Fractions and Poems and Invertebrates, Oh My!

Maths

This week in maths, we have been exploring how to convert between improper fractions (where the numerator is greater than the denominator) and mixed number fractions (where the wholes and parts are separate). Though this can potentially be quite tricky, the children listened well and were able to use different methods (along with some crucial times table knowledge) to convert from improper to mixed number and vice versa. We will continue to develop this skills in future lessons as we learn more about fractions next week.

English

In English, we have been continuing our work on free verse poetry, though this time we have been tying it into our class text ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’. After spending some time exploring the concept of perspectives, we went through the book to make notes on what two characters thought about the refugee boy, Ahmet. We found that the Narrator hada a very positive view of him, wanting to be his friend and learn more about him. On the other hand, Mr Irons had a much more negative opinion of Ahmet and thought of him as rude and poorly behaved. We were then able to use these ideas to write two very different poems about Ahmet by putting ourselves in the shoes of each of these characters. It was a very interesting experience!

Science

After a very successful “worm hunt” last week, we decided to plan a brand new investigation but this time, the children themselves came up with the questions. We wanted to try and build on what we found last week, rather than investigate something completely new and the children all had some fantastic ideas. Some wanted to stick with the worms but approach it from a different angle by asking whether more worms would be found on the surface or deeper into the ground. Others decided to focus on just one section of the grounds but expand their search to a broader range of invertebrates to determine which were the most common.

Although 4Ke were unable to get out due to poor weather conditions and will therefore be carrying out their investigations next week, 4L braved the rain in search of the answers to their questions. Perhaps because it was so wet, we collected some very interesting data, which we were then able to use to draw some simple conclusions.