Month: April 2014

Silver Class Learning

Turney

“Silver

The Silver Class children have been taking part in many varied activities throughout the curriculum as they come towards the close of their first term at Turney School.

Our literacy work has been based around the book Old MacDonald. The children have been exploring some of the sounds that can be found within the book. We have been identifying the many different farmyard animal noises, and then offering our own take on what they might sound like.

Maths work in Silver Class has been mainly shaped based. The children have been introduced to the idea of identifying different shapes. We have been playing plenty of drama games by using our own bodies to create a specific shape.

The outdoor play area in Silver Class has been put to plenty of use during the recent fine weather. This is a great resource for the children to develop their motor skills. We encourage the Silver Class children to explore the facilities and to develop their own confidence when climbing, crawling or jumping. Water and sand are also outdoor resources that the Silver Class children have enjoyed playing with.

A large part of this first term for the Silver Class pupils has been all about learning how to play and learn together. We have used music to help us with this exercise. The children have been sharing the different musical interests that we have in Silver Class and helping out our class friends with their learning.

Easter in Orange Class

Turney

Orange Class have been preparing for the Easter celebrations with a number of creative activities. The children have been learning about the features that we can find on the face of an Easter bunny. Each class member has carefully cut out the outline and facial parts for an Easter bunny. We have assembled these together, and then used this as a resource for the children to describe what they can see:

How many ears does your bunny have? What colour are the eyes? Where is the nose on the Easter bunny?

This has also been an exercise that encourages the Orange Class pupils to ask confidentially for any resources that they might need. Rather than simply handing out the scissors and glue, we have been expecting the Orange Class to feel confident in making the request to an adult.

The pupils have also made a selection of incredibly colourful Easter bonnets. We asked Orange Class what type of designs would they like to see on their bonnets. The children made their own decisions on how to decorate their special Easter hats.

An Easter worksheet has also been completed by each Orange Class member. Tasks included drawing as accurately as possible the shape of an Easter egg, as well as writing a short description about our work.

One young Orange Class member talks us through his Easter bunny creation in the video above.

Purple Class Counting

Turney

“Purple

Purple Class have been practicing how to count in sequence from 1 to 5 as part of our maths learning. A number of table activities have been set up that all involve counting and sequencing of numbers. The children have been counting skittles, buses or even how many times they can bounce a ball.

Our focus after the Easter break in Purple Class will be to look at nursery rhymes and introduce some new songs. The staff are preparing the resources for singing songs such as The Wheels on the Bus.

“Purple

Blue Class RE Work

Turney

“Blue

Blue Class have been learning about the story of the Lost Sheep as part of our Religious Education learning. This is a very complex story for the children to understand. We are pleased with the progress that they have made in being able to explain the sequence of the story and what the possible meanings might be.

We started off our work by watching a video of the Lost Sheep story. This was a powerful short film with no words or speech involved. The pupils were able to describe what was happening as each scene developed.

Blue Class then held a class discussion to share their ideas about the story of the Lost Sheep. We discovered that the message is about someone who perhaps might need a little help. They could be lost and need a friend to help them find a path through their problems.

Each class member then completed a colouring exercise based around the story. We coloured the B panels on our picture blue, and the G panels green. In the middle we found that the image of a sheep appeared.

Blue Class have also completed a maze puzzle, guiding the Lost Sheep back to the Sheppard. You can listen to one of the Blue Class members recounting the Lost Sheep story in the podcast below.

listen to ‘Kieran tells the story of the Lost Sheep’ on Audioboo

Yellow Class Literacy

Turney

Yellow Class have been learning how to respond to questions that start with what, who or where during recent literacy lessons. We read and shared a piece of text within our small groups. This told the story of how a teddy bear was put in a dustbin by a dog. There is a happy ending, plus plenty of opportunities for the pupils to answer questions based around the development of the plot.

This was also an exercise in helping Yellow Class to construct complete sentences:

What did the dog do?

The dog put the teddy bear in the bin.

The pupils have been reminded how we write our sentences from left to right. They have also being paying attention to capital letters and ending the sentences with a full stop.

Questions were constantly asked at every stage of the story in our small groups. Repetition is a great way for the pupils to feel comfortable with any new piece of text. Constant referral to the original story was also used. If the pupils needed any help we asked them to look at the pictures and describe what they could see.

A worksheet was completed by the Yellow Class children based on the story. It provided an account of our understanding of the sequence of events. You can watch one of the Yellow Class pupils sharing her work in the video above.

Class 1M Maths & PE

Turney

“Class

Class 1M have been looking at how each number carries a specific value as part of our maths learning. One of the most effective ways to learn this is through plenty of singing and participation! We have been singing together songs such as Five Little Ducks to help with our learning.

listen to ‘Class 1M Singing and Counting’ on Audioboo

The pupils have also been playing many games on the class whiteboard that involve counting a set number of items. The key to learning here is for the pupils to make the physical connection between the items that they can see in front of them, and the corresponding number on our number lines.

