Bookvent

We've really enjoyed taking part in Bookvent this month.  The Sun Kings pupils have brought in a variety of different books that they have shared with the class.  It's been a lovely relaxing way to end the day.

We spent the afternoon in the Creative Zone this week preparing all the parts to make our cam toys.  We learnt how to use a wooden block and a g-clamp to fix a piece of dowel.  After making careful measurements, we used hand saws to cut the dowel to size for the various mechanisms in the toy.

Bookvent 2023 is here!

This morning, we unwrapped the first of our Bookvent 2023 books - Esio Trot by Roald Dahl . One of his more recent, shorter stories (the last of Dahl's books to be published in his lifetime; he died just two months later), it tells the tale of a lonely man (Mr. Hoppy) who deceives the widow in the flat below (Mrs. Silver) into marriage... Entertaining, but ultimately quite dark...

We're very much looking forward to dipping into the books that you bring in over the coming weeks!

Sun Kings Classwide Reward

This afternoon, the Sun Kings enjoyed our first Classwide Reward event of the year! Our list of options included art activities, so we spent a happy hour or so exploring how we could use chalk pastels to create images on coloured card. Given the nature of the medium, this got a little 'dusty'(!), but the results were worth it - we are blessed with some really creative minds!

Below are some photographs of works in progress as well as the finished picture.

Design and Technology - Mechanical Systems using Cams

This term we are learning about cam mechanisms.  We are making toys with cam mechanisms for the EYFS children to play with.  We began by researching different toys that use cam mechanisms.  This week we have made a prototype mechanism to explore how different shaped cams make different movements.   The team work in this session was particularly impressive which can be seen in the photos below. We've also visited the Chameleons to carry out market research to help inform our designs.

Computing - Podcasts

This term we are making podcasts in Y5.  We began by listening to a variety of different podcasts and made a success

criteria for what makes a good podcast.  Our audience will be the Y1 pupils. This week we did some market research in Anansi class, finding out their likes to help inform our choice  of theme and content.  We've also explored how to create audio files with images, text, music and sound effects on the iPads.

Canopic Jars

We put our final touches to our clay work by adding the organs (made from plasticine)!  We then evaluated our work, reflecting on the skills we learnt during the project.  

Visit to Weston Park Museum

We were blessed with sunshine and warmth for the walk to and from Weston Park Museum on Friday, along with an unfeasible number of road crossings! (Thank you Mrs. Chetcuti and Mrs. Goff for getting us safely from one side to the other.) On arrival, we were greeted by the friendly staff of the museum, stashed away our lunches for later and then headed into some of the galleries where we learned about Sheffield's ancient and more recent history. The Sun Kings were a credit to Walkley Primary School whilst in the public areas and enjoyed responding to the questions asked and trying on some of the dressing up clothes. Best unprompted question of the morning - "Who's that lady and why is her face on a roll of toilet paper?" Quick 20th century history lesson on Margaret Thatcher and the miners' strike...

In the afternoon we enjoyed time in the Ancient Egypt gallery, where we learned a little of the story of Djedma'atiuesank, a girl who died at the age of 14 and whose sarcophagus and mummified body were brought to Sheffield during the time that wealthy people could travel the world and 'buy' artefacts. We discussed the ethics of having an ancient Egyptian artefact in an English museum and what could/should happen to them in the future. A great day of learning away from the classroom.

After planning our investigation and constructing parachutes of different sizes, we were able to test our hypothesis that larger parachutes will fall more slowly than smaller ones. And guess what? We were correct! We proved that parachutes with a greater surface area fell more slowly than those with a small surface area. Here are some pictures of the investigation underway...

Weston Park Museum visit

Friday 3rd November 2023

Good morning Hiccups and Sun Kings! We hope you had a fantastic half term break and have come back ready for more fun learning.
We are really looking forward to our trip to Weston Park Museum, which will be happening this Friday, 3rd November 2023.
There are quite a few parents/carers who have yet to respond via School Gateway - particularly important if you'd like a lunch provided by school! Please take a few moments to visit the Gateway and complete the relevant sections.
The weather over the next few days could best be described as 'unpredictable' so please come to school dressed for the weather and ready for a walk from school to the museum and back.
Thank you,
The Y5 team.

GETTING CREATIVE!

We had a busy session in the Creative Zone this week! We put the finishing touches to our Canopic Jars paint them with acrylic paints.  We also started our new design and technology mechanical systems topic.  The first session involved researching and evaluating toys that use a cam mechanism.