Reception

This week in Woodlands, Reception Willow learnt all about the different parts of a tree!  We were curious, like Corey and used our magnet eyes to look around Woodlands. 

We noticed all the different types of trees and then learnt about each part of them. We learnt that trees have branches, leaves, roots, bark and tree trunks. Reception then explored Woodlands independently and tried to identify as many parts of trees as they could.  Umar said ‘I found some roots; they are hard and underground’. Ibrahim noticed the bark on the tree and said that it was ‘Rough’. 

   

 

  

We are also getting so excited to share our Nativity play with you on Tuesday morning.  

 

Year 1

We visited the East London Mosque.  We were very excited and curious about learning about the Mosque and Islam. We learnt where and how Muslims pray.  We found out about the special washing that Muslims must do before they pray. We also learnt about things that happen at the Mosque such as funerals and weddings. Did you know it is London’s oldest Mosque? 

  

We learnt the order in which Muslims pray                                 We learnt where and how they pray

Year 2

This term in History, Year 2 has been showing a lot of curiosity towards the Gunpowder Plot. In one of our lessons we used the VR headsets to look around the cellar where the plotters kept the 36 barrels of gunpowder in 1605. 

During our school trip to the Tower of London, we even got to see the Traitors Gate, through which Guy Fawkes was brought in to be imprisoned. We wondered how the guards brought him in, as we couldn’t see the river Thames through the gate. Our fantastic tour guide taught us the Gunpowder Poem and since then you might have heard all the Year 2’s chant it in the playground. We might have some enthusiastic poets for the Poetry Slam.

          

To celebrate our amazing learning, children in school can read our recounts on the displays, on both the North and South side. Go check them out!

Year 3

Over the past few weeks, 3 Willow have been learning about Diwali and how this religious holiday is celebrated by people from different religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. They have learnt about Diwali being the festival of light and how it marks the Hindu New Year, the festive traditions such as celebrating with fireworks and also about the importance of lighting diva lamps and pooja to honour Lakshmi, one of the Hindu goddesses. 

Last week, in addition to learning about the origins of Diwali, we also learnt about the story of Lakshmi and the clever washerwoman. To help us remember this story, we used our terms of sequencing and drew some symbols for the main parts of the story in our RE books with annotations, we wrote about how diva lamps are important because they represent light overcoming darkness and we also wrote about how Lakshmi is very important in Diwali as she represents good fortune and blessings.

We even acted out the story of Lakshmi and the clever washerwoman in small groups! Take a look at some of the children’s work from the past week below!

Inaya

Shuba 

    

We acted out the story to help us remember the events and prepare for our brilliant writing.

Year 4

4 Willow have been cooking this week!

 

We have been perfecting our peeling and cutting skills to make different types of vegetable soups. Our soups contained a variety of ingredients including carrots, potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes, courgettes and celery. We even had the chance to innovate a recipe and create our very own soups! We collaborated with one another to carry out different roles and responsibilities.

  

Our final soups tasted delicious and we even got to take them home to share with our families.

  

Imran says, "If I could rate my soup, it would be 10/10 because of all my hard work."

Year 5

5 Willow have been reading a poetry book called ‘Cosmic Disco’ which includes poems about space, nature and life.

 

We’ve really enjoyed learning about language features that poets use to make their poems more interesting, such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, similes, metaphors and personification.

   

We had a go at performing our favourite poems in front of the class!

Year 6

6 Willow completed their D&T kite project last week. Having previously investigated the best ways to connect 2 and 3 straws together, they were able to construct the frame of their kites and then attach tissue paper to capture the wind. They looked great!

                           

After this, they tested their kites in the playground to see how well they flew. They flew with varying degrees of success! From the evaluations that the children made, they decided that next time the kites would be even more successful if they were built larger and from stronger lightweight materials, for example using plastic straws and plastic sheeting. 

           

 

Chess at Stepney Park

Chess Club restarted recently and 29 children from years 5 and 6 are receiving after school lessons from  our chess teacher, Shohreh.   Attendance has been fantastic and the children are learning new ways  to improve their winning strategies.

     

The first round of the Stepney Chess League took place last Friday.

Nearly 50 children took part, from nine local schools. We were very proud of the Stepney Park children who participated. They showed a very positive attitude and much resilience against some very challenging opposition. The next round is in January and we look forward to seeing everyone then.