Bramble
What is Justice?
This term, Bramble Class will be embarking on a new project. We will be exploring our key concept question; 'What is Justice?' and deepen our understanding of significant events that have shaped history and today. Our topic driver will be Africa, where we will explore key countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa. Here, we will venture back in time to key events such as Apartheid to support our understanding of injustice, as well as identifying aspects of justice and injustice in modern-day Africa (farming/fair trade).
See below for more details of Bramble Class' project curriculum map.
Just make a mark and see where it takes you!
To start off the year, Bramble Class explored the fantastic text; The Dot by Peter H Reynolds. Here, we learnt about a little girl called Vashti who refused to complete her art-work as she didn't think she was very good at it. Luckily, her teacher believed in Vashti and embraced the dot that Vashti hade made on her page. We then witnessed Vashti's confidence grow and realised that one mark on a page can often lead to a world of imagination and creativity!
Bramble Class then made our own art-work using dots, exploring various artists who used pointillism in their own work.
𝕆𝕦𝕣 𝔸𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕊𝕒𝕗𝕒𝕣𝕚 𝔸𝕕𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖!
On Wednesday 8th September, Bramble Class embarked on a very special adventure. We arrived in the classroom to find that we had a plane ticket- destination unknown! Miss Button told us that we were going on a plane to reach our destination and gave us clues to see if we could guess where we would be travelling to (we didn't have to use our imagination with the weather as it was VERY hot!).
We arrived to the entrance of the whispering woods to discover that we were going on a Safari! We were still not told where in the world we were but Miss Button told us to look around for more clues: she also told us to watch out for some friends that we may find on our way...
Look at the photos below to see what we discovered on our journey!
Apple biting! (Science Investigation )
On Wednesday 21st April, Bramble Class arrived at school to find that they had been given a special mission...
It is 1945. Nazi Germany is on the verge of defeat after being invaded by the Russian forces from the East, and Allied forces from the West. You are a group of top-secret code breakers at Bletchley Park, England. Thanks to you the Enigma codes of the Nazi high command were broken. However, our celebrations have been cut short because German spies have broken into Bletchley Park to steal key information from Britain. All the previous code breakers have gone missing so it is up to us you to crack the code before the Germans return!
As we are coming towards the end of the term, Bramble Class have been working hard at answering our big question:
Who made the greasiest contribution to the evolution of flight?
First, the children had to argue reasons for and against for each key figure we have been exploring this term. Miss Button was so impressed with the insightful ideas and wonderful knowledge that the children displayed.
Keep your eyes peeled for photos of some of Bramble Class’ written balanced arguments.
Take a look at Bramble’s super Kenning poem!
Bramble's return to school- Monday 8th March
This year for World Book Day, our key text was The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, chosen by the lovely Mrs Cox. Whilst we knew World Book Day would be very different to how it usually is, we wanted to choose a book that could be explored and loved by each class in the school, despite most of us learning
from home. As the wonderful Charlie Macksey suggests “this book is for everyone, whether you are eighty or eight”. And how right he is…
In Bramble Class, the pupils and adults explored this book further when we all returned to school on Monday 8th March. We started off our journey by settling into the classroom, reflecting back on our time at home and getting to know each other. We really enjoyed going outside on to the playground and completing our ‘Get to know me’ grids. This was a great opportunity for us to find out about all the wonderful hobbies and skilled we learnt during our time at home. Miss Button was surprised to find out how many children had tried Sushi!!
After break, we returned to the classroom and listened as Miss Button read the story to us. We first looked at the letter from the author at the beginning of the text; “The truth is I need pictures, they are like islands, places to get to in a sea of words”. We discussed what we thought Mackesy meant by this and looked at some of his superb illustrations. We then explored the key themes of the story and identified that, not only did the character’s go on a physical journey throughout the book, but a journey of learning and self-love. We recognised that this is a bit like the learning journey we are embarking on in our own lives. The children were then set the task of choosing what they thought was the most important message of the story- Bramble Class showed excellent maturity and understanding here.
