16.7.20

The time has come to say good-bye at the end of this school year. I am not allowed to give you anything to take home this year, so I thought for a while and found something far more precious than a pencil with a rubber on the end, (although they are lovely!)

I have made you all a present of memories! - a series of films to help us all remember the two terms we did spend together. It is a celebration of the things you achieved along our learning journey and I think we will all be surprised at how much we packed in. You can now share with your families what you got up to in school. Just remember to tell your parents there were times we did sit still and work on our maths and English!

Click on the star above, called Class 2 Photos and Videos and you can relive our best and most dramatic moments. If you are missing friends over the summer, you can watch them on the films!

You have been a wonderful class and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you all.

Good-bye Year 4's! I will miss you but remember I am still in school and I will always be interested in what you are getting up to. You will have loads of fun with Mrs Dye and enjoy being reunited with your old friends.

Good-bye until September, Year 3's!  Sorry I did not get a chance to say good-bye in person. Our time was too short, but luckily we will get another chance to work together. It won’t be quite like last year, but we are a resourceful and creative bunch, and I am sure we will find new ways to learn, have fun and make more films with your new classmates! 

Stay safe this summer! 

Best wishes,

Mrs Mullan

15.7.20

As we are all at home today, try the Class 2 photo competition!Take a photo to show what is important to you or describes you. It could be an arrangement of your favourite things, or a portrait of you. The title is "ME!" Photos in by 4pm please. It would be great to have one for each person.

OR

Make mini-film about you.Check out Herbie's great film below all about his experience in Lockdown. Bear Grylls would be proud of your survival skills!

14.7.20

Check out our Flotsam photos when we tried taking a photo of a person holding a photo of a person...and so on. Photos and videos of our two terms together will be going up under the Class 2 Photos and Videos star.

13.7.20 Welcome to your last week of the school year! Happy days!

For those of you desperate to keep going with academic work, have a look at any of the lessons on the Oak National Academy website. There are loads of English, Maths, Science and RE lessons. I will be putting links up for Art lessons that look cool on Google Classroom. These are voluntary!

If you want to draw a picture or take a photo of yourself with a speech bubble message for your friends I will put it up. Make sure it is kind!

Otherwise there are loads of games, mindfulness sheets, puzzles and word searches on Week 12 star or on the site below.

Its weird growth is probably due to the prevailing wind from the moors but most probably over grazed by sheep as a young tree hence stunted height. Also it has shallow exposed roots which have kept it small.

10.7.20 Happy Friday!

Well done to all those who produced travel brochures for Lilliput. Today is spellings day (hurray!) and a slightly longer reading comprehension. If you liked the story of Gulliver, try and find the longer film version from 2010 but it is a PG so you would have to ask your parents. 

If you haven't tried the Magis Spiral by Ulrike Hirsch have a go. Do not copy it, as that would be too hard, but do look at the bits you like and develop those. We had fun in school developing doodles. 

Or use the guidelines below to help draw a mandela.

9.7.20

Happy Thursday! Year 4's are presenting their brave new world's today. In English, listen to the story of some strange new worlds, in the story of Gulliver's Travels (see the video link below). How do the weird worlds he finds, compare with the worlds you created? Lilliput is the first world but there are others (in the bottom link you can find the whole story).

Have a look at the 11 Year Old Spy on the Film webpage.

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/films-made-by-students-1/

If you can today and tomorrow, make a short film to send in. If you have an ipad there are many movie trailer formats to use. It would make a fun project to end the term.

8.7.20 Happy Wednesday!

The Year 3's have continued our story which Year 4's will continue tomorrow. Great job Year 3's! Year 4's send in any new world ppts to share on Thursday to classtwo@prestoonjmi.herts.sch.uk

Have a go at the Fronted Adverbials video and ppt for English.

This afternoon, why not try and learn some French words for parts of the body! (links under WEEK 11)

7.7.20 Happy Tuesday!

6.7.20

Hello all! You are all doing so well, whether at home or in school. Keep going! We are nearly at the Summer holidays!!! To make things easier everything for this week is under WEEK 11 above. Just scroll down to find the Science, Geography and Art links and video clips.

ENGLISH, MATHS AND READING are still put up on Google classroom for when you are at home.

If you know you find telling the time hard, then there is a whole load of powerpoints and worksheets linked to time under the Maths star. They start with which hand is which, o' clock, half past, quarter past and to, five minute intervals, 24 hour clock, and converting between digital and analogue. Your parents are experts at telling the time, so if you are stuck they will know the answer! Let's make sure everyone can tell the time! These are for those who need the practise. You do NOT need to do them if you can do this already.

