Welcome to Orca Class!

Orca Class Weekly News

Friday 26th April 2024

In Science this week we have been investigating how shadows change. We designed our own experiment in order to measure how the height of a shadow varies dependent on the distance an object in from a light source, we then created a line graph to represent the trend in our results.

Friday 19th April 2024

What a lovely first week back after Easter! We have had fun researching all the different types of mysterious fortune-telling before looking at astrology in preparation for our next writing unit of horoscopes. We also enjoyed an afternoon in the sun taking part in some athletics, including trialling for Borough Sports (sprinting, standing long jump and throwing).

Friday 22nd March 2024

We have finally completed our Henry Moore inspired sculptures this week. The mod-roc has set solid around our wire frames and we have painted our sculptures in muted, neutral colours with some cross-hatch and speckling detail to create contrast between light and shadow. We will also be baking our pasties this week- I will upload a photo next week of the result!

Friday 15th March 2024

We are designing our own pasties this week and next, looking at WW2 rationing and which vegetables we can use for our filling based on seasonality and harvest in the UK. Of course, what food technology project would be complete without some samples for taste-testing!

Friday 8th March 2024

Year 6 had an incredible time visiting Duxford Imperial War Museum this week, dressed up as evacuee children no less! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who came along to help out 😊

Friday 1st March 2024

Taking inspiration from Henry Moore’s abstract sculptures, we have been creating our own versions using chicken wire to mould a frame. Later, we will be applying layers mod-rock to our frames to create our own solid sculptures of the human form.

Friday 2nd February 2024

We are at the next stage in our investigation of Henry Moore! Building on from our last week’s  sketches and paintings, we created  armatures from wire and masking tape- scaled down models of our final sculpture pieces.

Friday 26th January 2024

This week, as part of our art project related to War 2, we have been looking at the renowned Yorkshire- born artist, Henry Moore.  Though famed for his inspirational sculptures, perhaps he is  less known for his role as an official War Artist. His sketches and watercolours haunt the pages of his notebook  used to convey the horrors and hardships of life during the conflict. In weeks to come, children will be sculpting their compositions in the style of Moore. They have made preparatory sketches for their models investigating , light shade and form.  

Friday 19th January 2024

In Science this week we have started our new topic of Electricity. The children have enjoyed learning about electrical safety, conductors vs insulators and made informative posters explaining the risks and how to prevent them. We’ve also been experimenting with basic circuitry, lighting bulbs and spinning propeller blades!

Friday 12th January 2024

Happy New Year to you all and what a lovely start to our new term it has been! The children have worked hard sitting mock SATs papers this week but have most enjoyed starting our new topic of Electricity in Science (drawing some brilliant electrical safety posters) and completing our DT project in designing and creating prototypes for flood-proof shelters.

Friday 15th December 2023

As Orca Class threw themselves into their French studies this week, they did so with a unique and exciting approach - by opening their very own confiseries (sweet shops)! Under the guise of fun and play, these young linguists were able to engage in a hands-on learning experience, delving into the world of confectionary and honing their language skills. Through roleplay, they were able to learn specific nouns, plurals, and how to ask and respond to questions, all while taking on the roles of vendor and customer. The sounds of euros changing hands and the bustling atmosphere may easily have transported one to chic streets Paris or even the vibrant teeming boulevards of Marseille.

Languages are for living!

Friday 8th December 2023

This week the children of Year 6 returned to the question of; how can we keep ourselves safe? We were helped along in our reflections by a visit from Sian (Southend Police) and Kelly (Essex and Fire and Service) who gave additional advice such as downloading the what three words and Life 360 apps which can find your location if lost and monitor your  child's whereabouts. As ever, the children asked insightful questions and listened careful.

Friday 1st December 2023

Orca class have been busy working hard publishing their brilliant “How to tame and train a dragon” explanation texts. Beautiful handwriting and detailed illustrations too! Well done 😊

Friday 24th November 2023

Our classroom has been full of interesting discussion around our Geography topic of climate change this week. We have been learning about the causes of global warming, the main contributors of greenhouse gases and renewable vs non-renewable energy.

Friday 17th November 2023

Children enjoyed the celebrations and activities to mark Children in Need. In addition to creating their own Pudsey Bear, children were invited to take part in the "Bearpee" (get it? ) challenge. Amongst all the fun and celebrations, however, we stopped to reflect upon those children who Children in Need helps such as children living below the poverty line, those suffering from mental health conditions or challenged by disabilities. A fun filled day for a worthy cause!

Friday 10th November 2023

What a privilege it was to welcome The Dickens Theatre Company into school to perform their version of A Christmas Carol. The children experienced the heart-warming performance, which was presented in such a way to stay close to the original story line whilst being comprehensible and engaging to our Year 5 and 6s. A fabulous show which left us all thinking about the true spirit of Christmas!

Friday 3rd November 2023

This week the children have been undertaking the exciting entrepreneurial project of ROAR 2023. They have worked in teams to create an innovative product designed to solve a particular problem, putting together a prototype, poster, video, jingle and group presentation in the process. We have been so impressed with the inventive ideas they have produced!

Friday 20th October 2023

As you are probably aware, in science we have been investigating the various classification systems for living things and asking questions such as what characteristics makes a mammal a mammal?  An insect an insect and a mollusc a mollusc etc? This week, the scientists of Orca class, have turned their scientific scrutiny to the fascinating world of micro-organisms. Children discovered that even within the realm of microbes there are subdivisions and therefore necessary classifications such as yeasts, bacteria and protists.  Further investigation found that some micro-organisms can be helpful such as yeast in bread and wine making whilst others pose a threat such as the viruses which causes chickenpox and measles.

To understand which are the optimum conditions for the promotion of micro-organisms, we conducted an investigation to explore varying conditions such as damp, dark and highly illuminated environments on a piece of bread. We predicted the rate it might begin to go mouldy. We look forward to sharing our conclusions with you in later posts!

Friday 13th October 2023

Orca class have been working hard on designing their own coat of arms this week after studying Heraldry. We have been looking at different creatures and what they represent, as well as colours used and their associated meanings.

Friday 6th October 2023

The children have been developing their hockey skills and as part of this, we played ‘dribble stuck in the mud’. The children learned skills such as dribbling, control, communication, trapping, speed and pace. A fun afternoon was had by all.

Friday 29th September 2023

In History this week, the children have been recreating the final piece of the Bayeux tapestry based on their historical reasoning of what might happen after William’s success during the Battle of Hastings. The children drew incredible celebratory banquets, castles and coronations.

Friday 22nd September 2023

We were lucky to have some visitors from NatWest this week taking the lead with an exciting full day “Moneysense” workshop. The children used varying clues to solve a criminal activity involving identity theft, before presenting to the entire year group with advice of how to keep safe from fraud. 

Friday 15th September 2023

During computing lessons, the children have been using VR (virtual reality) headsets and learning how to code. They enjoyed the games and activities so much and Mrs Knight, the ICT teacher, commented at how well the children picked up some tricky coding skills!

Friday 8^th September 2023

Our first week together as Orca class has been full of excitement, fun and a chance to get to know one another. We designed and created our own unique shields that represented our identity and personalities in some way; they look incredible. Thanks everybody for such a lovely start to the year!