Leaders Leading Learning

Wow Leaders, what a start!  During PE this week Leaders have been using their skills to set up a range of activities for Learners to take part in.  The children devised and set up all the activities to practice basic skills before leading small groups of Learners through it, supporting and encouraging them along the way.  

Mrs Walker and Mrs Brown witnessed some fantastic teamwork and leadership skills in Leaders and some fantastic feedback from Learners about their favourite activities.  Well done everyone!

Stay and Play

Every Monday after school ,families are invited to stay and play and get to know what goes on in Pioneer Class. Each week different activities will be set out. This week we tried a bit of painting and played around with Numicon. The Russian Dolls are a big hit. It was very lovely to have time to chat and play together.

Happy Learning

Our Green and Pleasant Land

To l.aunch our new topic, we started with art. What a fantastic day. All the children have used pastels and danced on paper to “I like to move it,move it” Mark making was a full body work out. We went to the forest and collected a selection of green things. On our return to the classroom we printed with plungers and mashers,whisks and cogs. It was clear that everyone was focussed and had a plan. Please pop in to see more photographs of the process.

Who’s That Trip Trapping Over My Bridge?

As well as wolves,Trolls have held the attention of the Pioneers. We have been dressing up,making bridges and investigating food chains. Goats eat grass. Trolls eat goats. They also mixed paint and painted themselves as Trolls. We told the story,acted it out then wrote our own versions. We wrote descriptions of Trolls too.

The role play was exquisite with some turning into trolls when they put on the suit and the hat. 

A Request from the Wolf

Each child received a letter from the wolf. It was a request for help. After reading The Last Wolf by Mini Grey we found out that habitats and food chains are precious and need to be looked after. Every species is vital and we can play a part in looking after our planet. 

The wolf asked us to feed the birds,pick up litter and to plant more trees. He left us a parcel of conkers along with the letters.

One child suggested that we reply to the wolf and when these letters were written my heart was so big I thought that it might burst. The letters were so wonderful and I hope that the Pioneers will look after their trees and plant some seeds this summer.

The wolf has inspired us to make footprints in sand,to build dens in the forest and in the classroom,to learn about food chains and animal classification. We now know that wolves do not have feathers.

His final message is,”Please look after our planet.”

Very Happy Learning

Tracking the Wolf

When tracking wild animals it is important to have as much information about them as possible. We have now found out quite a lot about wolves and their needs and habits. The Pioneers have been very interested in poo. Today we did some research into different types of poo,what animals eat and how we can classify animals. They are now able to use the words carnivore,herbivore and species. We discussed different poo and why different animals left behind different droppings. Mr Grason joined us to help with this work and he really enjoyed it. This work was fascinating.

Perhaps we will go looking for wolf poo in the forest. Please feel free to pop in and have a look at our samples in the morning…

Very happy learning.

 

We’re Going On A Wolf Hunt

After reading Little Red Riding Hood,it became clear that everyone was interested in the wolf-his teeth,his claws and his tongue with dripping spit. we have watched videos and looked closely at his teeth. A skull caught the interest of many. Last week the children went to the forest to look for any clues or signs that there may be wolves in our grounds. Shadows were seen. There may have been footprints. Some even said to have seen the wolf pass the window. We have painted,drawn and written about wolves. We have found out about tracking animals by following signs left behind-poo,fur caught on branches and footprints, There may be an odd carcass too.

We went out to look a second time and found a letter left for us. The letter asked us to make some snacks,build a den and write a book and make some warning signs. All of these jobs are in hand, 

Visit the classroom for more detail. Take a closer look at our clues and be amazed by the most wonderful work.

Exciting Learning

A Building Fascination-Humpty Dumpty’s Wall

Over the weeks the Pioneers have had a passion for building large,extravagant structures. These have grown in size and detail. Along with Archie’s egg,they were the inspiration for our writing and investigations based on Humpty’s fall. I took advantage of their interest and suggested that they may like to try drawing some plans,using the ipad to take photographs and then make some measurements in centimetres. This was tip-top learning and I have been delighted with the process and the outcomes.

Go Pioneers!

Eggs-Inside and Out

At the end of last term Archie brought in a large goose egg. This caused a great deal of interest. Mrs McGill then brought in a selection of her eggs to compare the sizes and the colours. To start this term we have read Humpty Dumpty and taken a closer look at more eggs,who lays eggs and what an egg contains. The work has been fascinating. The children have handled the eggs with great care and only one dropped on the floor. The children made their own Humpty Dumpties from a selection of materials. An inusual egg made its way into our collection and they could tell that it was a bit different to the others. Everyone had their own ideas of what was inside ranging form dinosaurs and dirt bikes to puppies and possibly a unicorn. That egg has not yet hatched but it will very soon. Their writing and comments should be on the wall next week so do pop in to take a look. It’s cracking stuff.