WELCOME TO ROWAN CLASS
2024 TO 2025
I am very pleased to welcome the Rowan class pupils back to school and I am very much looking forward to teaching them again this academic year. There is a lot to look forward to, with many interesting areas of learning planned.
The adults working in Rowan class this year are myself, Mrs Fielder and our wonderful teaching assistant Miss Gillbard. On Tuesdays my leadership time will be covered by Mrs Forward and on Wednesdays the class will have an hour of PE with Mr Gardener and an hour of science with Mrs Fourie.
It was lovely seeing all the children's smiling faces and confidence when entering Rowan class after the half term break. I enjoyed hearing about their trick or treating, their trips away and their visits to families or friends.
Our topic area of learning this half term has a Historical focus - we will be studying The Victorians. In Science the unit of work for year three is Forces and Magnets and for year four it is Electricity.
Please refer to the Knowledge Organisers below for more detail on both these subjects as well as the Curriculum Map which outlines the units of work for the remaining subjects.
Week Ending December 6th
Yesterday we visited The Weald and Downland Museum in Singleton to experience what it was like to be a child in Victorian times. The children used the dolly to wash the clothes, then turned the wheel of the mangle to squeeze out the excess water. They then had a go at using the heavy iron, sweeping the floor and beating a rug to remove the dust. We then visited the Victorian house where we learned how cramped the conditions were; two bedrooms for a family with eight children; an outside toilet or a chamber pot if you didn't fancy using the candle light to show you the way outside; one open fire upstairs to heat both rooms; the bathroom, not a room but a jug and bowl in the bedroom with water obtained from the pump outside. Two rooms downstairs, one the kitchen the other for food storage and washing up. Parents sat on chairs, the children on the floor. The cast iron range boiled water and cooked food with the parents and children who worked having the better food, the younger children the scraps. After our visit the children decided that living in the 21st century is definitely preferable to living in the Victorian era.
I just want to say a HUGE well done to Rowan class as they were fantastic, enthusiastic, and engaged all day. Well Done Everyone.
Week Ending November 22nd
News Flash!
On Thursday 21st November we had ...............SNOW. As the children walked into the classroom there was an air of excitement about them as the first few snow flakes fell. All they could talk about was snow and instead of colouring or reading they stood by the windows wishing. It was all I could do to get them quiet for the register and the order of the day. Eventually there was quiet and the snow stopped. Miss Gillbard and I couldn't decide, do we let the children have a play now or wait? We decided on the latter and thank goodness we did. How did we manage to learn the possessive apostrophe as the snow flakes grew larger and the landscape whiter? At 9:20, we could be mean no longer! Dressed in coats, hats, scarves and gloves the children ran into the playground leaving footprints where they went. It was so lovely watching them enjoying the snow, trying to build snowmen and throwing snow balls at whoever they could. Eventually, a little on the cold and wet side, we called the children in. Now we had the problem of how to warm their fingers and toes. Miss Gillbard and I decided that they could snuggle together under old duvet covers and blankets to help them warm up. Below are some super photographs of Rowan class having fun and warming up whilst watching a little something snowy!
Week Ending November 8th
Miss Gillbard and I want to say a huge WELL DONE and THANK YOU to all of Rowan Class for such a great start to the second half of the Autumn term. They have listened well, tried hard and are really beginning to show independence and resilience in their day to day learning. It is for these reasons that this week's STAR OF THE WEEK was given to the class.
We started our new core text in English, called Leaf written by Sandra Dieckmann. It is not often that the planning allows the whole text to be read in one session, but this week I had the great pleasure of reading the story to the class. You could have heard a pin drop, with every child hanging off my every word. The illustrations are beautiful too and have already been used to write prepositional phrases and poetry.
In maths year 4 have been learning how to calculate the area of simple 2-D shapes while year 3 have been continuing with addition and subtraction.
In Friday's PE lessons we will be participating in activities that focus around fitness. Rowan class had great fun today trying to balance with bean bags and hoops as well as working in teams of three to develop coordination.
Week Ending September 20th
What a super week we have had this week. Both Miss Gillbard and I noticed how the children have got back into the 'learning rhythm.'
On Tuesday afternoon, the children who wanted to be a school councillor read their speeches to the class. I was so impressed and touched by their commitment. Several children had remembered to write them at home or had spent some of their break time preparing them. Although only one pupil from each year group was voted in ( I was glad that I did not have that responsibility) I just wanted to say how proud I was of them all. Clearly some of the children were disappointed but at the same time were able to be happy for those who were successful. It was a special moment. Well Done.
Yesterday in maths we explored number sequences using a counting stick. The buzz from the children as they tried to work out what number the sequence would end with if we started at 2 and counted in fives, or what number the sequence would start with if it ended in 101 and we counted in twos or fives. Today each child had their own counting stick and had to set problems for their partners to solve. The children used many reasoning and proving strategies which was a delight to see and hear.
The children had their second French lesson on Monday, where we were learning to say car, bus, taxi, scooter and bicycle. They are so keen and confident at participating making it a fun lesson for all.
Well Done Rowan Class for this week. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as both myself and Miss Gillbard have.
PHOTOGRAPHS
RE - can you make the dog? What would make it easier? Was anything tricky? If yes, why?
1/17
RE
2/17
A finished dog
5/17
RE
6/17
RE
7/17
RE
8/17
RE
9/17
We did some drama to show tension
10/17
KNOWLEDGE ORGANISERS
CURRICULUM MAPS
LEARNING CONVERSATIONS