Let's see what our classes have been up to this week:

Reception:

We cannot believe that our pupils have completed their first half term at Whitkirk Primary School and what a super one it has been! As always, we have had a busy week! In Maths, we have been learning all about weight. We have been predicting what objects we think are light and heavy and testing our predictions using weighing scales. We have also been exploring different capacities using the vocabulary full and empty. The biggest capacity we could think of was a swimming pool! We have also been reading the story the Rainbow Fish which talks about friendship. We discussed all the qualities we would want in a good friend and made a friendship recipe. We even made friendship bracelets for members of our class.

KS1:

We have had an exciting and busy start to the new school year! In Maths, we have used number lines, Numicon and counting blocks to solve problems such as one more and one less. In English, we have focussed on naming and ordering the letters of the alphabet. We have produced some lovely written work to describe characters from books we have been reading such as Silly Billy; making sure we start each sentence with a capital letter. We have conducted nature walks in the playground; collecting things related to Autumn such as brown leaves, berries and conker shells. Most recently, we learnt about what animals eat and sorted different animals into three groups - herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. I can't wait to see all the amazing work the children produce next half-term!

To say our first half term has been a rollercoaster would be an understatement! We’ve tackled each challenge on our journey so far with enthusiasm and eagerness and we could not be prouder of our class. Through embracing our new Read Write Inc phonics scheme, the children have already shown wonderful progress in their reading and spellings, and are already applying this in their writing! We have been inspired through stories, such as The Colour Monster and Silly Billy, plus significant events such as Black History Month and Halloween to create wonderful pieces of writing. As scientists, we have explored grouping animals into mammals, amphibians, birds, fish and reptiles whilst observing the structure and body parts of each of these types of animals. We then identified living, non-living and dead things in our habitats around school to define what makes up a habitat. We worked scientifically to research and find out what different animals eat, in order to classify animals as omnivores, herbivores and carnivores. This knowledge enabled us to create food chains in different habitats! What absolute superstars our class are! They have welcomed our busy curriculum with open and determined attitudes and tried their very best despite the obstacles that have come our way in current times. We cannot wait to continue to build on our learning journey in our Autumn 2 term! We would also like to send a big "Hello!" to our superstar in America who we miss dearly but are all so proud of!

Year 2 pupils have had a fantastic start to the year. We began our new reading scheme RWI which has been a hit with the children. They have really enjoyed getting to know "Fred the Frog" and have learnt the new terminology "special friends," and all the Read, Write, Inc teaching cues. We have been super busy in our Theme "Where in the world do we live?" Children enjoyed the projects set by Steve Backshall and have learnt about human and physical features; we have used maps and learnt how to draw and create a key for a map. Pupils have even brushed up on their directional language. Science has been jam packed too! We have enjoyed learning about animal groups, carnivores, herbivores, omnivores and food chains. English has been super fun with cross curricular links to PSHE- Emotions and Black History Month. We have also looked at poetry and written some creative poems. The children have blown me away with their mathematical skills! They have mastered counting in multiples of 3 in a very short period of time and are now taking on addition and subtraction using pictures, objects and number lines. KS1 had a challenging start to the year with the bubble closure at the start of term but the children are brilliant and tenacious and their attitude to learning is fantastic. Have a lovely half term and a well-earned rest, Year 2!

Year 3:

Well, what an amazing half term it has been in Year 3! We have really launched ourselves all the way back to the Stone Age and engaged in some brilliant learning opportunities! In particular, we have enjoyed going on our Stone Age adventure and more recently making our models of Stone Henge! We have loved reading Stig of the Dump in English and writing our own portal stories and journal entries. It has been so wonderful to see all the children back at school, seeing so many smiles every day and having a classroom filled with laughter again! Each and every one of them have certainly done us all proud with their mature approach to settling back into school so quickly given the current circumstances! We can’t wait to see you back after half term, ready to embark on our next curriculum adventure!

Year 4:

We have had an amazing start to Y4 and we have focused incredibly hard on our topic "Where does our food travel?". In Science, we have made models of the digestive system (which were sometimes very messy!) and we also looked at our own teeth. In DT, we had our own Whitkirk Biscuit Bake Off and we investigated what makes the perfect biscuit. This involved making a prototype, designing some packaging, adding additional flavours and evaluating our finished product. They all looked amazing! Finally, we have produced some amazing English work, based on our Demon Dentist story. We can't wait to continue our learning journey after half term with you all!

Year 5:

Space just about sums up our first half term in Year 5! From racing with moon buggies, to shadow investigations and even 3D models of the solar system, we really cannot get enough of the solar system! Our class text Cosmic proves rather successfully that the most ludicrous idea can turn into a wonderful, believable story in the hands of a competent writer. We have enjoyed every minute of Liam’s journey. Cosmic is less about how Liam ends up in Space and more about what it means to be an adult or a child. Today we’ve investigated the moon phases using Oreo cookies-and of course we ate them after! Miss Gill and Mrs Iqbal have been so impressed with how well everyone has settled in and how many pen licences we’ve given out! A huge well done everyone in Year 5! Have a lovely week off because it gets better next term!

Year 6:

This half term has been extremely exciting for Year 6! We started our journey by focusing heavily on science and can now describe the circulatory system in great depth. Our most exciting highlights certainly include making blood soup and even dissecting a real pig’s heart! Our class text Pig Heart Boy has entirely gripped us; we have been desperate to find out what happens to the protagonist after his controversial surgery. We were thoroughly shocked by the ending! Our focus on keeping our heart’s healthy has extended to our ‘Come Dine with Me’ Design and Technology topic focusing on healthy eating. Everyone was so excited to design a three-course meal and cook it ourselves. However, our favourite part may even be the tasting afterwards! We were extremely impressed with ourselves; there may be chefs in our midst!