On Wednesday afternoon, Year 2 learnt about Remembrance Day. The children thought about the importance as well as the significance of the poppy. They spoke about the how the poppy was the only flower to grow on the battlefields after World War One before making their own poppies.
Year 3, 4, and 5 were all enthralled by Coventry Inspiration Book Awards winning author-illustrator, Alex T. Smith, and his helper Coco, when they zoomed into our classrooms this morning. Before the event had even started, Year 3 were blown away to see their Winston illustrations on the pre-event slide show!
Alex talked to us about how he writes and illustrates his books, showed us how to draw Winston and read the first chapters of How Winston Delivered Christmas and How Winston Came Home For Christmas. He also told us all about the stories his Grandad used to tell him and some of the ways he and his family celebrate Christmas.
Here’s what some of the children thought:
Yesterday was Diwali, and tonight is Bonfire Night, so this week’s books all link to light, fireworks and the gunpowder plot!
Binny’s Diwali by Thrity Umrigar and Nidhi Chanani is a delightful celebration of Diwali in a picture book that everyone can enjoy. The narrative is interspersed with fascinating insights into preparations for the Hindu Festival Of Light, and I love that the whole class celebrate with her. The book finishes with a short retelling of the Diwali Story and an explanation of the Five Days of Diwali.
When it is Binny’s turn to give a talk to her class about her favourite holiday she’s both excited and nervous. She wants to make sure her friends understand why Diwali is so special to her and her family. Thrity Umrigar captures her emotions perfectly as her excitement about her favourite holiday is tempered with her need to get her talk just right. Nidhi Chanani’s illustrations are bright, fresh, and modern and capture the light within them, bringing the story to life.
The King Who Banned The Dark by Emily Haworth-Booth is a truly delightful picture book spotlighting light and dark, fear and hope, and protest against arbitrary rules.
There was once a little boy who was afraid of the dark. There’s nothing unusual about that. Most children are afraid of the dark at one time of another. But this little boy was a Prince, and he decided that when he became King, he would do something about the dark. He would ban it. When a King bans the dark completely, installing an artificial sun, and enforcing “anti-dark” laws, it seems like a good idea. The citizens don’t need to worry about monsters, crime, or any of the other scary things that might live in the dark. But what happens when nobody can sleep, and the citizens revolt? Will the King face his fears and turn the lights off? The King Who Banned the Dark is a beautiful story about how we need the dark in order to enjoy the light.
Asha And The Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan is a beautifully told, gripping adventure with family, friendship and self-belief at it’s heart. Jasbinder’s evocative writing transports the reader from the calm, quiet village of Moormanali, through the freezing forests and up mountains to the most northerly temple of the Himalayas at Kasare and back down into the hustle, bustle and darkest spots of Zandapur.
Asha and Jeevan spark wonderfully off each other, supporting and encouraging, learning about their different beliefs and growing together as their journey becomes ever more treacherous. I can’t tell you my favourite moment (because, spoiler) but it had me doing a full on first pump at their bravery and teamwork.
I love that the Diwali story and spirituality is central to the plot, adding yet another layer of authenticity to this heartfelt story. And, the glossary at the beginning, so you can immerse yourself in the Indian terms before you begin reading,
Black Powder by Ally Sherrick is a rip-roaring life and death romp of an adventure, featuring Guy Fawkes. The fast pace and short chapters mean you find yourself reading just one more continuously. Rich, descriptive language pull the reader into the story as the drama and tension build to a nerve jangling climax.
England, 1605: 12-year-old Tom must save his father from hanging. He falls in with a mysterious stranger – the Falcon – who promises to help him in exchange for his service. But on the long journey to London, Tom discovers the Falcon’s true mission – and a plot to blow up Parliament with barrels of black powder. Tom faces a terrible decision: secure his father’s release, or stop the assassination of the king…
However you are celebrating this weekend, please stay safe and remember to follow the firework code…
In Year 6, we have been biologists, investigating how the human heart works.
We used a balloon to recreate the pumping of the heart, and with each depression of the balloon, blood (juice) flowed out of the heart to oxygenate the rest of the body.
Year 5 have been investigating Archimedes’ principle, and exploring water resistance and buoyancy.
We each had modelling clay with the same mass and had to find the shape that would float using what we know about about the forces, up-thrust and buoyancy. There were quite a few “Eureka!” moments!
In school this week, we have created Footprints of Welcome that the children would want to present to Little Amal, a 3.5 metre-tall puppet of a young refugee girl, created by the acclaimed Handspring Puppet Company. Representing all displaced children, many separated from their families, Little Amal is walking across Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the UK, with a finale event in Manchester, England in November 2021. She is travelling a remarkable 8,000km in total, celebrating the power of art and shared humanity wherever she goes, and will be visiting Coventry on Wednesday 27th during half-term.
All of our children have learned more about the experiences Little Amal may have encountered through reading The Day War Came by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, a powerful and necessary picture book about the journey of a child forced to become a refugee when war destroys everything she has ever known.
Imagine if, on an ordinary day, war came. Imagine it turned your town to rubble. Imagine going on a long and difficult journey – all alone. Imagine finding no welcome at the end of it. Then imagine a child who gives you something small but very, very precious…
Here are just some of the messages our children created, showing great empathy towards Little Amal and all displaced children around the world. We are so proud of our children and the way they always demonstrate our school values.
During this half term, in Music, Year 2 have been focusing on the song ‘Hands, Heart and Feet’. We have learnt about the pulse as well as how to improvise both using our voices and musical instruments. We also got the chance to create a composition using the glockenspiel. To end the unit the children had the opportunity to perform our piece of music to year 1. They gave us a big clap!
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