What's going on in class?
Edinburgh Primary ~ a community school with a passion for the arts!
2 Davidia
31st March 2023
2D had a very busy week last, week 5 of the term, as they were practising for their SATS which will be in week 5 of the following summer term. It is super important that the children are reading every day and practising their arithmetic skills. The children have worked so hard this year and we want them to do their very best!
For British Science Week, we had a chance to work collaboratively and made posters called ‘FARM’ that were focussed around food chains and food webs. We discussed what would happen if the farmer knocked down the barn which is where the bats and owls roost. How do you think it would impact the food chains or food webs?
In Science, we started our investigation and our question is: Do insects have a favourite colour? We have planned our investigation, where we have discussed our independent, dependent and controlled variables, and we will be conducting our investigation on Friday 31st March and writing up our results and conclusions! Living Things and Their Habitats has been a favourite for many of our 2D children.
In Maths, we have been learning about unit and non-unit fractions and we have also been practising the column method (which will be really useful for our SATs!). Again, 2D are always so engaged and enthusiastic in their Maths lessons and they work so well with each other on the tables.
In English we have been reading and writing about Mrs Tiggy Winkle. The children have engrossed themselves in the world of Beatrix Potter and love the characters which include Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny.
Finally, in DT, the children have made pouches! Impressively, they learnt how to do a running stitch independently. I was so pleased to see how careful and gentle they were with their tools. Well done 2D!
6 Tamarind
24th March 2023
On Monday, Year 6 went to the Imperial War Museum as part of our WWI and WWII History topic, Britain at War. We had a brilliant time discovering more about the world wars and life on the home front. We were amazed to explore the real-life fighter planes, tanks and trucks that were actually used to fight during that period. We even got to spend time in an Anderson and Morrison Shelter to get a sense of how hard it must have been for families during the Blitz.
Our workshop session was based around a WWI Documentary Challenge. We worked in teams of three and four to create, direct and edit a real documentary about WWI. It was so fun to use smartphones to navigate the gallery and tell the stories that interested us the most. It was challenging to fit everything in, but we were really pleased with our final results. It wasn’t easy avoiding members of the public and other school children, who kept walking into our takes, but we persevered. 6T might just go on to produce the next great documentary maker of the future.
3 Hornbeam
3rd March 2023
This half term we are learning about the Romans. Our class novel is ‘Roman Diary – The Journal of Iliona’ by Richard Platt and is about girl who is captured by pirates and sold as a slave to a Roman family. Through her journal, we learn how life was like during the Roman times. We have written descriptions of Roman Baths and are looking forward to writing our own diary entries as a Roman child.
In History, we have been finding out who the Romans were and where they fit in with other periods in history. We have been using AD and BC to place key events in chronological order. Now, we want to find out why the Romans invaded Britain.
In Science, our topic is ‘Light and Shadows’. So far, we have investigated how light travels, by placing some items in a box and shining a torch through holes. We discovered that light travels in straight lines as we could only see the objects right below the torch beam. By making a reflection tester, using a torch and white card, we were able to test a range of materials to see if they were good reflectors and therefore suitable as a reflective strip on a school bag. Mirrors and shadows still to come!
2 Elm
10th February 2023
Our topic this half term has been the scented garden and we have been engrossed by all things to do with plants. We have grown our own bean plants and have been carefully observing how they have changed from a seed into a plant. We have also conducted an experiment to determine what plants need to survive. We did this by growing cress in 4 different ways. What do our results tell you about what plants need to survive?
Art has had a plant focus too. We learnt about primary and secondary colours by making our own colour wheel which of course needed to have a flowery theme. We are also in the process of making an abstract 3D meadow filled with flowers.
We have also put the final touches on our class bird following the ‘Big schools’ Birdwatch’. Can you guess which bird we were allocated? We see them everywhere!
1 Banyan
3rd February 2023
Last week, Year 1 children thoroughly enjoyed counting the number of birds that they saw in the playground for ‘Big Schools’ Birdwatch’ week. The children helped to collect birdwatching data to help the RSPB wildlife charity to determine if the bird population is healthy and help build a picture of how our UK birds are coping with the challenges of the nature and climate emergency. They used a bird identification chart and tally sheet to help record their results.
We also did research on our class bird, ‘the Great Tit’ and created some lovely art work including a whole class collage for our classroom door in addition to many wonderful water colour paintings.
