We have had a great start to our term and the children are starting to settle in nicely. It has been a very challenging year, especially for the children but they have coped with it remarkably well and seem to really enjoy being back at school.

This part of the web page is dedicated to Willow Class and I (Mr Cuttell) plan to keep it updated on a weekly basis so you can see what your children have been getting up to.

This term the children are doing a project about childhood in the 1950’s, they are discovering some of the differences between what it is like for them to grow up in 2020 and the children of the 1950’s. We will be looking at toys, family life, growing up, games and even TV. This will give the children a fun way of starting to look at the past and understand the concepts time, past, present and even future.

They will also be continuing to develop their listening, writing and reading skills through Monster Phonics, with new sounds and words being learnt every week.

Week commencing 14/09/2020

This week the children have been working hard in English, we have started learning about autobiographies. The children have been trying to find out what the difference is between an autobiography and a fictional story. They were most disappointed to find out that Autobiographies tend not to include unicorns, brave knights or magical rabbits. As this week goes on they will be trying to think about what they could put into an autobiography about themselves and going into next week we will have a go writing our own short one.

They have also been creating giant number lines in math's with chalk on the playground, and using themselves as giant counters moving up and down it. Thanks to the nice weather we have also managed to get outside for some of our math's lessons, collecting sticks, leafs and many other items to count and create groups with. So if they start coming home from the park with shrubbery in their pockets sorry that’s my fault.  

The Children have also had some fun in Art over the last two weeks, we have been looking at portraits. They have become very good at drawing faces and we have now started looking at how you can swap features around to make some crazy looking portraits. Watch out Picasso Willow Class is coming for you!  

We ended our week with some exploring! Mr Cuttell had lost his numbers, so we had to first decode a riddle to find the location of our lost numbers. It was tricky, but the children worked hard and were able to find the location of Mr Cuttells lost numbers. But then the children had to work in teams to get across an ever changing river to rescue the numbers and if that wasn't hard enough they then had to try and put them all back together in the right order! It was a difficult adventure but the children pulled it off and had a little fun along the way! 

(pictures to follow... as soon as Mr Cuttell can figure out how to upload them)

Week commencing 21/09/2020

This week we have been working hard on creating our own autobiographies. The children looked back at last week’s adventure and started writing about their experiences in the adventure to find the missing numbers. They also learnt how to do a presentation, telling the class about their adventure.

In Math's this week we have been playing some games… but not just any games! The children have been learning about the terms more than (no, not car insurance) and less than. They have also been counting up in 2’s using bunnies (not real ones) and even had a go at keeping score of their games by tallying.

In RE the children faced a tricky challenge! While learning about the Islamic story of Muhammad, they all had to follow a set of instructions, this was simple enough for some and not so simple for others, as a third of the class had their instructions in French. This was to demonstrate the challenge Muhammad faced in the story and about asking for help when you don’t understand something. They all did a great job and nobody gave up.

Week commencing 28/09/2020

It’s been another great week in Willow Class! We have spent this week looking at Non-Chronological Reports in English and the children have done a fantastic job of not just learning what one is, but having a go at writing their own. To give us some inspiration we have looked at some 1950's children's toys that I have in the classroom, which includes a small ride on horse, a metal clockwork steam train and of course something no child should be without… a teddy.

In science we have continued to look at our senses, this week we focused on our eyes and we did a fun experiment to explain why we have two eyes at the front of our heads and why some animals have eyes at the side of their heads. Mr Cuttell got to play the role of cave man hunter, but the cleaver zebras, gazelles and camels saw him coming; it’s lucky they have eyes on the side of their head. Speaking of Camels just ask the children about Mr Cuttell’s drawing of a camel… you might get a few chuckles.  

Week commencing 05/10/2020

Well our week has started with an artistic flair! As promised here are some images of the children's art gallery. Its a huge shame we can't invite you in to see it, but this should give you an idea of what the children have been up to. When our art gallery comes down the children will bring home their art work to show you.

Week commencing 12/10/2020

It’s been another busy week this week in Willow class, we started a new English topic this week about Riddles. Just ask the children to give you a riddle and I think you will be pleasantly surprised how much they enjoy creating and guessing them. They are also getting very good at coming up with some creative ideas. Just make sure you specify that you have to be able to see the object, or you could be guess for some time… I was.

In RE we have continued learning about Islam and how Muslims follow the straight path. We spoke about how the straight path is about making good decisions in life and how we could keep on our own straight path even if we sometimes go wrong. The children were very insightful with this and we spoke about how different people in our lives guide us to keep us from back the wrong choice. So the children have started making a book for Maple class, each doing a page, so that they could help guide the younger children in the school. Helping them stay on their straight path. We also got to go outside and play a game about helping each other. The children were in groups and had to have a race to see which team could get to the tree and back. It sounds simple but Mr Cuttell wasn’t about to make it that easy, they had to go in twos and one had their eyes closed, the other had to guide them around the children from the other teams. Oh and I might of put a few obstacles in the way just to make sure they were paying attention, they all did a great job of helping each other round the challenges.

In math's this week we have stated learning about money, many of the children seem to have a flair for this. I have been looking forward to this week for some time as it gave me the excuse to unveil the new Willow Class Shop! The children have had a great time learning about money in it and it will play a key role with some of the other learning I have planned in the future. Feel free to take a look at it outside Willow classroom if the get the chance and below are some photos for you to take a look at.

End of first term!

