On 21st March it was International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. We discussed Articles 2, 30 and 42. We know we all have one thing in common – rights! Some of us performed a short play for the whole school highlighting discrimination, how to tackle the issue and helping to explain these rights in a little more detail. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that everyone is born equal and should be treated the same way. Everyone is equal, despite differences in language, gender, colour, belief and nationality. We thought about how we can act on the words of the American writer, William Faulkner, who said,
“Never be afraid to raise your voice against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the earth.”
We enjoyed performing the play and also making some signs to use as props.
In Science, we investigated what happens to blood flow when the arteries become narrowed by the build up of cholesterol. We planned an investigation to test our predictions. We used straws of different diameter and timed to see how long it would take for a liquid to pour through the straws. we had to consider how to make our test fair and think about what the variable would be. We recorded our results and then formed a conclusion. We proved that the narrower the artery, the longer it takes for blood to flow through. There’s nothing quite like seeing Year 6 scientists at work! Great work, Year 6!
Our volleyball skills are progressing well. We have been using the ‘get ready’ position alongside the ‘set up’ and this week we learnt how to use the ‘dig’. we learnt when would be the most appropriate time to use both the set and the dig and how this can give our team the advantage in a match. We had lots of fun using the inflatable beach balls to help introduce these skills. The beach balls move more slowly than the volley balls which gave us more time to think about the position of our hands and how to move into a space. Once we had practised the skills within played a short game applying what we had learnt.
We know how to use the subjunctive form. The what? In our grammar lessons this week, we have been looking at formal language and the subjunctive form. Subjunctives are a form of verb or mood which is used to talk about things that should or could happen. We listened to find examples of the subjunctive being used. We found it in the lyrics of the Disney song ‘Reflections’ from Mulan ‘...if I were truly to be myself…’ and Beyoncé’s song ‘If I were a boy’. But we found that Justin Bieber does not know how to use the subjunctive form. He can be heard singing, ‘If I was your boyfriend…’ instead of using the subjunctive form and singing, ‘If I were your boyfriend…’ We are in the process of writing to Mr. Bieber to insist he use the subjunctive. After all, we think if Year 6 and Beyoncé can do it, so can Mr. Bieber!
We have been busy preparing letters for our Greek pen pals, telling them all about our favourite foods and our school lunches. We also had fun making Easter cards to send our Greek friends.
We are looking forward to Poetry by Heart event next week when we will perform the famous poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling to the rest of the school. We have been thinking about the best way to perform such a well-known poem to a large audience. we considered how we should stand and which actions we should include to help tell this powerful poem. It’s sounding great so watch out for the recording of our performance on Seesaw soon!
We are looking forward to sharing our learning from this term with our parents at the Parent Consultations on Wednesday 27th March.
Have a lovely weekend!