6 Waratah
27th January 2023
In 6W, our topic this term is Frozen Kingdom. Through this topic, we are exploring the polar regions of the world. We have learnt lots and lots of fascinating things for example, did you know that in the summer months, the sun never sets in Antarctica and the Arctic? Amazing! In line with our topic, we are reading a book by Hannah Gold titled, The Last Bear. The book is about an 11-year-old girl who made friends with a polar bear somewhere in the Arctic Circle. We have found the storyline very engaging and we have written our own adventure stories based on the plot of the book.
Alongside this, in science, we have been learning about classification. We applied this knowledge by creating a Linneaus sorting diagram to differentiate between living organisms we share the planet with as well as developing our understanding of how creatures are binomially named. Also, we were super excited to apply our knowledge of classification for our Big Birdwatch project. Our class bird is a goldfinch and we found out that its scientific name is Carduelis carduelis!
R Pear
20th January 2023
Our Topic this term is ‘Into the Forest’. We are looking at traditional tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Little Pigs. This week, our book of the week is The Gingerbread Man. We have had a busy week completing lots of activities related to our book. In our creative area, we have painted our own Gingerbread man! In the malleable area we made our own Gingerbread man out of playdough. In our fine motor area, we designed and cut our own Gingerbread man. In the writing area we told the story using our phonics to help sound out and spell out words. We also decorated our own Gingerbread man with icing and decorations. The best part was when we got to take it home and eat it!
4 Maple
9th December 2022
Year four kicked this half term off with an educational visit to Lea Valley to explore rivers as part of our Rivers and Mountains Topic. The children engaged in an interactive group tour around the River Lea with a Lea Valley education expert to identify the features of a river.
Following this, the children had the opportunity to utilise Lea Valley’s bird watching centre. The children used binoculars to carefully spot different varieties of birds who visit the River Lea and its associated lakes and ponds. The children reported sighting ducks, herons, gulls, drakes and even the very rare Bittern bird!
On returning from Lea Valley, the children used their art skills to sketch and label parts of the River Lea.
2 Davidia
2nd December 2022
2D has been very busy - as usual! In Geography, we have been learning about human and physical features and were reminiscing about our visit to one of London’s most famous landmarks: Tower Bridge! We now know that it is a human feature.
In Science, we have been continuing our learning about materials and their properties and this week we tested the strength of different kinds of paper. In DT, we have been making castles with drawbridges where we have had an opportunity to link our Science, Geography and DT knowledge, skills and understanding together. Finally, we have also been creative and made some Christmas crackers ready for our whole school Christmas display.
3 Hornbeam
25th November 2022
This term, Year 3 have been exploring life in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. We learned how Ancient Britons fashioned tools out of wood and flint, and lived in small nomadic groups called clans. Over a long period of time, the discovery of bronze, and later iron, together with the advent of farming led to the building of hill forts and more permanent settlements.
In English, we explored the story of ‘Stone Age Boy’ by Satoshi Kitamura. This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of a young boy who travels back in time to meet Om, a stone age girl. We used the story to explore fronted adverbials and direct speech. We then applied these skills to a fantasy story of our own. |
Quiz: How many fronted adverbials can you find on this page?
Much of our History topic has focused on where and how people lived over two and a half thousand years ago. Recently, we have explored aerial images of the countryside looking for clues of Iron Age settlement, such as high relatively flat hilltop surrounded by earth walls and ditches. own. |
While our English and history relate to millennia past, our Design and Technology project was very much present day. We have been exploring pneumatics, a branch of engineering that uses pressurised air to cause a movement or lift a heavy object. We used balloons, pumps and syringes to make monster models from recycled boxes.
1 Alder
18th November 2022
This half-term, Year 1 Alder children have been enjoying our topic ‘Paws, Claws and Whiskers’. In this topic, children have been learning about big cats, small rats, tiny fleas and buzzing bees!
Children learned that animals come in all shapes and sizes! They were able to discuss similarities and differences between animals, look at different habitats around the world and investigate camouflage. Children were able to use aerial photographs and plan perspectives to recognise landmarks and basic human and physical features around the environment. They were able to locate the world's seven continents on a world map and identify some countries and continents that are home to different species of big cat. In order to support our learning, we have even invited Suntrap to visit us this term to bring in a variety of animals which the children can observe and interact with at the visit.
Reception Pear
11th November 2022
Our Topic this half term in Reception is ‘Festivals’. We have been looking at the festival of Diwali. Diwali is an important festival celebrated by many around the world. It is often celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. It is sometimes called the ‘festival of lights’. We have been doing lots of fun activities learning about Diwali. We have been making Rangoli patterns, firework pictures and Diya lamps out of clay. We moulded the clay into a shape of a Diya and used tools to carve patterns in them. When dry, we painted them and decorated them with glitter.
