Long Buckby Junior School
Miss Robson's Class 2023/24
Welcome to Topaz Class 2023-24!
Summer Term 2024
Stunning Start - Sail Away - Rivers
We had a great first day back after Easter! When the children came in, they discovered our new Topic for this term is Rivers.
In the morning, we had a brilliant time at Mill Park sketching wildlife and nature. Mrs Dunkley did some pond dipping and managed to find a newt!
We then discovered a mysterious creature hidden within the bushes... We will be writing about our discoveries at the park in our English lessons this half-term.
In the afternoon, we made our very own rainmakers using kitchen roll, dried rice and cardboard. We learnt that they were invented and played to bring on rainstorms during dry months.
We are all really looking forward to learning more about rivers this term!
Spring Term 2024
Our class read this term is 'Brand New Boy' by David Almond.
When a new boy joins the class, everyone thinks he’s a bit strange, but he’s brilliant at football and loves crisps, and that’s all that matters to Dan and Maxie. However, the truth about George is stranger than anyone could have imagined... and more sinister, too. Can his new pals help him to become truly free?
This book hooked us in straight away and we are looking forward to reading more!
Stunning Start - Stone Age to the Iron Age
Our first day back in 2024 was full of fun! To begin with, the children had a go at a maths puzzle and some wordsearches which linked to the name of our brand new topic. They soon realised that this is the Stone Age to the Iron Age!
To begin our day, we learnt all about why the Stone Age is called the Stone Age, and looked at the different tools humans used to make and use. We then had a go at making our very own wooden spears, which involved some complicated steps but the children produced some fantastic outcomes!
After this, we had great fun learning a Stone Age rap song before transforming the classroom so that we could complete our cave art. The lights were off, the Stone Age music was on, and the children used torches to help them see what they were drawing.
Later in the afternoon, we made a typical Stone Age dessert - stewed fruit! Some of the children were not so impressed by the idea of cooked fruit, but most changed their mind after they had tried it and are now hoping to make some at home.
What a fabulous day!
Den building
We have had a fantastic time this term designing and creating our very own modern shelters! We had to think carefully about which materials we would use in order for our dens to be waterproof, and we also had to ensure they were big enough to fit at least two people inside. Once we had planned our shelters in our sketchbooks, we visited Mill Park and were able to build and test them in real life!
Autumn Term 2023
Our class read this term is 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' by Onjali Q. Rauf.
When a new boy joins their class, a group of children try to befriend him. They soon learn that Ahmet is a refugee and has been separated from his family. None of the grown-ups seem to be able to help him, so the friends come up with a daring plan, embarking on an extraordinary adventure.
We are really enjoying reading this book and are excited to see what happens next!
Our Stunning Start - Frozen Worlds
Our first day in Year 4 was our exciting 'Stunning Start' day, which introduced our first topic of the term.
To begin our day, we all had a go at an Arctic wordsearch, before heading out onto the playground to search for some hidden objects. Each of these had a letter attached, and when we unscrambled the letters, we finally found out the name of our topic - FROZEN WORLDS!
After break, we had a go at writing our very own wintry haikus on paper snowflakes, gaining inspiration from a book we read called "The Runaway Iceberg", about two Emperor penguins who find themselves trapped on an iceberg and, with the help of some of their friends, manage to find their way back home!
In the afternoon, we had great fun mixing cornflour, bicarbonate of soda and water together to make fake snow - we enjoyed putting our hands in the bowl and discussing its texture! We then had a go at creating our very own 'Arctic Art' based on the Northern Lights:
Finally, we put on our hats, scarves and gloves, and went outside to enjoy a delicious cup of hot chocolate! What a brilliant day!
We cannot wait to start learning all about Frozen Worlds this coming term.
Science
In Science, we have been geologists and examined the features of six different types of rocks using microscopes.
DT
We have also worked really hard on creating our own 'Frozen Worlds' board games in our DT lessons. The children have really enjoyed the whole process, from writing our own specification and design brief, to planning our designs and then making them using different techniques and materials!
In December, we had an amazing time during our Christmas Craft afternoon. We made snowmen using beads and ribbon, then colourful Christmas cards and chocolate trees with lots of sprinkles!