So this week, Year 3's you will be telling everyone about your civilisations/worlds on Monday or Tuesday. Year 4's you will be doing it on Thursday or Friday. Anyone at home, do send yours in as we really want to see your ideas and will share them on the webpage.You CANNOT bring in anything you have made. You CAN send photos or a powerpoint. You can use this to help you explain your world to your friends. Look at Martha's and Herbie's for ideas on how to do this.

Year 4's have started off a COLLABORATIVE CLASS 2 STORY. They have written the beginning and Year 3's you will write middle part. Set up a problem that the Year 4's have to solve. If you are at home and want to join in, the start of the story is under Week 11 star.

Biome this week is the Tundra! Land of no trees, low level alpine plants and furry animals.

3.7.20

How is your world coming along? Try and finish off that project today. Year 3's you are going to share your project on Monday. Remember you cannot bring anything into school so you will have to send a powerpoint or photos to classtwo@prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk and we will put it on the website to share.

2.7.20

An exciting sequel to Harry's first novel - Kung Fu Koala is in trouble again. Read KFK's adventures in the slideshow above. Click on a slide to make it bigger so you can read it.

English, reading and maths tasks are on Google Classroom.

After that, think about some drawings or producing a powerpoint about your new world. Check the sheet on Task 1 with all the things you can choose from: laws for your world, flag and symbols, animals living there etc. Check out Martha's exciting world below which is a great example of one way of doing this. If you are drawing things, that is brilliant too. Just upload a photo of the drawing and send it to classtwo@prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk

1.7.20 Happy 1st of July!   Don't forget to mark the 100th day of lockdown with a dressing-up costume. Send in any photos!

Recap - Make sure you have designed your "plant" (task 2), on Weslandia Activities ppt. By now you should have at least read Weslandia and started a mind map about what your world will be like. That mind map will grow and develop over the week. You will be completing lots of task this week and then presenting your world to the rest of your class next week. 

Today you are going to try out Task 3 - NEW GAME. Try looking at the game Wesley invented and write down what you think the rules are. Then try and invent a new game of your own which can be played in your new world. What is it called? Do you need something to catch or hit with? What would it look like? What do you wear to play it?

Read your instructions out to someone at home to check they are understandable. 

For anyone looking for some computing challenges try this Scratch coding challenge below.

Week 10

Our class is in lots of different places but we will all be following the same work. On days when you are not in school, please complete the reading, English and maths tasks set on google classroom and other afternoon activities for art, RE, Science and Geography can be found here as usual.

We have moved to the Taiga (pronounced "tiger"!), a coniferous forest area covering most of Russia and parts of the Northern Hemisphere and is home to bears, wolves, elk, etc. It usually has freezing, long winters and short hot summers, with loads of insects! Find out more in the videos and power point below.

26.6.20

Happy Friday!

When you have finished your Maths and English, you could spend the afternoon going for a scavenger hunt using the sheets below. Or pick something you did not get to finish this week.

Have a look at the beautiful book, A Charm of Chaffinches and Other Collective Nouns, recommended by Mrs Crichton. You can see how the illustrator drew the chaffinch in the video below.

25.6.20

Did you know that woodlice are the only crustaceans (crab family) to live on the land and not near water? Have you worked out yet which type of woodlouse curls up in a ball?

Why not try making a choice chamber for some woodlice. Find out what habitat conditions they like. Damp or dry? Light or dark? Think about where you find them and try to predict before setting up your experiment.

Take a tray or plastic container. Set it up so half is dry and half is moist (wet paper towels or a little damp soil would work). Then cover half of it (the other way so the tray/box is quartered) with card so it is dark. The picture makes it clear! Put your woodlice in the middle and see where they go. 

Remember to put them back afterwards and do not leave in the sun.

Spot this cheeky visitor to Oliver's farm, caught on the chicken-cam security footage. Most of us were surprised to find out yesterday that fox cubs are really called kits. Surprising as they belong to the dog family. Did you know the grey fox which lives in Russia, is the only member of the dog family capable of climbing trees. Foxes can also semi-retract (draw in) their claws.

Have a look at some of the lovely artwork you are producing.

24.6.20 Happy Wednesday! Year 4's to meet at 1pm on Google Classroom. Just follow the meet link. Will has kindly written down how he has been sending screenshots of his maths in case that would help any of you. It might be easier than taking a photo! (See his instructions in link at the top of this page)

TODAY

Reading - all about hedgehogs! Fill in the online quiz.

English - If you have finished your Sound Collector poem then try performing some animal poems.

Maths - Oak National Academy still tackling measures.

