Week Ending 31 March
What a fun-filled, exciting end of term!
To end the Spring Term, we had two special events. The first event was the Easter Fair. Mrs Brown worked with the children to produce three Spring themed items to sell at the school fair. The first items the children made were beautiful Easter table mats. They selected the colour paper they liked best and weaved the two colours together to make their mats. To give the mats some extra special detail, the children decorated Easter Egg pictures to be placed on the mats before they were laminated. The second items they make were beautiful bird feeders made out of oranges! The children scooped out the orange, leaving the skin and then filled the skin with bird seed. To hang the bird feeders, the children added BBQ sticks and string. The final items were chocolatey tasty treats – Easter Nests! Using Shredded Wheat, Cornflakes and Krispies, the children made a variety of nests with marshmallows and chocolate mini eggs as toppings – who could resist?! So, on Wednesday afternoon Ferrari Class were ready and prepared to sell their wares. Each child worked as part of a team to sell one of the items. They had to calculate the costs, communicate the totals and well as count and give the correct change! They did an AMAZING Job! In total they raised €100.39.
The second event was our Elizabethan Court. To celebrate our fabulous learning about ‘Magnificent Monarchs’ we held an Elizabethan Court in the Villa V hall on Thursday morning. All members of Ferrari were given an authentic character from the Elizabeth Era to attend the Court. The children had to find out information about their character so they could present themselves to ‘The Queen’ at the Court. They learnt how to perform The Pavan and a Medieval circle dance as well as listen to music performed by the talented Lady Wheeler. Luckily, Sir Walter Raleigh had been on an expedition and brought back some foods and spices for the courtiers to taste such as ginger, chocolate, cinnamon and chilli. The Queen was very pleased with all the courtiers and gave them rewards or chocolate eggs and pearls as gifts. The only problem that occurred was when Lady Wheeler sneezed and made a loud noise with her instrument, making the Queen so angry she threw her shoe!! Luckily, once the mistake had been recognised, peace reigned over the Court once again!
Well done Ferrari Class you were MAGNIFICENT!
Week Ending 24 March
Another Assessment Week successfully completed! Well done Ferrari Class for working so hard and being resilient.
Here are some of the highlights of our week.
On Wednesday we welcomed the parents and families into our class for our ‘Open Afternoon’. The children created a portrait gallery of their wonderful Royal Portraits. First, we explained how we made our portraits and the steps we went through to get to the finished product. With the sound of Greensleeves in the background, the children and parents walked around the room admiring the paintings and wrote feedback on post it notes for the children to enjoy and keep. Then the children shared their Kenning poems. All the children read the Class Kenning describing Henry VIII. Mr Densley did a great job at guessing the correct monarch! Each child chose their favourite Kenning that they had written individually and shared it with the parents. We were very impressed that the parents knew exactly who we were describing! Thank you to all the families that were able to join us and make this such a fun and exciting experience for the children.
The children have really enjoyed the preparation for our Elizabethan Court. All the children have been assigned a character and have done some research about that character. They have learnt about how to behave in court and how to approach and address Queen Elizabeth I. They have learnt that the queen loved to be flattered at all times and had a bit of a temper – so much so, she would even throw one of her shoes! We have been learning how to do some traditional dances too!
On Wednesday, we welcomed Miss Coole into Ferrari to teach ‘How are places of worship similar and different?’ The children enjoyed taking part in a variety of activities linked to the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths.
This week we have been learning about of final significant sovereign, Queen Victoria. The children have learnt about, her family life, the British Empire and some of the traditions she started such as wearing white wedding dresses and decorating a tree at Christmas! The children were surprised to learn how harsh living conditions were for the poor in the Victorian Era. They made links with the story Mrs Robinson was reading to them ‘The Water Babies’ and how terrible life could be for children. They were happy to learn that Queen Victoria created laws to help the poor and protect the children. They also made links with our topic ‘Movers and Shakes’ where Florence Nightingale received a medal from Queen Victoria for her work to improve hospital conditions and nursing.
In maths this week, the Year 1 children and the Year 2 children have successfully completed their learning about Length and Height and have started learning about mass using standard and non- standard units of measure. In arithmetic, the Year 1 children have been learning and practicing their counting on and back in 10’s while the Year 2’s have been using the column method to subtract (without regrouping).
In our English lessons this week, we have been focusing on plurals in our SPaG session. The rest of English writing has been linking with our topic. The children have enjoyed writing a diary entry about the day the visited Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. For this activity they had to imagine they were one of the royal princes or princesses travelling with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to their favourite holiday retreat. Did you know Prince Albert build a life size house called The Swiss Cottage for the children to play in?
It has been another wonderful week of learning Ferrari! Well done everyone!
Week Ending 17 March
Another great week of learning in Ferrari ending in the children wearing something red to celebrate Red Nose Day!
Here are some of our highlights of this week.
Ferrari Class have been poets this week! The children have been learning about kenning poems. These poems are like riddles – the reader has to guess what they are all about. Can you guess which ‘Significant Sovereign’ this poem describes?
