Musical Instruments

In English we have been following instructions on how to make musical instruments.

Instructions have some different features that we talked about first.

• title or heading so you know what the instructions are for
• sub-titles to break the instructions down into the main parts
• bossy verbs that tell us what to do
• short sentences that are to the point
• diagram or photograph to see what the finished product should look like

We made straw flutes, a box strummer and a banging tin lid mobile.

 

 

 

 

We continued the musical theme in science.  We spoke about how sound can be made by banging, plucking or blowing and how the sound moves through the air because of vibrations.  We watched sparkles vibrating on a drum skin as we banged it.  The noise source makes the air particles bang into each other and this is vibration.  We used our bodies to show what happens when particles bang into each other.

 

Next we worked in pairs to make cup telephones that use vibrations to send the sound down the string.  One of us spoke loudly into one cup whilst the other one listened at the other end.

 

 

 

 

In maths we are thinking about place value up to 100.  We have to remember that the digits in a two-digit number have a different value depending on whether they are in the tens or ones column. We picked a two digit number and then made the number using tens and ones resources.  We found the number on the 100 ladder and put a circle around it then we counted on and back from that number in ones.

  

   

 

 

 

Beat Bang Boogie

This term it is all about noise! Tuneful noise hopefully.

In English we begun by performing poems that have a rhythm and a beat.  We started by listening to the poet Brian Moses performing his poem ‘Supermarket Trolley’ and watched the way he used a drum to keep to a beat.

Next, we listened to the poet Benjamin Zephaniah performing his poem ‘I Love Me Mother’.   We split into groups and each practised one verse of this poem remembering to keep to a beat.  We used our bodies to tap and clap to the rhythm.  Then we came back together to perform it all.

 

Finally we read a poem by Shell Silverstein called ‘Sick’.  Max had performed this poem as part of his drama group so he gave us a special performance of the first two verses.

 

We used Benjamin Zephaniah’s poem as a starting point to write our own poems.  We all chose a family member to base our poem on and thought about all of the things that make them special.  The finished poems will be on display in the classroom.

 

In maths we have been working on position (in, on, under, over, in between etc.) and direction (forward, backward, left and right).

We started by drawing objects onto a picture in the correct position.

Joe showed us the position of the bear.

 

Next, we used a simple map and wrote simple directions to get from the Beebot at the bottom of the map to the pond, tree and slide.

 

 

In science we investigated how changing the amount of water in a glass jar would change the pitch of the sound.  Sound is heard through vibrations and so changing the water level meant the vibrations were altered.  The more water added to a jar the slower the glass vibrates and so the pitch is lower.  We didn’t all manage to get the same results in class (slightly different jars and some background noise causing confusion!) but we had fun trying.

 

 

 

 

In music we listened to some different types of recorded music and talked about whether the tempo was slow or fast.

In class we attempted to join in with the ‘cup song’ using a cup to keep to the rhythm and beat.  Not quite as easy as it sounds when the cup is meant to be moved in a sequence.

 

Have a go at home.  Look on youtube to find ‘Anna Kendrick – Cups’ then try ‘The Easiest Cup Song tutorial’.  Have fun!

Salt dough shells

In art we used salt dough to model into real and imaginary sea shells.

 

 

 

Once they were baked we were able to paint them.

 

 

In science we looked at the results of our test to see if salt water or plain water would dissolve quicker.  We found out that the plain water that contained no salt evaporates quicker as there was less water left in the containers.

 

In maths we have begun looking at fractions.

We have looked at shapes and talked about the whole shape, we then folded the shape into half (1/2 ) then folded it again to show quarters ( 1/4 ).

Next, we looked at a whole group of objects. The number of objects was the whole amount then we shared the whole amount into two equal halves.  Finally we shared the whole amount into four equal groups to show quarters.

For example if the whole amount is 8, half of 8 is 4 and a quarter of 8 is 2.

Sharing!

In maths, at the beginning of the week, we are sharing whole amounts of numbers into groups using resources.

We are continuing our previous learning of counting in 2s, 5s and 10s (multiplication) to share whole amounts into groups of 2, 5 and 10 (division).

 

Sharing whole numbers can be done by sharing into ‘groups of ___’  or by sharing into ‘___ groups’.  Both strategies will get you to the same answer.

We are working on this practically using resources before working in our maths books.

 

 

 

In science we are investigating how quickly salt water evaporates compared to normal water.  When investigating anything we need to keep most things (variables) the same in each test group but change one thing at a time.

We have used three containers and filled each one with 100ml of water – this is what stays the same.

We then added one teaspoon of salt to one container, two teaspoons of salt to the second container and no salt to the third container – this is what changes.

We gave the salted water a good stir until the salt was dissolved (disappeared into the solution).

 

We have put the containers somewhere safe in the classroom (we didn’t want any rain to add to our salt solutions) and will check them in a few days to measure how much water has evaporated from each container.

Royal Wedding Celebration

We had a fantastic day celebrating the royal wedding.

We began by  inviting in a very special guest into Leopards classroom and singing the National Anthem to her.  I think she was very impressed!

