Term 2 Week 2
What an incredibly busy week it has been in Owls Class.
We’ve celebrated so much over the last few days, including Odd Socks Day, Remembrance Day, Michael Rosen Day and Children in Need. The children have thrown themselves into everything with their usual enthusiasm, kindness and curiosity, and we couldn’t be prouder of them.
Remembrance Day Assembly
Last week, our school came together for a very special Remembrance Day assembly. We talked with the children about what Remembrance Day means, why this moment in the year matters and how we honour those who served and sacrificed so we can live with the freedoms we have today.
We also explored the meaning of the poppy. The children learnt that the traditional red poppy symbolises remembrance and hope, the purple poppy represents animals who served in wartime, the white poppy stands for peace and the black poppy honours the contributions of Black, African and Caribbean communities. The children were incredibly thoughtful in their discussions, showing real maturity and respect.
Before we observed the silence, Seb from Owls Class stepped forward to play The Last Post on his cornet. He played it so beautifully. Honestly, it was one of those moments that stops you in your tracks. The whole playground fell quiet as his notes carried across the space. It was emotional, moving and something we were all proud to witness.
At 11 am, the whole school joined together for the two-minute silence. The children stood with such respect and understanding, making it a truly powerful moment for everyone.
Here are some photos from the morning:
Reading and Comprehension
This week in our reading lessons, we have been diving into some powerful and thought-provoking texts linked to Remembrance. The children were fascinated by the three books we explored:
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be in the Trenches in World War One! by Alex Woolf
- The Story of World War One by Richard Brassey
- Tail-End Charlie by Mick Manning and Brita Granström
Each text opened up a different window into the realities of wartime. We looked closely at the trenches, life for soldiers on the front line and the experiences of Charlie as an airman. These were incredibly emotive topics and the children approached them with real sensitivity and maturity.
They completed a comprehension activity linked to these texts, showing brilliant focus and a strong understanding of the themes. It was one of those weeks where you could almost see their empathy and historical knowledge growing lesson by lesson.
English
We also celebrated Michael Rosen Day this week, which was a real highlight. Owls Class joined the live Poetry Party with Michael Rosen himself, and the children were buzzing. They loved hearing him perform and talk about his poems. Inspired by his famous book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, we had fun creating our own versions… except ours had a foodie twist. The children wrote brilliant poems called We’re Going on a Food Hunt, packed with funny foods, silly sounds and loads of imagination.
Alongside this, we have started a new class text: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. It’s such an interesting book with big feelings hidden behind simple letters from each crayon. The children have already shown great insight. They answered questions exploring how each crayon is feeling and backed up their ideas using evidence from the text - proper reading detective vibes.
We also dug into vocabulary this week. New words were introduced, and the children used Vocabulary Ninja to explore meanings, synonyms and how to use the words in sentences. It’s been a strong week for building confidence with language and deepening understanding.
Mrs O also taught a special lesson to the Year 3s and 4s on how to use a dictionary and a thesaurus confidently. The children practised finding words, checking meanings, exploring synonyms and using these tools to deepen their understanding. It’s such an important skill to have at this stage, and they picked it up brilliantly.
Lots of thoughtful, creative and high-quality English work from Owls this week. They’ve smashed it.
History
In History, we have continued our work on the Romans and the children have been absolutely loving it. This week, we explored different types of Roman architecture and matched key structures to their definitions. The children learnt about amphitheatres, villas, aqueducts and basilicas, and they were really interested in how each building had a specific purpose in Roman life.
We also looked at Roman roads and why they were such an important part of Roman engineering. The children used a map of Britain to spot key Roman towns and then drew straight Roman-style roads to connect them. They showed great concentration and were brilliant at using the key to work out which ancient town linked to which modern location.
Children in Need
At the end of the week, we supported Children in Need. The children really enjoyed getting involved and understood why the day matters. It was lovely seeing the whole school come together for such an important cause.
We’ve had a full and fantastic week in Owls Class, and the children have thrown themselves into every moment. We’re looking forward to another week of exciting learning and can’t wait to see what the children achieve next.