MrJennings

This week we have begun a new English unit of work about explanation texts. We started by examining some explanation texts and considering the key features of the genre. We did a text marking activity and the used the children's version of the Highway Code (Arrive Alive) as the basis of some activities in which we had to link safety rules with reasons for them. We have also done some activities developing our understanding and use of connectives. We also started a new unit of work in maths. This has involved a range of different activities including coordinates, calculator work and trying long multiplication.

In design technology we have investigated stable structures further by making models (using plasticine and lolly sticks) and testing them on a tilting slope. We found that the wider the base created by the "legs", the more stable the models. Another important new start for us this week was our local history topic. Having looked at the daily life of ordinary people in Saxon times, and learned that Saxons in Germany suffered from land hunger, we worked in groups to decide the sort of place that Saxons would choose to build a new village. Then we found suitable locations and discovered that the place where Nottingham is now was an ideal site for Saxons.