Times Table Challenge!
Spellings
A Roman Adventure!
What legacy did the Roman Civilisation leave?
Marvellous Middle!
Bramble class returned to school to find a note on Bramble's classroom door:
MEMBERS OF THE ICENI TRIBE, PLEASE REPORT TO THE ROUND HOUSE!
We arrived in the Round House (hall) to find a Celtic village. We soon learnt that we had transported back in time to the year 60 CE! We became members of the Iceni Tribe and were given jobs and explored what life was like living in a Celtic village. Later on, whilst we were siting around the fire, Queen Boudicca told us that she had been sent a message from a neighbouring tribe, telling us that the Romans were invading! Many tribes had already surrendered and we had to decide what we should do. We participated in a debate; To fight or to surrender!
The Iceni Tribe decided to...
FIGHT!
Queen Boudicca told us that we needed to gather our weapons and prepare for battle. We explored traditional Celtic patterns and designed Celtic shields.
Britain Through The Ages
Which Age had the greatest influence on modern Britain?
Bramble's Cave Paintings!
Enrichment Week!
During our first week back, Bramble Class has a fantastic time exploring our learning theme; The Plastic Problem. We learnt about the devastating impact plastic is having on our Oceans and created persuasive posters to encourage people to recycle, re-use and reduce their plastic consumption. We also created our own T-Shirt bags made by re-using an old t-shirt!
Stunning start- A walk through Pre-historic Britain!
To introduce our new topic, Bramble Class took part in a learning walk through pre-history, starting with the Triassic and finally making our way through to Neolithic. We couldn't believe what we saw on the way!
Mindfulness Journals
Parents/Carers
In light of current events, I have collected some resources to support you with discussing the Black Lives Matter Movement and race and diversity with you child/ren. Earlier this year, during our Out of Africa topic, we dedicated a lot of time to explore Apartheid in South Africa where we discussed segregation, racism and focused on key activists such as Nelson Mandela and Stephen Biko. I am confident that the children will therefore have a foundation of knowledge and understanding to build upon. If you have any questions, please do let me know.
Welcome to Bramble's Bookflix!
Take a look at Bramble's top picks!
If you are reading or have read a book that is SUPER, could you please send me an email with the name and author, and a little explanation of what it is about and why you would recommend it. Our next Bookflix will be up next week!
Parent/Carer information
Staying Safe Online
As I am sure you are now spending a lot more time on the internet, it is really important for us to remember how to keep safe online. In Bramble Class , we recently learnt about our online identities and how we must keep our personal details safe when playing games online. We were reminded of the importance of ALWAYS asking permission from our grown ups and what to do if we feel uncomfortable or unsure on the internet.
Follow these rules to stay SMART on the internet.
Be SMART online
Safe-
Keep your personal information safe. When chatting or posting online don’t give away things like your full name, password or home address. Remember personal information can be seen in images and videos you share too. Keep them safe to keep yourself safe.
Meet-
Meeting up with someone you only know online, even a friend of a friend, can be dangerous as this person is still a stranger. If someone you only know online ever asks you to meet up, for personal information or for photos/videos of you then tell an adult straight away and report them together on www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Accepting-
Think carefully before you click on or open something online (e.g. links, adverts, friend requests, photos) as you never know where they may lead to or they may contain viruses. Do not accept something if you are unsure of who the person is or what they’ve sent you.
Reliable-
You cannot trust everything you see online as some things can be out of date, inaccurate or not entirely true. To find reliable information compare at least three different websites, check in books and talk to someone about what you have found.
Tell-
Tell a trusted adult if something or someone ever makes you feel upset, worried or confused. This could be if you or someone you know is being bullied online. There are lots of people who will be able to help you like teachers, parents, carers or contact Childline – 0800 11 11 or www.childline.org.uk
For more ideas on how to stay safe on the internet, click on the links below.
https://www.childnet.com/resources/the-adventures-of-kara-winston-and-the-smart-crew