to participate in a range of activities, from identifying arts words, creating their own work and discussing it with others. They collected evidence of their work in oog books which were sent to Trinity College to be certified. We are delighted to announce that everyone who participated on the day passed their award, and the certificates will be with us shortly. Congratulations to all of the children - your work was highly praised by the assessors!

Year 5 and 6

To show our understanding of a character's emotions, we created black out poetry. Using a page from the text, Swimming against the storm, we selected key phrases or words to show how Eliza was feeling about her sister Avery going missing.

In English this week, we responded to our text by creating our own news reports. The children performed their reports to the class and were even filmed!

World Book Day 'Don't judge a book by its cover'.

World Book Day

The theme for world book day was “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. There were lots of activities in the classes, including using clues and prompts to try and guess what book was wrapped in the brown paper!

Children came into school wearing dull clothes, then painted bright, vibrant t-shirts linked to a book, and went home looking great!

Year 3 and 4

On Monday Year 3 and 4 took part in the Discover Arts Award, run by Hampshire Cultural Trust. It was a great day where we could be imaginative and creative using a range of ideas and media.

Year 5 and 6

HOOK DAY! To launch our new text for writing, we took part in a range of team games where co-operation, trust and communication were vital. With our experiences from the games, we made short predictions about what our new text could be about.

Year 5 and 6 also started their new Science work on ‘Evolution and Inheritance’ and the children thoroughly enjoyed trying to match the baby photos with the teachers and the people in their class!

Onion's Wedding Day

Year R

This week in year R we have been preparing for Onion and Radishes wedding. The children have made decorations, prepared invitations, designed menus and used the book “The Scarecrows wedding” for extra inspiration. On woodland Wednesday the wedding took place, children had special roles including best man, father of the bride, bridesmaids and there was even a group of dancers. Safe to say Onion and Radish had a great wedding day.

Year 5 and 6

Oak class became meteorologists this week: acting out the actions of a tornado where hot air collides with warm air to produce an updraft which results in a tornado. We then made tornados in a bottle and researched how they were formed.

In Aspen the children created their own circulation maps, using ribbon, wool and pens to illustrate the way that blood moves around the body and it’s function.

Egyptian Day

Athletics

This week 12 children from year 5 and 6 represented the school at Kings and took part in a range of different athletic activities. These included the javelin and the triple jump! They were a credit to the school and Mrs Horkan was very impressed with their enthusiasm.

Year 3 and 4 Egyptian day

Egyptian day was a great success!

We learned how to use hieroglyphics, found out about the Egyptian number system and mummified tomatoes! Later on, we made our own shabtis- servants to look after us in the afterlife!

Year 5 and 6

In Science this week the children have been learning about the function of blood in blood and the different components it is made from. To help them understand, the children made their own blood using cheerios (red blood cells), orange water (plasma), white marshmallows (white blood cells) and tiny pom poms (platelets). It was very messy but lots of fun and it helped us all remember the different parts.

Year 5/6 also accessed Google Legends to learn all about being safe on the internet. Through quizzes and games, we were able to understand the importance of being safe on the internet.

Internet safety

Thanks to everyone who attended our Internet Safety presentation this week. At Stanmore Primary School we are dedicated to help keep your children safe online and understand the pressures that children and parents face keeping up to date with online risks. Click the link below to view our Online Safety Power point and if you have any concerns please contact the school.

Online safety.

Pirates Ahoy!

Year 2

This week some of the children in Rowan class had a visit from a pirate. This links to a book we are looking at in writing called the pirates next door. The children planned questions for the pirate, interviewed the pirate and then wrote notes on the answers he gave.

Year 3 and 4

In history this week, Birch Class have been discussing who built the pyramids. They talked about different statements and then worked together as a group to sort them in a Diamond 9 - who built the pyramids, who didn't build the pyramids and who might have built the pyramids.

Subtraction surprise!

This week we practised our addition and subtraction by taking part in an nRich challenge called “Subtraction Surprise!” Luckily, Sycamore class were suitably surprised by the outcome!

Year 5 and 6

This week in Science the children have been learning about the heart; it’s purpose, how it works and how to keep it healthy. Some children made their own working model using bottles and red food dye, while others created two page spreads to illustrate their understanding.

Science, Music and Whales

Year 2

We have had a busy week this week in year 2. We have learnt about the importance of brushing our teeth and what foods are good for our teeth and which ones are not so good. We have continued with our longitudinal science study looking at the effect of the seasons on trees. While doing this we learnt about something that you can buy from the shop that is made from tree sap, see if your children remember what it is. In maths we have looked at mass and the children have been comparing, ordering and measuring weight.

Year 3 and 4

Music and science

We are studying sound in science, learning about how sound is caused by vibrations. This week we were making musical instruments in music lessons too. Our science investigation this week was focused on pitch - how to create different pitches and what instrument you could make to make a higher pitched sound.

Year 5 and 6

This week the children have been completing their final piece for their work on ‘The Whale’. They planned and drafted their own Whale encyclopedia pages and then completed the finished piece - they look amazing.

Elm class had an exciting letter this week from HHJ Angela Morris, the Resident Judge of Winchester and Salisbury Combined Courts. The classes have been invited to go to an actual courtroom and ask questions about what happens there. This is a great response to all the work the children did on their Topic last term - Does Justice always Whirl in Equal Measure.

Art and Encyclopedias

Year 1

This week KS1 have discovered the Pico Eagle! We learned how to safely play on the equipment and even our teachers had a go!

In KS1 art club, we revisited our knowledge about Arctic animals and created an Arctic scene using oil pastels!

Year 2

In art the children have planned out their own treasure islands and looked at the sculptor Kapoor to give inspiration for their own sculptures on their islands. This afternoon they used mod rock and some junk modelling to make the base of their islands.

Year 5/6

This week we are now coming to the end of our wonderful text, The Whale.

To end this writing journey, we are going to be planning and drafting an encyclopaedia entry based on a creature that lives in water.

Using a range of encyclopaedias, we became feature spotters and searched for the most effective ones.