Birch Class Blog

Another busy few weeks for Years 4 and 5!

MATHS: The children have just completed the unit on Fractions in White Rose Maths. They have been converting improper fractions into mixed numbers and back the other way as well as simplifying fractions.

ENGLISH: We are concluding our book, “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers”, by Mordicai Gerstein about the famous French tightrope walker Philippe Petit. The children have recently finished a piece of persuasive writing in the form of a court speech when Petit defends his actions. They have used modal verbs, formal language and have also watched a short interview featuring the man himself. Quite remarkable.

BOOK CLUB: We are continuing with our book, “The Wonderling”, by Mira Bartok. Quintus - the rather shady rat mentioned earlier - has taken Arthur under his wing. He has promised to help Arthur (or “Spike” as he is now known within the gang) find the address at Tintagel Road which may help him to trace his own family. But does Quintus have Arthur`s best interests at heart? We are about to find out!
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HISTORY: Birch Class have concluded their work on The Benin Kingdom that existed in Nigeria. They have looked at the reasons why the British colonised Benin and the trade links that existed at the time. Well done Birch Class on some wonderful Benin-inspired masks and plaques! I thoroughly enjoyed looking at them.

A final thing to mention – the Year 5`s from Birch Class all had a great day at Morwellham Quay yesterday. We certainly learnt a lot about the industrial revolution and how strict school was in Victorian times!

Have a restful Easter break. That`s all from me for now,

Mr Dray