Latin learner
Bible reader
Manuscript writer
Castle constructor
Viking vanquisher
Christian converter
Cake burner
England uniter
That’s right – Alfred the Great! Kenning poems use a noun followed by a noun or verb on every line. The children in Ferrari did an excellent job at writing Kennings about some of the monarchs we have been learning about. We are excited to share these at our open afternoon!
In maths, the Year 1 and 2 children have been learning to measure height and length. They have used standard and non-standard units of measure and have started to make accurate estimations. The year 1 children have learnt to measure in centimetres making sure they always measure from 0 on the ruler. The Year 2 children have compared height and length, measured in metres and centimetres and used all four operations to solve problems. In arithmetic, the Year 1 children have been consolidating their place value skills with one more and one less. The Year 2 children have been learning about multiples of 2,5 and 10. Well done to Clodagh for attaining her times tables Blue Award.
We had our final ‘Wonderful Wednesday’ art session with Mrs Holgate. The children finished their Royal Portraits by adding the clothing. Many children used lace, pearls or jewels as the finishing touches to the royal outfits! We would like to thank Mrs Holgate for working with us over the last 4 weeks. Everyone was proud of their achievements and elected to share their portraits in our celebration assembly on Friday.
In other curriculum areas, the children have been learning about seed dispersal in our science topic ‘Growing Plants’. In PE, the children have started their unit on ball skills, focusing on throwing, catching, bouncing and bowling. In computing the children are really enjoying using the ‘stopAnimator’ app to create short movies with Mrs Pollington.
Finally, it was wonderful to move back to our classroom in the school. We have loved learning in Villa V but it’s great to be back home!
Week Ending 10 March
What a busy week it’s been! Ferrari have worked so hard and ended the week on a high with a visit to Christ Church Naples.
Here are some of our highlights.
On Friday we visited Christ Church, Naples as part of our R.E. unit of learning ‘What makes some places sacred?’. The objective of our visit was to find out more about why the church is important to Christians. We left school at 09:00 and arrived in Naples at 10:00. The children were excited travelling on the bus, especially when we went through the tunnels! On arrival at the church, Madre Jules greeted us and showed us where we could eat our snack before our tour of this magnificent church. Madre Jules told us all about the church and the features that were important to Christians. The children then had the opportunity to look at each part of the church in more depth. They went in the pulpit, sat in the pews, and looked at the fabulous stain glass windows. They listened to the organ playing and marvelled at the beautiful mosaic behind the alter. We made some interesting connections too! We went to the little chapel which honoured members of the British Forces who fought in the Salerno landings and found a dedication by Queen Alexandra, we found an olive tree that was planted to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee and a plaque remembering Queen Victoria. So many ‘Magnificent Monarchs’ in this church! The children had the opportunity to walk around the church in pairs taking photographs, using the iPads, of the important features. Finally, we met with Madre Jules again to hear more about the church. The children enjoyed trying the communion wafers and having the opportunity to ask Madre Jules questions.
This was a truly wonderful learning experience for the children, they left with a palm cross in preparation for Easter. For more information on Christ Church please visit Christ Church Naples | English-Speaking Anglican Church located in Napoli, Italy Thank you Madre Jules for a wonderful visit.
So …… we now have Wonderful Wednesdays! This is when Mrs Holgate joins us so we can be artists! We have been learning about Royal Portraits and what they tell us about the monarchs. We have been making our Royal Portraits, adding more detail to our pictures each week. The children have mixed colours to make their skin tone and have looked at their faces to add their facial features and hair. They have coloured the background in radiating lines, using oil pastels. The children could choose hot or cold colours to reflect their personalities! This week we have been making our portraits ‘royal’ by adding crowns and jewels to our paintings……..next week we will complete our portraits by adding the clothes!
In English we have been thinking and acting like authors! The children have written their own section of the story from The Dragon Machine, describing how their Dragon Machine moves using onomatopoeic verbs, including descriptions of their setting. They have made a character study of the main character ‘George’. They have thought about how he was feeling at different points in the story and have made a ‘role in the wall’ description using vocabulary from the text. Finally, the children used what they had learnt about George to describe their own character. The children have really enjoyed sharing their writing with each other. What great progress they are making!
In maths the Year 2 children have started their unit on Length and height. They have learnt to measure in centimetres and metres and have been comparing heights and lengths. The Year 1 children have completed their unit on Place Value to 50 and have shown they have a good understanding of place value to 50 and are now ready to move onto their next unit ‘Height and Length’.
We have had a very busy week learning about our ‘Significant Sovereigns’. We started by finding out about the Feudal System which was used by William the conqueror to rule England. We decided it really wasn’t good to be a peasant, particularly a serf, who was no better than a slave with the average life expectancy of 30 years! Being a knight, or noble was so much better! We then moved onto our next Significant Sovereign’ – Henry VIII. Now …… we all knew that he didn’t treat his wives very well BUT was he a good or bad king overall? We found out more information about his life and what he achieved during his reign. We discovered that he did many good things too, so it was pretty hard to choose whether he was good or bad!!
