Cutting of the ribbon
1/5
Peeping faces
2/5
Charles III, 50 pence coin was thrown into the pond to commemorate the opening of the Coronation Garden
3/5
The blessing of the Coronation Garden by Reverend Harriet
4/5
Andy and his band come to Harting!
5/5
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Welcome to Chestnut Class.
Chestnut Class is the year two and year three group of children who are taught by Mrs Fielder and Mrs Truman our wonderful teaching assistant. On Wednesdays the children have Aspire PE taught by Mr Gardner and music taught by Mrs Lockrose.
Summer Term 2023
First Half
It was lovely to see so many families on Friday for the Coronation picnic. Thankfully the weather held, so we could watch and enjoy the Maypole dancing, poetry reading the the Brass Band. Well done everyone.
Today, Monday 8th May, many families, staff and villagers turned up for the opening of the Coronation Garden. Mr Tidey, gave a speech thanking everyone who has been involved then Reverend Harriet along with the children blessed the garden. Finally the ribbon was cut and a young lad from Chestnut class threw a Charles III 50 pence piece into the pond to commemorate the opening. Everyone explored the garden and the hide. It was lovely watching excited faces peeping through the holes.
I am hoping that we will use the space this week weather permitting and that everyone has had a super Coronation weekend.
Week ending 19.05.23
In English the children have written a letter in character to Mrs Tredegar. They asked her about her memories of The Green Ship as well as telling her things that they had been doing since they had last visited. The children have also begun to create their own stories. They have been thinking about good story openers and interesting build ups. These should be finished this coming week.
In maths the year 3 children have continued to learn about properties of 2D and 3D shapes. Year 2 have revised all 4 calculations as well as shapes, measures and time. This last week they sat their year 2 tests. They all tried really hard and persevered with the many different questions. Well done year 2.
In science the year 3 children walked to the church to study the different rocks whilst the year 2 experimented with different materials to find out which ones can be twisted, stretched, squashed and bent.
History has seen us studying Queen Victoria, finding out what she was like as a Queen and what significant events took place during her reign.
The children also completed their sketches of Henry VIII. Once finished, they used acrylic paint to add colour and texture. These have now been framed and are hanging in the 'throne room' in the classroom. They look absolutely amazing.
The children have also been using the computers, playing percussion instruments, taking part in PE and thinking about secrets in PHSE. To end the week we visited the Coronation Garden. Under strict instructions NOT to trample the wild flower turf or to fall in the pond, (neither of which happened, phew) we had a lovely time pond dipping, sketching, peeping out of the holes in the hyde and watching the wildlife, including a beautiful dragonfly which took great delight in landing on the children!
Week ending 28.04.23
Again, lots has been happening in Chestnut class over the past two weeks.
In English we have learned how to use inverted commas and commas for lists. We have also written a description of the storm from 'The Green Ship'. The children worked in pairs initially, brainstorming words, noun phrases and similes that described the storm and the effects it had on the ship as well as its occupants. The descriptions were a delight to read as the class really engaged with the task. On Friday morning, as a reward for their hard work, we painted a storm - the whole class sat around one very large piece of paper, all painting at the same time. It could have been a disaster, but as always the class were brilliant, so we now have a very effective storm on the wall of the classroom, ready to receive their descriptions.
We have also been working very hard with our handwriting, really trying to ensure that we join the letters correctly and that they sit on the lines and that the words have a decent gap between them.
In maths, year two have been revising place value, partitioning, addition and subtraction. Year three have now finished fractions and are beginning work on different aspects of shape such as parallel lines, perpendicular lines a well as ensuring they know the properties of regular 2D and 3D shapes.
In science, year two are learning about the properties of materials whilst the year threes are learning about rocks. I wonder if they can remember the three main types of rocks and how they are formed?
The history learning is well under way, where the children have thought about the roles of a monarch as well as finding out some gruesome facts about Henry VIII. Did you know that during his 36 years of rule he ordered the execution of at least 57,000 people!
Mrs Day has already taught the children a maypole dance and some have already had their first Rocksteady lesson, which by all accounts was fantastic!
There is now a role play area in the classroom - The Throne Room - with a few bits and pieces for dressing up. If anyone has any suitable costumes for Kings and Queens, they would be greatly received.
Week commencing 17.04.23
I hope everyone has had a relaxing and enjoyable Easter break. It was lovely welcoming the children back into school today - they all came in with smiling faces and were very keen to see their friends again. We had an enjoyable morning, finding out what they got up to over the break. It sounds like everyone had a fun time. Then this afternoon, we had a visit from Andy and his band. The children were so excited but as always were beautifully behaved and joined in with the singing and dancing whenever they could. What a way to start the term!
Our area of learning this half term, Summer 1, is 'Majestic Monarchs', where we will be learning about significant British monarchs and the role they played in our history. Please see below, the knowledge organiser which details the history knowledge and skills the children will learn in this topic. Please also refer to the curriculum map which provides an overview of the learning in the other areas of the curriculum.
