Our core text this half term is ‘Tidy’ by Emily Gravett.

This half term we will be considering the impact of human actions on the world around us - with a particular focus on litter and how we can help to keep Nelson tidy.

For our first week of learning in English, we looked at the poem 'What is Pink?' by the poet Christina Rossetti. 

This inspired us to write and perform our own wonderful poems all about different colours and what they remind us of.

In Science, we are continuing to explore the properties of everyday materials. The children conducted an investigation into which materials float and which materials sink and made lots of interesting predictions! 

In History we have been researching the life and achievements of biologist and author Sir David Attenborough. 

To begin this half term's Geography learning we explored an aerial map of the streets around our school and identified a range of local landmarks and human features. We then made predictions about which environments around our school might have the most litter and possible reasons for this. 

In Design Technology we are learning about the inspirational life and achievements of architect Zaha Hadid in preparation for our project of designing and making a model of a new mosque for Nelson using recycled materials. We explored local buildings and structures around our local area and looked closely at how the bricks are placed. We discussed the key features of a good structure.

This week in DT we have used a range of materials to explore building stable and secure structures. 

During our recent walk around Nelson, we were shocked at the amount of litter we found around our local area. We decided to take action and worked together to pick up as much litter as we could to make the streets around our school tidier for everyone. Once we returned to school we discussed the different materials of the litter we collected and researched whether they could be recycled as part of our Science learning. 

This week we have worked with local scientist Steven Lewis Neille to explore animals and their habitats. We also talked about the skeletal structures of different animals and how these help them to survive in their natural environments. 

We explored different ways to join cardboard boxes securely in preparation for when we make our mosques next week. 

Making our mosques

We designed posters and worked in groups to prepare speeches about the significant litter problem in Nelson and the action we think needs to be taken. 

Throughout this unit of learning the children have shown a wonderful understanding of the implications of human  actions on our local area and the wider world and have taken action to tidy up and look after our beautiful town of Nelson. Have a look at the amazing outcomes achieved below. Well done children, we are so proud of you!