Explorers (Autumn 2)
Outdoor Elements Trip
We had a fantastic and adventurous time at Outdoor Elements in Simonstone! We took part in lots of activities including team-building, problem solving and shelter construction. We even made and toasted our very own bread on an open fire. The activities helped us to imagine what it would be like to be an explorer and appreciate the importance of teamwork. We would like to say a big thank you to all the staff at Outdoor Elements that helped to create a valuable and memorable experience for all of us!
English
Our topic this half-term was Explorers. As an introduction to the topic, we read poetry about different places that people could explore. We used our reading to help us write our own versions. We created music to represent the different places in our shared poem and will perform it using the green screen to make a video.
Our key text for our story writing unit was The Great Explorer by Chris Judge. We enjoyed reading some of his other books, particularly the different adventures of The Lonely Beast. The link to Chris Judge’s website is below:
We wrote character and setting descriptions, thinking about what an explorer might need and see in the Arctic.
We used the plot of our key text to help us write our own versions of the story.
Maths
In maths, we covered multiplication, statistics, fractions, money, volume and capacity and time. To help us with multiplication, we made arrays and interpreted them as number sentences using the multiplication symbol. In statistics, we looked at how information can be represented and interpreted using tables, block graphs, pictograms and tally charts. In factions, we consolidated our understanding of 1/2 and 1/4. In money, we made values in different ways using coins and added coins to make a total. In capacity and volume, we measured using milliliters and practised reading different scales on measuring cylinders. We practised telling the time with half past and quarter hours.
Science
Our topic in science this half-term was ‘materials.’ We thought about what we remembered from Year 1 by selecting objects in the classroom and discussing their materials, properties and their uses.
We learned new scientific words to describe the properties of materials. We investigated the suitability of materials and why they are used for certain objects.
We also carried out investigations to test different materials.
History
In history this half-term, we learned about Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his expedition to the South Pole. We asked questions to help us find out about him, before looking at photographs of him and his team at the South Pole and reading his diary to find out what happened. We also researched by reading non-fiction texts.
We sequenced the main events of his expedition on a timeline, and compared his decisions to Ronald Amundsen, who beat him in the race to the South Pole.
The Antarctic Heritage Trust website is a great place to find out more about Scott and his final expedition. Follow the link below:
History of Scott's Expedition | Antarctic Heritage Trust (nzaht.org)
Design Technology
This half-term, our design brief was to design and make a bag for an explorer to carry his equipment. We investigated existing products - looking at what bags are made of, how they are joined and what they are used for. We also investigated different joining techniques and practised stitching, stapling and gluing. We then designed our bags before making them and evaluating them against our design criteria.
Geography
In geography, we learned about the continents and oceans of the world. We used atlases and globes to name and locate them, and to help us remember them, we learned these songs (follow the links below).
We also used the internet to research the different continents to find out more about them.