Welcome back and Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas filled with joy and time spent with family and friends. We have an exciting and busy term ahead! The Spring Term newsletter will be uploaded to the website next week, so you can explore all the fantastic learning and activities we have planned for Maple Class.
This week in English, we began our new class book, Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The children learned about Shakespeare’s life and his remarkable body of work. They delved into the opening scene of the play, exploring the eerie setting and the mysterious witches. Using powerful noun phrases, vivid similes and metaphors, they described the dark and ominous atmosphere. Finally, the children crafted their setting descriptions, carefully selecting vocabulary to create a dramatic and engaging effect.
In Maths, the children worked on multiplying numbers using the area model and long multiplication. They recognised how essential their weekly times tables practice on TTRockstars is for improving their speed and accuracy in multiplication. Working collaboratively with their partners, the children checked their calculations, discussed their methods and corrected any errors or misconceptions. They also responded to true or false statements, impressing with their clear reasoning and logical explanations.
In History, the children showed great enthusiasm for our new topic, The History of Space: How Did Space Travel Change the World? They learned about the invention of the telescope and its impact on astronomy, deepening their understanding of how it revolutionised the study of space. To showcase their newfound knowledge, the children wrote impressive articles, demonstrating their creativity.
In PE on Wednesday, the children worked on symmetrical balances, learning to create and hold poses that mirrored both sides of their body. They practiced control, coordination and stability while exploring different shapes and levels.
This week in music, the children listened to Earth by Hans Zimmer, a composer known for creating powerful soundtracks that blend traditional orchestral arrangements with modern electronic elements. The children expressed their interpretations of this piece of music through drawings, showcasing a wide variety of ideas. These included dramatic battle scenes, reflections on Remembrance Day with poppies, depictions of natural forces like lightning and hurricanes, and peaceful landscapes such as serene forests and tranquil beaches.
