Well, last Friday was certainly an exciting one for our Year 4 children as they had the chance to try a new sport and even met an Olympic gold medallist from the London 2012 games.  

We were invited to the Canoe Slalom World Championships at Lee Valley which was a fantastic opportunity. As soon as we arrived it was time to change into shorts and t-shirts so that we could have a go at kayaking. Most of the children had a go and many overcame some real anxieties; they all ended up having a great time and the smiles on their faces said it all. At the end of the session the children were invited to jump in the water and it was great to see so many go for it! Never one to pass on a challenge, even Mrs Prowle jumped in!


Later in the day we watched some of the athletes complete their slalom runs which was fascinating and exhilarating - all three of Team GB's men qualified for the semi-finals (probably thanks to all of our cheering!) Some of us even watched Matthew Pinsent presenting the event to camera for the BBC.

The day was perfectly rounded off when we met Lindsey from Blue Peter and Tim Baillie who one the C2 Slalom gold medal in 2012 with Etienne Stott.  Earlier they had completed a run for Lindsey's challenge and we were filmed in the background!  Tim allowed some of us to hold his medal which was much bigger than we thought it would be. Then, on Thursday, some of us were actually shown cheering Lindsey on during the programme!

All in all it was a great day.  Many thanks to all our parent helpers that came along and well done to everyone for trying something new!

 

English
This week we have been thinking about 'free verse' and limericks. We read a poem called 'The Magic Box' by Kit Wright and had a go at writing our own versions.  They turned out really well and we were all really proud of them. Here are some of Maple's examples:

I will put in the box
My fish's last bubble
A dragon breathing fire
My brother's first word.

My box is fashioned from gold and silver and bronze
with monkeys on the lid and pigs in the corners.
Its hinges are made from the antennae of a trilobite.
Adam

I will put in the box
my grandpa's last joke
the leg of a dinosaur
and the first animal to live on earth.

I will put in the box
a tooth from an unknown creature
a spark from an electric eel
and the largest dinosaur ever.

I will put in the box
the terrifying roar of a dragon
one thousand raindrops
a gigantic Egyptian mummy.

My box is fashioned from diamond and iron and glass
with silver on the lid and monsters in the corners.
Its hinges are made from dragons' claws.
Edward

I will put in the box
the biggest chocolate buttons ever
a unicorn's horn
the tears of a baby. 

My box is fashioned from golden fire and sapphires and comics
with magic wands on the lid and snowflakes in the corners.
Its hinges are made from candy canes, red and white.
Sophie S



Maths

Lime and Maple

Thank you for the many positive comments about the on-line maths homework. It sounds like the children were highly motivated to start their homework!

We investigated the names of 2D shapes. We discovered that 2D shapes can be described using a variety of terms including quadrilateral, polygon, regular. Look for examples of 2D shapes at home and in the garden. We would love to see some photos for our maths display!

Try these websites to revise your shapes:

http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/amy/geometry/6-8/activities/quad_quest/quad_quest.html

http://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/83/sort_shapes_venn

History: Ancient Egypt

We have been looking at the importance of the river Nile to the ancient Egyptians.

Did you know that the Egyptian calendar was broken down into three seasons?

We looked at how the Nile provided the Egyptians with ways to source food, trade and transport goods, grow crops, make bricks and provide rich, nutritious soil.

Spelling: re- prefix

We have been looking at the definitions and other examples of words beginning with re-. We know that the re-  prefix means “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition, or with the meaning “back” or “backward” to indicate withdrawal or backward motion: regenerate; refurbish; retype; retrace; revert.

French

We have continued to practise our vocabulary:

les bras = arms

le nez = nose

la tête = head

les jambes = legs

les yeux = eyes

la bouche = mouth

Can you remember the pronunciation and the actions?

RE: Hinduism

We studied ‘Symbolism in Hinduism’ and created our own symbols that represent us.

Art
We have had great fun using the style of Quentin Blake to draw and paint Roald Dahl characters.  We used pencil to sketch the outlines and watercolours to paint them. When we looked carefully at Quentin Blake's illustrations we noticed that he doesn't always paint right up to the outline so we tried to do the same. When the paint was dry we used black pens to outline our work and make it stand out. Here are some of the finished examples from Maple. Can you tell who the characters are?