If you are looking for something to do this afternoon, try Crest Awards or the RE (under RE star) lessons from ONA on hope, patience, reliance etc. You might want to also read along with the Hodgeheg story (see video links above), by Dick King-Smith. Great story with lovely illustrations. You could always play it whilst doing some artwork and multi-task!Or for science, watch the videos below.

23.6.20 Happy Tuesday everyone!

Tree-rific leaf rubbings and tree identifying from a lot of people. It is going to be great to go for a walk with your family and being able to name all the types of trees.

English, reading and maths are on Google classroom. We are reading about foxes today and writing our own version of The Sound Collector using those great onomatopoeic words you found yesterday. 

Look at the Art and Science ideas for this week. The woven willow fish looks brilliant, or go on a walk in the woods, collect anything you can find and make an Andy Goldsworthy inspired arrangement. Send in any photos you take.

There are three CREST award activities you could try. You must spend a minimum of an hour researching the projects on your own. CREST activities are all about thinking for yourself and investigating. you must show evidence of your research and a written down conclusion. 

Choose from:

Crest - A Special Tree

Research different tree types and decide what you should plant as a celebration tree in Treedwell. How will you choose? Should it be a tree which looks impressive? Should it be a pretty tree that blossoms? How about one that bears fruit for animals and birds or grows quickly?

Crest - Tree Trouble

Save an old tree in Treedwell by showing how many different bugs and insects live in it. Shake a tree or gently tap its branches so that bugs fall out onto a plain coloured sheet below. Sheets work better than blankets as they are less woolly. Pale colours are good too, as you can then see darker colour bugs. Identify and name the insects. Do all trees have as many bugs and insects? 

Crest - Good-bye Old Tree

Decide how a fallen tree should be celebrated. Could the wood from the trunk be made into something? should it be for animals or people? 

Opal Hedgerow Survey

Take part in a national survey about the number of species you can find in a hedgerow.

22.6.20 Welcome to Week 9!

TOPIC- We are in the Deciduous Forest that we know and love which is the biome that surrounds our school. Deciduous forests are where the trees lose their leaves in Winter. For fun you might like to watch the classic deciduous woodland tale of "The Wind in the Willows". A cute musical stop motion animation is linked below for when you have a spare hour!

READING -This week the reading tasks will all be about forest creatures. Choose the level you feel most comfortable with and complete the online quiz after reading.

ENGLISH - Last week you wrote a recipe poem and an alliteration poem. This week we are adding to our poetry skills. Today you are learning all about onomatapoeia words and looking at the sounds animals make. 

MATHS - We are still following Oak National Academy lesson videos as most people are finding those helpful. If you find your level too hard or too easy, contact classtwo@prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk. for alternative work.

So  mornings should be spent working through your reading, English and maths lessons (all on google classroom) and in the afternoons you could try using some of the activities available here : art, RE, Blue Peter badge challenges and competitions, French, YUMU music, computer touch typing, etc.

19.6.20 Happy Friday!

A lot of you completed the online reading comprehension quiz. Well done! Two stories today. Questions 1-5 are about Tiddalick the Frog and Questions 6-10 are about How the Koala Got His Stumpy Tail.

On Sunday it will be Father's Day. If any of your dads or grandads have been helping you recently, now is the time to thank them. Check out all the great poems, medals, trophies, cards and ideas for pressies  under the Art star.

Also on Sunday 21st June it is World Music Day. There are many ways you can get involved virtually, including making instruments from trash (Bash the Trash), free music lessons and sending in sounds or your own recording of Bring Me Sunshine. Have a look at the activities and World Music Day website. You could take dad to a virtual concert!

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/21st-june-2020-fathers-day-and-world-music-day-act/

Andy the angry alligator once went to sea

A big, blue, blurry Beluga whale said hi to he,

Cat came counting, how many claws had she?

Along came Dog ditching a dozen squirrels,

Elephant came eating eggs and eggplant,

Frog fanned fox with a fantasy fan,

Grimpoteuthis Abyssicola octopus grabbed grim ground,

Hi said Hedgehog, heating his hat,

Iguana in an igloo emerged with an ingot,

Jaguar jogged in wearing a jersey,

Kingfisher swooped in and killed a kind fish,

Lemur lept longingly towards the loaded beach,

Manta Ray moshed on Monday but it was Thursday,

Northern fur seal was a native noob,

Ocelot arrived over the oval,

Parrot ponged of posh panthers, 

Quokka quotes about quiche,

Red fox read books about radish and red foxes, 

Sam the Salamander said sand is stupid, 

But the Tasmanian Devil tasted and took a ton,

Umbrella bird was in the utility using umbrellas,

Vice-president Vicugna voted on vultures,

Whale splashed wombat for walking on him,

Xantus's Hummingbird used a xylophone,

Yellow yak yelled about Yoshi,

And Zebra zoned into her zen space.

