Year 1 Update

Last week, Year 1 spent a sunny day at London Zoo. Children got to see lots of the animals they had learnt about in science lessons including penguins, tigers, lions, gorillas and giraffes to name a few. The children were all amazingly behaved with staff at the zoo commenting on how polite and sensible Elmgrove children were.

A huge thank you to all of the adult helpers who made this trip possible.

In English this week, children planned and wrote their own versions of 'The Queen's Hat' by Steve Antony. The story is about a Queen whose hat blows away and flys over, under and through different landmarks in London. Children changed some elements of the original story to write their stories and added prepositions to describe where it flew to in Harrow.

For history, we have learnt about the historical significance of VE day. Children created their own celebratory banners before attending the whole school picnic event on Thursday afternoon which included cucumber sandwiches, scones and juice. Feel free to see our VE day posters displayed on our classroom windows.

In science, children have learnt about different plants we can find outside in the UK. We looked at common flowers and wild plants. This week children went on a hunt to look for wild plants in our school. Children found dandelions, daisies. brambles and clovers to name a few.

In Art, we have learnt about Marianne North, a Victorian botanical painter. In preparation for their own botanical painting next week, children used watercolour paints to explore different tones using primary colours (red, yellow & blue) as a base.

In PSHE we have discussed how we all have different families and friends and no matter how different we all are, we can all be respectful and kind to each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year 3 Update

Here is what pupils have got up to this week in Year 3!

English

This week in English, Year 3 began exploring the art of writing thank you letters. Using the beautiful story Cloud Tea Monkeys, the children have started identifying the key features of letter writing. We’ve been focusing particularly on writing in the first person and will soon be introducing the present perfect tense to help enhance their writing.

Maths

In Maths, we’ve been learning to tell the time. The children are becoming more confident reading clocks and have been practising how to tell the time using “past” and “to.” This has involved lots of practical activities and games to reinforce understanding.

Geography

Our Geography lessons this week focused on physical features in the UK. The children learned how to identify and compare physical features such as mountains and rivers, including Ben Nevis and the River Thames, with human features like cities and buildings. This helped deepen their understanding of the differences between natural and man-made landmarks.

Computing

In Computing, Year 3 have been busy creating their own digital comic strips. They’ve enjoyed designing backgrounds, adding characters, and using speech bubbles to bring their stories to life. This has been a fun and creative way to develop their digital literacy skills.

 

 

 

 

 

Year 5 Update

This week in English we have been writing poems based on a storm at sea. This is part of our work around the book: The Matchbox Diary. We used descriptive language to write what it might be like to experience a storm at sea if we were on a boat.

We have also had a focus on learning about why we celebrate VE day this year. We read a report around VE day in reading and then looked at images from the first VE day to write a news report as if we were there. We had a great time celebrating VE Day yesterday and enjoyed the scones and sandwiches that we shared.

Next week we will be moving out of our classes to support the Y6 SATs that are taking place. We will still be covering our learning as usual and thank the children in advance for helping the Y6 with their important tests.

 

 

 

Year 6 Update

We want to take a moment to say a big well done to the year 6 children for all their hard work, determination, and resilience this year so far. They’ve shown great commitment to their learning and have grown in confidence and maturity as they’ve prepared for their SATs.

As we look ahead to SATs week beginning on 12th May, we want to wish them the very best of luck. We are incredibly proud of their efforts, and we know they will approach the week with the same positive attitude they’ve shown all year. Thank you for your continued support.

Maths

In maths, the children have continued with their weekly arithmetic quizzes, using them as valuable opportunities to reflect on their progress and learn from any mistakes. In our reasoning sessions, we’ve been revising key topics and placing a strong emphasis on discussing and understanding different strategies for solving problems.

 

English

This week in year 6 we have been focusing on writing and understanding an information text. The children began the week exploring a variety of examples before beginning to write their own. Previous to this, the children had researched an animal of their choice and made notes to help inform their own information text based on their chosen animal. The writing consisted of an introduction, four main paragraphs and was followed by a conclusion. All of the children worked very hard and maintained the correct writing style for their written reports.

Year 1 Update

Year 1 have had a very royal start to the term. We have been learning about what a monarch is and their role in British history. We briefly learnt about King Charles and his role as king and the late Queen Elizabeth's role in the United Kingdom. We then made our own crowns to wear and went on a royal walk around the school; children even learnt how to do the late Queen's famous wave.

We also read the book 'The Queen's Hat' by Steve Antony. In the book the Queen's hat gets blown away and travels around London visiting famous landmarks. Children acted out the story and even came up with suggestions for other locations in London where the hat could have blown to.

In Art, children have learnt about Victorian fine artist Marianne North and her passion for painting flowers.

In Science, we have also started to look at plants and the parts of a flower (stem, leaves, petals and roots). Children also learnt the purpose of each part to support a flower to grow and stay healthy.

In PSHE, we discussed how to stay clean and hygienic. We looked as soap, sponges, toothpaste and a toothbrush and discussed how often we should be washing/brushing and why it is important to stay clean and healthy.

