Beech

Monday 15 April - Friday 19 April 

This week in Beech Class, the children have been learning to spot patterns when calculating Mathematical problems. They have been using resources to help them spot how adding 10 can change the answer. The children also investigated how to make different towers with a difference of 2 cubes.

In History, the children have started to learn about The Great Fire of London. The children have been able to sequence the order of events and explain how the fire started. The children have also looked at what is a Primary and Secondary source of information and they have identified how both sources can help us learn information about the past.

The children have been fantastic at applying their newly learnt suffix skills when writing sentences about The Great Fire of London. They have been able to use ‘s’ and ‘es’ correctly.

What a fantastic first week back Beech Class- well done everyone!

Monday 18 March – Friday 22 March

A super well done to Beech Class this week. Mrs Hamblyn, Mrs Drew and Mrs West have been amazed by the children’s hard work and determination. This week we have tackled some tricky concepts such as: adding ‘ing’ and ‘ed’ to words eg. look = looked walk = walking. The children used their newly learnt suffixes to write sentence about Palm Sunday.

Not only are they suffix superstars, but the children are amazing at building, making, drawing and using arrays to help solve multiplication sentences. The children have been very good at making sure they have the correct columns and rows to form their arrays correctly.

Another great week from the Beech Class – well done!  

Monday 11 March – Friday 15 March

Another great week from the Beech Class. This week we have been investigating climate change and global warming. The children have created a poster and catchy slogans to encourage others to be responsible energy users and look after the environment. The children had great fun rehearsing their slogans around the classroom.

In Maths, the children have been learning about multiplication and how to use pictorial representations to solve multiplication problems.

A huge well done to the Beech Class for all their enthusiasm and hard work this week. Mrs Hamblyn, Mrs Drew and Mrs West are all very proud of you J.

Week Beginning Monday 4 March – Friday 8 March

What a fantastic start to Spring the Beech Class have had this week. At the beginning of the week the children investigated different textures and matched the textures to the Polar Animals they have been learning about in their Frozen Planet topic. Using their knowledge, the children manipulated clay to create excellent models of Polar Animals. The children’s creations are currently drying in school, ready to be painted next week.

What a wonderful day Thursday was! All the children’s costumes were fantastic and it was lovely to listen to the children talk enthusiastically about their favourite characters, stories and books. The children loved choosing a book to keep and were excited to receive their book token voucher.

Well done to the Beech Class and happy reading!

Week Beginning: Monday 26 February - Friday 1 March

The children in Beech class have been hard at work this week! They have explored how animals are suited to their environments and we have investigated which animals live in the Arctic and which animals live in the Antarctic. 

In Maths, the children have been brilliant at investigating 3D shapes. They found some excellent examples of everyday 3D shapes in and around school. The children have also been fantastic at finding fractions of amounts and doubling key numbers. 

Keep up the great work Beech!

Week Beginning Monday 19 February - Friday 23 February 

What a fantastic week Beech class have had. We have started our new topic ‘Frozen Planet’. We started the week investigating if ice melts the fastest indoors or outdoors and ended our week writing facts about Penguins. All the children remembered the key facts really well and were able to recall and record their Penguin facts using excellent writing skills- well done Beech Class. Everyone is very proud of all your hard work.

In Maths, the children have been exploring different shapes. They have learnt about the properties of shape and how they can use the properties to sort and compare different shapes.

A super week of learning and a big well done to everyone. J

Week Beginning Monday 5 January - Friday 9 February 

Another fantastic week of learning from the Beech class. The children have been solving capacity investigations throughout the week. The children have worked really hard as a team and have have managed to measure, sort and organise different containers and capacities. 

This week, a fantastic dance instructor came to visit Hazel Wood. The children in Beech class loved learning new moves. They watched and copied the different dance shapes and carefully moved in time with the music! Great dancing Beech children and we loved seeing all your smiles! 🙂

We hope everyone has a lovely half-term and we are looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday 20 February. 

From

Mrs West and Mrs Hamblyn. 

