Term 4

In Canadian Bears we have continued our topic, ‘Rocks, Relics and Rumbles’ in order to deepen our knowledge of all the aspects of the Earth.  We have also been learning why earthquakes and tsunamis occur and why volcanoes erupt.

English:

In English this term, we started by writing a newspaper article about an earthquake that took place on Wednesday 24^th August 2016.  The epicentre of the earthquake was close to the small town of Accumoli in central Italy. The town of Amatrice, 50km from the epicentre, suffered much damage. This area of Italy sits near to a plate boundary between two tectonic plates, the African and Eurasian Plates.

After our news articles, we moved on to writing a diary entry about living through a volcanic eruption and how one might feel, act and survive. Within this writing, we used fronted adverbials, personal pronouns and writing in the past tense.

Maths:

Building on our previous learning, we have been learning how to accurately measure objects in centimetres and millimetres.  We learnt how to record in the form of cm and mm.  We looked at different ways to use measuring devices in the form of rulers, metre sticks and tape measures.  We also discussed which unit of measure would be the most appropriate to use and why this is important.  We then looked at converting lengths that are not multiples of 100, for example 134cm = 1m and 34cm.

We then compared and order lengths using comparison language and inequality symbols.   We learnt the importance of converting all the measurements to the same unit of length before comparing.

Science:

For science this term, we have been delving further into forces and magnets. We have looked at what objects around us are magnetic and how we can tell that. In our investigation, we used a hypothesis to think about what metals would be attracted to magnets and how they react.  As well as magnets, we have also been studying rocks and fossils and our visit from Kent Wildlife Trust helped us in identifying these. As our topic is about the Earth and volcanoes, we have also looked at how fossils are formed and the types of rock produced over time. We enjoyed looking at Mary Anning and her importance in fossil discovery.

Topic:

In our topic, Rocks, Relics and Rumbles, we have continued to build on our existing knowledge and moved on to looking at earthquakes, tsunamis and the rocks beneath our feet (including fossils). We studied a variety of earthquakes, but we mainly focused on the 2016 earthquake of Amitrice, which recorded 6.2 magnitude. The devastation it caused is still visible today, and with many residents either displaced or still living in temporary accommodations as the rebuilding could take up to 10 years. We compared this disaster to that of Pompeii and looked into the significance of this volcanic eruption and why it is so famous. After these events, we started to investigate tsunamis, what causes them and how they occur. We specifically looked at the tsunami that took place on Boxing Day of 2004. We identified the source of this tsunami and located it on the map and globe.  We looked at the devastation it caused in all directions from Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and as far as East Africa. We were amazed at how widespread the tsunami could cause destruction.

Term 3

Canadian Bears have started a new topic this term called Rocks, Relics and Rumbles. We have looked at what we already knew on the subject and linked this to what we have previously learnt in other year groups. We then delved into a mountain of information about this wonderful planet that we live on, Earth.  We investigated how and why volcanoes erupt and why other natural disasters occur.

English:

In English this term, we started by writing a non-chronological report on the layers of the Earth, as this linked well with our topic.  The children learnt lots of new information about the Earth to help them understand the topic and write a report on the four layers of our planet. The children were able to recall these facts using the ‘Talk for Writing,’ strategy which helped them write great sentences that used adjectives and conjunctions.

Using the information learnt whilst writing a non-chronological report, the children then moved on to volcanic poetry. The children thoroughly enjoyed using different writing styles to write about these vast beasts that appear in the Earth’s crust. The children used a range of grammatical devices such as: rhyming words, similes, personification, onomatopoeia, alliteration and expanded noun phrases. The children were able to write using a range of features that made their poems come alive when read aloud. The children enjoyed reading and performing their poetry more than the time it took to write.

Topic:

In our topic, Rocks, Relics and Rumbles, the children have learnt a range of key information to build a valuable bank of knowledge about why volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters occur. We started by looking at how the Earth is made up and then moved on to how the Earth developed from one supercontinent to the continents we live in today.

After which we looked at the Earth’s tectonic plates and the ring of fire that runs around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The children now have a wealth of knowledge on volcanoes, why they erupt and what type of tectonic plates make this happen. We are excited to continue our learning as we head into term 4.

Science:

Our science topic for this term has been forces and magnets. We began by discussing what they already know about magnets and forces and then progressed as to the difference between pulling and pushing and the force involved to complete these tasks.  The children knew many facts about this, so it meant we were able to add more information to what they already could recall. As part of our learning about forces around us, we looked at contact forces, friction and how we could record a force. Using Newton Meters, the children came up with an investigation to test the friction of a cup being pulled on a range of everyday surfaces. Once this was completed, the children recorded the information in bar graphs whilst discussing their theories about why certain surfaces created more friction than others.