 

Year 3 Update

Before the holidays, Year 3 children proudly shared their published books to Year 1s. They enjoyed narrating their stories and answering some interesting questions.

Year 3 have got some really exciting work to look forward to in the Summer Term as well. To kicks things off, children discovered how to make tea as part of their English work. The children are already getting lost in the world of India as we read the story ‘Cloud Tea Monkeys’ by Mal Peet & Elspeth Graham. This will progress into the children writing thank you letters from the point of view of the main character, Tashi.

In Maths, we are learning about money. Being able to count and use money is not only an important life skill but also helps

the children’s mental arithmetic. By using physical money, the children are learning how to add and subtract and count change.

Meanwhile in Geography, the children have already been showing off their knowledge of the continents and countries while

recapping the countries which make up the United Kingdom and noticing their physical and human geographical features. Finally in Science, children have started learning about light. This is a really fun topic which involving lots of experiments like testing shadows and reflecting light. We have had great discussions about defining darkness and the importance of light in our daily lives.

 

 

Year 5 Update

This week we have continued with our writing based on the book, Beowulf, by Michael Morpurgo. We have looked at the hero and his attributes and written in role as Beowulf to help us retell the legend. The children have worked hard this week to complete the retelling and they should be very proud of the outcomes.

We have also started reading the book, Wonder, in reading lessons. This focuses on looking different but feeling the same as everyone else. We have displayed the key message from the book in our Year 5 corridor to help the children focus on the theme of kindness.

This term will be a busy one with the focus being on getting the children ready for Year 6.

Year 1 Update

Year 1 have been learning the story Little Red and The Very Hungry Lion. They have acted out the story, sequenced events and have been planning their own versions of the stories. They will be writing their stories next week and will use their phonetic knowledge to spell ambitious words.

In Maths, Y1 have been using the vocabulary longer, shorter and taller to identify and describe a range of objects. They have also started to use rulers to measure and compare a range of objects.

In Geography, children have been busy making their own fact files about England. They have identified a range of physical and human features on the English landscape and they have learnt some facts about different landmarks you will find in England.

 

In Science, children have been exploring which materials are waterproof and which are not. They conducted an experiment to see which materials absorbed water and which materials didn't.

In DT, children have explored appropriate materials to build a model house for the 3 little pigs. They discovered that cardboard was the strongest material we have in school to build the house from. They also found that plastic was the most appropriate material for the roof and have looked at different transparent materials to use for windows. They will be constructing their houses in groups next week.

In Computing, children have logged onto Espresso Coding to form simple instructions to make objects move on screen.

 

 

Year 3 Update

In English this week, we have continued to write our stories based around our robots. We have focused on adding dialogue between key characters and punctuating this correctly using speech marks. Next week, we look forward to sharing our published stories with Year 1 children.

In our History lessons, we have continued to learn about Ancient Egypt. This week we focused on King Tutankhamun and the mystery surrounding his untimely death. The children learned all about how Howard Carter unearthed his treasures. It took him nearly 10 years to complete this task! In class, we have had discussions about how Egyptologists continue to make new discoveries, including hidden tombs, to this day.

In our PSHE lessons, we have been discussing the qualities and strengths needed to perform different jobs. We then wrote questions and answers to prepare for mock job interviews next week. Children have enjoyed thinking about their future job aspirations. They are looking forward to being interviewed next week!

In our DT lessons, children have created their own pneumatic toy with moving parts! They have used their prior knowledge of how pneumatic devices work and conducted surveys of what makes an effective toy. We have investigated how air pressure works to produce and control movement.

It’s been a wonderful week of learning across all subjects, and we look forward to seeing even more progress in the week ahead!

 

 

 

 

 

Year 5 Update

This week in English, Year 5 have finished their writing, telling the story of the animated film “The Piano”. There were some amazing narratives with some really powerful description – well done to all the children who worked hard to produce some great writing. We have been focusing on the text Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo in whole class reading sessions and this week we have started to write in the style of the famous legend. The children have studied in detail the character of Grendel and drew him to help with their descriptive writing. We have also thought of descriptive language that we can use in our writing next week.

 

 

In maths, we have moved on to perimeter of rectangles and rectilinear shapes. Arithmetic is ongoing, and we have been really impressed with how the children are increasing their scores every week. Well done Year 5!

In science, we have continued our work on separating materials with learning around separating solutions where the solids are soluble or insoluble. We have worked on problem-solving with children having to separate materials from “polluted water” using their knowledge and skills learnt in science.

 

 

We have DT day on Monday and would love some adults to support us with the projects we will be building. If you can help with a morning or afternoon, please let the office know.

Police Visit Nursery

On Tuesday, police officers and community officers visited Nursery Tingatinga. They talked about how they help us. They talked about their uniform and all the equipment they had to carry. Nadia showed us her collar number, which is her identity number. She said that every member of the Police has their own unique shoulder number. We loved having the police visiting us. Thank you!

