Friday 30 June 2017

Ancient Greece Comes to Birch



This weekend, Birch Class are encouraged to research and produce something to show to the class based on our topic of Ancient Greece. We have been looking at some of the Greek myths surrounding the Gods and heroes, but some more examples can be found here:

Jason and the Argonauts
The 12 Labours of Heracles
Theseus and the Minotaur
Icarus and Daedalus
Perseus and Medusa
Pygmalion's Statue
King Midas and the Golden Touch

The children may produce a factfile, an annotated drawing or painting, a sculpture, a poster, a retelling of a story, or a poem. Some useful links are here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/history/ancient_greek_myths

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/history/greece/greek-myths/


Good luck Birch Class!

Image result for ancient greek zeus



Team-building in Birch Class

Yesterday, Birch Class were set an activity that demanded an understanding of all 4 of our Rs: resourcefulness, reflectiveness, resilience, and reciprocity.

The task was simple: in groups of 3/4, build the tallest tower possible using polystyrene cups, a piece of card, and a pair of scissors in 10 minutes.

Put into groups with other student that they wouldn't normally work with, Birch Class demonstrated coolness under the pressure of time. There were some fantastic designs and approaches to the task which showed a great deal of teamwork, resourcefulness and patience. Our growth mindsets were really tested.

As we work towards are target of being kind and polite to everyone we meet, this task really showed the students who were able to work successfully no matter who they we paired with.



Olivia B enjoyed this team-building so much that she was prepared to give up her iPad time for it! Great enthusiasm Olivia, and great reciprocity Birch Class.

Tuesday 27 June 2017

Spelling Bee Tomorrow

Dear Parents,

Tomorrow morning will be the third and final spelling bee for pupils this academic year. The full word lists were sent out at the beginning of the year. However, tomorrow's heats will involve all children taking part and putting their spelling skills to the test with randomly chosen words taken from a specific subset from the overall lists. These subsets are included below:

Key Stage 1 words (Y1 and 2):
dresses
enemies
everyone
everywhere
tomatoes
libraries
playground
queen
watches
airport
everything
whale
friends
without
basketball
bike
berries
somebody
footprints
spy
hobbies
anything
forever
towns
factories
forgot
anyone
trees
cried
lucky
popcorn
stick
married
face
barefoot
asleep
prettier
herself
rainbow
newspaper

Key Stage 2 words (for Y3,4,5 and 6):
Hyphen
is a short line used to connect parts of compound word.
Kettle
is a metal container in which to cook foods.
Lucid
means easily understood; completely understandable.
Meagre
is deficient in quantity or quality.
Myth
is a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero,
Icon
is a picture, image or other representation.
Khaki
means dull yellowish brown.
Luminous
is radiating or reflecting light.
Mechanical
is having to do with machinery.
Nausea
is sickness at the stomach, especially when loathing food.
Illegible
is hard to read or decipher because of poor handwriting.
Kidnapped
means being stolen, abducted or carried off by force.
Macabre
is gruesome and horrifying.
Memoir
is a record written by a person based on personal observation.
Necessary
is being essential; indispensable.
Incite
is to stir, encourage or urge on.
Knead
is to work dough into a uniform mixture.
Machete
is a large, heavy knife used to cut underbrush or sugar cane.
Metaphor
is a figure of speech applied to something to which it isn't literally applicable
Nephew
is a son of one's brother or sister.
Incognito
is to have one's identity concealed.
Knowledge
is acquaintance with facts, as from study or investigation.
Magnificent
is making a splendid appearance or show.
Miscellaneous
is of mixed character.
Nocturnal
is of or pertaining to the night.
Inevitable
is something that can't be avoided.
Knuckle
is a joint of the finger.
Maintenance
is the act of keeping things in good order.
Mischievous
is maliciously or playfully annoying.
Novice
is a person who is new to something.
Inflammable
is capable of being set on fire.
Labour
is productive activity for the sake of economic gain.
Malaria
is a disease characterized by chills or fever, caused by the bite of a mosquito.
Miserable
is very unhappy, uneasy or uncomfortable.
Nurture
is to feed and protect.
Influenza
is a viral, acute, sometimes epidemic disease.
Ladle
is a long-handled utensil used for dipping.
Malice
is the desire to inflict harm on someone.
Mistletoe
is a plant used in Christmas decorations.
Nutritious
is providing nourishment, especially to a high degree.
Invincible
is incapable of being conquered or defeated.
Laugh
is to express pleasure audibly.
Margarine
is a butter-like product made from refined vegetable oils.
Moccasin
is a shoe made entirely of soft leather.
Obese
means very fat or overweight.
Irritable
is easily irritated or annoyed.
League
is a unit of distance, usually about 3 miles.
Marina
is a boat basin offering dockage and other service for small craft.
Moderator
is a person who presides over a discussion.
Oblivious
means unaware of.
Jaguar
is the largest cat in the western hemisphere.
Lecture
is a speech read or delivered before an audience.
Maroon
is a dark brownish-red.
Modify
is to alter partially, to amend.
Obvious
is easily understood or recognizable.
Jealous
is feeling resentment against someone because of success of advantages.
Legible
is capable of being read or deciphered with ease.
Marriage
is when a man and woman decide to live legally as husband and wife
Monarch
is a hereditary sovereign.
Omission
is the act of omitting.
Journal
is a daily record.
Leisure
is freedom from the demands of work.
Martyr
is a person who suffers death rather than give up religion.
Monitor
is a student appointed to assisted in the conduct of a class.
Opaque
is not allowing light to pass through.
Juice
is the fluid that can be extracted from something.
Length
is the longest extent of something from end to end.
Massacre
is the unnecessary killing of human beings, as in a war.
Mortgage
is repayment of money borrowed to buy property.
Operator
is a person who runs a machine, apparatus or the like.
Karate
is a method of self-defence.
Lieutenant
is a military rank.
Mauve
is a pale bluish purple.
Mosquito
is an insect that bites, some passing on certain diseases.
Orchestra
is a group of performers on various musical instruments.
Kayak
is an Eskimo canoe.
Lightning
is a brilliant electric spark discharge.
Mayonnaise
is a thick dressing of different ingredients.
Muscle
is a tissue, the contraction of which produces movement.
Orchid
is a flower of a plant of temperate and tropical regions.