Welcome to Spruce’s class page! Here, you will find out about all the exciting things we have been getting up to.  

Autumn 1

This half term, we have been really enjoying our Geography lessons. We have been learning all about the polar ice biome and how animals such as the polar bear have adapted to their environment. Did you know that the temperatures always average below 0˚C even in Summer?

In Art, we used tone to make an observational line drawing look three dimensional and explored different gradients of pencil. We then created a collage to develop a drawing composition and explored how pattern, symmetry and contrast affected the elements within it. Once we completed our collage, we then applied our understanding of tone to the technique of hatching; using pattern and contrast when creating a mixed-media drawing.

We have been very busy in Science this half-term! We have been learning all about the different states of matter. We compared and grouped materials together, according to whether they were solids, liquids or gases. We then used our observation skills to see that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled. We continued our learning on the Water Cycle too and enjoyed making our own models of the cycle to show the processes of evaporation, condensation and precipitation.

As part of Science Week, we had lots of different visitors in school, who showed us lots of different experiments. We even got the chance to be a Scientist. In our class, we had astronauts, zoologists, archaeologists, vets and lots more!

Autumn 2

In History, we have had so much fun learning all about the Ancient Egyptians! In our lessons, we have been historians, looking for clues like a detective. We have looked at different artefacts from the past to help us understand what happened in history. We used these skills to find out more information about the Ancient Egyptians.

We loved learning about Howard Carter and how he discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb after searching for many years. The tomb contained 5,398 items, including Tutankhamun's famous golden death mask. Did you know it took 8 years to remove all of the items found in Tutankhamun’s tomb? We then continued our learning looking closely at the mummification process and the beliefs Egyptians had about the afterlife.

In Science, we have been learning all about the digestive system in humans. We learnt about the different types of teeth and their simple functions. We then carried out a very smelly experiment, investigating the effects of different liquids on the teeth. It was a fantastic way to learn about dental health and how certain foods and drinks can impact our teeth. We then finished our Science unit by constructing and interpreting a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and preys.

In December, we began our Christmas festivities by watching Dip and Dab’s Christmas Remix show. We then put on a fabulous show for our parents and carers with Miss Parkin playing the piano. The singing was fantastic! We got to visit Winter Wonderland in our school woods. We made s’mores and had hot chocolate around the fire. We made jingle bell sticks and had lots of fun with our friends. We also had our Christmas party where there was lots of dancing, singing and we played lots of games.

Spring 1

In Geography, we have been learning all about rainforests. We discovered where rainforests are in the world and located them on a world map. We then explored what it is like in a rainforest and we learnt about the four main layers of vegetation. We continued our learning by discovering the indigenous rainforest tribes and we compared their lives with life in modern society.

To support our Geography learning, we visited Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens. We really enjoyed the Treetop Walkway in the Winter Gardens and we were very impressive with all of our knowledge during our workshop all about the rainforest.

In Computing, we were very excited to use an app on the iPad called iMotion! We learnt a range of techniques to create our very own stop-frame animation. We then applied those skills to create a story-based animation and we included other types of media to our animation, such as music and text. They were very impressive!

Spring 2

In Art, we have been learning about the difference between a tint and a shade. We then mixed tints and shades by adding black or white paint and used these to paint an object in 3D.

In our Commando Joe’s sessions, we looked at Nellie Bly, who was an American journalist known for her investigative and undercover reporting. She earned her fame after The New York World sent her on a trip around the world in 1889. She attempted to break the fictional record set by Phileas Fogg in the 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days. She started her journey from Hoboken, New Jersey in November 1889, and she completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds. In this series of missions, the children took on the role of Nellie Bly, following in her footsteps, making their way around the globe. We developed our team-work skills and resilience through different tasks such as obstacle courses and team challenges such as building the tallest freestanding super-tower.

In Science, we have been learning all about electricity. We constructed a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers. We then identified whether or not a lamp would light in a simple series circuit, based on whether or not the lamp was part of a complete loop with a battery. We recognised that a switch opens and closes a circuit and linked this with whether or not a lamp would light up in a simple series circuit.