Persuasive letters concerning the playground graffiti (6F)

This week in 6F, we have been continuing our debate about the graffiti in the playground. Is it art? Or does it set a poor precedent of condoning illegal acts? Here's the beginning of Viet's persuasive letter:

Dear Miss Heywood,

The purpose of this letter is to detail why we should take the horrendous playground graffiti down. I strongly believe that this atrocious painting in the gazebo is vandalism on the innocent gazebo walls. The thoughtless criminal, who has needlessly ruined the wall, should, with no regrets, be served up some justice. Here’s why:

Firstly, it is no ordinary ‘artwork’ it is illegal! (Illegal means that you do something without the right permission). Although a majority of people think it is art, in reality, it is really just glorified vandalism. If fact, 6/9 of the school voted that it is unacceptable to torment our adored gazebo like this. Do you really think that illegal graffiti is suitable in a school?  

5E's Magical Object Instructions

This week in Year 5 we have been learning how to write instructions. We took inspiration from Pie Corbett's Magical Wings. Following this, we wrote instructions on how to make our own chosen magical objects. Below is Daniel's set of instructions. We hope you give them a try!

How to make a magical super suit

Do you want to have super powers? Do you want to be famous and zoom around the luxurious skies of New York City at the speed of sound? Well, you will be with this fabulous guide of how to make a magical super suit. It will give you all the powers in the universe!

Initially, you will need a voice activation speaker that lets you tell your super suit what super power you want.

In the interest of completing your magical super suit, you will need to go into the heart of a rainbow, open the treasure chest and you’ll get the blue thread.

If you are up to the task, then fly to the moon collect some moon and fairy dust (the fairy dust is found in a oak tree).

At last, sprinkle the dust on and sew the speaker with the blue thread.

Finally, you will realise that your magnificent magical super suit is finished! To sum this instructional text up, these super suits are incredible to make; so enjoy!

Magical Instructions by 5G

This week in Year 5 we have been looking at writing instructions. Using Pie Corbett's 'How to make Magic Wings' as a template, we have written our own sets of instructions on how to create a magical object. Below is Hari's set of instructions, we hope you enjoy them and are inspired!

How to make a Mermaid Tail

Have you ever wanted to swim deep under water all day? Then it's your lucky day! Follow these instructions carefully and you will be able to explore the sea!

You will need:

Sapphire fish scales
Melted earwax
Water lily pads
Fairy dust

1) Firstly, you need to collect some sapphire fish scales from the fish that live in the river of the Enchanted Forest.

2) Secondly, collect 3 buckets of earwax from a giant and melt in down into a sticky glue to stick the scales together.

3) Then, gather some water lily pads from a pond to make the inside of the tail, otherwise the scales will stick to your legs!

4) Finally, collect some fairy dust from the bottom of a rainbow. Then you need to sprinkle it all over the tail.

Now you have made a magial mermaid tail! Warning, do not swim into a rock underwater or the tail will break into pieces and you will have to start all over again...

5E's air resistance experiment

This week in 5E we finished off our experiment on air resistance. After previously studying volcanoes, we were interested in discovering how to help areas which have been affected by eruptions. We wanted to discover which parachute would drop the fastest and consequently help the most people. Below are Joshua's findings:

We tested different types of parachutes and timed to see how quickly they dropped. My group altered the string length and our fastest time was 1.35 seconds. It was quite challenging to measure this time because it was such a quick drop. We knew to make it a fair test we had to keep all the other variables the same (height of drop, force and surface area, for example). Other teams chose different variables to alter. The problem I found challenging was the height of the drop: some people were taller than others, so the test wasn't fair. We solve this problem, we  measured the height against the wall and ensured that all parachutes were dropped from this height. We found that in this experiment, string length affected the time taken for the parachute to drop: the longer the string, the slower the drop. However, we would like to repeat the experiment again under different conditions to measure the accuracy of these results. 

Partial eclipse, total fail (6F)

Here is Owen's report of what happened during the partial eclipse on Friday 20th March:

Excitement was going on in 6F at 09:25 as we were preparing to go outside. However, when we got there, we were crestfallen as we were told that our pin-hole viewers (that we had just literally made) were not needed!

We listened carefully to hear if the birds had gone to sleep, which we expected as a result of the eclipse. This happens because when the moon blocks the light from the sun, it casts a shadow on the earth which makes it dark. We therefore thought that this would make the birds roost.

However, the birds wouldn’t go to sleep. After being idle for 20 minutes with our fingers crossed, we sorrowfully ambled in. We did notice the drop in the temperature and it did get dimmer during the eclipse but we just didn’t get to see it. 90 more years… Nevermind! After we ate lunch, we were frustrated as there was a bright blue sky and if it was later then we would’ve seen it. As I said, 90 more years...    

Narrative Writing by 5G

This week we have been writing our own original versions of Pandora's Box with one crucial element changed! Below is an extract from Haddy's story. Our focus this week was on editing our writing once we had written it, to ensure that our sentences remained coherent whilst still including impressive features. 

Long ago,when no pain or sorrow existed, there lived a titan named Prometheus. One day he grew tired of gazing at the empty earth and decided to create a new being, mankind. When Zeus (leader of the gods) found out, he was fuming as they looked like gods, which seemed an incredible insult to him and his family.
'Prometheus! How dare you mock my family with your idiotic creation! Dare to anger me again and I promise you, you shall suffer the consequence!' he boomed ferociously.

One day, Prometheus was watching over mankind when he realised they were shivering in the frosty winter air. Hence, he sped up to Mount Olympus (but first reassured himself Zeus wasn't home)  and stole fire from the sun! When Zeus came home, his anger whipped through the kingdom like a tornado! 

