Celebrating who we are
We are creating an abstract version of the Last Supper where we have voted on who we would invite based on who inspires us and what we would eat and drink!
Our guest list is:
George Floyd
Rosa Parks
Queen Elizabeth II
Prince Phillip
Elon Musk
Florence Nightingale
Chadwick Boseman
Isaac Newton
Barack Obama
David Attenborough
Usain Bolt
Nelson Mandela
We are learning about what lurks in the world's oceans! We have been finding out all about the different layers of the ocean and what lives there and making a diorama to show this. They are still a work in progress, but here is our effort so far! Stay tuned to see the finished projects...!
We are looking at light in science this half term and we began our unit today by getting out some equipment and investigating with materials and objects around us to jog our memories and see what we could remember from Year 3 when we last studied light!
This week across the school children have been studying the history of our local area - Hackney. Year 6 have been thinking about refugees in Hackney and how and why people move homes and what it would be like to adapt to a new area. We have been thinking about the contribution refugees and migrants have made to our local community.
We have also studied a local author and poet called Eveline Marius. We are writing our own poems about Hackney and are also using our work about refugees to inspire some artwork.
We dressed in our brightest clothes on 23rd October as we learned about Road Safety and how to stay safe as the evenings get darker.
Chestnut Class made some brilliant posters - which were displayed around the school - to share information about what they learned. Here we are getting ready for our spelling test in our brightest outfits!
Today in Chestnut Class, we have been being history detectives! We are trying to deduce whether a source is primary or secondary to improve our understanding of events in WW2.
Why not ask us what primary and secondary sources are? We would be pleased to explain!
Chestnut Class were transported back to 1942 today when they found out what it may have been like to live in London during WW2. They sheltered from bombs as they heard the air raid siren and made their way to the nearest Anderson, Morrison or Public shelter.
They packed a suitcase with their most treasured belongings and began the long journey of an evacuee to safety.
Finally, they learnt and performed a war time song to boost their morale as they left.
15th September marks the anniversary of one of World War Two’s most defining moments - The Battle of Britain. This year is extra special as it is the 80th anniversary. In Chestnut Class, we learned a bit about the events of this particular battle and then did some drama interviews in role. Some of us were BBC correspondents and the rest of us were in role as pilots from 1940.
Chestnut Class had a wonderful drumming lesson recently! Here are some photos of us learning two different rhythms which we put together in just an hour.
We have been reading Wonder and we drew round someone to create the outline of a body before filling the centre with words and phrases to describe August’s character and personality and the outside with words and phrases to describe his physical characteristics.
Chestnut Class have been investigating the relationship between the length of a shadow and the distance the object is from the light source.
They recorded their data and we worked out a class average using each group’s data. They then used both of these data sets to plot a line graph.
We used freeze frames in drama to act out the story of how the Khalsa was formed as part of our learning about Sikhism and what Sikhs believe is important.
Chestnut Class worked in groups to design, make and evaluate an Anderson Shelter. First, we researched Anderson shelters and investigated materials which would be possible for us to use. We also found out how the structures were typically put together and began to think about our own designs. In order to be successful, our designs had to meet certain criteria: size test (Can a lego man fit inside?); weight test (Can it withstand a 1kg weight sitting on top of it?) and a waterproof test (Can it survive being drenched?). We built our shelters and then tested them using the criteria listed above. Finally, we evaluated our designs and thought about how we would improve them if we were to do the project again.
Chestnut Class have been learning a range of techniques to create shadows and shading including: blending, cross-hatching, random hatching and stippling. We used both soft art pencils and charcoal.
Using the techniques we had practised, we looked at some drawings and photographs from WW2 and used them to create a charcoal sketch of our own.
Chestnut Class designed experiments this afternoon using circuits. The had to choose a variable to change and make sure they conducted a fair test.
Each member of the group had a very specific job: Artists were responsible for making sure the poster was completed on time; Testers were responsible for testing the circuits and changing the variables for each test. Data Recorders worked closely with the Testers to design and complete a table of results and Diagram Recorders completed scientific circuits of the experiment using the correct symbols. Group Leaders had the overall responsibility of making sure everyone worked well together in the group and completed all parts of the experiment and poster on time.
Everyone worked incredibly hard and they were a pleasure to teach! Well done Chestnut Scientists!
Chestnut Class were visited by two doctors this week. They taught us the basics of CPR and what to do to help in a situation where someone is unconscious and not breathing.
It is a great life skill to learn and we learnt a lot from the experts who came in. We were full of enthusiasm and asked many questions about different scenarios and the best course of action in different situations.
Finally, we all had a go administering chest compressions on one of the specially-made dummies.
To celebrate World Poetry Day, Year 6 performed some war poems in small groups. Their performances were phenomenal considering they only had 20 minutes to prepare them!
As part of our science unit on electricity, Chestnut Class designed an experiment to test the brightness of bulbs. We added more and more bulbs to a complete circuit to test when they got brighter or dimmer the more bulbs we added.
Year 6 visited RAF Hendon yesterday as part of their World War Two topic. They learnt about the different planes and helicopters that were used during the war as well as seeing all sort of artefacts in the museum.
They spent some time in a 1930s classroom where they completed classroom activities peacefully until an air raid siren went off! They took cover underneath the tables and experienced what it may have been like to be a child living in London during World War Two. Children also learnt about how and why many children were evacuated from London (and other big cities) during the war for their safety.
Chestnut class worked hard last week finding out about the events of World War Two and when these important things happened. They worked collaboratively in groups to create a timeline of key events from the moment Germany invading Poland in 1939 to Japan’s surrender in 1945.
