Birch Class Term 5 2020/21

This term we have been up to so many amazing things!

We have explored the world around us and learnt about all living things: plants, animals and people and how they all need a home or somewhere to live that we call a ‘habitat’. A habitat can be huge like the ocean or small like a leaf. To survive, living things need to live in places that meet their needs.

LITERACY!

This term, we continued to build on our Literacy skills as well as use and apply those learnt skills to our writing. We wrote information texts, independently checked the use of grammar and improve our spelling.

We have learnt how to use a dictionary. We have been looking for words that are tricky for us to spelling. As a class, we constructed silly sentences using letter blocks as well as word selectors.

We became ‘information hunters’. We did this by exploring a range of different books as well as used the internet to find information about habitats and the animals that live there.

AMAZING READERS!

This term, we have continued to read a range of books that have helped us to improve our pace of reading and vocabulary. This has had a great impact on our writing.

MAGICAL MATHS

This term, Birch class identified halves, quarters and thirds. They showed great interest in learning fractions. (Walnut class borrowed one of our fraction’s games). They had to match the fraction with their pictorial representation.

We also completed different challenges relating to fractions, which solved efficiently by using our whiteboards!

Birch class has also been working on Money: identifying and comparing coins and notes, making different amounts of money and adding and subtracting.

Later, they could apply their academic knowledge in a real-life context: buying products in a market organized by Oak and Elm classes.

They were really proud and motivated. They were capable of putting into practice their Math knowledge!

SUPER SCIENCE!

This term, both classes have been learning about living things and their habitats. We decided to work together. This provided us with the opportunity of sharing our ideas and thoughts, as well as, discuss our different points of view.

They were provided with animals’ pictures, which had to be sorted out according to their criteria.

In conclusion, in our last sessions together we focused on classification. The classes learnt that living things can be classified into five kingdoms. We designed posters to demonstrate our knowledge and understanding of those five kingdoms.

Like all kingdoms, the Five kingdoms of Living Organism, also had to have a badge that represented them. For this reason, Walnut and Birch class chose one and designed a badge, where they represented the characteristics of the chosen kingdom. Afterwards, these were displayed on our science display.

We learnt that living things can be classified into 5 groups: They are called the ‘5 kingdoms’. However, Birch class took their learning further and discovered that the animal kingdoms, could be classified into smaller categories depending on the features of the animals.

We took several toy animals and started classifying them into different groups according various classification criterions.

We ended our learning by exploring the natural environments of organisms: Habitats, such as the desert, the polar regions, the rainforest, the savannah and the deep ocean.

Both classes started a new project together: the design and construction of a habitat. In pairs or groups, we shared knowledge, ideas and artistic skills. Both classes did amazingly well! creating masterpieces!

Creativity, originality, artistic skills and scientific knowledge, were all linked together to complete this task.

When we had finished the model habitats, We presented them to the pupils of Maple, Oak and Elm class in the “Science Fair”. In order to delieve a proper and professional speech, we extracted and collected information from the books of the library. This way, they developed their scientific skills, as well as, linguistic ones.

As part of our ‘Science fair‘, we all came together and shared what we had been learning over the term.

Maples showed the Butterfly Life Cycle, in several creatives ways, from arts and crafts designs to yoga positions!

Oak and Elm classes prepared different stations, where they displayed several principles of science.

We took our learning further and learnt about the food chains. This way, we discovered how different living things depend on each other in order to survive.

Food chains of every habitat: Desert, Rainforest, deep Ocean, Polar Region and Savannah. Finally, our students made booklets to keep all information.

Due to the human impact on our environment, animals are in trouble! We explored some examples of endangered animals. First, we looked at what Global warming means, then, its consequences on the environment by comparing pictures of different places.

Then, we discovered that the animals also suffer from these consequences. We saw several examples of endangered animals, as well as, we located in the map of the world.

SCIENCE MUSEUM!!

The Primary school classes had a fun and exciting adventure to the Science Museum. We were lucky enough to explore all the Museum has to offer!

We explored all the different sections of the Museum from the natural world, human body, water world and the use of multi-media.

Musée du Jouet!

The Primary classes got to take another trip. This time is was organised by the French department. This was a great opportunity for all to practice their French skills.

We went on an adventure to Musee du Jouet. As a group we explored toys from the past and learnt all about what they were made of and how they were used.