This week we have been researching World War Two shelters. Anderson shelters – named after Sir John Anderson – consisted of two curved corrugated sheets of steel, bolted together at the top and sunk three feet into the ground, then covered with eighteen inches of earth. If constructed correctly, they could withstand the effects of a hundred-pound bomb falling six feet away. However, many Anderson shelters leaked, were cold, dark and cramped and amplified the noise of falling bombs. We learnt about the conditions inside these shelters and then compared them to the Morrison shelters. Morrison shelters were of a cage-like construction that could be used as a refuge inside a house.
After researching Anderson shelters, we were ready to begin making our own scale model of one. We have been extremely busy this week constructing the base and sides of our shelters. A huge thank you to Mr. Hutt, our Chair of Governors, for sharing his expertise when working with wood. He has helped us with the design and demonstrated how to safely use a variety of tools.
Mr. Trundle and Mrs. Lloyd-Williams have also been on hand helping us to measure accurately, clamp and saw…
Then it was time to cut a doorway, use a bradawl to mark the position of the hinges and finally attach the door using screws…
We are delighted with our efforts so far and have impressed with our use of all the many different tools. We are now looking forward to the construction of the roof. Watch this space!
In Art, we have been sketching and learnt how to proportion the face. Proportion refers to the relationship in size and placement between one object and another. We looked carefully at the spacing of our own facial features before then having a go at sketching a frontal view of a face. We found it quite tricky working with guidelines at first and hadn’t realised just how much maths we needed to use. But the effort was definitely worth it.
On Tuesday morning, we welcomed our parents into the classroom for our first Learning Together Morning of the year. Together, we explored place value and worked together to solve place value riddles before having a go at writing our own for others to solve. The maths vocabulary used throughout the activity was rich and helped us to become more fluent with place value. There was much concentration in the room and super conversations – learning at its best. Thank you for learning with us, parents!
We might be missing the sunshine but puddle jumping is good for the soul. Have a lovely weekend!