Reception 

This week, Reception Willow we were lucky enough to get visited by lots of different animals!  We were curious just like Corey the Chimpanzee and had a go at touching them.  Lots of us had a go even if we felt scared!  We talked about what they felt and looked like.  We loved how soft and fluffy the chinchilla felt and the different patterns on the lizard and the snake.  Afterwards, we had a go at writing a sentence and drawing a picture about our experience.

     

                         A Tortoise                                                                                          A Python

   

                    A Bearded Lizard                                                                    A Chinchilla

Year 6

The whole of Year 6 went to visit a beautiful Hindu temple in Neasden. It was a long journey to get there but when we saw the temple on the horizon we were so impressed. The temple is called BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and it is Europe’s first traditional Hindu temple. 

The building was so impressive and inside the main prayer hall, called the Mandir, the children observed a prayer ceremony performed by monks. We had to take our shoes off and move really around really quietly. The girls and boys had to be separated during the ceremony which we found similar to the Islamic faith. We then toured the temple and read about the different gods that Hindus worship. It was a very peaceful place. 

After this, we went to the great hall and watched a documentary about how the temple was built. We learnt that the Mandir was built out of hand carved marble and it took 1400 people to make it. 

Overall, it was a great experience to observe a different religion and compare the similarities to other faiths.   

Year 3

3 Willow have recently been to the Soanes Centre for a whole morning to learn more about rocks and fossils.  We worked together to sort rocks, learnt about the different properties of rocks like limestone and granite and handled some real fossils.  We had a great time and the teacher, Dim, was very fun!

  

We have also recently finished our art project on observational drawing and painting.  We focused on drawing and painting pea seeds and runner bean seeds over a few weeks as they germinated and grew.  Using watercolours and learning about botanical artists such as Sydney Parkinson were our main focus each week.

For maths, we have learnt how to use a ruler accurately to measure the length of lines in cm and mm as well as the perimeter of 2D shapes.  In English, we have been writing letters about how we can make our school environmentally friendly.  We have practised writing in paragraphs, using persuasive language and rhetorical questions.

Year 2

In 2 Willow we have been learning about healthy living in Science. We have been learning that good hygiene is important in preventing infections and illnesses. We performed an experiment with glitter gel by putting this on our hands and touching objects in the class. We were horrified at how the germs spread.

Year 2 noticing how germs can spread

  

We need to be responsible and wash our hands to prevent infections and illnesses. 

Year 5

Year 5 have had a brilliant time making bread this week! We have made both a savoury bread roll and then a sweet plaited bread.  First, we measured out the ingredients, “It is really important to be accurate or your bread might not taste nice.” Anaya explained. 

After that, we sieved the flour and mixed the ingredients together. “Yeast is a very important ingredient because it allows the bread to rise.” Hamza explained.

      

Thirdly, we had to knead the dough for ten minutes. We took it in turns to knead the bread because it was tough work! “You have to use your muscles!” Imran told me. 

After kneading the dough, we left it to prove. “This is an important step because otherwise the bread won’t rise,” Aleena told me. 

   

After putting the bread in the oven for 30 minutes, it came out a golden brown colour looking delicious. Great work year 5!

Year 4

4 Willow would like to share their exciting learning in maths and science.  In maths we have been learning to divide 2 and 3 digit numbers by a one digit number.  We first only focused on numbers with no remainders. We drew place value charts and counters to show our understanding.  We then used a formal written method to divide.

In science we have been learning about states of matter.  We looked at changes of state including melting, freezing and boiling.  We investigated melting chocolate, butter and used a thermometer to measure the temperature at 2 minute intervals.

We measured the temperature of the water whilst we boiled it.  We then used line graphs to present our findings.

Year 1

This week, Year 1 has been ‘showing curiosity’ and learning about new animals and writing non- fiction recounts. We learnt about the new animals through the ‘Animal experience’! This was a workshop where we got to touch and learn about animals such as a bearded dragon, a tortoise, a chinchilla and a snake! We were very, very brave and ‘tried new things’ - just like Taibah the Tiger. 

   

    

We also completed our very first Design and Technology lessons! Design and technology is a subject where you learn about designing and making things that are useful.

         

This term we looked at how bridges have changed over time and found out which frame would make the most stable structure. Finally we made our own bridges so that a toy car could cross.

Please continue to read with your child over half term, and enjoy doing the Family Homework. Have a great holiday!