10.05.24 - Literacy!

In Yellow Base this half-term, we are writing a warning tale with lots of exciting descriptions. Our learning journey is visible in our classroom as we use our washing line to remind the children of what they have explored so far. 

This week we have focused on the various tools we could use to develop our descriptive writing. In particular, we have explored how to be clever with our choice of words and use exciting adjectives to describe characters and settings. We also focused on using our sentences to strengthen our descriptions. We immersed ourselves in a video of a cave, thinking carefully about what we could see, hear and feel. We then innovated the main character in our story, describing not only their physical appearance but also their personality. We are having lots of fun, and we can't wait to write our story! 

 

                  

                 

26.04.24 - Dinosaurs!

This week in Yellow Base we have been exploring our new topic of Dinosaurs. We are all incredibly excited to learn about this topic and we all have lots of questions we are eager to discover the answers to.

During our art lessons, we have been exploring different textures. We have created different textures using pencils, experimenting with different pressure and techniques such as shading. We then began to form our paper-mache egg. We used water balloons to form the shape of the egg and then used strips of paper and PVA glue to build layers. We used multiple layers to ensure that the egg was strong enough to be painted and printed on next week. We are excited to experiment with different ways of printing to add texture to our eggs. 

This week has been so much fun and we enjoyed creating the base of our dinosaur eggs! We can't wait to paint them next. 

 

                               

 

 

15.04.24 - Benjamin Zephaniah Week!

Yellow Base has thoroughly enjoyed exploring the life and work of Benjamin Zephaniah. We have looked at various aspects of his life,such as his childhood, his activism and his poetry. Together we explored his early life, including his school journey and his family unit. With our learning partners, we created a mindmap of all of the information we have learned. 

We discovered that many things influenced Benjamin Zephaniah's work, including art from Caribbean artists. We did an artist study on Brianna McCarthy who is a self-taught artist from Trinidad and Tobago. We looked at her mixed-media collages and created our own portraits using a collage technique. We had lots of fun creating these abstract pieces of art! 

Benjamin Zephaniah was a passionate animal rights activist and wrote many poems about veganism. We explored what it meant to be vegan and discussed what vegans eat. We tasted different food and tried their vegan alternatives. We enjoyed exploring the different tastes and discussing together. 

                                       

                          

 

 

28.03.24 - Easter Cooking!

To celebrate the end of the Spring Term, children in Yellow Base took part in some Easter cooking. They worked together to weigh and measure the ingredients and to decorate their Easter nests. They look delicious!

                        

 

22.03.24 - Computing!

In Yellow Base this week we have been exploring algorithms in our computing lessons. Initially we discussed what an algorithm is and how they are used in code. We then practised creating precise instructions to move the “flurb” to the fruit. We had a lot of practise orally, saying our instructions to our partner before translating the instructions into symbols.  This gave us an opportunity to get experience of writing in short-hand code. We then were able to run a programme created by somebody else and address bugs or errors in sequenced instructions. 

We had lots of fun experimenting with code and we are excited to use our new skills when we begin to code on the chromebooks!

                       

 

15.03.24 -Personal, Social, Health and Economic  (PSHE) Learning!

We have had lots of fun this week in PSHE! We have been focusing on how we can respect each others differences and celebrate our uniqueness.

In particular, we spoke about and challenged stereotypes around gender. We initially discussed the definition of a stereotype and spoke about possible stereotypes of boys and girls. A statement that sparked lots of conversation was ‘boys don’t like pink’.  We discussed our male role models that wear pink, including Leeds United who currently have a pink away kit! We soon realised that boys and girls can have the same interests and there are many things that boys and girls enjoy doing.

Later in the lesson we sat in groups and sorted statements that we thought belonged to girls, boys or had no gender. We listened to each other and respectfully challenged ideas if we had a different opinion. 

We had lots of fun having meaningful conversations and understood how we are all different and that is something to be celebrated! 

                               

08.03.24 - RE!

This half-term in RE,  Yellow base have been exploring how different people pray. This week we focused on how Christians pray.  We enjoyed watching lots of videos and having discussions about the thoughts, actions and feelings of Christians during prayer. 

                                                                           

 

 

01.03.24 - Art

Last half-term we researched the artist Paul Klee. We were inspired by his art ‘Castle and the Sun’ and wanted to create our own interpretation. We experimented with colour mixing and then cut out various shapes to create our collage. 

This week we took the opportunity to reflect on our amazing artwork that we created last year. We evaluated our own work, we reflected on what we liked about it and how we would improve it next time. 

We also took the time to move around the classroom and discuss other people’s work, leaving a compliment on a post-it note to read at the end of the lesson. We had lots of fun, and we are proud of our work!

                                                                                          

 

 

19.02.24 - Pirates!

Our topic in Yellow Base this half term is Pirates. As part of this we are exploring the different parts of our world, from the continents to the countries and capital cities of the UK. 

This week we have been researching the continents of the world. We have been practising naming the continents, we have learnt a fantastic song which helps us to remember them in size order! We have also practised locating the different contents on a world map and a globe. We had lots of discussion about the location and the key features of each continent. We are really excited about continuing our learning in Geography as we look at the different oceans next week.

                                      

                                  

09.02.24 - PE!

In PE this half term, Yellow Base have had a focus on health and fitness. We have been learning how to use different equipment appropriately such as balls and benches. We have also been learning how to move and land safely. Additionally, we have been discussing how our body feels before, during and after exercising. We have noticed the difference in our heart rate and breathing after we have 'warmed up' our body.  We have had so much fun in PE this half term!

                                                

 

01.02.24 - Understanding the World

At the end of last week we visited Skipton Castle. This was an exciting opportunity for the children to expand their understanding of the world around them. We have learnt about why castles were built and the defences they have to protect themselves.  We got to explore the entire castle, from the look-out tower to the creepy dungeon! We had so much fun and it was an amazing experience!

 

 

22.01.24 - Marvellous Maths!

In maths this week we have been exploring division! We have done lots of practical learning using cubes whilst also turning our collaboration cog as we worked with our partners. We have been investigating different ways to divide, and we found that we can share or group numbers. Lots of us turned our enquiry cog as we began to recognise patterns and noticed the relationship between multiplication and division. This then helped us to do some problem solving, and we explained our thinking to our partners. Yellow base have really enjoyed learning about multiplication and division so far!

                               

 

                 

 

15.01.24 - Focus on Literacy!

In Yellow Base, we have been looking at instructions within our literacy lessons, with a focus on “How to protect your castle”. This week we read our instructions. We looked at key vocabulary within the text, discussing what the words meant, and we drew pictures or created actions to help our understanding. We then looked closely at the sequence of the instructions. We worked together in partners to sequence the instructions, then practised reading them together. Then, we looked at lots of different instructions to recognise the key features of them. In partners, we highlighted the various features, including the title, introduction, you will need, method, time words and bossy verbs. As a class, we have made an instruction tool kit that we can use to help us when we begin to create our own exciting instructions next week!