Monday 22 January - Friday 26 January 2024

Wow what a week Beech class! The children have worked extremely hard. We have started our new topic 'Super Snack Challenge' and at the beginning of the week the children tried different 'dips and dippers' to find out which ones were their favourite. The children were able to follow a computer algorithm, entering the results from their investigation. The children have been busy finding out facts about the Eat Well Plate and learning lots of information about eating a balanced diet.... We cannot wait to make our dips next week. 

In Maths, the children have been learning about money and making different amounts. They have visited the Beech class vegetable shop and the children have been brilliant at finding amounts. The children have also been busy learning to add two 2 digit numbers together using a number square to help. 

Well done everyone in Beech class for a super week of learning. 

Everyday Heroes 

Well done to everyone who has visited the graveyard where Florence Nightingale is buried!

In Beech class this week we have been history detectives. We have built on our understanding of timelines and independently sequenced events in Florence Nightingale's life. We have also been comparing conditions in Scutari hospital before Florence Nightingale arrived and after. We found out that she changed the conditions in the hospital by ensuring that floors were scrubbed, the soldiers had beds to sleep in, sheets were clean, windows were opened and good wholesome food was given to the soldiers. Later on in the week we used the internet to sort true and false statements about Florence Nightingale. 

The shop comes to Beech class

This week in Maths we have been learning to recognise the coins 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p and £1. We had lots of fun buying items in the class shop. We had to find the correct coins and some of used our addition skills to buy two items. Several of us took it in turns to be the shopkeeper and we were very busy checking the amounts were correct.

Everyday Heroes 

Today we got to meet Florence Nightingale! As a class, we discussed and generated questions that we wanted to find out the answers to. We then had the opportunity to ask Florence these questions. It was very exciting! We found out lots of interesting facts about her. Later on we started writing a fact file about Florence Nightingale.

Autumnal Art inspired by David Hockney 

This week in Beech the children have enjoyed making hues of colours inspired by the artist David Hockney. They started with a primary colour and mixed to make secondary colours noticing the colour changes as they added a little more colour each time. 

Touring Totton 

This week in Beech we have really enjoyed using our Geographical skills to carry out fieldwork activities. We plotted human features on a map within our school grounds and talked about the difference between a human and physical feature. Some of us went outside the school into our local area and used a map to  locate key features. We made a key showing the different features of West Totton and the school grounds. 

Touring Totton 

This week in Beech class we have been learning about Geography. We have found out that features of our environment are split into human and physical features. We discovered that a canal was actually a human feature because it had been built by people. We then looked really carefully at our local area on Google maps and found out that Totton has mainly human features, however we did discover Goatee beach and the river Test.

History - comparing old and new cars

This week Beech class went outside to look for comparisons and differences between two minis. We discovered that new cars have air bags and seat belts to keep us safe, in comparison to the old mini which only had seatbelts in the front. Mrs Burgess told us how she would slide around on the back seat when she was young because there were no seatbelts. We also discovered that cars today have computers, Satnav, power steering, hydraulic brakes and heated seats.

Design Technology - Making vehicles

This week in Beech class the children have been using their Design Technology skills to make a vehicle with an axle. The design criteria ensured that the vehicle had four wheels, moved smoothly and had wheels which turned at the same time. The children were very resilient in making the axle especially fitting the washers to stop the wheels from coming off. The children discovered that using an elastic band or the glue gun to attach the axle was more successful than using masking tape. Later on the children had lots of fun decorating their vehicles which included wings, a snow blower, a rock crusher, a space buggy and an ambulance. 

Transport 

We have been using all our knowledge we learned at Beaulieu Motor Museum to sort vehicles into then and now, whilst thinking about the differences. We also used the internet, books and photographs to help us be historic detectives. 

Our trip to Beaulieu Motor Museum

 Recount by Leyla Phillips Beech class

On Monday we went to Beaulieu museum because we are learning about Transport. We learned about cars which have been in movies. We went on a red bus and it was made of wood. We went in the museum and saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's car. The lady showed us a red flag that was used to warn people of danger. The people who owned the museum let us use a shiny horn. It made a big, loud bang! Next we had our lunch and it was yummy. After lunch we had a ride in an old fashioned car and it was blue. Then it was home time and we went back to the coach and back to school and went home.

Writing instructions - How to make a healthy snack pot.

We have been learning how to write instructions using our knowledge of making snack pots from last week. We had to remember fullstops, capital letters and some of us used a range of conjunctions. 

Designing and Making a Healthy Snack Pot

This week in Beech class we have been independently designing and making healthy snack pots. First we learned about different fruits and vegetables and where they are found. Then we drew our design ensuring it was healthy, layered with yogurt and appealing to the buyer. We then followed our designs and made our healthy snack pots. We learned and practiced the claw and bridge grip and how to stay safe when using knives. Later in the day we sold our snack pots for a donation.

'5 is the magic number'

In Beech class this week  we went on a hunt around the school. We found an enormous turnip growing in the vegetable patch. We all had to work as a team to pull it out. Later on we independently wrote stories about 'The Enormous Turnip'. We had to use capital letters and full stops and some of us used a range of conjunctions. Enjoy reading our stories.

'5 is the magic number'

The children in Beech have been learning about 

the class charter. They enjoyed being introduced to Jigsaw Jo and describing how they feel about coming back to school. All the children drew or wrote inside their worry monster.

Pirate Badge Design, Make and Evaluate

The children in Beech class have been learning how to join materials together to make a pirate badge. All the children enjoyed designing their badge which had to include a hat, eye patch, nose, eyes, beard and scarf. They used staples, thread, glue, split pins, paper clips and safety pins to make their badge. The children had to be independent and practice their cutting skills to shape the different parts of the badge.

Grace Darling

Beech have been learning about Grace Darling a historical figure from the Victorian times. Grace Darling was an English lighthouse keepers daughter and she is famous for rescuing survivors from a shipwreck in 1838. The children have enjoyed using the internet, paintings, books and factsheets to find out more about her life and sequenced the key events in time order. The children then wrote a diary from the viewpoint of Grace Darling describing the treacherous rescue. 

Pirate Day

This week we all came dressed as pirates. We really enjoyed learning sea shanties with Captain Burgess and joining in with Charlotte in the hall. We also made maps, hunted for treasure and made paper boats. Later on we wrote about our day.

Captain James Cook

Captain James Cook

This week Beech Class have been learning about the famous explorer Captain James Cook. We started by writing some questions that we would like to find out about him and then began researching to try to answer them. We have learnt that he worked for the Royal Navy and became a captain of a ship called HMS Endeavour at aged 18. He was then sent on a secret mission to find and claim Australia as a British territory. He also nearly reached Antarctica but had to turn back because it was too cold. Captain James Cook had a very interesting life and we enjoyed ordered the key events on a timeline. We cant wait to find out more about him!

What was life like onboard the Endeavour?

DT - Make a shelter for Miranda which is strong, stiff and stable.

Beech class have been busy making model shelters for Miranda the cast away. We used our joining skills whilst also measuring and comparing the length of our sticks and using our scientific knowledge of waterproof materials for a roof. We are looking forward to making life sized models outside for us to play in.

Science - What material is best for Miranda's shelter?

We have learnt about materials and their properties this week. We began by identifying the materials that objects are made of. Then we explored the properties of different materials, such as transparent and opaque, and thought about why specific materials are used to make certain things. Finally, we investigated which material would be best for the roof of Miranda's shelter. We decided that wood, plastic and metal would be best as they are waterproof, strong and flexible!

Thank you to the fire service 

Today in Beech class we had a firefighter from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service come to share with us some important safety messages. We have been learning about the role of the fire fighter, how to stay safe and what to do in the event of a fire.

Fire fighter Kelly dressed as a fire fighter while we learned about what they wear when attending fires and rescuing people.

Thank you to Kelly the fire fighter for sharing all of this important information with us.

Spring

The children in Beech class have enjoyed getting outside and taking part in fun activities using all their senses, whilst learning about plants, flowers and trees. They went on a scavenger hunt, spotting lots of natural objects, they searched high and low to collect items to create a colour pallette. A springtime dance session was inspired by gardening actions- preparing flower beds, pulling weeds and sheltering from the rain. We are lucky enough to have lots of trees so were able to immerse ourselves in mindfulness, using all our senses and working with partners, put on blindfolds and did some tree hugging. The children loved digging and raking the vegetable and flower beds. The children wrote detailed recounts of their experiences.

