Christmas has well and truly arrived in Wrens this week.  We have decorated our classroom and the role play has been busy with our Christmas chefs cooking up hot chocolate and cookie treats!  We have also been hard at work finishing off our Diwali diva lamps and making Christmas decorations for the Christmas Fayre.  The glitter has certainly given the classroom a very festive feel!

We have also been using our phonics knowledge to write some very special letters to Father Christmas.  We have popped a copy in the children's book bags so you can check what their Christmas wish is. Today we enjoyed a walk to the shop to post our letters.  We are now keeping our fingers crossed that they reach Father Christmas safely.

The children have nearly come to the end of their phonics programme for this half term.  Next week will be assessment week so there are no new sounds or words to learn in their orange books.  Please take the time instead to revisit some of the previous week's learning.  This will also be the last week the children will be bringing home a reading book this term as we will be using our phonics assessments to inform our reading groupings ready for the start of the spring term.

The children are getting very excited about our nativity play which will take place next Thursday (12 December 2024). They are all working extremely hard to learn their lines, songs and dances.  I am sure it will be a performance to remember!

This week in English, we have been using the Christmas scene pictures we created with 'magic' last week and describing them. The children have been working hard to incorporate all five senses—sight, sound, touch, taste and smell—into their setting descriptions, which has really helped them to add lots of detail to their writing.

In maths, the children have been solving missing number problems and identifying the difference between numbers. They have also continued to count beyond 20, with some refreshing their knowledge of counting to higher numbers and others beginning to spot patterns.

The past couple of weeks, we’ve been very busy with nativity practice in preparation for next week. The children are doing really well with their lines and we would appreciate it if you could continue to practice them with your child over the weekend to help build their confidence.

In science this week, we explored how the weather changes throughout the season of autumn and discussed what types of clothes are appropriate for the season. The children also created class rain gauges and we have been using them to measure the rain throughout this week.

Timetable

Tuesday: Wellies and a coat suitable for the weather

Thursday & Friday: PE kits

In science, we continued with our topic of 'Light'. We looked at how light is reflected from surfaces and discussed how light travels in straight lines. We also talked about the importance of reflective materials and the children created a poster aimed at younger children, highlighting how they could keep themselves safe by wearing reflective clothing.

In DT, the children moved on with their topic of designing and creating an electric poster. We discussed what information design is and its impact, considering what could happen if we had no signage, posters or written communication in public places of interest. The children then chose an Ancient Roman topic on which to base their initial poster ideas.

In history, we looked at who the Minoans were and how important trading was to their civilisation. We also looked at the different goods they traded and discussed the difference between imports and exports.

In computing we were looking at fake emails and discussing what makes a good 'fake' email. We had fun trying to send 'scamming' emails to our friends to see if we could catch anyone out with our scam! 

This week in English, the children have been focusing on the features of suspense writing. They have been practising techniques such as using short sentences and ellipsis to build tension and incorporating cliffhangers and other suspenseful elements into their writing. After exploring these features, they applied their learning to create their own suspense narratives, inspired by the plot of The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier. It has been fantastic to see their creativity and understanding of how to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

In maths, the children have been continuing their work with fractions. After practising comparing and ordering fractions, they moved on to adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. This week, they have been applying their new skills to solve problem-solving questions where they had to carefully consider different methods to find the correct answers.

In science, the children have been investigating the five vertebrate groups and exploring their different methods of reproduction. They have been learning about the similarities and differences in how these groups reproduce, deepening their understanding of the biological processes that make each group unique.

In history, the children have been learning about the Anglo-Saxons and Jutes and why they came to Britannia after the Romans left in the 5th century. They have been exploring the 'push' and 'pull' factors that influenced their migration, including economic, social and environmental factors, to understand the historical context behind this significant movement of people.

Please see below information within the community but independent of the school

Here are some particular highlights your children might enjoy and the link to the Malvern Theatres Take Part brochure:

Little Theatre Makers age 5-7
Mondays 4.15pm-5pm

Junior Theatre age 7-11
Tuesdays 4pm-5pm

Junior Musical Theatre age 7-11
Thursdays 4.15pm-5.15pm

**NEW**Junior Makers for 7-11 years
Wednesdays 4.15pm-5.15pm

**NEW**Power Moves Movement Class for 8-13 years
Mondays 5.30pm-6.30pm