6 Tamarind
4th November 2022
This is week in 6T, we delved into the past to explore the Victorian era. We started our lesson trying to put important dates from British history in chronological order. We had to rely on our knowledge of History from KS1 and KS2, which was tricky, but we managed to correctly order everything. Then we used pieces of artwork as primary sources to make inferences about the lives of different Victorian families. We were shocked to learn that many children did not go to school in this time and had to work to help support their families. We are really excited to continue to discover more about this important part of our history.
5 Pine
21st October 2022
Year 5 has had a positive start to the year. Our topic this term is the Tudors which links to our fantastic class text, ‘Treason’ by Berlie Doherty. In English we have written our own pieces of historical fiction and have formed balanced arguments to explore Henry VIII’s break from Rome.
In Art, we began the year by exploring tints and tones but have moved on to explore Tudor painters such as Hans Holbein and creating out own miniature portraits using water colours.
In Science, our focus has been on Resistant Materials and the students have planned and participated in several experiments involving thermal insulators, absorbency and testing the strength of a variety of materials. 5 Pine also produced some fantastic environmental themed poems for World Poetry Day, many of which are now on display around the school.
3 Hornbeam
14th October 2022
Year 3 has had a great start to the year. This half term, our topic is Traders and Raiders. In English, we are reading ‘How to Train your Dragon’ and the children are busy writing their information texts for varied topics. In Science, the children have enjoyed various experiments that involve electrical circuits and learning about the different components that make up a circuit!
In Design and Technology, the children experimented with commonly found materials to create their own functioning torches! The children carefully assembled torches with circuits using recycled plastic water bottles and foil. Next, they will be focusing on evaluating their torch designs.
In History, the children are enjoying learning about the Anglo-Saxons. Year 4 have completed research on various aspects of Viking life including Viking families and jobs. The children have organised their research into leaflets and information texts!
Year 3 Gingko
7th October 2022
3G has had an excellent start to the new year and are learning lots of exciting things. Our topic is Tribal Tales - Prehistoric times. In English we are reading Stig of the Dump, whilst in History we are finding out about Stone Age life, which helps us understand Stig more. In art we have designed our own Beaker Pots, which are an ancient style of pottery - about 4500 years old! We will then model our very own clay pots.
In history we have created timelines and had a go at being archaeologists! We used clues to work out what the different flints were.
In science we have been doing lots of experiments that investigate what plants need to grow well. We have used cress seeds and given some seeds nothing, others a little water, light and soil and the third group has a lot of water, soil and light.
Year 2 Elm
30th September 2022
This half term our topic is land ahoy. We have sailed the seas looking for explorers and pirates. This week we found out about some famous female pirates. We learned that most pirates were very superstitious and believed that females were unlucky to have on board. This didn’t stop Anne Bonny or Mary Read, they were just as fierce as the men. Mary Read even dressed up as a man so she could sail the seas.
In English, we have read ‘the Troll’ by Julia Donaldson and have been busy planning and writing our stories all about our very own under the bridge characters.
In science, we have been learning all about different materials so we can choose the best ones to make our own boats with later in the term. This week we were testing which shape boat is best for holding as much pirate treasure as possible.
Year 1 Banyan
23rd September 2022
This half-term, Year 1 children have been enjoying our topic ‘childhood’. In this topic, children have been learning about everyday life and families today, including comparisons with childhood in the 1950s, using artefacts and a range of different sources. The children were able to look at various items from the past and compare these to toys that they have now. Children were able to discuss in much detail similarities and differences in the toys and identify what materials the various items were made from. They really enjoyed playing with many of the toys which included marbles; dolls; finger puppets; yoyos; cup and ball and spinning top.
Reception Pear
16th September 2022
It has been a busy and exciting week in Reception. We have settled in well and are learning our class routines. We have been exploring different areas of learning indoors and outdoors. In the construction area, we have been building ‘big fire trucks. In the maths area, we have been counting objects to 5 and matching the numeral. We have made lots of new friends. We have enjoyed exploring the climbing frame. Our book of the week is ‘Harry and the Dinosaurs go to school’. The book is all about Harry’s first day at school.
5 Pine
10th June 2022
This week has been art week and we’ve been looking at 3D Mark Making. On Monday, the children had an insight to Liz Pichon’s Mark Making (Tom Gates Illustrator) they followed her instructions to create their own versions of the character Tom Gates. They also had to opportunity to listen to a range of music and used that as inspiration to draw what came to mind.
They challenged themselves on Wednesday, focusing on the artist Favour Jonathan and her inspired sculptures; to build a sculpture from inspiration taken from a memorable moment in their lives. We finished the week by incorporating all the skills they used throughout this week’s lessons and collaborated with their peers in creating a mega masterpiece from resources brought from home. Have a look at what our artistic young minds have created!
Reception Pear
20th May 2022
This half term our topic is People who help us. We were lucky enough to meet a real fire fighter and try on some of his uniform!
We created pictures of fire fighters and police officers and of a range of emergency vehicles like fire engines and police cars. We used a range of materials such as paint and oil pastel.
In the Home Corner we have created the Children’s Ward of a hospital. Patients are seen by doctors and triaged! They are able to have their eyes tested, x-rays are taken and treatment are given. We are also learning about the NHS and the different uniforms that people wear.
In Literacy we have been reading the story ‘The Train Ride’. We talked a lot about our own train journeys and then looked closely at steam trains. We used our imaginations to anticipate the next part of the story and talked about what we might see looking out of the window of a train. We then wrote sentences describing what we could see out of the window. We used our phonics to write, practising our new sounds.
1 Alder
13th May 2022
This week In Geography we have been using simple compass directions, locational and directional language, to describe the location of features and routes on a map. We directed beetbots using directional language such as forwards and backwards, left and right. We used grid lines and space terrain map. We programmed the beetbot to move around the map.
3 Hornbeam
6th May 2022
Back once again for an online update about the adventures of 3H! This term has been an interesting one, with students learning about the trials and tribulations of the Greek Gods. Our studies of the Greek Gods haven’t just been dissected within our History and Art lessons but also our English studies. Children have even been given the opportunity to create their own Greek God, leading to very entertaining and powerful character descriptions!
Mathematics has been an interesting time…. Since we have been learning about, you guessed it, time! Students have been confronted by the dreaded 24 hr clock and have even faced the challenge of reading by the minute off an analogue clock. For those of you wishing to join us in our study of this brand new topic, feel free to do some practice of reading an analogue clocks at home.
All in all, it has been a fantastically interesting start to our final term of the academic year, with students already proving that they are ready to face the challenges ahead of them!
4 Katsura
29th April 2022
This half term our topic is 1066 and the Norman Conquest. We are reading the historical story book, “1066, I was there,” by Jim Eldridge which the children are thoroughly enjoying. We are studying life in Anglo Saxon England and then the Norman conquest. This is throwing up lots of thought-provoking questions from the pupils. We have already written an election campaign for a potential king of England which the children found a challenge but attacked with gusto!
In Art and Design we are looking at our looking at the ancient skill of weaving. So far, we have explored examples of woven cloth and looked at the technical terms relating to weaving. Next week, we are very excited to actually start weaving on our own mini looms. We aim to create a shape on our looms and so use two colours!
2 Elm
25th March 2022
This half term our topic has been movers and shakers. We have been reading many Beatrix Potter tales which has inspired us in many ways. We have written our own stories, letters and we have just finished writing instructions. Mr McGregor’s garden is a terrible place to be if you are a bunny so we needed to write a set of clear instructions informing other bunnies about how to escape!
In our history lessons, we have been exploring many different historical figures such as Vincent Van Gogh, Christopher Columbus, Neil Armstrong and many more! We have researched their lives and how they have made significant changes or discoveries. Can you think of any people that have been significant in history?
In DT, we have been busy learning to sew so that we can make our very own explorer pouches. We chose a significant explorer and designed a pouch specifically with them in mind. We carefully cut out our fabric and have just finished sewing our pieces together. Next, we need to add our design to the front. What designs would you choose?
5 Redwood
18th March 2022
This half term in year 5, This half term we have started our swimming lessons! We are all super excited! This is an amazing opportunity for the children to gain confidence in a sport that they can continue on outside of school.
We have been looking at the book ‘Hugo Cabret’ by Brian Selznick. The theme of the book is a mechanical man and we have explored the idea of this in our D.T lessons. The children have spent the past few weeks researching, designing and creating their own robotic hands. Take a look at the outcomes:
Reception Apple
11th March 2022
This half term our topic is Growth. We spoke about the different things needed to enable a plant to grow. We talked about the different parts of the flower including the petals and stem. The children then had a go at creating their own flower through cutting and sticking.
This half term, we have also been looking at the work of Andy Goldsworthy. We looked at a range of beans and pulses and created our own still life flowers using these materials. Like Andy Goldsworthy, we wanted our art to be temporary so once we had taken a photo, we then removed all the beans.
In maths this week, we have been looking at mass and weight. We used scales to investigate what happens when we put different objects on either side. We have been using the language ‘heavier’, ‘lighter’ and ‘balanced’ to explain our observations.
1 Banyan
3rd March 2022
This week, Year 1 took part in many fun activities to celebrate World Book Day.
Children thoroughly enjoyed the ‘DEAR moments’ (Drop Everything And Read) which happened throughout the week. Once they heard the librarians blow their whistles, they dropped everything and read a book for 5 minutes.
1B were very excited at ‘Guess the masked reader’ challenge, in which the children had to guess which masked staff member was reading an extract from a book. The children had opportunities to write down their guesses and win prizes.
On World Book Day we had lots of fun dressing up as characters from books. Children created a character passport for the character they dressed as. It was fantastic to see how enthusiastic children were to read and retell their favourite stories. We finished the day with a looking for Wally and his friends in the playground.
6 Tamarind
25th February 2022
This half-term, Year 6 are studying World War II. We are reading the modern classic; Goodnight Mister Tom, which tells the story of a young boy named William Beech, who is evacuated out of London due to the outbreak of WWII. He finds himself in the small village of Little Weirwold, surrounded by new and fantastic sights. William is put under the care of a seemingly grumpy man named Mr Thomas Oakley, but all is not what it seems.
We will be studying the causes of WWII and making links to the impact that World War I had on Europe throughout the 1920s and 30s. It has been amazing to see the enthusiasm and incredible knowledge that Year 6 already possess and it will be fantastic to see this broaden and deepen over the next six weeks.
It has been fantastic to see Year 6 making links to the past and considering how events have impacted the present day. As they say; “those who do not learn History are destined to make the same mistakes.
3 Gingko
11th February 2022
Class Corner 3 Gingko 3G have been very enthusiastic about their new topic - ‘Rock, Relics and Rumbles’! We started off the unit with a rock hunt around the school, which the children thoroughly enjoyed.
In Science, we have been learning about the three types of rocks: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic and how each one is formed. The children then described the properties of a range of rocks including granite, slate and pumice and explained how they are used in everyday life.
In Art, the children have been learning about artistic techniques used in sketching and printmaking. Here are some images of our ammonite fossils on polystyrene tiles!
In Geography, we have been learning about Earthquakes and Volcanoes. The children learnt about the four layers of the Earth and how the crust and uppermost layer of the mantel is made of carefully placed together jigsaw pieces called tectonic plates. In addition, the children learnt about the different types of volcanos and statuses.
To celebrate the end of this wonderful unit, the children finished making their 3D volcanoes and watched them EXPLODE today!
4 Maple
4th February 2022
4M have been enjoying their topic - ‘The Blue Abyss’. Last week in science, we classified sea animals and creatures into different groups. We then created classification keys in order to organise their very interesting characteristics. This week, we learnt about food chains. We now know what a producer and consumer is!
This week in Geography, we learnt about erosion and deposition of rivers. 4M found that erosion and deposition can change the shape of a river forming meanders and oxbow lakes. For the last couple of weeks, 4M have been adding all of the knowledge that they have gained in geography into their history and geography scrap books which they will be taking home with them in year 6!
These knowledgeful scrapbooks have shown how very creative this class can be! It has been an absolute joy to see the little artists inside of them shine bright as they show and tell everything they know! Not to forget their creativity when choreographing a river dance in PE; making sure they incorporate the skills (unison, canon and call & response) that they had learnt over the weeks.
For the last three weeks in English, we have been reading and writing about our core text ‘The Sandman and The Turtle’. We have written setting descriptions about beaches & islands, character comparisons and a story based on our theme. We have been trying hard to form our letters correctly and to write different types of sentences in a paragraph.
This week in English, we have been delving deeper into facts about The Blue Abyss. We have read many non-fiction articles and have had a very heated debate about the global problem of ‘plastic pollution’. Next week, we will be writing letters to the prime minister hoping he can help make a difference.
Last week in maths, we had been working very hard to master the written methods for multiplication and division. We practised answering reasoning style questions. This week, we have overcome our ‘fractions’ fears! We have mastered identifying unit and non-unit fractions and have been working very hard on finding equivalent fractions.
