Term 5 Week 5
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
What a busy and exciting week it has been in Owls Class!
One of the highlights of our week was our visit to Newbury Museum, where we learnt more about the English Civil War and how it impacted our local area. The children loved seeing real artefacts linked to our History learning and bringing our classroom learning to life.
During the visit, we explored information about both the First and Second Battles of Newbury and learnt more about the role Newbury played during the Civil War. The children were especially interested in the model of Donnington Castle and learning about the siege, where the Royalists defended the castle against Parliamentarian forces.
The children also enjoyed looking closely at Civil War armour, helmets and historical artefacts from hundreds of years ago. One of the favourite parts of the visit was trying on replica armour and imagining what life might have been like for soldiers during the 1600s.
It was lovely to see so much curiosity throughout the day, with the children asking thoughtful questions, making links to our History lessons.
In Maths, the children have been learning how to convert improper fractions into mixed numbers through a practical matching activity using fraction cards and bar models.
The children found this quite challenging at first, particularly when matching the improper fractions to the correct mixed numbers and visual representations. However, they showed great perseverance throughout the lesson and kept going even when they found it tricky. It was lovely to see the children working together, using mathematical vocabulary and supporting one another to solve the problems.
By the end of the lesson, many children were much more confident at spotting the relationship between improper fractions and mixed numbers and explaining their thinking clearly.
In Art, the children have been learning how to use watercolours to create flower paintings inspired by Claude Monet and his famous water lily paintings. The children explored how to use different brush strokes, blend colours carefully and create soft washes using watercolour paints.
They spent time observing real flowers closely before sketching and painting their own artwork. It was lovely to see the children experimenting with colour and showing creativity and patience throughout the lesson. We were so impressed with the beautiful pieces of artwork they produced and the care they took when developing their painting techniques.
We are incredibly proud of all the hard work and perseverance the children have shown this week across all areas of learning.
There is still lots more exciting learning to come next week and we are looking forward to another busy week in Owls Class!