What an amazing start to the year it has been! In the class of Walnut, this term has been a whirlwind of learning, growth, and discovery by diving into the world of Impressionist painters and the fascinating realm of water, through a series of captivating experiments and art projects.
Maths
In Walnut class this term we’ve been exploring the intriguing world of numbers, refining our skills in Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction.
Understanding the value of numbers is the key to mathematical success. This term, we’ve been thoroughly investigating the concept of Place Value. We’ve immersed ourselves in understanding the significance of each digit within a number, facilitating our grasp of number relationships. Through games, activities, and interactive exercises, we’ve developed our ability to effectively represent and compare numbers.
This year is all about solidifying our skills in Addition and Subtraction. We’ve dedicated ourselves to enhancing our mental arithmetic, utilizing both tangible objects and mental strategies. Through engaging activities, we’ve explored various methods to add and subtract numbers, ensuring that we are well-prepared for addressing real-world mathematical challenges.
Literacy
The first term in Walnut class was fantastic, filled with outstanding progress and enthusiasm. Our young learners have shown impressive reading and writing skills, and their curiosity for learning is both inspiring and infectious.
Reading Adventures:
Throughout this term, our students were introduced to a variety of fiction and non-fiction stories and books. Some of the highlights include Aesop’s fables like “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” storybooks such as “Peace at Last” and “The Tiger Who Came to Tea,” as well as Lizzi Locks from the Cambridge primary book. What’s more, they loved engaging in activities such as re-enacting the stories, determining the correct sequence of events, and expressing their opinions on all things related to these stories. They explored them through discussion and reading in pairs, they also developed their analytical skills by answering questions, recalling and sequencing the storylines, and even rewriting story endings. Additionally, they practiced their sentence-writing skills by creating sentences about these tales.
Grammar and Spelling Proficiency:
Our Walnut class students also made significant progress in their language skills. They plunged into grammar topics like nouns, noun phrases, verbs, verbs in -ing form, and different types of sentences. Regarding Spelling, they began by revisiting Year 1 words and progressed into learning new words from Year 2.
Their dedication and hard work throughout the term have been truly remarkable.
Keep it up, Walnuts!
Reading Workshop
Walnuts are enjoying two very different books at the moment, the wordless Journey by Aaron Becker and the colourful Man on the Moon by Simon Bartram. Both books have great scope for observation and discussion. Walnuts have compared Bob’s daily routine with their own, talked about the challenges of working in zero gravity and written a poem about the aliens that are all around but of whom Bob appears unaware. Journey uses colour to imply mood and significance and Walnuts are making their own interpretation of the picture story.
French with Joanna
We had a busy back to school first term in French class. The children start each lesson by individually doing the ‘calendrier’ by telling their classmates the day/date/month/season and reading out words in French. We have been introduced to the characters of ZIG ZAG + Niveau 1 which will be our main ‘méthode de français’ which we will work with throughout the year. These series of books have been published exclusively for French as a Foreign Language students and are a fantastic way to get our students to learn French in a fun & educational way. The characters (Madame Bouba, Félix, Lila, Pirouette, Pic Pic & Tilou) go on adventures throughout the series and the students are already very enthusiastic and excited to sit down and work and follow their adventures. The first few units were all about getting to know each other (back to school), revision of the French alphabet (particularly the letters i , g & j) , colours & numbers. The children listen to stories, words, letters through and audiolink and have to answer questions in their activity books whether in groups or alone. They also have a specific workbook to help them learn how to read words properly in French (going over each syllable) and how to write ‘en attaché’ (cursive). We also play ‘lotto’ (bingo) once a week and we have learnt a song (please see video hereunder).
French Topic with Joanna
The Walnut students thoroughly enjoyed the topic this term which was ‘Houses around the World’. Since we are an International School what better way to start the year learning about where we all live, situate countries on a map and see/understand why all houses are different depending on the countries we live in. The children learnt about traditional houses like the Isba, Case, Yurt, Igloo, Maison sur Pilotis and also since we are living in France we learnt about houses in different regions (apartments in Paris, traditional houses in the South / South West, North and East). We ended the term by learning vocabulary about the various rooms in houses (salon, salle de bain, salle à manger, buanderie, chambre, grenier etc).
La semaine du goût / The Taste Week:
Every year in France, one week in October is dedicated to taste. Through the Kim game, children had the opportunity to discover various flavours (salty, sweet, sour, bitter). The game involves tasting various foods with your eyes closed and guessing what it is by describing the texture and the flavour.
The children then baked a yogurt cake with pieces of apple.
Science
Science class this term has been all about materials. We have been busy investigating material properties like impermeability and elasticity. We’ve put our knowledge to the test by constructing paper bridges and towers, discovering which shapes work best for sturdy structures. Our journey through the world of materials has been both educational and fun.
Art
With LucÃa:
In Art this term, we’ve brought our dream homes to life and ventured into treehouse designs. Exploring lines, colours, and the enchanting world of watercolours has added depth and charm to our artistic creations.
With Marie:
During this period, we studied the painter Kandinsky. After several observations of his paintings and the way he painted, the children had to recreate a “work” in the style of Kandinsky.
Project
Wednesday Projects have been a whirlwind of artistic exploration. In our recent sessions, we’ve delved into the enchanting world of Impressionist painters, specifically Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. It’s been an educational journey where we’ve not only learned about these iconic artists but also applied their techniques to create our own masterpieces.
Our students have been captivated by the works of Monet’s water lilies, Picasso’s abstract genius, and Van Gogh’s vibrant sunflowers. We’ve delved deep into their unique styles and brushwork, which has inspired our own artistic endeavours.
Using different techniques and materials, we’ve created art pieces that reflect the spirit of these Impressionist masters. It’s been a hands-on experience, allowing us to truly understand and appreciate the artists’ techniques.
What makes our Wednesday Projects even more exciting is that we’ve had the chance to collaborate with Birch, Maple, and Chestnut classes. Working together has not only expanded our horizons but also fostered creativity and teamwork.
In a separate project, we delved into the theme of ‘Water.’ Our students had a fantastic time creating art using soap bubbles and paint, delving into the enchanting world of colours and patterns. Furthermore, we crafted a variety of clay containers designed to hold water, aligning with our ongoing exploration of materials in Science.
Art and Artists
Walnuts had lots to say about the paintings of Picasso.
The class enjoyed learning about the artists Monet and Van Gogh through stories.
Collaborative Felting Project
The process of felting is very hands-on! The children had to tease the merino wool, layer it, apply hot water and soap and manipulate it together with their hands and feet as well as rolling pins.
Inspired by the Impressionist painter Claude Monet, Maple, Birch, Walnut, Oak and Elm classes collaborated as one to recreate the Japanese bridge in Monet’s garden in Giverny. When mastered the techniques of felting, we dived into the artistic world of Vincent van Gogh and Picasso and recreated their famous masterpieces.
Coding and Programming Workshop
This term Walnut class was introduced to ScratchJr. The term was divided into four blocks:
- Drive across the city – Students learnt how to pick a background and a character, resize it. Use a motion block to make a car drive across the city.
- Run a race – Used the speed block to speed up or slow down a character.
- Sunset – Learnt how to make a character disappear.
- Moonrise after sunset – Learned how to add a new page to change scene automatically.
Music
With Lucia:
During our Music lessons, we’ve been on an exciting journey to grasp the distinctions between long and short sounds. Through hands-on exploration with a variety of instruments, we have been able to truly feel and hear how different durations create rhythm and melody in music. It’s been a fun and engaging way for us to discover the world of sound.
With Marie: