Reception

We have focused on our topic ‘It’s a Small World’ and have explored the habitats and life cycles of minibeasts and frogs. We began our journey exploring the wonderful world of ladybirds. We learnt how to tell the time to o’clock through the story ‘The Bad Tempered Ladybird’ by Eric Carle. We learnt how ladybirds protect themselves from predators through warning colours on their shells and producing a ‘yucky’ yellow liquid from their knees! We then entered the colourful world of caterpillars and butterflies, exploring symmetry and creating our own symmetrical butterflies. We were fascinated to learn that butterflies taste using their feet – how strange! Next, we jumped into the world of frogs to learn more amazing facts. Did you know a group of frogs is called an army? Also, frogs don’t drink water – they soak it into their body through their skin! Finally, we spun into the world of spiders where we learned about the different species and how they catch their prey. In the last two weeks, we practised our class assembly which is based on one of our favourite stories from this term ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’.  We have been working hard to bring this story to life and we do hope you will enjoy our class assemblies next learning block.

Year 1

In Maths, we learnt about fractions, focusing on halves, quarters, and thirds. We also compared times using specific time related vocabulary as well as telling the time to o’clock and half past. In English, we read traditional tales and used our understanding of the stories to act them out. We then wrote our own diary entry, pretending to be specific characters. In Science, we developed our understanding of food chains and investigated different ways animals protect themselves in the wild. In History, we have been learning about Kings and Queens. We learnt about Queen Victoria and then created a family tree. In RE, we learnt about the Easter story and we enjoyed decorating some eggs. In PSHEE, we looked at similarities and differences and the importance of respecting each other.

Year 2

We have worked very hard on our writing this learning block, using lots of Disney clips to spark enthusiasm and creativity! This inspired many of us to watch some films that we had not seen before, especially as some versions are very old! Towards the end of the learning block, we enjoyed learning more about Ramadan, including why and how it is celebrated. We created a ‘good deeds’ calendar to represent the countdown to the end of the fast and towards the celebration of Eid which will take place during Learning Block 8.

Year 3

We have really enjoyed focusing our learning on science. We participated in Science Week, where we investigated conductors and insulators of electricity. We enjoyed creating circuits and seeing what materials would allow the electricity to pass through and light the bulb. We also looked at the theme ‘connections’ and spotted connections in our everyday lives.

“It was lots of fun to see which things would let electricity travel through them! We tested things like the table legs, shells and our trays.”

Within our science lessons we have been looking at plants. We completed investigations to see what plants need to grow as well as how water travels through plants – although not all our investigations worked!

In English, we have been reading, performing and analysing different poems. Towards the end of the learning block, we wrote some of our own rhyming poems and simile poems! These have been lots of fun to create and read.

As a part of our Victorian topic, we have looked at the railways and how they supported people visiting The Great Exhibition, which was held in Hyde Park during 1851. We then created posters to advertise the exhibition, some of us even made our own plans for an exhibition. We had some dinosaur exhibitions, Minecraft builds, footballer exhibitions and the evolution of video games.

Year 4

We have continued to find out about how we affect the world around us and how we can help preserve the way things are for future generations. We have written some excellent persuasive pieces about why reducing, reusing or recycling products is important and what will happen to the Earth if we don’t do something now. Some green fingered Year 4 helpers accompanied Steph on a field trip to help the Parks Trust plant some trees to help Milton Keynes become a greener, more Eco-friendly city.

Each year, TPA takes part in National Science week; a 10-day celebration of Science, Technology and Engineering. We donned our lab coats and learned about connections in the world. We enjoyed discovering amazing connections in the natural world such as the human nervous system and how technologies such as the internet have helped people to stay connected across the globe.

Linking with our science week activities, we have been planning and carrying out some exciting experiments including building our own solar ovens which worked by harnessing the energy from the sun. Luckily the weather was warm, or our imaginary dinners would have stayed rather raw!

In RE we have been learning about the Easter story and how Christians mark this occasion. We enjoyed completing some art and craft activities showcasing all things Spring and Easter.

Year 5

In Science we enjoyed making parachutes out of a variety of materials. We looked at why it was important that the parachute was held up at the same height each time and whether a bigger or smaller parachute would work best and why. This was a fun way to demonstrate the effect of gravity, which we also learnt about in Learning Block 6.

We then made casein plastic by adding warm milk to white vinegar, which curdled causing a soft material (casein plastic) to form. From the early 1900s until about 1945, milk was commonly used to make many different plastic ornaments. This included buttons, decorative buckles, beads and other jewellery, fountain pens, the backings for hand-held mirrors, and fancy combs and brush sets. Milk plastic was even used to make jewellery for Queen Mary of England!

The following week, we added some bicarbonate of soda to a tube and then slowly added white vinegar. Adding the white vinegar to the bicarbonate of soda caused carbon dioxide gas, which is evident because of the formation of bubbles in the foaming mixture. This helped us to understand what a volcano may look like when it erupts.

In History we have been learning about Rosa Parks and the significance of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This boycott lasted for 381 days and resulted in the Supreme Court ruling segregation on public transport unlawful. Rosa Parks played a significant part toward equality and civil rights.

Year 6

We have continued to study Ancient Egyptians. We had the opportunity to research and draw a famous landmark in Ancient Egypt, some chose the Sphinx whilst others chose the pyramids.

In English, we independently wrote our own Sci-Fi story. We created some fantastic narratives using a range of grammar features that we have learnt this year.

In Science, we have been studying ‘Light’. We have learned about the way in which light travels, and we have investigated involving shadows.