Week ending 17.03.23
A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks and as always the children have responded enthusiastically. There have been many science activities happening throughout school, all starting with an assembly introducing Sublime Science. The 'scientist' was very captivating, by showing us snippets of what the day had in store. In our afternoon workshop we were very lucky as the children got to make sherbet and to eat it too. Some of their faces were a picture when they tried the citric acid before the sugar was added! I wonder if the children can remember what caused the fizziness?
On Tuesday 7th the school walked to the Congregational Church for a service with Linda and in the afternoon Mr Gibbons came in to talk about the internet, how it is used for so many day to day things as well as internet safety. The children really enjoyed the practical session, as did the teachers. Thank you.
On Wednesday we had......SNOW! The excitement radiated throughout the school. It was so lovely watching the children of all ages enjoying playing together, throwing snowballs as well as making snowmen for the 'Best Snowman' competition. I'm so glad that I didn't have to judge the entries as they were all so good.
The year three went to the 'All Sing Event' at MRC where they learnt the song Wonder by Emeli Sande. Thank you Mrs Lockrose for arranging this and for accompanying them on the trip. It goes without saying that they were all great advocates for the school. Well done Year Three.
The last two days have seen the children wearing their own clothes, to keep warm and for today to raise money for Comic Relief. The start to today was very exciting as the lorry carrying the skip got stuck in the mud on the playing field. Eventually it was rescued by a tractor! The week ended with the book fair. Chestnut class were so sensible when they were taken to the hall to look at the great selection of books.
Amongst these exciting events, the children have been working hard, learning fractions, writing descriptions and discovering the different climate zones in Australia. Year two have been learning about life cycles and healthy eating in science and continuing their programming of the bee-bots. Year three have been learning the names of the main parts of the human skeleton as well as the meaning of the terms vertebrate and invertebrate. They have also continued their work on Scratch.
Hopefully you will be given a beautiful Mother's Day card and I hope you all have an enjoyable and (relaxing) day on Sunday.
Week ending 3.3.23
What a busy few weeks we have had in Chestnut class and as always the children have been as keen and enthusiastic as ever.
In English we have begun working from our new key text called 'The Green Ship' by Quentin Blake. At the beginning, the children in the book see something absolutely astonishing..... The first activity was to paint what they would love to find hidden behind a screen of branches and to write a short description. The children came up with some super ideas..... This week we have begun talking about Mrs Tredegar, trying to work out who she might be and what role she will play in the story.
In maths we have continued using various resources, including our knowledge of the times tables to work out division calculations. We are pretty confident with this now.
In science we have started our work on life cycles (year 2) and nutrition (year 3).
The year 2 children have been learning what an algorithm is in computing, whilst the year 3s have been learning to use 'scratch'.
Yesterday, World Book Day, was a really fun day. We DEAR (dropped everything and read), made book marks, shared our book characters with each other as well as taking photos and had not one but two assemblies!
Week ending 27.01.23
Since the last time of writing, we are really becoming experts on Ancient Egypt. It is lovely seeing how interested the children are and just how knowledgeable they are too. I am also really pleased that so many children have gone home and done further research. Thank you, and of course it will be shared with the class and put on 'The Homework Window'.
The children are also enjoying our class reading book called 'A Mummy Ate My Homework', written by Thiago De Moraes. At the start of every afternoon, without fail, they hang on my every word, as a young lad called He Ne Re (Henry) tries to find his way back to the present day after being sucked into a black hole and taken to Ancient Egypt. He has encountered the pet crocodile called Sobby, a monkey called Mumbles that got him and his new friends into trouble as well as trying to learn how to handle spears without being injured. He wasn't very successful unfortunately but he does enjoy the astronomy lessons instead!
In maths we have moved onto multiplication. The year twos have used numicon pieces to represent groups of 2, 5 and 10 and have begun to write the calculations using the x symbol. The year threes have begun to explore short multiplication by partitioning the 2-digit number first.
We have finished writing the description of a scene from 'Cinderella of the Nile. We have worked hard this week to think of effective noun phrases and similes to describe as well as use conjunctions to help the narrative flow. The children should be really proud of their efforts.
We have also continued with our sketching in art and our Egyptian dance in PE. The children have become quite the experts in moving like an Egyptian!
