Firstly, I hope that given the snow in the area that all of our children, parents and friends of Park Street are keeping safe and well. 
Over the last fortnight we have been busy as ever completing our termly round of summative assessments. The class have had such a fantastic attitude towards all their tests and have done an incredible job of showing what they have learned over the course this year so far. 
We have also started our assessed piece of writing in Literacy, where the class are currently busy creating their own travel guides in the hope of persuading their parents and carers to visit the wonders that can be found in Brazil. 
In our PHSE, the class have been focussed on rules and why we need these. They have been considering what rules we have in different settings and what would happen without these. The class have shown excellent understanding of the importance of these in society. 
In our Geography, we have moved on to look more closely at the physical geography of the rainforest. We have discussed the different layers within the rainforest and what plants and animals can be located in each section. 
In Art, we have been working hard on our tie-dye t-shirts to support carnival. Children have used many skills this half term including sewing, sketching, designed and dyeing. We are very proud of their efforts and the final products which are almost complete. 
Be sure to pop back and check for further updates.

Where is time going? We are officially over half way through the academic year. The class have returned eager to show their best as we get underway with the second half of Spring. 
In our Maths, our hard work in our recent afternoon maths interventions has really paid dividends as we explored column addition. The class were fantastic at applying the skills they have learned to solve a variety of problems up to and including adding 3 digit numbers together using this method. As the class were so confident, we have taken this a step further and developed understanding of missing digit problems and how to solve these. The class are fantastically quick at this and understand how we can use the other digits within the problem to find the answer. 
In Literacy, we have had the pleasure of welcoming some of our parents in to class this week. Parents were invited in for a creative writing session with their children. We used a fantastic hook featuring the book Octavia Bloom and the missing key. The class were transported through the magic door that Octavia discovered and wound up in a winter wonderland (our nature reserve). Down here we explored the setting to develop a senses profile of the area. We developed what we could see, hear, smell, taste and touch into a setting description of the area where children incorporated expanded noun phrases to describe the location. 
In our Computing, we have started our new focus on branching databases and data. The class began this new unit understanding that questions come in two different forms, open and closed. When we are answering closed questions we can separate groups by a key attribute. Children used this knowledge to write their own closed questions which could be used to effectively group information. Next week, we will take this learning further as we explore a branching tree to used and sort closed questions.
In our PE this half term, we are working on games including Hockey and Basketball with Mr Smith and Cheerleading as part of our dance unit. The class were so enthused in our cheerleading sessions, where they began to learn a series of arm positions including; tabletop, high and low v, diagonal and more which will be built into a dance phrase over the coming weeks. 

Whenever I come to updating the blog, I always find myself reflecting on the fortnight of learning that has taken place and being immensely proud of the class as a whole and their efforts which never waver. 
In our Maths this week the class have been exploring angles with a specific focus on right angles. We have had many practical sessions using square corners and geosticks to help develop our understanding. The class have identified different right angles in the environment and can explain the properties of quadrilaterals where right angles are present. We developed our reasoning skills in the week as children were tasked with answering "Is a square a rectangle?". We reflected on the properties of a rectangle and used this to prove that a square was in fact a regular rectangle. We concluded by investigating polygons with right angles using our geosticks.
​In our Literacy we have continued to develop our understanding of the plot of Fantastic Mr Fox. Our new writing focus has been to create an alternate ending for the story. To do this, we have worked in different groups to develop ideas for how our story could end at the point of Mr Fox entering Bean's cider cellar. The class had a clear focus of ensuring that their writing was coherent and flowed. They also needed to ensure that they were broadening and developing their vocabulary and sentence structures through the support of the thesaurus to uplevel word choices and through using a range of simple, compound and complex sentences. 
​In our wider curriculum, the class have been working exceptionally hard to conclude their learning on 'puedo' in Spanish. The class can now confidently recall ten different verbs in Spanish that they can do. They are able to pronounce these with accuracy and can use them to describe some of their daily events. Well done Team CB!
In our Science, we have been working on our new topic of Rocks. The class have loved comparing the physical features of rocks through careful observation. They have examined the texture, hardness, colour and shape to discuss key properties. They were then able to explore which rocks had similarities and which had differences. From this, we have moved on to looking specifically at naturally formed rocks and the three types - igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. As a class, we used Starburst to help us recreate the different types of rock through practical investigation and explain how each type is formed. 

