We have been learning about the changes that Autumn brings in Reception and so we decided to see if we could find any evidence of Autumn arriving in Queen’s Hills. The children worked in pairs and hunted for Autumn items from a checklist. All of the children did super listening and showed our 3 school rules of Ready, Safe and Respectful!
This half term in Year 2 the children have started their Geography unit comparing the UK to China. So far they have looked at famous landmarks in both countries and learnt some key facts about both places. First, working together in groups, the children compared and sorted information about Norwich and Shanghai. Then they investigated different methods of travelling from ancient times and modern times in both places and designed their own Chinese Palanquin using traditional patterns.
Children across the school were given the opportunity to join Siobhain O’Higgins playing her Grand Piano on zoom today.
Children were able to listen live to different pieces, think about how it made them feel and what they could picture in their heads and see how the piano actually works!
Year 3 were presented with dictionaries today from the Rotary Club in their year group assembly. The children are able to take these home to support their learning.
We would like to thank the generosity of the Rotary Club. We can’t wait to see how the children use them!
Year 6 have been learning how to classify animals based on their characteristics. This week they played a game of animal ‘Guess Who’. Using key technical vocabulary children were able to guess each other’s chosen animals by asking a series of questions. There were some excellent questions being asked like, ‘Is your animal a vertebrate?’ and ‘Is your animal cold-blooded?’ We were equally impressed by our year sixes knowledge of a range of species of animals – some budding zoologists in the making!
Year 6 have been enjoying their steel pan drumming lessons.
Steel pan drums are thought to have originated from West African drums. They were developed in the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago during the 20th century and are the national instrument. The surface of the metal is hammered out into a series of dents which each produce different sounds when hit by the beaters.
Steel pans come in all different sizes and can produce different notes depending on the size of the drum. They are often played in an ensemble called a steel band and are an integral part of Caribbean music. Have a look at the drums which our year sixes have been playing! This week they have been using lots of concentration when learning how to play different scales.
This week we have been finding out about the changes we will see as we move into the next season. We know that Autumn is the next. We have been looking out for some of the changes that occur at this time of year and spotting the signs of Autumn. On Thursday we will be going on a walk to the outdoor classroom to try and observe some of these seasonal changes. In the classroom we have explored the Autumnal small worlds and used pine cones to help develop our fine motor skills. We have been practicing our maths and turn taking skills by playing games like snakes and ladders.
This week, Year 6 demonstrated excellent problem solving skills and used trial and improvement to find a solution when taking part in our whole school maths investigation – ‘Frogs’! Children were able to think strategically and work very systematically, whilst also developing their own recording system.
The whole school has been working on our self portraits this week, inspired by the work of Angelica Dass and her Humanae project. Here are are some year 3 children completing some of their work!
The whole school has been working on our self portraits this week, inspired by the work of Angelica Dass and her Humanae project. Here are are some year 5 children tracing their work!