Week ending 13.01.23
I can't believe, yet another week has passed. It has been a busy one with lots of learning in many subject areas. We started the week with our third jigsaw piece called 'Dreams and Goals'. We talked about setting realistic goals and how these can be achieved and then considered things they have achieved and how it makes them feel. We talked about how it is important to store these proud and positive feelings inside us. 'Imagine you have a treasure chest inside of you where you can store these special feelings'. We started our core text on Monday, Cinderella of the Nile by Beverley Naidoo. Mysteriously a bottle was washed up on shore containing a message. The class had to use the message to work out who had sent it and why. Finally they wrote a short newspaper article to make the citizens of Samos aware that there are bandits on the loose and a boy or girl has been captured and are in need of help. In maths we have continued with subtraction but crossing the tens boundary, exchanging 1 ten for 10 ones. Our history this week focused on the importance of the river Nile. I wonder how many reasons the children can remember and if they can remember the names the Egyptians gave to the seasons. In order to get water from the Nile the Egyptians made a device called a 'shaduf'. In design technology the class learned how it worked and what it was made from. They also made their own prototypes out of straws, string and masking tape. They persevered, as it was quite a fiddly task, and worked really well as a team, helping each other where needed. Nearly all the prototypes were successful, and where they weren't, we looked at what we could do to improve them. The 'Star of the Week' certificate was given to all Chestnut class, for showing endurance, (the value of the month), when making the shadufs. WELL DONE.
Week ending 6.01.23
It's been lovely having everyone back in school this week after so many being off with various illnesses just before Christmas. The children have settled back into the routine really well; we've had a good first week back, with lots of learning crammed into just four days.
In English, we have been thinking about conjunctions; words used to join clauses or sentences. In one activity we had to find the two parts of the sentence and decide which word successfully joined the two parts. In another activity the children worked in pairs to write sentences using these words. We had sentences such as 'We can go to the cinema if it is raining; I went riding although I was sick; They wouldn't let me play because I was wearing pink jogging bottoms'.
In maths we have practiced adding and subtracting within 20, trying to use our number fact knowledge to help us work out the answers in our heads. We have also played a game called 'strike it out' where the children practiced these skills. Next week we are going to complete our work on addition and subtraction before moving onto multiplication and division.
Yesterday the children were introduced to our topic of Ancient Egyptians. They learned facts such as 'The Great pyramid took 5,000 men to build it; the ancient Egyptians had many Gods; they used a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics.
It was a pleasure to see how interested and engaged the children were after just one lesson, some even doing research at home to share with the class today. The children were so excited when we delved into the back of the classroom cupboard to find all the Egyptian resources; there were mummies, headdresses, pyramids, dressing up clothes and much, much more.
We ended the week with our dance lesson moving to Egyptian music. The children were just fantastic, some have such a good sense of rhythm.
Knowledge Organisers
Please find below the knowledge organisers linked to your child's learning this term. This document provides details of the key knowledge the children are expected to learn across the sequence of learning. We would encourage parents and carers to look at these with their children and regularly spend time discussing the facts on the sheets.
Finding fractions of a length.
6/12
Finding half of a length.
7/12
Finding fractions of 3D plasticine shapes
8/12
Drama; acting out scenes from The Green Ship.
9/12
Drama; acting out scenes from The Green Ship
10/12
Drama; acting out scenes from The Green Ship
11/12
Here comes the rescue tractor!
12/12
Great team work.
1/8
Super concentration.
2/8
Building the frame of the Shaduf.
3/8
Tying knots!
4/8
Egyptian dance - the sculptor and the sculpture.
5/8
Egyptian dance - the sculptor and the sculpture.
6/8
Egyptian dance - the sculptor and the sculpture.
7/8
Egyptian dance - the sculptor and the sculpture.
8/8
Researching The Pyramids.
1/8
Researching The Pyramids.
2/8
Engrossed in the research task.
3/8
Our Lego pyramid.
4/8
I am a Pharaoh!
5/8
Groups of 5......
6/8
The three Goddesses.
7/8
Groups of 10 and calculations too.
8/8
Joining clauses and sentences with conjunctions
1/8
Egyptian Dance
2/8
Egyptian Dance
3/8
Dance like an Egyptian
4/8
I am a Mummy!
5/8
What can we find in the resource box?
6/8
Who am I?
7/8
Christmas Lunch
1/11
Christmas Lunch
2/11
Cress seed experiment
3/11
Year three subtraction
4/11
Year two subtraction
5/11
I am a tiny seed....
6/11
Christmas maths
7/11
Do all the presents really fit in the sleigh?
8/11
Let's try again....
9/11
Christmas Lunch
10/11
Christmas Lunch
11/11
They are lit.....
1/7
They're burning!
2/7
More Fire!
3/7
The Flames are getting bigger.....
4/7
A house has collapsed...
6/7
Working on our Fire of London pictures.
1/9
'I'm really proud of this.'
2/9
My finished picture.
3/9
My burning picture.
4/9
I'm so pleased with my work.
5/9
At work....
6/9
We're not making a mess!
7/9
Look at mine!
8/9
Another wonderful picture of the Great Fire.
9/9
Our Tudor Town.
1/11
The Tudor street.
2/11
Our Tudor Houses.
3/11
Our Tudor Houses.
5/11
Our very own wattle and daub!
7/11
Building the hundred square! (Year 2)
8/11
Partitioning 3-digit numbers into H T Ones. (Year 3)
9/11
Representing 2-digit numbers using a variety of manipulatives.
10/11
Enjoying reading during our library time.
11/11