Long Buckby Junior School
Miss Robson's Class 2023/24
Welcome to Topaz Class 2023-24!
Summer Term 2024
Stunning Start - Sail Away - Rivers
We had a great first day back after Easter! When the children came in, they discovered our new Topic for this term is Rivers.
In the morning, we had a brilliant time at Mill Park sketching wildlife and nature. Mrs Dunkley did some pond dipping and managed to find a newt!
We then discovered a mysterious creature hidden within the bushes... We will be writing about our discoveries at the park in our English lessons this half-term.
In the afternoon, we made our very own rainmakers using kitchen roll, dried rice and cardboard. We learnt that they were invented and played to bring on rainstorms during dry months.
We are all really looking forward to learning more about rivers this term!
Spring Term 2024
Our class read this term is 'Brand New Boy' by David Almond.
When a new boy joins the class, everyone thinks he’s a bit strange, but he’s brilliant at football and loves crisps, and that’s all that matters to Dan and Maxie. However, the truth about George is stranger than anyone could have imagined... and more sinister, too. Can his new pals help him to become truly free?
This book hooked us in straight away and we are looking forward to reading more!
Stunning Start - Stone Age to the Iron Age
Our first day back in 2024 was full of fun! To begin with, the children had a go at a maths puzzle and some wordsearches which linked to the name of our brand new topic. They soon realised that this is the Stone Age to the Iron Age!
To begin our day, we learnt all about why the Stone Age is called the Stone Age, and looked at the different tools humans used to make and use. We then had a go at making our very own wooden spears, which involved some complicated steps but the children produced some fantastic outcomes!
After this, we had great fun learning a Stone Age rap song before transforming the classroom so that we could complete our cave art. The lights were off, the Stone Age music was on, and the children used torches to help them see what they were drawing.
Later in the afternoon, we made a typical Stone Age dessert - stewed fruit! Some of the children were not so impressed by the idea of cooked fruit, but most changed their mind after they had tried it and are now hoping to make some at home.
What a fabulous day!
Den building
We have had a fantastic time this term designing and creating our very own modern shelters! We had to think carefully about which materials we would use in order for our dens to be waterproof, and we also had to ensure they were big enough to fit at least two people inside. Once we had planned our shelters in our sketchbooks, we visited Mill Park and were able to build and test them in real life!
Autumn Term 2023
Our class read this term is 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' by Onjali Q. Rauf.
When a new boy joins their class, a group of children try to befriend him. They soon learn that Ahmet is a refugee and has been separated from his family. None of the grown-ups seem to be able to help him, so the friends come up with a daring plan, embarking on an extraordinary adventure.
We are really enjoying reading this book and are excited to see what happens next!
Our Stunning Start - Frozen Worlds
Our first day in Year 4 was our exciting 'Stunning Start' day, which introduced our first topic of the term.
To begin our day, we all had a go at an Arctic wordsearch, before heading out onto the playground to search for some hidden objects. Each of these had a letter attached, and when we unscrambled the letters, we finally found out the name of our topic - FROZEN WORLDS!
After break, we had a go at writing our very own wintry haikus on paper snowflakes, gaining inspiration from a book we read called "The Runaway Iceberg", about two Emperor penguins who find themselves trapped on an iceberg and, with the help of some of their friends, manage to find their way back home!
In the afternoon, we had great fun mixing cornflour, bicarbonate of soda and water together to make fake snow - we enjoyed putting our hands in the bowl and discussing its texture! We then had a go at creating our very own 'Arctic Art' based on the Northern Lights:
Finally, we put on our hats, scarves and gloves, and went outside to enjoy a delicious cup of hot chocolate! What a brilliant day!
We cannot wait to start learning all about Frozen Worlds this coming term.
Science
In Science, we have been geologists and examined the features of six different types of rocks using microscopes.
DT
We have also worked really hard on creating our own 'Frozen Worlds' board games in our DT lessons. The children have really enjoyed the whole process, from writing our own specification and design brief, to planning our designs and then making them using different techniques and materials!
In December, we had an amazing time during our Christmas Craft afternoon. We made snowmen using beads and ribbon, then colourful Christmas cards and chocolate trees with lots of sprinkles!