It has been another busy and exciting period of learning in Beech Class, with children exploring new skills across English, Science, Music, and our wider curriculum. There has been a real sense of enthusiasm in the classroom, especially as we begin to see the results of our hard work across different subjects.
We have started to enjoy harvesting our very first crops, including fresh radishes. The children were excited to see what had grown from the seeds they planted earlier in the year. They carefully pulled the radishes from the soil, washed them thoroughly, and had the opportunity to try them. This was a wonderful hands-on learning experience, helping the children understand where food comes from, how plants grow, and the importance of caring for living things. Many children were proud to taste something they had helped to grow themselves.
The Year 1 children have been working hard to retell the traditional fairy tale Rapunzel. They have been using familiar story language such as “Once upon a time,” “suddenly,” and “happily ever after” to structure their writing. The focus has been on building confidence with storytelling, using clear beginning, middle, and end structures, and adding descriptive vocabulary to bring their writing to life. The children have also enjoyed acting out parts of the story to help them sequence events.
Year 2 have been inspired by The Day the Crayons Quit. They have explored character viewpoints and used this as a springboard for their own writing. The children created persuasive posters about saving the planet, using a range of sentence types including statements, questions, exclamations, and commands. This helped them understand how sentence structure can influence and engage a reader. Their posters showed fantastic creativity and a strong sense of environmental responsibility.
In Science, the children were thrilled to take part in a live lesson with naturalist and wildlife presenter Steve Backshall. The session was highly engaging and brought learning to life through real-world examples and fascinating wildlife facts. The children explored topics such as habitats, food chains, and how animals adapt to their environments. They had the chance to ask questions and deepen their understanding of the natural world. The session encouraged curiosity, scientific thinking, and a greater appreciation of conservation and protecting wildlife. Many children were particularly excited by stories from expeditions and real animal encounters.
In Music, the children have been developing their understanding of rhythm and musical notation. They have been learning the difference between crotchets, quavers, minims, and rests, and are becoming more confident at recognising and performing these symbols. We have also introduced time signatures and explored how they help organise music into structured beats. The children have been practising clapping their own composed rhythms and performing them to their classmates. This has helped them develop listening skills, coordination, and confidence when performing.
Beech Class has shown great enthusiasm and progress across all areas of learning. From growing and harvesting food to exploring storytelling, science, and music, the children continue to build knowledge, skills, and curiosity in a wide range of subjects.