It is wonderful to see how Ferrari are making so many connections in their learning! Well done children!
Week Ending 03 March
We’ve had another wonderful week of learning in Ferrari Class!
Here are some of our highlights.
On Thursday 2nd March the school was full of book characters to celebrate World Book Day! The children arrived in class and introduced their character, sharing the book the character was from. It was fun doing the register using the character’s names! The day started with an ‘I Spy’ game of book characters. The children then attended a special World Book Day Whole School Assembly where the teachers and adults read the story of ‘The Day the Crayons Quit!’ Each teacher was dressed as one of the coloured pencils and red out a letter stating why they decided to quit. It was great fun! After break the children thought about colours and shades of colours and made their own thesaurus for colours. During the day, the children took part in a variety of book-based activities and listened to stories read by the different members of the staff! What a great way to celebrate the joy of reading!
In our topic, Magnificent Monarchs, we moved on to our next significant sovereign – William the Conqueror! The children learnt about the story of how and why William, Duke of Normandy, became king of England. The children learnt that the Bayeux Tapestry told the story of the Norman invasion. The children had the task of being history detectives and had to put pieces of the Bayeux Tapestry back together in chronological order to tell the story of the invasion. The children worked in pairs and had to be collaborative to be successful. The next task was to look at a piece of the tapestry that was incomplete. The children had to finish the tapestry using authentic colours. They did a fantastic job!
In English, we have started a new unit of writing based on a book by Helen Ward called ‘The Dragon Machine.’ The children have been listening and reading the story everyday to have a secure understanding of the text and to understand the new vocabulary. They have looked at how certain techniques such as repetition are used to enhance the meaning. The children have created a story map, sequencing the story into eight sections. They have discovered that the author uses onomatopoeic verbs to describe the movement of the dragon machine bringing the story alive! The children have designed their own dragon machine which they really enjoyed.
In maths, the Year 2 children have completed their unit on ‘Multiplication and Division’ showing an excellent understanding of all the concepts and skills they have been taught. Very well-done Year 2! The Year 1 children have completed the first week of the unit ‘Place Value to 50’. They have been completing number lines and number tracks counting to 50 as well as grouping in tens. In our early morning arithmetic session, the Year 2’s have been doing a fantastic job using formal methods in addition whist the Year 1’s have been consolidating their numbers to 50.
Finally, I wanted to say a big well done to all the children for working so hard with their daily handwriting. We have been learning to join our writing and it is wonderful to see how well all the children are doing! Keep it up Ferrari!
Week Ending 24 February
It was wonderful to welcome the children back into school after half term. It was exciting to hear their news about the wonderful adventures they had experienced. I was very impressed with the way all the children settled back into their school routine and focused on their learning.
Here are some of the highlights of this week:
On Tuesday we celebrated Carnevale. The children came to school dressed in costumes or their favourite clothes and paraded with their masks that they had made with Keila in a special assembly. Here they learnt more about the traditions of Carnevale before being treated to special fritters/cake chiacchiere’ – meaning ‘the pieces of gossip’.
In arithmetic, the Year 2 children have started learning about the formal method of addition. They started with adding tens and ones then progressed to hundreds, tens and ones. They have done a fantastic job at learning this method and will start regrouping next week. The Year 1 children have been practicing their subtraction skills using a number line. In their maths lesson, the Year 2 children are continuing with their ‘Multiplication and Division’ unit. They have been practicing their skills of doubling and halving as well as revising odd and even numbers. The Year 1 children have just completed their unit on ‘Addition and Subtraction’ finishing with a successful end of unit assessment. One of the skills the children have been practicing is finding the difference. The children have enjoyed building different sized towers out of Lego and measuring to find the difference in height! Well done Year 1’s! Next week they will start their unit on ‘Place Value within 50.’
Why was Alfred the Great the only British monarch with the title Great? Alfred is the first of our six significant sovereigns that we will be learning about this half of term. Over this week the children have been learning about Alfred to find out why he was given such a title. The children learnt about his resilience and his understanding of the importance of education. They learnt how he brought peace to England and how he united England for the first time. They enjoyed listening to legends about Alfred and how he burnt the cakes as well as disguising himself as a musician to sneak into a Viking camp! Finally, the children looked at an image of a silver coin that was found in a field in Derbyshire which had the head of Alfred and the inscription ‘King of the English’. From what they learnt, the children were challenged to design the other side of the coin based on Alfred’s achievements.
We have started our new PE unit Skipping. The children have enjoyed playing games based around jumping and skipping this week. I have been so impressed with how well some of the children can skip already and how those children who are learning to skip are already making progress.
In English we have started with our elicitation task which required the children to write a simple story about an adventure one of their toys got up to when they went to school! I discovered these toys can be very tricky and naughty when we are at school! Our new Unit is based on a book called ‘The Dragon Machine’ by Helen Ward. We have read the story and made predictions based on the beautiful illustrations in the book. The children have been revising what verbs are and have started learn how to use commas in lists. Finally congratulations to George, for joining Florence, Jessica and Jack in completing the blue level multiplication challenge.