This is a theme that we built upon our maths table activities. Various activities were set up, depending on the learning aims of each pupil. Some class members were asked to correctly sequence number cards from 1 to 10. Other class members were also able to identify a number on a plastic cup, and then count out the correct number of cubes to go inside. Some Class 2S members also carried out some simple addition.

Our PE work in Class 1M has involved the students taking part in a simple gymnastics circuit. We set up a short course in the Turney School gym. The pupils were asked to participate independently, although adult help was at hand if they required it.

A good sense of balance was key for the Class 1M pupils to complete the course. We learnt how we could use our arms to help keep a good sense of balance. You can find out a little more in the video above.

Class 2S Group Work

Turney

“Class

Class 2S have been making some wonderful progress learning skills that help us to work together in groups. We have talked in class about why it is important for our friends to be able to work together and share in our achievements. It may be that a friend is able to help us overcome a problem, or perhaps we could help out.

To help develop these teamwork skills, a number of table activities were set up in Class 2S. Lego Therapy remains an incredibly popular and powerful way for the students to achieve together throughout Key Stage 2 and 3 at Turney School.

“Class

This activity involves a small group working together to achieve a set outcome. One member reads out the instructions:

Find one big red brick.

Communication in Print is used as an extra resource to help explain what is required of the other members of our group. Once the brick has been found by a friend, we then add this to our Lego tower.

Vocabulary such as same, different, put or place have been introduced. We always share in our group success at the end of the exercise, congratulating each other on offering a skill to help complete the task.

Other group activities have also been rotated in Class 2S. The What Goes Together Game has been another popular learning resource. This involves a random set of toy objects being introduced from inside a box. Each group member has an activity sheet in which to match up which items go with the images in front of them. An example might be a toy bee and a picture of a beehive, or a car and a picture of a garage.

We ask the pupils to first identify what they can see when the object is introduced out of the box. Class 2S have been helping their friends to locate an object on their sheet if it doesn’t fit in with the themes on our own sheet. Questions about each object are asked throughout. Letters and sounds of words are emphasised.

You can watch a couple of the Class 2S members taking part in the What Goes Together Game in the video below.

Yellow Class Literacy Video

Turney

Yellow Class have been learning how to respond to questions that start with what, who or where during recent literacy lessons. We read and shared a piece of text within our small groups. This told the story of how a teddy bear was put in a dustbin by a dog. There is a happy ending, plus plenty of opportunities for the pupils to answer questions based around the development of the plot.

This was also an exercise in helping Yellow Class to construct complete sentences:

What did the dog do?

The dog put the teddy bear in the bin.

The pupils have been reminded how we write our sentences from left to right. They have also being paying attention to capital letters and ending the sentences with a full stop.

Questions were constantly asked at every stage of the story in our small groups. Repetition is a great way for the pupils to feel comfortable with any new piece of text. Constant referral to the original story was also used. If the pupils needed any help we asked them to look at the pictures and describe what they could see.

A worksheet was completed by the Yellow Class children based on the story. It provided an account of our understanding of the sequence of events. You can watch one of the Yellow Class pupils sharing her work in the video above.

Class 10 Geography Planning

Turney

“Class

Class 10 have produced some incredibly thoughtful work as part of our geography learning at Turney School. The students have been designing and planning a short holiday trip to anywhere around the world.

We started off this work by asking the children what the purpose of a holiday might be. We found that different people take holidays for different reasons – relaxation, exploration or entertainment.

The mode of transport is also something that Class 10 have been thinking about. We have looked at various options including flying, boat or train holidays.

Each Class 10 student was then asked to think about what type of holiday might appeal to them. We used the internet and various travel brochures to help research our work. The pupils were asked to find some specific activities in a certain location that would form part of their holiday schedule.

Each pupil has produced an incredibly detailed travel itinerary. We have been thinking about how much time we might have during our holiday, and what type of activities we could realistically fit in.

Class 10 are now in the process of designing a holiday brochure. Our research and ideas are being typed up and presented as a professional holiday brochure with plenty of images. Our task has been to make our itineraries look as appealing as possible.

Elsewhere in Class 10 and the pupils have been perfecting their trampoline routines as part of our PE lessons. Tuck jumps and star shapes have been our main focus. Sequencing these together into an effective routine has been our challenge. The students have also been asked to demonstrate how any detailed trampolining routine also needs a calm, controlled landing.

Class 3E Music Video

Turney

Class 3E have been exploring the sounds that different instruments make during our current music lessons. This was a very hands on session with the pupils given a choice of what instrument they would like to play.

Once we all felt comfortable with playing our instruments it was then time to follow the instructions of the bandleader. Different hand signals were given to show that either loud or quiet playing was required.

We then transferred this technique over to the Turney School keyboards. Class 3E were set the challenge of playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star using both soft and loud passages within the music.

“Class