It has been another busy and exciting week in Beech Class, with the children continuing to develop their confidence, creativity and independence across their learning. We have been particularly impressed by the way the children have been sharing their ideas, using their imaginations and building on the skills they have already developed.Our Year 1 children have been having lots of fun exploring lists in English. They have been thinking carefully about how lists can be used to organise information and have been creating their own lists inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The children enjoyed recalling all the different foods the caterpillar ate and thinking carefully about how these could be presented as a clear and ordered list.We have also been developing our descriptive vocabulary by creating lists using adjectives and nouns. The children became autumn detectives, using their senses to notice what they could see, hear, smell and feel around them. They then used their observations to generate descriptive phrases such as crunchy leaves, golden trees and cold wind. This has encouraged the children to think carefully about the words they choose and how adjectives can help the reader to build a picture in their imagination.The children have shown great enthusiasm when sharing their ideas, and it has been wonderful to see them becoming increasingly confident in making their own vocabulary choices.
Meanwhile, our Year 2 children have stepped back in time and have been writing diaries as if they were Victorian children. They have been exploring what life may have been like for a child during the Victorian period and using this knowledge to help bring their diary entries to life.The children have been thinking carefully about what a diary should include, including writing in the first person, describing events and experiences, sharing thoughts and feelings, and using appropriate detail to make their writing interesting for the reader. They have been encouraged to imagine themselves in the shoes of a Victorian child and consider how their everyday experiences might have been very different from those of children today.It has been fantastic to see the children using their imaginations to add detail to their writing while also applying the features of diary writing they have been learning.
In RE this week, we have been exploring the important idea of forgiveness. The children discussed what it means to forgive somebody and why forgiveness can be important when someone has made a mistake or hurt another person.We talked about how forgiveness does not necessarily mean that what happened was okay, but that it can be a way of moving forward and repairing relationships. The children considered different examples of situations where someone might need to say sorry and explored how the person who has been hurt might respond.We also looked at examples of forgiveness from religious stories and discussed what these teach us about treating others with kindness, understanding and compassion.The children shared some thoughtful ideas about why people might find forgiveness difficult, as well as why forgiving someone can sometimes help both people involved. It was lovely to hear them listening respectfully to one another and recognising that everyone makes mistakes.
Our PSHE learning this week focused on keeping ourselves safe and knowing who we can turn to when we need help.We talked about the importance of having trusted adults in our lives and created our own safety networks. Each child thought carefully about five safe adults they could go to if they had a worry, felt uncomfortable, or were experiencing a problem.The children discussed how their safe adults might be at home, at school or in other places they regularly visit. We also reinforced the important message that if a child tells an adult about a problem and does not feel listened to or helped, they should keep telling another trusted adult until someone helps them.The children approached this activity thoughtfully and understood that asking for help is a sign of strength. They also recognised that everyone deserves to feel safe, listened to and supported.
In Art, the children have taken the next exciting step in their work inspired by Paul Klee. Having previously explored Klee's use of lines, shapes, patterns and mark making, the children have now begun to draft their final pieces.They have been thinking carefully about how they can bring together the techniques they have experimented with and make their own creative decisions. Rather than simply copying an existing artwork, the children have been encouraged to take inspiration from Klee's style while developing something that is personal to them.As they worked on their drafts, they considered the arrangement of their shapes and lines, how patterns could be used, and how different marks could create interest within their compositions. They have also been encouraged to reflect on their ideas and make changes where they feel their artwork could be improved.It has been wonderful to see the children becoming increasingly confident in explaining their artistic choices. We are very excited to see how these drafts develop into their final Paul Klee inspired artworks.
Another week in Beech Class has been filled with opportunities to imagine, question, create, reflect and grow. From stepping into the shoes of a Victorian child to becoming autumn word detectives, thinking deeply about forgiveness, identifying trusted adults and developing individual artwork, the children have continued to show curiosity and enthusiasm for their learning. We are incredibly proud of the way they are beginning to take greater ownership of their ideas and are looking forward to seeing where their learning takes them next week.