Having returned from the Christmas holidays fully recharged, Team CB have been working tremendously hard across all aspects of their learning. They have been absolute superstars in their maths, where over the last two weeks we have spent time focussing on  adding and subtracting to/from a three digit number in ones or multiples of 10 bridging 100. They have also spent time counting forwards and backwards in multiples of 2, 20, 5, 50 and 25. If that wasn't enough, a special mention needs to go to all the class as we have also introduced our times table focus for the half term which will see the class develop mastery in confidently recalling the four times table in and out of order. 
In our reading and writing, we have critically analysed key parts of our text driver Fantastic Mr Fox. The class have read around the chapter in depth where Boggis, Bunce and Bean furiously dig out Mr Fox with the tractors. We used this as the hook for our writing where children have written a fantastic newspaper article about the farmers actions and the implications this has had on the village as well as the fox and his family. The children used some fantastically rich vocabulary that they had acquired through the vocabulary focus in reading including phrases such as "feeling obstinate". Well done Team CB. The newspapers made for great reading!
Elsewhere in the curriculum, this week Team CB have been on a walk through Wombwell as part of their geography focus. As we are comparing Wombwell to Brazil, we explored our local area looking at the human and physical geography features that could be seen. We discussed the history of the town and how it had changed over time. The class were fantastic at spotting local features and discussing elements of the town that they did not know about. This will help the class tremendously in the coming weeks as we look to learn more about how two places in the world compare. 
In our PHSE, we have been focussing on taking responsibility for our actions. The class have shown some great listening and reflection skills as we discussed what responsibility meant, what it might look like and why it is so important. We reflected on our own actions where we maybe did not make the right choice and used a graduated response to reflect on our actions and how we would handle situations differently going forward. 

Welcome back to Spring term in Team CB. We are very excited for what this term has in store and cannot wait to share all our lovely learning with you along the way. 
In the first week back, the class have shown fantastic attitudes to learning and have jumped straight back in to learning as much as they possibly can. 
In maths we have concluded our work on place value, which the children now have a really good understanding of. In the coming weeks, we will be looking more closely at addition and subtraction skills and beginning to introduce the class to the formal written methods. 
In Reading and Writing our text driver has been Fantastic Mr Fox. The class will work from the book this half term to develop both fiction and non-fiction writing outcomes. We begin the half term by writing a newspaper all about Boggis, Bunce and Bean digging up the land to find the fox. The class were busy using shovels in class to be the farmers and the foxes and use their inferencing skills to discuss the process. They came to the conclusion that shovels were too tiring and resorted to getting the terrifying tractors to shovel instead! We have had a clear look at the style of newspaper and how children can emulate this in their own writing too. 
Spring term means the start of our new Geography and Science units. In Geography we will be comparing Wombwell to a part of Brazil. The children are very excited about this up and coming learning, especially as we link our Art, where the children will make tie-dye shirts and rain sticks for a carnival. In Science, we are moving on to rocks. The class generated many thoughtful questions that they wanted to find the answer to in this topic. We will be comparing and sorting the physical features as well as learning about fossils and their formation.
As you can see, it is destined to be a very busy and productive term. We can't wait to update you along the way.

I find myself at a loss for how a half term could have flown by so fast. How is there only one week left of the half term. Before we know it it will be 2023. A brand new year will mean brand new challenges for Team CB but I am ever-confident that they will rise to the challenge. 

This half term has seen the class produce some of the most incredible writing using our book Inside the Villains. The class have worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to create a compelling character description of the wolf. I must say, they have done the most incredible job. Many children have ran out of the classroom doors eager to share their work with their parents, and it is no surprise with the amazing content they have produced. With talks of the wolf's insatiable appetite and pitch-black, matted fur, I'm not sure many would be foolish enough to enter the woods until at least after Christmas. 

In Maths, the class have been ordering and comparing numbers. They have developed an understanding of starting at the largest place value column to compare and then where needed moving to smaller denominations. Using these skills, the class have then been able to order numbers in both ascending and descending order. Well done Team CB you are becoming mathematical wizards!

In our topic, we have been focussing on the Roman army and the invasion of Britain. The class have used their drama skills to act out the reasons that the Roman army were so successful against other countries. They have developed clear reasons for why the army conquered so many countries. We also looked at what Britain could offer the Romans and their decisions for invading. Did you know, cattle, gold coins and materials were just some of the resources Romans were desperate to get their hands on? Finally, we have spent time re-creating the attempts to invade Britain. The class worked in small groups as either Julius Casear or Claudius to dramatise the attempted and ultimately successful invasion of Britian.

