Beech Tree Class Blog 2023-2024
Beech Tree Blog
Weekly Update-28/6/24
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
This week, in our writing, the children published their fantastic diary entries and they were able to do this outside on the field, which they really enjoyed. We have then moved onto out new unit of work, which revolves around Kenning poems.
In science, our unit of work has revolved around forces, and this week the children planned, made predictions and then conducted an experiment, which was all about friction and which materials create higher or lower friction when another surface rubs against them. The investigation involved the children using a wooden car, a ramp, different materials to allow the car to roll on and rulers for measuring the distance that the car travelled when rolled over a particular surface. The children worked well together in their groups and it was great to see that the results of each group were very similar and highlighted which material caused the most friction and which caused the least as the car rolled over them.
In computing, we are focusing on animation. The children have been learning all about what animation is, how it is created and the different styles of animation. This week, we focused specifically on stop motion animation, and the children were tasked with creating a four frame animation, with the stick man drawing in each frame photographed and then adjusted for the next frame. They then played all their images back together, which created their stop motion animation. We also looked at onion skinning, which is a feature that allows a ghostly image of your previous frame to remain on screen, which can then help you to know where and what to draw for your next frame to allow all the frames to flow smoothly when you play them back at the end. Below are some lovely examples of simple stop motion animations.
Take care,
Mr Kyriacou :)
Weekly Update-21/6/24
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
This week, in writing, the children have been working on writing their diary entries and taking on the role of Howard Carter when he discovered Tutankhamun's tomb. They have worked unbelievably hard on these, trying to include all the necessary features that are required. The results are fantastic and I've absolutely loved reading them and listening to the children reading them aloud. The children have also edited and revised their pieces to improve the quality further. Well done!
As part of our art and design unit, the children have been busy creating their clay sculptures based on different god heads. Over two lessons, the children chose Anubis or Horus, and carefully and accurately, drew their designs into their sketchbooks and then created their clay sculptures based on their sketches. They worked incredibly hard and used a variety of techniques to manipulate the clay and mould it into their desired shape. They all listened to the instructions carefully and enjoyed the process of making these. They produced some lovely pieces and they will paint them once they have fully dried. Well done!
As part of the ALPT art exhibition, Beech Tree have investigated the theme of marine conservation and how the modern world is affecting the natural world. We have taken an original photo from a marine environment, and the children have then used their digital photo editing skills to manipulate the image and create their own digital art work. All their images were then combined together, by ripping and sticking, to create two collages on canvas that depict an underwater scene. The children loved seeing all of their work come together to create an eye-catching final result!
We also had our sports day this week and the children absolutely loved it. All the children were so supportive towards one another and it was an absolute joy to watch.
Take care,
Mr Kyriacou :)
Weekly Update-14/6/24
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
This week, the children have been doing their assessments and have been working very hard. I was very impressed with their results and this is due to all the children's continuous hard work throughout the year. Well done!
In our writing, we have continued working on different diary entry features which will be required when writing all about Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun. We have focused on writing in first person, using expanded noun phrases and thinking about all the different senses to describe how Howard Carter felt during the discovery, as well as using inverted commas for speech. The children have produced some brilliant work, which has been so exciting to read in class! Well done!
Take care,
Mr Kyriacou :)