We made flags and crowns in preparation for the party.

 

 

We played a game of throwing the beanbag in the basket.  2 points for Meghan, 5 points for Harry and 10 points for the Queen.

 

 

We played some party games.

 

Then finally time for the party.    

 

  

  

  

 

 

And the sun was shining!!

 

In Maths this week we have been doubling, sharing and using arrays to help us understand multiplication.

  

 

 

In science we have been looking at the different parts of plants.  We drew the plants including the roots, stem and leaves, then we planted the plants and are hoping that they will produce some flowers.

 

 

 

 

Sea Creatures

This week in English we have been inventing sea creatures and using nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs to describe them and their habitats.

 

Nouns are names  – e.g.  claws

Adjectives describe the noun – e.g. sharp claws

Verbs tell us what something is doing – e.g. crawls

Adverbs tell us how it is done – e.g. crawls slowly

 

In Maths we have been making equal groups of two and five and using this to begin to understand 2 and 5 times tables.

 

Solving problems about groups of numbers.

We have been using repeated addition to show how multiplications work.

 

 

In Art we have looked at the artist Wassily Kandinsky who enjoyed using colour and pattern to create bold artwork.

We took inspiration from Kandinsky’s work and also something we find on the beach.

The shell design is repeated and filled with colour.  We haven’t finished our own artwork yet but are taking our time to chose colours and paint carefully.

 

We will share some of  the finished artwork next week.

 

In RE we have been learning about how Jewish families have a Mezuzah attached to the frame of their door.  Inside the Mezuzah is a scroll containing words from the Torah (a scroll filled with stories a little bit like the bible). This helps Jewish people to think about the rules they should follow to be a good person.

In class we made our own Mezuzahs and put a scroll inside that reminds us of the rules we need to follow in school to be a good friend and a good learner.

 

They are all displayed by the door to remind us as we enter the classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Groups of Ten

This week in maths we have begun to think about multiplication or times tables.  We have started with the 10s to practise what the ‘X’ symbol means.

We have used lots of tens resources to help us make groups and to be able to see what multiplication looks like.

 

 

We looked at other ways of thinking about multiplication and used repeated addition to calculate the same amount.

We used drawings to help us to visualise the numbers.

We used arrays which are groups of counters or spots to look at another way to calculate multiplication.

We discovered that the same group of spots could be calculated in different ways too.

Over the next few weeks we will continue to learn and practise the ten times table then moving on to twos and fives.  Keep practising counting forwards and backwards in 2s, 5s and 10s starting from different starting points.

 

In English last week we wrote some tongue twisters about creatures found in rockpools.  Here are some of the finished ones see if you can say them fast three times.

This week we are writing messages in a bottle.  We role-played being on a beach and finding a message in a bottle.  We used the message to  write our very own messages which we are going to put in a bottle and send it out into the river where, hopefully, it will float out to sea.

 

Coastline features

In geography we have been thinking about some of the natural physical features that we can find along the coast.

Using modelling material we made some of these features and tried to show how the features change over time as they erode because of the weather and the tide.

We first made a cove and gradually made the arch shape bigger as the tide moves in and out taking the rocks and soil out to sea.

At the side of the coves we sometimes find cliffs that stand tall out to sea.

As the tide comes in and out the sea water takes some of the loose rocks from the cliffs away and this forms a cave.

Gradually the cave gets bigger and bigger until a hole through the cliff is made and this is called an arch.

Over time the arch gets bigger.

Until eventually one half of the cliff breaks away from the other.  The part of the cliff that is stood by itself is called the stack.

This process take years to happen but next time you are at the coast see if you can see some of these features.

Beachcombers

We fetched part of the beach to St. Peter’s Infant School today as we explored the micro-habitat of the rockpools

 

 

  

Some of the things we found were crabs, starfish, sea urchins, anemones, sea slugs and lots of small fish as well as sea weed and shells.

We also enjoyed another seaside treat as we had an ice-cream with sprinkles!

 

 

This week we will be using the names of some of the things that we found to make some tongue twisters.

Have a go at saying this one quickly –

             Six slimy sea slugs slithered slowly through the sea sludge.

 

In science / computing today we have continued the rockpool theme.  We used the laptops and tablets in class to find out new information about different creatures and plants that are found in and around rockpools.  We wrote our findings and information on post-it notes which we will put together on a big class sheet that we will add to with new information during the term.

An interesting site to visit is http://www.DKfindout.com, once on the site go to ‘animals and nature’, ‘habitats’ and then ‘rockpools’.

 

In maths this week we are looking at the learning that we have completed since January.  We will be revisiting addition, subtraction, counting in 2s, 5s and 10s, shape and measure. The children will be able to use any resources that they wish to help them to calculate the answers.

Lindy Hop Dancing

To finish our Healthy Living Week we were very lucky to have a group of Lindy Hop dancers in.

 

After showing us their moves they taught us a simple Lindy hop dance which we practised in the hall.

 

When everyone had had a practise the whole school went onto the playground to Lindy Hop together!

 

It was a great way of keeping active and having fun!