Pandora's Box 5C

This week in 5C we have been writing narratives retelling the story of Pandora's Box. Below is Gabriela's opening: 

Amidst the realm of the almighty and omnipotent Zeus, there lived two unique siblings (Prometheus and Epimetheus). Prometheus, whom Zeus had demanded to create humankind, cherished his humans! However, this infuriated Zeus! “Prometheus, that scoundrel of a titan, has been creating mayhem again! Not only has he insulted me by foolishly fashioning those feeble humans to look like gods, but he has now stolen fire for them from MY Mount Olympus!”  Quivering with rage, an ominous lightning bolt struck the sky…

5E's Pandora's Box Narrative

This week in 5E we have been writing narratives retelling the story of Pandora's Box. Below is Aarthy's narrative:

Startled, Zeus held his head imperviously in his hands. He felt defrauded because of how exasperating Prometheus was to even try to disobey his orders which were not to grant powers to human beings! After all the tears of woe, sorrow and fury Zeus knew there was something he needed to do, something, which would be cunning as a sly fox, arduously Zeus thought…..

Swiftly, Zeus sprinted towards Prometheus and rapidly chained him to a rough rock! As days passed by Epimetheus, (Prometheus’s brother), was told to make a glamorous and stunning girl named Pandora. Several days later, Epimetheus fell in love with Pandora and joyfully got married. Pandora was made with many talents like: being able to cook, sew, sing and dance, however her weakness was curiosity.

Idiosyncratically; on Pandora’s and Epimetheus’s wedding Zeus sympathetically gave an eccentric vast box, which said, “DO NOT OPEN!”. Pondering hard Pandora loathed the dreadful feeling that kept on tugging her to the box. “What’s the point of a present that you can’t use or even open!” Pandora blurted out to Epimetheus.

“We have to follow Zeus’s orders, you remember what ghastly thing he did to Prometheus right!?” Epimetheus requested fustratedly.

“Yeah yeah but it won’t hurt if I take a tiny peek!” Pandora answered whilst rolling her eyes.

Pandora's Box by 5G

This week we have been re-writing the story of Pandora's Box as part of our Myths and Legends/Ancient Greece theme. Below is an extract from Danielle's re-telling. We hope you enjoy it!

Many years ago, when neither sorrow nor pain existed in the world, a powerful titan name Prometheus, summoned all of his power and knowledge to make mankind. He fashioned them from mud and made them look like gods. When Zeus, king of the gods, discovered that mankind looked like his own family, the gods of Olympia, he was outraged!

'Prometheus you menance! How dare you insult my family and I in this way?' he yelled. 

Zeus commanded Prometheus not to give mankind any power or knowledge, in case they ever rivalled the gods. He warned him that this was his last chance...

6R spelling on the playground

6R have been making the most of the sunshine and practising our spelling rules on the playground! This week we have been learning about the g/j/ge/dge graphemes and when to use them.

6B debating skills!

Last weekend someone broke into our school and put up graffiti in the gazebo. This week 6B have been using our debating skills to discuss wether or not the graffiti is art.... What do you think?

In celebration of World Book Day, we brought all our characters together to write a new adventure! Below is an extract from the Mad Hatter's (Luc's) diary about an adventure he had with his companions Where's Wally, Matilda, Elsa and Oliver Twist.

Dear my cherished chamber of thoughts,

With a sharp intake of breath, I am collating my thoughts of today’s momentous events. A sequence of magical happenings has occurred! Let me go back to the beginning….

Fatigued, having just hosted a barmy Mad Hatters Tea Party, I gulped down a satisfying mug of blue tea. Suddenly, however, I just plummeted out of Wonderland. Without warning, a mystical girl cajoled me over. “Who are you?” I asked inquisitively. She introduced herself as Matilda… 

Taco tasting in 6F!

Here are the first two paragraphs of Elle's taco review. This was the factual part of her review. She later went on to state here opinion of the tacos we made.

                                                                    Tacos

Introduction:

To begin, did you know that tacos in Mexico are also known as sandwiches, here in England?

As it is ‘International Week’, our country is Mexico (in Year 6) and we will be doing a lot of tasting! We have got a little word from Neo-Pascal: “Tacos are one of my favourite foods, especially the spicy ones!” Well it looks like there are many souls with tacos as their favourite foods! If you don’t know what tacos are, I will tell you. Tacos are like u-shaped nachos which can be filled by a variety of possible ingredients.

History:

Despite being a world-wide dish, tacos don’t really have a history; people say the history is unknown! Tacos were also known as the little explosives workers used to extract the ore in 19th Century Mexico. “When you think about it, a chicken taquito with a good hot sauce is really like a stick of dynamite!” reported Pilcher, a taco expert. However, I would much prefer a taco with salad in it!

5E's Japanese Haiku Poetry

This week in celebration of International Week, Year 5 have been studying Japan. We first learnt about various aspects of Japanese culture and created a fact file. Following this, we wrote Haiku poetry about what we had discovered.

Below is Rachel's Haiku poetry. Can you work out how many syllables are traditionally found on each line?

Her first poem discusses the tradition of sitting under cherry blossom trees, whereas the second describes the superstition of the daruma dolls upon which wishes are made.

Cherry blossom trees,
Growing in emerald fields
That I sit under.

A wish may come true,
The second eye tells the truth,
It is up to you.

World Book Day by 5G

Yesterday we celebrated World Book Day and came to school dressed as some of our favourite literary characters. Today we made mini books based on stories we created yesterday incorporating the characters we were dressed as. Here are some of our class with their finished books!