Another fantastic week has flown by in the Owls classroom! The children have continued to show enthusiasm, curiosity and determination in all areas of their learning. It has been wonderful to see them developing new skills, sharing ideas and becoming increasingly confident learners. We are incredibly proud of everything they have achieved this week.

In Art, the children have continued their exciting topic, Painting and Mixed Media, by exploring the work of Romare Bearden. They discovered how Bearden used collage to create beautiful works of art and discussed the different colours, textures and patterns within his paintings. Using a seaside photograph as their inspiration, the children experimented with paint to recreate a variety of textures and patterns, thinking carefully about the marks and colours they could use to represent what they could see. Owls, can you tell a grown-up who Romare Bearden was? What different textures and patterns did you create in your artwork?

In Computing, the children have continued developing their understanding of animation by learning about stop-motion animation. They explored how these are created by taking lots of individual photographs and discussed what makes a good photograph for an animation, including keeping the camera still and only moving objects a small amount each time. Owls, can you explain what stop-motion animation is? Why is it important to move the objects only a little between each photograph?

In PSHE, we continued our learning about Growing Up. The children explored the different changes that happen as we grow older and discussed how these changes can make us feel. We recognised that some changes can be exciting whilst others can feel a little worrying, and we talked about how everyone experiences change differently. Owls, can you tell a grown-up about one change that happens as we get older? Why might people have different feelings about change?

In Maths, we have been revisiting a range of key mathematical skills in preparation for Year 3. The children have recapped their understanding of fractions, telling the time as well as multiplication, paying particular attention to their 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 10 times tables. They also enjoyed making their own clocks to practise telling the time. Owls, can you show a grown-up how to tell the time on a clock? Can you remember any of the times tables that we went over this week?

In English, we have now completed our work on Room on the Broom. The children planned and wrote their own alternative versions of the story, replacing characters, objects and events with their own imaginative ideas. We were so impressed by the creativity shown in their writing and by how confidently they included similes, possessive apostrophes and inverted commas to make their stories entertaining for the reader. Owls, can you explain what a simile is? Can you find a possessive apostrophe in one of your own stories or in a book at home?

In Phonics, we have been revising the rules for possessive apostrophes and contractions. The children explored when to add 's, ' or s', depending on whether a noun is singular or plural, and remembered the special exception that “its” does not need an apostrophe when showing possession. We also practised making contractions using words such as are, is, will, not and have, learning that the apostrophe replaces the missing letter or letters. Owls, can you explain the difference between a possessive apostrophe and a contraction? Can you think of a contraction using the word will?

In Science, we began our exciting new topic on Materials. The children named and sorted a variety of everyday materials before thinking about their different properties and why some materials are more suitable than others for particular jobs. They discussed which materials would be best for building a house and explained the reasons behind their choices. Owls, can you name some different materials? Which material do you think would be best for building a house, and why?

As we approach the end of another busy week, we would like to congratulate all of the Owls for their fantastic effort, resilience and positive attitudes. Whether they have been creating artwork inspired by famous artists, becoming animation experts, writing imaginative stories or investigating different materials, every child has worked incredibly hard and should be very proud of themselves.

Keep soaring to new heights, Owls—your curiosity, creativity and determination help you achieve amazing things every single week. We are so proud of you all and cannot wait to see what exciting learning awaits us in our penultimate week of the academic year!

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy spending time together.

Mrs A and Mrs T-D 😊