Heading Out to Space

Another action packed week for Talland Class. The highlights this week were: a visit to a Cornwall based story caravan where the children heard traditional stories; a morning spent in a Space Dome where they learned about the Universe, the cycle of the moon and other amazing facts, for example, 62 miles (100 kilometers) above sea level is the altitude of the Kármán line, a conventionally used boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

Some of the children have also been honing in on their own self-development, especially using musical instruments.  It's fantastic to watch the enthusiasm, concentration and self-confidence ooze from these children. Well done, Talland Class.

best wishes, 

Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry and Mrs Walters.

An Exciting Expedition to Dartmoor Zoo

 
The highlight of the children's learning this week has been the exciting expedition to Dartmoor Zoo. The visit included seeing the animals at feeding time, from otters to lions; hearing the lion's proud roar; watching the tiger confidently patrolling his environment; a nighttime visit around the zoo and participating in workshops and discussing how we can protect and improve the natural environment for all living things. The children's confidence oozed and the questions asked by the children were well thought through: for example, how could these animals be returned to their natural environment? Despite the long day of walking and viewing the animals, the children were a credit not only to Talland Class but to their parents/guardians and Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy School. The excitement, fresh air and the abundance of activities helped them to sleep soundly ready for a Friday morning stroll around the Zoo and team building games.

Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry and Mrs Walters.

Emergency First Aid - The Recovery Position

The children have had so much fun learning how to place a casualty in to the recovery position. They all remembered the emergency ABC (airway, breathing and circulation) procedure prior to putting the casualty in a safe recovery position. Well done, Talland Class.


Maths
The children are becoming proficient experts in mathematical problem solving. They can confidently apply their knowledge of adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying fractions to solve simple one step and two step problems. 


English
We have some natural poets in Talland Class who intuitively use figurative language to enhance the verses within their poems. Most children are able to competently use metaphors, personification and alliteration effectively to enhance the poems they have written. Some children were able to recognise and include rhythm to allow their poems to flow when being read. Keep up the good work, Talland Class.


Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry, Mrs Walters and Mrs Payne.

A week of Pablo Picasso

The children have learned about Picasso this week and used his unique techniques to create their own piece of art based on cubism. They chose to either create a 2-D or 3-D version of a portrait. They had so much fun and laughter doing this activity.

During maths, the children have finally grasped the concept of multiplying numbers using the column method. They will progress to division next week.

The children's magnificent stories are now completed and have been edited to include many features of figurative language: metaphors, passive voice and expanded noun phrases. It was so enjoyable reading the children's stories and seeing huge progress in all of the children's writing techniques. Thank you, Talland Class.

Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry, Mrs Walters, Mrs Payne and Miss Rowlands.

Fun, fitness and beating heart

A wonderful beginning to the week. The children experienced fun and fitness through the attendance of a Parkour group. Parkour is a movement activity that promotes health and fitness whilst teaching young people to master their bodies and minds. The children were all full of smiles and enthusiasm as they practised moving their bodies over equipment and climbing on frames. 


To link to the fitness, the children learned how to create an algorithm for a Micro:bit - a mini computer. They created a small beating heart by including instructions and a repeated pattern. Their understanding of computer programs is amazing.

The children have finally completed their first draft of their own version of Hansel and Gretel. Instead of a witch, they have included a Yeti to link with the Class' theme of life in the Alps. They are really enjoying this piece of work and will re-edit their stories next week to ensure the writing contains all the correct capital letters, full stops and figurative language.

During maths, the children have finally grasped the idea of adding and subtracting simple fractions. The new unit covers multiplying numbers using the grid and column method.





Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry, Mrs Walters, Mrs Payne and Miss Rowlands.

Talland Class continue improving their sewing skills

Another action packed week for Talland Class. The week has included investigating the countries linked to the Alps by using maps and atlases. The children's map skills are developing and they can now begin to talk about different climates; human and physical features of an environment and know that England and the Alps are both in Europe.

One of the highlights of this week was learning how to use a blanket stitch to facilitate the stitching of the children's stuffed toys. Every child put in 100% effort into this activity. They found it amazing, intriguing and most of all, fun!

We have continued with subtracting fractions this week. This began with simple fractions and then the children were challenged with mixed fractions, for example:




Although a huge challenge for the children, they all persevered and gained a greater understanding of how to subtract fractions.

During the English sessions, the children have continued to develop their version of Hansel and Gretel. Many children are now using the advanced skills of figurative language in their writing. One element, for example, was to write a character scene to show emotions without telling the reader the emotion. For instance, one child used:

Her eyes were puffy, and red-rimmed. Wet streaks ran down her face, leaving tiny rivers running down her cheeks. 

instead of

She was crying.

It's been wonderful reading the beginning of the children's stories.

Have a wonderful, well-deserved weekend. 

Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry, Mrs Walters, Mrs Payne and Miss Rowlands.

The children of Talland Class have had a magnificent introduction to their topic in reference to the Alps. They attended school in warm clothing to assimilate life in the Alps during the Winter. During the week, they learned how to geographically locate the Alps using maps and also identified the Continents of the World together with the countries bordering the mountains: Switzerland, France and Germany, for instance. The highlight for the children was toasting marshmallows to eat during the afternoon session. A quote from one 10 year old, 'It's hot but it's also delicious.'

The maths topic, fractions, has been a pleasant challenge for the children. They have been focusing on finding common denominators to enable the addition of 2 and 3 lots of fractions, for instance:
.

A great deal of perseverance was shown by all of the children during the maths sessions.


During English, the children have been creating their own character and setting in anticipation for writing their own version of Hansel and Gretel. The description many of the children have been using is amazing: eyes like emerald balls; the isolated, lonely mountains are barren rocks on the sea shore eroding away with each crash of a wave; and so on.

Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry, Mrs Walters, Mrs Payne and Miss Rowlands.