By Scarlett

18.6.20  Check out what happened in your friend's garden. A swarm of bees landed in their tree and a beekeeper had to come and collect it. To find out all about bees by clicking the link below. Cleverly it inspired a swarm of the letter "b"s in an alliterative paragraph.

NEW TODAY - How animals are adapted to be able to live in the desert. Watch the videos and make a poster or fill in the animal sheets (under Science)

Hope some of you tried out for your Sports badge yesterday. If not give it a go. Some of you applied for a blue Blue Peter badge last half term and have already received your second badge! If you haven't done it yet why not try the Virtual Pentathlon activities set by Mrs Trott which look brilliant.

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/virtual-pentathlon/

17.6.20 Morning all!

Year 3's day to meet at 1pm. Bring along a piece of work you like. You could read us your "Recipe for an Animal" poem! There will be a Desert Animal Quiz which will go on this page for Year 4's at 2pm. It includes my favourite word ever for a baby animal!

Reading, English and Maths daily activities are on google classroom. Very proud of everyone who has sent work in. Give yourselves a pat on the back! It is obvious some of you are really trying hard at home!  Work can be handwritten then send a photo to classtwo@prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk or you can open a word document and type all the answers to your day's work in that, or send work to google classroom.

NEW : Check out the RE lessons on some great topics which are very important to all of us: HOPE, COURAGE, RESILIENCE, PATIENCE, LOVE AND HUMILITY. Listen to how people of different faiths express these virtues through the sharing faith videos. Why not listen to one a week in the afternoons, (under the RE star).

BIG NEWS - The Blue Peter Sports Badge 2020 is now available! Let's get one! It looks cool!

All you have to do is try some new sport or dance and send in a photo of yourself doing it on their website. Here's a suggestion. Why not try to learning an African dance? Follow the videos linked above to learn genuine African dancing. It is energetic and fun!

SIX BADGES OF SUMMER is running through June and July. They started last week with Green badge, which most of you have. There are loads of ideas for how to get your Sports Badge. Do it this afternoon.

16.6.20 So hopefully you now know there are four types of deserts - hot and dry, cold, semi-arid and coastal. The thing they all have in common is they are DRY! Less than 25 cm of rain a year and the place is classified as a desert. Hitchin gets about 61cm of rain a year so it is twice as wet as a desert! 

Desert cover more than 1/5 of the Earth's surface and are on every continent.1/6 of the World's population live in a desert.

NEW TODAY- Links are set on Google classroom which is the minimum you should do today:

READING -A short Aboriginal dreamtime (creation) story about How the Birds Got Their Colours.

ENGLISH - Edit and write up your Recipe for an Animal Poem in your best handwriting and if you have time draw a picture. Then send in for our Animal Poetry Collection. Can't wait to see what you came up with!

(If, like Elliot you have completed one you could write another or look at the Anansi stories by Unicorn Theatre and maybe write a review. Do you like their style of drama. What is good about it? What is bad about it? )

MATHS- Carrying on with Oak National Academy, lesson 2 on measurement.

Week 8 15.6.20

Morning all! Welcome to our desert week! All things sandy, dry and hot will be explored this week as we look at the hostile environment of the desert.

Did you know it can freeze in the desert at night?

Did you know sand dunes move?

Did you know that different sand dunes have different names according to their shapes?

We will look at what things an area needs to be called a desert, where they are and how they are formed. We will also find out about the amazing creatures that have adapted to be able to survive the extreme changes in temperature.

This week you will be asked to send in proof (either a photo or word document) that everyday you are doing at least 15-30 minutes of:

READING - We are starting with some easy 60 second comprehensions. These can take 15 minutes to read and then answer the questions. 

ENGLISH - We are learning about and writing poetry this week. You will be composing, editing and writing up poems about animals. We are always good at poetry and we can put everyone's poems into slideshow!

MATHS - We are following Oak National Academy Maths lessons this week on measurement. It will be like sitting in a lesson with a teacher talking you through the tasks and then setting you a challenge. It has been test run by a member of the class who really enjoyed it. 

These activities have been put onto Google Classroom too, to make it easier for you to find and send in proof you have done it. You can also use the classtwo@prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk if that is easier.

There are also loads of ideas for Art, PE, RE, Geography and Science which should be fun to do in the afternoons! They are on this website, with your suggested timetable.

Any photos you send in are put here so you can see each other's great ideas. This is our sharing and keeping in touch page. Do check out the gorgeous artwork and great stories from last week below. It is updated daily. Really inspiring! