Brain Week Three
Year Six wrote poems yesterday about brains. They did this to combine thinking and learning about science (how the brain works) and literacy (the structure of the poem).
This activity allowed them to get all of their brain thinking and working. Here’s an example written by Lili.
- Billions of brain cells.
- Reptilian brain keeps you healthy.
- And alert- don’t let your brain get lazy!
- Intelligent machine.
- Neo-cortex loves a challenge.
- Inside, there are millions of connections being made…ZING!
- A big organ that floats in shock proof fluid.
- Cleverer than ever…It’s the brain!
Water Aid Assembly
We’ve a sponsored walk on Friday – Gary from Water Aid tells the school about what happens with our donations.
Brain Week Two
On Tuesday, Dave from d-side came to talk to the children about how drugs and alcohol can affect the brain.
Children were given the opportunity to try out special glasses that show the children how their eyes ‘see’ and brain ‘thinks’ when they are affected by alcohol. The ‘Beer Goggles’ certainly made the children gain an insight about how drugs including alcohol could affect their brain.
How do drugs affect the brain?
…This was one of the questions Key Stage 2 children have been looking at today as part of their drug education sessions with d:side.
Each class have been focussing on a different drug and its effects on the body:
- Year 3 – tobacco
- Year 4 – alcohol
- Year 5 – solvents
- Year 6 – cannabis
Both pupils and staff have given great feedback on the informative sessions and d:side also commented on our ‘very friendly and well behaved’ children.
If you have any questions please see a member of staff or contact Dave Hill, d:side Programme Manager, on 2225471.
For a comprehensive guide to this subject visit the Talk to Frank website (www.talktofrank.com).
Brain Week One
Year Six have learnt some brilliant facts about the biology of the brain.
- If you tried to count all of your brain cells without resting or sleeping, it would take 3171 years to count every last one of them…Wow!
- The brain smells of cheese… Interesting!
- We are born with 100 billion brain cells…That’s a lot!
Our amazing brains – Brain Box week!
This week is dedicated to developing an awareness of learning and how the brain works.
The importance of exercise, healthy food, sleep, hydration and emotional health, for a healthy brain, will be covered throughout the week alongside a main focus for each day:
Monday
Understanding your brain, brain cells and how to help your brain to learn.
Tuesday
How your brain learns best and learning styles.
Key Stage 2 classes will also have a visit from d:Side. As part of our drug education in school, representatives from d:Side, a drug and health programme, will be looking, in particular, at the effects of various drugs on the brain.
Staff from d:Side will be available after school, in the dining room, for parents / carers to ask any questions about these sessions.
Wednesday
Developing the understanding of multiple intelligences and that everyone has gifts and talents.
Dr Dave Lewis, Senior Lecturer of Neuroscience, from the University of Leeds will be visiting Key Stage 2 classes.
Thursday
Thinking about thinking and problem solving.
Friday
A day to remember – exploring a range of memory strategies.
The whole school Water Aid sponsored walk will take place during Friday.
Please check the website for further information and links to websites throughout the week.
Using iPads to extend learning
Year Six have been enjoying using the new IPads to extend their learning in Literacy and Maths.
This is what they said about using IPads:
“Learning is fun!”
“It helped me build some great sentences with adverbs.”
“Using the iPad helped me explain my Maths.”
Welcome to Year Six
Hello and welcome to Year Six! I hope you all had a relaxing summer and managed to find some good weather amongst the rain.
Things have been busy already in Year Six with lots of learning. I’ve been really pleased with how motivated and responsible the children have been on their return to Moortown, especially now they are the oldest in school.
Our first few weeks will involve some re-capping. For example, checking through the children’s preferred strategies for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as well as lots of learning in Literacy on how to use punctuation correctly, especially commas. Children already have a guided reading book and a target page to read to for the following week.
For those of you who I don’t know, this will be my third year at Moortown Primary, all of which have been in Year Six. I have taught at several other schools and have been a teacher for more than twenty years. Parents’ evening will be towards the end of October; in the meantime, please feel free to drop in if you have any questions. I look forward to getting to know you all better.
Finally, I’d like to welcome Mehak to our class. She’s been welcomed by all the class and is already proving to be a great member of the Year 6 learning community and is impressing everyone with her excellent Maths and quietly confident attitude to learning.
Fruit tuckshop returns!
Our fruit tuckshop, to be run by the Year 5 class this year, returns next week on a new day – Tuesday.
The tuckshop is open to all Key Stage 2 children during playtime. Reception and Key Stage 1 children receive free fruit at playtime.
Each item costs 20p and the fruit can be a snack for playtime or used to top up their packed lunch box – all contributing to their 5 a day!
As stated in our Food Policy, fruit is the only snack allowed at playtimes for Key Stage 2.
SEAL statement 07 September
This week we begin our new SEAL theme, New Beginnings, and the weekly statement is ‘I can make someone feel welcome.‘
Over this half term, as the children are experiencing new beginnings, each class will be looking at how they can all contribute to establishing a welcoming and safe environment for learning.