Perfect Pets - Science 

Beech have been learning in science about how animals can be grouped in to different categories such as mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. We looked at animals features and talked about similarities and differences as well as what they like to eat. We also worked in teams to group animals according to our own observable features.

Perfect Papier Mache Pets

We finished sculpting our favourite pets. We squashed, twisted, rolled and folded newspaper to create a body shape, then moulded Papier mache to make more detail. We then painted our models and added detail. Everyone enjoyed viewing our sculptures at parents evening.

Perfect Papier Mache Pets

Beech class have been busy sculpting animals using papier mache. First we sculpted the heads of our animals and then added the body and legs by laying strips of newspaper over the model. Can you guess which pets we chose to sculpt?

Royalty

We have been ordering pictures of some significant British monarchs on a timeline. We have also been comparing aspects of life and identifying similarities and differences between different periods. We were excited to find out that people in the past used chamber pots rather than toilets!  We have also been ‘history detectives’, and used magnifying glasses to study paintings of Queen Elizabeth I. We found out that Queen Elizabeth I had eyes and ears on her dress to show that she saw and heard everything!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 

We have been sequencing the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs using pictures from our class story book. We were brilliant at retelling the story using the puppets in our book corner. We also revised the use of capital letters, adjectives and conjunctions. Some of us even learnt about possessive apostrophes. We hope you enjoy looking at our work.

Once upon a time....

This week in Key stage one we had a mysterious visitor who crept into our assembly and without a sound left a basket. After looking inside we discovered some items that gave us clues to who this cloaked lady might be. Can you guess which story this character might be from? Hazel Wood children made great detectives and worked out the story very quickly.

'Remember Remember'

We listened to Stravinsky’s piece of music called ‘Fireworks’ and thought about the instruments he used and listened to the dynamics in the piece of music. We watched a video of different types of fireworks, some of us thought about if they were loud or quiet and some of us thought about if they went from quieter to louder or vice versa. Then we

explored the instruments and thought about which sounds would be appropriate for each firework and  picked a graphic notation to represent each firework. Finally we worked in two groups to compose our piece of music. We focussed on loud or quiet and on making the dynamics change from quieter to louder.

'Remember Remember' 

This week's blog was written by Harry Year 2.

Art Week - Yayoi Kusama 

The children in the Beech class have been very creative this week designing and making a pumpkin picture inspired by Yayoi Kusama. All the children practiced making spots and dots using oil pastels, charcoal, paint, pencils, chalk and crayons. They then designed their picture and planned which colours they would use and the pattern for the background. Enjoy looking at our finished masterpieces!

Lighthouse Keepers Lunch - Art work

The Beech class have been very independent this week creating lighthouse pictures. We have been practising blending, layering,  pointillism, short strokes and long strokes using oil pastels. We also had to make our own artistic decisions and think carefully about the size of paper, the orientation of the paper and the position of the lighthouse in the space. Enjoy looking at our creations.

Lighthouse Keepers Lunch - sandwich making 

Beech Class have been busy demonstrating their skills showing great independence when following their designs to create sandwiches.

They have been spreading, chopping and cutting before sharing their creation with their families. What was your favourite filling? Would you do anything differently next time?

Lighthouse Keepers Lunch 

We have had lots of fun this week using our senses to evaluate sandwiches. We rated the sandwiches from 1 to 9 depending on the taste, texture and appearance. Some fillings were rich, soft and smooth, others were juicy, crunchy and sweet. 

Please join us on Thursday 6th October at 3pm for our special picnic, where you will be able to enjoy the healthy sandwiches we have made.

Beautiful Inside and Out

The Beech class have been learning about the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. We had great fun smelling a range of food stuff and guessing what it could be. We also enjoyed tasting some of the food. Some of us were worried about putting our hand in the feely bag, but we were all brave and delved in. Outside afterwards we used our sense of sight to spot signs of Autumn. I hope you enjoy reading our poems.

Comparing numbers in the Beech class.

We have been busy comparing 2 digit numbers. We used numberlines to compare which number was larger and smaller. After that we used the symbols of greater than and less than to show our understanding.