After this, we moved on to looking at magnetic poles, which we will continue with as we go into term 4.

Maths:

The children have been learning a range of different strategies to calculate multiplication and division problems. They are now able to multiply using the formal written method and looking at how we can do this for division. Once this was mastered, we looked at one-step word problems and two-step word problems that varied in difficulty and ensured that the children really had to think about what they needed to do to work out the answer. The children soon learnt the importance of applying these methods to help solve real-life problems linked to the wide world.

Term 2

Canadian Bears have continued the topic ‘Through the Ages’. We have added to our previous knowledge of the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, and looked at the Iron Age in great detail. In doing so, we have compared the Stone Age and the Bronze Age and have decided that we prefer the Bronze Age as life was beginning to get a little bit easier.

English:

In English this term, we started by writing an historical narrative. These were difficult to write as they needed to think of two characters, a setting and a plot. The children worked hard on writing each sentence and including time adverbials and adjectives in their stories.  The children ensured they followed the success criteria and produced some interesting stories. After this, we moved on to some speaking and listening activities based on our class text of Stig of the Dump. We used our drama skills to act out the major parts of the story.

Maths:

In Maths, the children have consolidated what they have learnt in addition and subtraction and worked on word problems, involving one and two steps. The children used a range of strategies from column subtraction and addition to the bar method, to solve these and were able to explain their answers using mathematical vocabulary. We then moved on to multiplication and division and securing our knowledge of the 3, 4 and 8 times tables. We have been practising our times tables every day and are now able to recall multiplication facts to help them answer inverse (division) problems.

Science:

In Science this term, we have continued to learn about our joints, bones, muscles and skeleton.  The children watched a video on Nutrition, skeletons and muscles and were encouraged to work together to generate a scientific question which they could investigate further.

Examples included:

• Do all vertebrates have the same number of bones?
• Why do babies have more bones than adults?
• How do bones repair after a break?
• Do all mammals have the same bone types as humans?
• How many joints do we have in our fingers/thumbs/arms/legs/body?

Topic:

In our topic, we have continued to look at ‘Through the Ages’ and concentrated on studying the Iron Age and the Bronze Age. In the Iron Age, we have studied farming, the Beaker Folk and the inventions and ingenuity that were created and thought about in that time period. In Art and Design, we have been studying bell pottery and the children have designed their own pieces in this style concentrating on straight, parallel, and diagonal lines.

Term 1

This term Canadian Bears have been learning about the topic, ‘Through the Ages,’ We have been investigating the Stone Age up to the Bronze Age.  We have looked at how Stone Age man lived and how he survived in those times.  We have been very busy creating our own guide to Stone Age monuments and discovering how these were made and what they meant during this time.

English:

In English, we have been reading 'Stig of the Dump' as the linked text of ‘Through the Ages’. We have been learning about Barney and how Stig is the ultimate ‘up-cycler’ of his time. As part of this, we have learnt how to write instructions and used this to write our own instructions to make a Stone Age axe.  The children used headings and sub-headings to ensure that all the sections were clear.  We have also been learning about cinquains. A cinquain is a poem that doesn’t rhyme and has five lines arranged in a special way.  When writing a cinquain, it is important to keep to the correct number of syllables in each line. We then wrote our own cinquains about different Stone Age jobs such as potter, blacksmith or farmer.

Maths:

In Maths, the children started with place value and how a three-digit number is represented using hundreds, tens and ones. The children then moved on to ordering numbers and comparing a range of three-digit numbers.  We looked at the signs to show if a number is greater, lesser, or equal to. We then moved on to addition and subtraction and whether there needed to be an exchange.  The aim is to solve simple addition and subtraction mentally and then prove the answer using the correct vocabulary.  We will then begin to record our learning for addition and subtraction using a formal written method.

Science:

In Science this term, we have looked at animals including humans, specifically nutrition, skeletal systems, joints and muscles. The children have loved looking into this, and I have been impressed with their interest and their desire to discuss the topic and to learn more. We have completed our first investigation looking at which foods contained the highest amount of fat: some of the results were quite surprising. As well as this, we have learnt more about our muscles.  During our PE lessons, we have been talking about our muscles as we are warming up and why it is so important to do this before we start to exercise.

Topic:

Our current topic, ‘Through the Ages,’ runs until the end of term two. By doing this, we are able to study the topic in greater depth.  We have discovered the five time periods between the Stone Age and the Iron age and have discussed how life would have changed between the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic times. The children loved learning about the Stone Age and how people would have lived all that time ago and survived without our modern-day contraptions. We looked at how the tools they would have used developed over time, some cave paintings and how people survived and started cultivating the land in order to become farmers. We have uncovered so much information that we will look at further into our topic. We will continue to develop the children’s knowledge further in our Geography learning.