6 Oxford

Today we had our geography open morning and our parents joined us to see how we learn geography at Oxford Grove. We RRR’s our key terms from our previous lessons and recapped using our world maps to label continents and oceans. Then we started learning about the USA as part of our North America topic, labelling the USA and learning more about the different states. Thank you to all parents who joined us! Which state did you research Year 5?

Today we went on our first school trip of Year 5! We went to Bring Yer Wellies in Preston where we did lots of exciting things. First, we had to make as many sandcastles as we could before we had a workshop where we learnt all about map reading and maps. We learnt about scale where we looked at the size of the real greenhouse vs a model of the greenhouse, we looked at map projection and longitude and latitude. We also examined a contour map and spotted the mountains across the U.K. We even saw a thematic map showing us where rodents lived! We had to test our map reading skills in a treasure hunt around the garden. In the afternoon we learnt how to use a compass and had another treasure hunt mixed with a quiz. We had a lot of fun! Year 5 can you share a fact that you have learnt today? 

At Oxford Grove, we love reading. We read lots of different types of texts, such as stories, non-fiction and poems. In our guided reading lessons we learn to read different types of texts and answer questions to show how well we understand them. We have been practicing reading poetry by our class poet, Michael Rosen, ready for National Poetry Day on the 2nd October. We even performed one of his poems for our class assembly! What is your favourite Michael Rosen poem Year 5?

This week in maths, Year 5 have been practising their addition and subtraction skills with whole numbers and decimals. We have been practising our column addition method, then applying our skills to some problem solving challenges. What is the most important thing to remember when adding decimals Year 5?

Today Year 5 performed our RRR class assembly for our parents. We had the chance to showcase all the amazing things we have learnt in Year 5, as well as the exciting new topics coming up! Thank you to all parents who joined us this morning. What are you most looking forward to learning about Year 5?

Today Year 5 watched our Google assembly. We learnt a lot about how to tell whether information is true or false. We know not to trust everything we read online and to check other sources or ask our trusted adults. We learnt that it is really important to keep our passwords private to keep ourselves safe online. What did you learn Year 5?

Today Year 5 had a really exciting VR workshop where we had the chance to explore North America. We got to see the Northern Lights in Alaska, the New York skyline, and Hoover dam. Which was your favourite Year 5?

This afternoon, 5 Grove had a very exciting D.T lesson. We were lucky to have Mr. D from Classroom Kitchen come in to help us make samosas. We practiced skills like the bridge method, the claw method and peeling different vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and onions. We learnt how to fill our samosas and fold the pastry into triangles. We can’t wait to try them at home! What was your favourite part of making them Year 5?

This afternoon, Year 5 took part in our sports assembly. We showed off our skills in four different races: a sprint race, a beanbag race, an obstacle course and a football race. We really enjoyed taking part in all of our races and cheering on our classmates. Thank you to all parents who attended and helped us celebrate our success! Which race was your favourite Year 5?

Today our Digital Leaders helped us to learn about cookies. Not the cookies you eat but the ones that are on your computer when you access websites and games. We learnt that cookies are small files created by web servers that store browsing information on your device. They are used to record your device, browser preferences and online activity and so cookies help websites to remember your what you use on web browsers. They can save data temporarily or for a long time. We then discussed some scenarios about whether we should accept cookies on the computer if it asks us to! What did you learn Year 5?

This week we had our annual work related learning! In Year 5 we created a photobooth and charged 50p for a picture! Thank you to all of our families who took part and had a gorgeous photo!

This week in Year 5 we have been learning about our new class author and class poets. In Year 5, we have two class authors, Michael Morpurgo and Anthony Horowitz. Throughout the year, we are going to get the chance to read lots of books by these wonderful authors such as The Giant’s Necklace by Michael Morpurgo and Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz. In our English lessons this week, we will be learning more about Michael Morpurgo’s life and writing a biography about him. We are also going to read lots of poems by our class poet this year, Michael Rosen and get the chance to perform some of these poems too! Which book are you most excited to read this year, Year 5?

This week was our first week in Year 5! We have had a really good week applying for our new classroom job roles, learning our new classroom rules and creating welcome books for any new children that join our class. We have also RRR’d our learning from Year 4 in Science and History ready to begin our new topics! We have also enjoyed going swimming and cannot wait for another week of developing our swimming skills! We set our personal targets and thought of new questions we want to find the answers to when we begin our new learning!

Today we visited Lancashire Wildlife Trust in Leverhulme, as part of our science topic. We have used our ‘Working Scientifically’ skills to measure the speed of the flow of Bradshaw Brook, using a tape measure, rubber duck, stopwatch and net. We repeated our test so our results would be accurate and calculated the average. During the afternoon we used kick sampling to take a sample of living things from the river, then used classification keys and branching databases to identify the invertebrates we found.

Today as part of our smiley reward, the climbing wall came to our school and we had the opportunity to be rock climbers. Some children overcame their fears to climb the wall. It was trickier than it looked. Year 4 how did you feel climbing the wall.

Today we used everything we have learned about the features and journey of a river to create a model of a river, starting at the source and following the journey to the sea.

We worked together using our team work skills to create these amazing models. We are very proud of how they turned out. Take a look…

To prepare us for our next geography topic, today we took part in a state of the art, VR workshop. This involved us wearing Virtual Reality headsets to visit North America. It was amazing being able to see cities and landscapes through the headsets. We are very excited to start our new topic in transition…

As part of our geography and art topics we have been learning about volcanoes. After sketching and painting volcanoes, we created these our clay versions. Here we are in action….

