23 Oak Week Beginning 27th March
This weeks main focus has been to write a report that will persuade others to take action in order to reduce the effects of climate change. We have looked at lots of pages of our class reader to study the effects of repeating key words, using rhetorical questions and the layout of non fiction text in this genre. Our grammar focus was to improve the quality of expanded noun phrases by adding in not just adjectives but also adverbs, propositions and relative pronouns. It was a bit tricky at first but they were all writing fabulous sentences by the end of the sessions. These focuses have really enhanced the sophistication and quality of these reports - I am very impressed by what they have written and the passion they have for this topic. Check the gallery for some examples of their work.
We had a very messy, sticky but fun science lesson this week when we extracted seeds from different fruits, which we then dried and placed in conditions to help them to germinate. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will have some evidence of germination when we return from our Easter break and will then plant the seeds hope we get some actual plants!
Our special Easter assembly on Friday morning in St Barbara's church was a lovely way to start the last day of this Spring term. Oak class read their facts about the symbols of Easter very clearly and used some of their performance skills that were perfected during our recently performed production. Once we returned to school, all the children took part in a Easter egg hunt - it is a fabulous tradition at Ashton First School and the children had great fun seeking out a chocolate treat. Its events like this that remind us of how wonderful our children are and what a special school we have.
To end our term in style we teamed up with Willow class to embark on an Easter themed DT project : The Great Egg Drop Challenge
The challenge was to design and create a structure which will protect an egg from a 2m drop. They had to create a design brief and their design had to take into consideration the following criteria:
· construct a safety structure using only Lego and similar construction components.
· the egg should not be taped down as it will need to be taken in and out of the structure freely.
· the structure should keep the egg intact and protect the egg from becoming cracked or broken.
It was great fun and a test of team work, patience and skill. The children had varied success, some just cracked but most eggs were sadly unrecoverable after their drop!! The winning design protected the egg successfully and it remained completely intact. The winning team were Joey, Rory, Noah and Jack - well done boys. The children had a smashing time and thoroughly enjoyed trying to protect their egg.
We are all ready for a break after an exceedingly busy term, have a very Happy Easter and enjoy the break in routine!
On returning after the break, it will be your child's last term at Ashton First School and we intend to ensure it is one to remember and will encourage all to make the most of all the opportunities that are offered.