Beautiful Inside and Out

The children in Beech have been learning about the class charter. They enjoyed being introduced to Jigsaw Jack and describing when they feel safe and special. Enjoy looking at our pictures showing when we feel safe.

Growing plants in Beech Class

Over the past few weeks Beech class have been busy growing beans, potatoes and tomatoes as part of our 'Flower Power' work.

Today some children have planted cress seeds so we are waiting patiently for them to germinate and grow.

Drawing sunflowers

Beech class have been taking time to observe and draw the beautiful sunflowers.

We looked closely at the shapes we could see, and tried hard to sketch them.

We also explored light, dark and the textures we could create with our pencil.

Our bean experiment

Science experiments have been taking place in Beech class.

What does a bean need to grow?

What will happen if we don't give the bean soil or light or water?

In small groups we have planted two beans in two separate cups and thought carefully how we can make it a fair test. Some groups have placed one bean in a cold place and the other bean in a hot place. We look forward to sharing our results in the next few weeks.

A mysterious seed

A mysterious seed was found in Beech class this week!! The children asked and answered questions.

What is it?

What shall we do with it?

What could it grow into?

What does it need to grow?

The children have predicted that it might grow into a red cabbage or a beanstalk if we give it soil, water and sunlight.

We hope to update you in the next few weeks with it's growing progress

Our Trip to Testwood Lakes

Beech class had a very exciting trip to Testwood Lakes with one of the highlights being the coach ride!

A big thank you to the staff at the lakes and to our guide Sam for showing us all of the amazing habitats. We explored and compared the pond, the meadow and the woodland. We all had an brilliant day.

World Bee Day

Did you know Friday 20th May 2022 is World Bee day?

Beech class and some of the other classes have been learning about the life cycle of the bee and how they collect nectar.

We have also been learning about algorithms and how we can write instructions so that the bee can reach the hive.

Fire safety

Today in Beech class we had a firefighter from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service come to share with us some important safety messages. We have been learning about the role of the fire fighter, how to stay safe and what to do in the event of a fire.

Mrs Stevens got to pretend to be a fire fighter while we learned about what they wear when attending fires and rescuing people.

Thank you to James the fire fighter for sharing all of this important information with us.

Designing and making a Tudor house.

This week in Beech class we have been set the challenge in Design Technology to design, and make a Tudor house that would have been around during the Great Fire of London.

Our houses need to be strong, stiff, and stable so we can create a model village. We have also been asked to explore adding a moving mechanism. Before we design and make we have been exploring and evaluating how levers, moving wheels and tools work. Come along after school on Friday and see our finished models.

Comparing Tudor and modern houses.

This week in Beech class we have been learning about the history of Tudor houses.

We looked carefully at the features of Tudor buildings and compared how they are different or similar to our own homes.

The Great Fire of London

Beech class had a very special visitor this week. Samuel Pepys spent time answering the children’s questions all about the Great Fire of London.

Where did the fire start?

What happened to all the houses? 

Why did the fire spread? 

How did they stop the fire? 

What did he hide under the ground? 

Why did he write a diary?

Collage

In Beech class we have been making collages using different types of paper. We wanted to create a cracked effect. Can you guess what we might turn these collages into? Make sure you check your child's book bag at the end of this week to see the final creation.

PSHE

Beech class have been discussing in PSHE how and when medicines should be used. They have also been focusing upon how important it is to use them safely.

Jigsaw Jo had a headache and the children suggested ideas for how to help.

Here are our top tips.

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Go outside for some fresh air.

3. Have a little lay down.

4. If your head still hurts tell an adult and they will see which medicine might help.

Texture

Beech Class have been exploring different textures. We have been thinking carefully about what marks we can make to represent different polar animals.

This week in Beech Class we have been using "clever counting" in 2's to find out how many pairs of shoes are in our classroom. We have also been identifying odd and even numbers. We had to flip a coin and see who could cross out all of their odd and even numbers first. Have a go at home at counting in 2's, 5's and 10's.

Welcome to Beech Class!

Celebrating all of our fantastic home learning during lockdown. We are very proud of you all.