Well its been a fun and exciting first term. The children have enjoyed learning about the 1950's, we've had some adventures and kept on out straight path... the children will understand that last one. I want to thank all the children and the parents for all their support and hard work this term. Lest all enjoy the half term holiday and look forward to next term with out new project... Beat Band Boogie! 

Week commencing 02/11/2020 First week back!

Week commencing 9/11/2020

It’s been another exciting week here in Willow class. We have been learning about labels in English and what we do with them. The children were very good at guessing the correct animals just from their labels. In math's we have carried on looking at addition and subtraction; we even made it outside this week (between the rain) to collect leaves, sticks and other outdoor items in order to create our own number sentences. Using these items and lots of chalk we managed to make plenty of mess all over the playground… if anyone asks it wasn’t Willow class.

We have also been learning about sound this week, how it travels, how our ears catch it and the children did a great job of making some ear horns. This is all part of our Beet Bang Boogie project and with a little practice marching is bringing us one step closer to our marching band goal.     

Week Commencing 16/11/20

So this week the children have been working very hard. They have been learning about captions and had a go at creating some of their own. They also creating some very elaborate images to go with their captions. 

In science this week they have been learning about how plants grow and what they need to grow. To help them with this the children have planted their very own seeds. We made sure they have some nice soil, water and sun light; an I'm sure it wont be long until our little seedlings are sprouting up some green stems. Watch this space for pictures!

We also learnt this week about the five pillars of Islam and how Muslims use them to make sure they are keeping on their straight path. We use some blocks to make our own pillars and the children discovered that the more pillars you have the easier it is to distribute weight and hold something up... that lesson got a little deep for a Wednesday afternoon.

Week Commencing 23/11/20

We have had a lot of fun this week! The children have been learning about the Grand Old Duke of York and the issues he had commanding his 10 thousand men. We started with the nursery rhyme and have moved onto the true story; this is also leading us down the path of looking at newspaper reports. The children will be trying to report the event next week in English… oh and yes Mr Cuttell found another excuse to come dressed up, this time as a 18^th Century soldier. I will try and get some pictures up on the website, as soon as I can track down all those staff who were taking pictures.

In Science the children have been looking at the weather, when we get it and how it affects things that grow. They have also been looking after their Mustered seed plants and they are coming along nicely. We are also one step closer to creating our marching band, the drums are finished, the hats are almost finished and the music is chosen (Fife and Drum). We just need to put it all together and be able to march round the school field in perfect synchronisation, how hard could it be….

Week commencing 30/11/20

It’s been another busy week here in Willow class. The children have been learning about Newspapers and what you might put in one. They have also started looking at our new story The Steadfast Tin Soldier, it’s a sad story about a one legged Tin Soldier. We are going to be comparing it to another story next week that has a much happier ending, the children will then have ago at writing their own endings.

We have also been exploring music this week, listening to different types of music and trying to follow the pulse and beat. The children have had a great time trying to follow some of the music games we have been playing. Even Mr Cuttell found his grove… well, sort of.

In Science the children measured their mustard seed plants and we were all very impressed with how well they are growing, next week they will be able to take them home and see how long they can keep them growing. They have learnt all the skills they need to take care of them now.

Week Commencing 19/04/21

We are back! It’s great to be back after Easter and we have had a great first week. The children have started learning about Fantasy stories and our book is “The Princess and the Wizard”. The children are enjoying reading it and are already coming up with their own ideas for their own story.

Science is going to be a fun one this term, we are learning all about predators! The children have started learning about food chains, the differences between Predators and Prey, oh and they had a good laugh at Mr Cuttell's attempt to draw some of them… luckily their attempts where better than mine.

The children also seem to really like the new classroom layout and have worked really hard completing all their challenges and activates. We have even got a Willow Class Chip Shop at the moment (sorry not a real one for anyone feeling peckish at pickup time) and the children have been taking orders and handing out money.

Week commencing 07/06/21

It’s been a great first week back and the children have really enjoyed starting their new topic. We have started looking at the layers of the earth, rocks and volcanos. We even had a go at writing our own poems about volcanos and the children exceled themselves at this one. We ended the week with a lovely poetry reading lesson where the children got a chance to read their poems out to their friends. We have also been looking inside the earth at the different layers that make it up. Take a look at some of the facts the children have been learning in the picture below.

Week commencing 14/06/2021

I can’t believe we are already two weeks into our last term of the academic year. The children have been having a lot of fun this week, we had an art day and the children have been learning about Pointillism. A style of painting developed in the 19^th century Georges Seurat. The children did a fantastic job and I will try and get some of their art work up on the website.

The children have also been continuing to learn about the Earth and what it’s made up of. We did a fun experiment this week looking at the different types of rocks and if they can or cannot absorb water.

Oh and if that wasn’t enough we have also started reading a new book in English. It’s called Gregory Cool and is about a young boy who has gone to stay with his grandparents in Tobago. The children are really enjoying it and it’s been fun learning about how people live in other parts of the world.

Week Commencing 12/07/21

Well we are almost at the end of this crazy year! The children have worked so hard and I’ve been very impressed with their resilience. The work has not stopped in Willow class and the children have been very busy right up until the last week. We have been writing newspapers, telling the time, drawing and making Ammonites and even exploring how earthquakes and tsunamis work. Wow what a week!

We have also been exploring different rocks and soils, take a look at our science display below… the suspicious containers are of different soils as we tried to separate them into their layers. The experiment was a success and showed us how heavier substances separate in water. They even came in handy in our PSHE lesson this week about what is safe to eat and drink… Mr Cuttell had a narrow escape thinking it was coffee! Thankfully the children were switched on and warned him at the last minute.