Children in Team CB are putting residents of Wombwell on high alert after spotting a wolf in Wombwell Woods. Miss Baxter has arrived to class explaining the events of the weekend and has asked the class to help with generating a description of the beast. The class have been fully emersed into the piece of writing and are generating some fantastic language already. I can't wait to see how this piece of writing progresses. 

Elsewhere, in Maths, we have been working hard on representing numbers accurately in a range of different ways, including using bar models. The class showed good understanding of the additive and subtractive relationship between numbers. 

This week has been assessment week in Team CB! Miss Baxter would like to give an extra special big shout out to all of Team CB for their incredible effort. Their hard work did not go unnoticed and we are so very proud of all they have achieved! 

​Keep up the hard work!

It's so lovely to see you all back on the blog! I hope you have all managed a restful half term although in all honesty we have been so busy in Team CB that it seems such a long time ago. 
With the start of a new half term comes a few updates to our learning. In Literacy, we have started our class text for the half term "Inside the Villains". The class have interrogated the text around the witch to help them create their own witch poems, after a particularly spooky visit to class by a witch on the first day back. Our focus has been around creating rhyming poems. We spent time reading, rating and analysing features of poems before creating our own rhyming word banks. We used these to support in creating our own rhyming couplet lines of poetry. We then organised these accordingly into stanzas and performed our best piece down at the nature reserve with a cup of hot chocolate. 
In Reading, we have used the text to support our understanding of the witch and her character traits. We have had a clear focus on vocabulary and what new language means as well as how it portrays the witch. The class are experts at dual coding now and loved hopping on their brooms and "hurtling" around the classroom. They also loved recreating the word "crone" and "dessicated". 
In our Maths, the last fortnight has been spent working with measure. It has been a very active two weeks with the children constantly out and about on the school street, as well as the playground measuring different items. Our focus has been split in two, with an initial focus on metres and cm and then cm and mm. The class have become true professionals at converting between the different measurements, as well as having confidence in estimating before measuring, using their knowledge of size. 
New in our Computing this half term, the class are focusing on Coding. We have been busy learning to use algorithms to perform a task. We have made a small set of commands to simulate an Air Traffic Control game where children have used "When clicked" commands to make the planes fly or collide. 
In our RE we have been learning about why Hindu books are special by looking at the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana. We discussed the difference in these two books and how they must be treated. Having spent a lot of time last half term learning the story of Rama and Sita through Diwali, we focussed more on Krishna. We looked at videos of what Krishna was like as a child and used this to interpret his mischievous ways. 
In PHSE, we have been focussing on Road Safety and taking responsibility. This has been a "theme week" and children worked fantastically hard to identify what would make roads safe for all. They were shocked by statistics relating to road accidents and young children and all came away feeling more clear of the rules of the road and how to keep themselves and others safe. 
We hope you check back soon to see what else we have been up to in our learning!

I cannot believe how quickly time has gone this academic year. We have already reached the end of the first half term, and I could not be more proud of the commitment Team CB has shown to adjusting to life in Key Stage 2. They have worked their absolute socks off and made fantastic progress already against all our new learning - well done!
Over the course of the last fortnight, Team CB have been busy as ever in Maths. We began by looking at counting on and across from one hundred, before applying our knowledge to help us represent 3 digit numbers. We considered different representations that we have grown familiar with, including gattengo grids, part whole models, concrete apparatus and place value grids. The class were fantastic at making links to prior knowledge and spotting how many tens in the hundreds. We then moved on to look at finding 10 more and 10 less than a number where children pattern spotted to note how only the tens column (or in some cases the tens and hundreds column) altered. 
In Literacy, the class have been working to complete their Enormous Crocodile text and publish and present these. They did a fantastic job at developing their understanding of repetitive story structures, to support with the retelling of their own text. 
In the wider curriculum, we have been continuing to explore plants within Science. We have had a focus recently on understanding the conditions that plants need to grow and how these can vary depending upon the plant in question. We have "dug" deeper to look at exactly how to seed develops and grows through investigating germination. The class were fantastic at recalling scientific terminology to support with their understanding of what plants need to thrive and survive. Following this, we devised our own observation over time where children are to investigate which conditions allows cress to grow best!
In History, we have concluded our work on Prehistoric Britain by working through the Bronze Age and Iron Age. We have explored the role of children in copper mining and how Iron Age hillforts represented a shift in behaviours around defence and protection. We are excited to move on to Roman Britain after the holidays.