Welcome to Birch's class page! Here you will find all of the exciting things we have been getting up to!

Autumn 1

This half term we have been covering the topic of WW2. We found out so much information on things such as evacuation, rationing, the influence of propaganda and the affect war had on people in the country. 

Our English focus this half term was writing diary entries. We looked at the story 'The Match Box Diary' which detailed the life of a young boy travelling from Italy to America in search of a better life. The children wrote diary entries as if they were the boy and included features like emotive language, detailed description and subordinate conjunctions! 

The children had took part in a River Routes project with local author Debbie Beeks. We went on a creative journey to the Derwent where we gathered ideas and inspiration for an imaginative story. We then presented our ideas to our parents. We even designed and made our own map so we could take our parents on their own creative journey! 

Forest School

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in the woods this term. We have developed our communication skills with our peers and worked well as a team to build dens and complete challenges. We have managed our own risks when making and using swings, assembling the hammock, climbing trees and having fun down there. We have learnt how to use the loppers to coppice willow which we turned into jewellery, crowns or bows and arrows. We can safely use a sheath knife to whittle a stick. Using a flint and steel was a bit of a challenge, especially when challenged to light some cotton wool but we persevered and achieved the goal! We then enjoyed popcorn and s'mores cooked over the fire.  

Autumn 2

This half term has been a busy one especially with the lead up to Christmas! 

Our topic focus this half term has been 'Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather'. We have been researching into tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and flooding and what causes them. The children have been fascinated! 

Our English focus this half term has been recount writing. We found out about Ernest Shackleton's journey to Antarctica using the text 'Shackleton's Journey'. We learnt about the features of a recount and the purpose of one. We carried out research using different sources of information on his journey and made notes. We then turned those notes into our own recount. They were so interesting to read!

During December, we enjoyed lots of Christmas activities. We loved welcoming our grown ups into school for a crafty afternoon. To end the year, we dressed up and danced the afternoon away at our Christmas party. We hope you have a lovely Christmas!

DT

In DT, we have been busy investigating ‘Doodlers.’ It has been great fun to see these creations wobble and spin around our paper. We have investigated how they work, experimented with different ways of making them and then created our own. We finished off by making a DIY toolkit to explain how to make a doodler.

Art

In Art this term, we have looked at 3d Art installation. We have studied various artists but in particular, enjoyed looking at Cai Guo-Qiang's artwork. This artwork inspired us to try 'exploding art' where we experimented with different medium to create explosions and then experimented with photographing in different lights to create different effects. We also transformed the woods by creating various pieces of artwork using items we found there.