 

Year 3 Update

 

Science Week

To celebrate British Science Week, Year 3 had a fantastic time building and testing their own catapults. They explored how varying heights affected the distance a piece of paper would travel. Before starting, the students made predictions and later compared their results with other groups. Throughout the Science workshop, we focused on this year’s theme, 'Change and Adapt', diving into forces such as friction, gravity, electricity, and vacuum. The children were fascinated by the experiments and are excited to try similar activities at home!

English

Year 3 have now finished reading The Ironman. This week, the children have made storyboards for their own robot that they created last week! They have all done a phenomenal job using expanded noun phrases and fronted adverbials in their writing! We look forward to reading their own stories.

PSHE

In our PSHE lesson this week, we discussed our future job aspirations! Children shared their thoughts about what they would like to be when they grow older and outlined strengths that they have that will help them in their desired job role! It was a thought-provoking lesson which led to great class discussions about why people choose different jobs and their passions in life.

 

Year 5 Update

Year 5 enjoyed participating in Anglo-Saxon Day, where they were able to experience many different activities based around the Anglo-Saxon period in history. They made Anglo-Saxon coins, learnt to write with a quill and ink and learnt how to make and play draughts.

We also enjoyed World Book Day last week. Our focus text was the Boy, the Mole, The Fox and the Horse. We looked at the messages in the book and made our own artwork based on our favourite parts. We also talked about turning negative emotions into positive ones as this is a key message of the book.

In English, we have been continuing our work on writing the story “The Piano”. We looked at images from the text and thought about how it was possible to tell a story with only music and images. We look forward to writing next week.

Unfortunately, we were not able to go to the Gudwara this week as we had planned because there was signal failure on the underground line. We will rearrange the date soon.

What a fabulous day - it was great to see so many children dressed up as their favourite book characters. Some of the many outfits can be seen in the photos, including the teachers!

Reading is such an important skill for life, and there are so many exciting books to read and get immersed in imaginary worlds. Please continue to encourage your child/ren to read as much as possible - the school library has lots of choices, as well as libraries outside of school (and don't forget we have the book fair next week to find even more!)

 

Year 1 Update

Year 1 have been reading the book 'The Emporer's Egg'. They have learnt about how Emporer penguins are a special type of bird and created their own fact files about the animal.

In Maths, children have been learning about doubling numbers and adding 2 numbers to make 20 (number bonds to 20).

For History, children have looked at how Victorians lived. They looked at some artifacts including an old iron kettle, a bellow and metal bucket from a fireplace, an old Victorian clock and a dolly used for washing clothes. They also discovered how many Victorians lived without electricity and central heating and instead used fires and lanterns.

In Science, children have learnt about features of different birds and fish. 1H's class fish Tango went on a small tour to visit the other Y1 classes.

In Art children finished their unit on Brianna McCarthy; an artist from Trinidad who created art using collage. They were inspired to create their own collage faces.

In computing, children have continued to learn about using the laptops. This week children practiced using the touchpad to create their own animals in 'paint'. They also learnt about the different buttons and how they can be used to make their own artworks.

 

Year 3 Update

English - This week, Year 3 began exploring a new writing genre—instructional texts. Students annotated different examples, identifying important features such as time conjunctions, imperative verbs, chronological order and adverbs. They also applied their inference skills to explore images of mummification and sequenced the steps of the process.

Maths - In Maths, we have started our new topic: length and perimeter. Pupils have been learning key vocabulary such as equivalent, understanding how millimetres (mm), centimetres (cm) and metres (m) relate to each other and practising converting measurements between these units. Here are some example questions the children tackled this week!

History - In History, we continued learning about Ancient Egypt. Pupils learnt the importance of the River Nile and how it supported Egyptian civilisation and linked this with how the Egyptians travelled and traded. We then moved on to why the Egyptians built pyramids and their significance, which pupils have really enjoy learning about and have shown a great interest in

Science - Our Science lessons have been all about healthy eating and the human body. We have been learning about our human body and investigated the importance of our skeleton, including how the skull and spine provide protection, support, and movement.

Computing - Pupils have been having lots of fun practising their coding skills on J2 coding. We have been learning how to use different codes to control movements and developing their understanding of programming.

Art - In Art, Year 3 have been inspired by the work of Henri Matisse and his technique of ‘painting with scissors’. Drawing inspiration from Ancient Egyptian art, the children used their creativity to craft their own unique pieces. They explored bold colours and a variety of shapes to bring their masterpieces to life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year 5 Update

This week Year 5 have been working in reading and writing using the book “ Holes “ by Louis Sachar. We have written informal letters home as one of the characters in the book and designed our own imaginary lizards based on the Yellow Spotted Lizards in the book. The children have enjoyed reading the book in reading lessons and we hope to watch the film next week in classes. If you have not already, please consent on your Arbor app for your child to watch!

In Science we have been planning investigations around dissolving and observing if solids are soluble or insoluble. We have been planning to change variables to see if they make a difference to how quickly something dissolves. Finally we are finishing our work on the Caribbean in geography next week and look forward to revisiting our work on the islands in the summer term when we learn about the whole continent of North America.