Information and Reminders
We’ve reached the end of an unusually short half-term, and the students can be proud of how much they’ve achieved in the last 14 school days. This week, students investigated the murder of poor Mr. Ford, who whose body was found on Monday morning. They conducted a range of experiments and logical deductions to identify the main murder suspect. They built a case which was presented to the Chief of Police as the culmination of the Topic unit. The standard of scientific enquiry was very high, and the students applied themselves extremely well.
Please be reminded that the second day of the new half term will be an opportunity for students to dress up in futuristic clothing of their own design. Students should bring their costume in a bag to change at lunch time.
We wish safe travels to all those families who are leaving Shanghai for this holiday, and a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year to all those celebrating.
Upcoming dates
Monday 6th February – First day of school
Tuesday 7th February – Year 6 Topic dress-up event
Wednesday 15th February – Early Years and Primary Coffee Morning, 9am to 10.30am
Wednesday 15th March – Early Years and Primary Coffee Morning, 9am to 10.30am
Week beginning 20th March - Shakespeare Week & School Photos
Stars of the Week
6A – James Howell – for being brave, creative and confident whilst presenting his murder mystery report
6B – Sirius Zhao – for working hard on his scientific investigation to solve the murder mystery
6C – Nicolai Hansen – for working well with his group during the murder mystery
English
In English, we will begin looking at formal writing types, like letters, instructions, and speeches. We will be using the idea of organic food, rural vs urban living, and the effect of computer usage on humans. We’ll start by looking at formal and informal language in leaflets and letters. Guided reading will continue with our two texts ‘The Firework Maker’s Daughter’ and ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’. Children will practice the skills of interpreting a character’s motivations through their actions.
Maths
In maths, we will complete an assessment on pattern recognition and sequences, including the skills of identifying the nth term in a linear sequence, and generating a series with a specific starting term. Afterwards, we’ll be moving on to study measurement of mass, length, volume and time. Students will have chance to use equipment to make this a more practical and engaging topic of study.
Topic
We will begin our new Topic unit which is called ‘Out of Africa’, based on the theme of evolution and inheritance. The Entry Point will allow students to design their own futuristic vision of the ‘garments of the future’, whether inspired by sci-fi, superheroes, or technology. On Tuesday, we will conduct a cat-walk of outfits to launch the unit with a bang. We will be learning lots of science knowledge about the evolution of life on Earth, including the iconic ‘tree of life’.