This morning year 4 took part in an assembly with PCSO Holly! We were discussing what anti social behaviour is, this is reckless behaviour that can cause harm to others. There are three categories of anti social behaviour, these include personal, nuisance and environmental. We looked at some images and had to decide whether these were examples of personal, nuisance or environmental. We also discussed the story of Mrs Miggins, who was too afraid to answer the door after people were knocking on her door for 6 hours. We decided that this was personal anti social behaviour. After this, we spoke about who can be a victim of anti social behaviour. These include, the elderly, children, schools, disabled people and lots more. We also spoke about who can be offenders, this could also be children and many more!

Next, we looked at how we could stop anti social behaviour. If people do commit anti social behaviour, they could receive a warning, behaviour contract or 5 years in prison!
We also looked at how we should be travelling safely. We can do this by looking before we cross, wearing bright colours at night and making sure we are being safe by a road.

What did you learn today?

This morning Year 4 took part in a Smoothwall workshop! We had to list all the pieces of technology we have and how we use it! We went through the different games we can play and what websites we access. We spoke about how we need to get permission to use technology, this is usually from a trusted adult. We also spoke about the different emotions we can feel when using technology! For example, we could see harmful content (this could be something we see or hear that is inappropriate). Next, we discussed what we could do if we do see harmful content online. We decided we could report any content, tell a trusted adult or simply stop playing that game or viewing the content. 

Next, we predicted how long we spend looking at a screen in school and at home! Our answers surprised us as on average we spend about five hours of screen time alone in school! We could all identify the signs of too much screen time. These include headaches, tired eyes and a grumpy mood. After that, we moved onto the different games we play and the age ratings they each have. Age rating are given according tho the content.

What did you learn?

Today year 4 had a first aid workshop from military UK as their smiley reward. To start, we completed a warm up where we had to run around the hall. This was to increase our heartrate. Then we learnt all about what is included in a first aid kit. We need lots of different items to help us whenever we are injured. Once we had finished this, we went over the emergency numbers we can ring if we ever need help. We spoke about how we need to make sure we know the information of our location. Next we learnt about how important it is to stay calm when responding to an emergency, as this can calm the injured person down too.

Later in the day, we learnt how to put someone in the recovery position if they are conscious and breathing. We also learnt to follow DR ABC to do CPR if a casualty is not breathing and has no pulse. In addition, we were shown how to use a defibrillator safely by following the instructions.

What did you learn today?

This morning we showcased everything we have been learning in PSHRE for our parents, including explaining to them what PSHRE stands for (Personal, Social, Health, Relationships and Economics). We shared all the strategies we use to support positive mental health. This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, so the timing was perfect! Thank you to all the parents who came to support us, it was lovely to see so many of you.

This morning we had a special assembly all about keeping ourselves safe. We learned that we don’t have to deal with worries on our own, and that speaking to someone about our worries can help us to feel better. Back in class we shared the presentation made especially for children’s mental health week. We learnt asking for help is ok, we can ask trusted adults for help including our teachers, there are also children’s charities like Childline that can also help. Here are some of the key messages:

Today we spent the day at Tatton Park learning lots about the Anglo – Saxons. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we enjoyed being outside extending our understanding of life in Anglo -Saxon times. Here are some highlights from our day….

This afternoon Year 4 were learning all about how to be respectful online. We looked at different words and had to sort these in two a respectful and disrespectful pile. We even thought of some of our own words for each pile. After this, we created our own definition for respect. Finally, we looked at the different scenarios that other children have been faced. We needed to identify what had happened, how was respect not shown and how might people feel?

What have you learnt today?

This afternoon, Year 4 have been discussing all about how to stay safe online. Firstly, we talked about the different things we can do online. We looked at how some of these activities can be safe and unsafe. Then, we read Troll Stinks. We spoke about how we need to make sure we are kind to each other, as we read about online bullying. We do not think this is acceptable. Next, we made our way to the computer suite to play Interland! We had a go at playing Kind Kingdom and reflected on how we should practise this when we are on the web!

What did you learn today? What was the most important message about being safe online for you?

In our RE lessons we have been learning how Christians use the Bible to help them understand what God is like. Today we were given different texts from the Bible and looked for clues that showed God as holy and loving. Then we split into groups and each group were given one of the texts to investigate in depth.

In the comments are some of the meanings we discussed…

Oxford Grove were awarded the ‘Wellbeing’ Award for Schools in September 2024. The first time we achieved this award we were the first school in the country to do so. Wellbeing is at the forefront of our PSHRE curriculum. This term’s PSHRE topic is called ‘Healthy Me’. We will learn how to problem solve when working in a group and how to keep our bodies and our mind’s healthy. Our ‘Wellbeing Champions’ present regular assemblies which inform us how to look after our mental health. This week they reminded us about the 5 steps to wellbeing.

Year 4, can you tell me about the 5 steps to wellbeing….

This morning we had a whole school assembly all about water safety. The Royal Life Saving Society first asked us if we knew the two different types of drowning. These were silent and wet drowning. They also told us how we can get people’s attention whilst drowning and what we could throw in to help someone from drowning. For example, we could throw a torpedo bar, football, a throw bag and a life ring, all as these could keep people afloat.

What did you learn today?

Today Year 4 took part in Trevi’s Timestable Trattoria! We started our day by going to an assembly to discuss what a trattoria needs to run and how much it costs! We had to figure out how Trevi could save £380 in twelve weeks!
In the afternoon we worked in teams, making sure we were using good communication and good teamwork and applied maths skills such as times tables and problem solving. 

Can you explain what items from the trattoria you made with your team?