Beech Tree Class Blog 2023-2024
Beech Tree Blog
Weekly Update-20/5/22
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
In science, we conducted an investigation to test the strength of different magnets and find out which was the strongest. We first decided which magnets we would test. The four we decided on were: Horseshoe, Bar, Cylindrical and Ring. As a class, we agreed to test the magnets by seeing how many magnetic marbles they could hold before all of them fell. We made predictions and the children gave some super reasons as to why they thought certain magnets would be stronger. We then conducted the investigation and found that the Cylindrical magnet held the most.
In ICT, our focus is animation and this week, we started using Scratch on our new Google Chromebooks. The children were tasked with animating the letters of their first name, and creating a background to go with it. They produced some lovely pieces and here are some videos of them below.
Take care,
Mr Kyriacou :)
Weekly Update-13/5/22
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
This week, as part of our writing and topic work, we have been focusing on Howard Carter and his discovery of Tutankhamun. The children have been so engaged and so eager to find out more about him. We have also been looking at the features of a diary entry and focusing on developing a range of vocabulary, which relates to the emotions of Howard Carter when he first made the discovery. We will be using this vocabulary to construct sentences, that will be written from Howard Carter's perspective at the time of the discovery.
In maths, we have continued our work on money, focusing on adding and subtracting money mentally and using the column method for larger amounts of money. We have also started to look at different word problems that involve using one or more of the four maths operations in order to answer the question. This has been challenging for some children, however, the children have been giving it their absolute best and we will continue to work with them to build up their confidence in order to tackle these trickier word problems.
In science, we have continued our work on magnets and forces. This week, we have been focusing on magnetic and non-magnetic materials. The children had a range of items to choose from and had to investigate whether the items were magnetic or not. We had some absolutely fantastic discussions beforehand about why the class thought some items would or would not be magnetic and then they had to prove it by conducting an investigation. Some items surprised the children and we discussed why those items were/weren't magnetic.
We also had a lovely trip to Yeadon Library, where the children learnt all about what a library does. They were then put into small groups and given the task of choosing a book that they liked and then trying to persuade the class why they should pick their books. There were some great arguments made and a really nice variety of books chosen. Here are the five books that were chosen by Beech Tree.
Take care,
Mr Kyriacou :)
Weekly Update 6/5/22
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
This week, we have been continuing our work on ancient Egypt, and have been looking at the different stages of the mummification process. We have been focusing on using sequencing adverbs to write the mummification process from the beginning to the end.
In maths, we have been continuing our work on decimals, focusing on comparing and rounding decimals. The children have really impressed me with their continuous hard work and great attitude to learning.
The children also got to have their first lesson using our new Google Chromebooks, which they absolutely loved. It was amazing to see the computing knowledge that the children have developed this year and how they applied it to navigating their way in and out of different programs on these new devices. We also used the Chromebooks to do some individual research on the ancient Egyptians.
I'd also just like to share a few lovely pictures from Chess club. The children have really been eager to learn all the rules of the game and they've been really enjoying it. It's great to see the development of their chess knowledge and how they strategically apply it to their games.
That's all for now :)
Mr Kyriacou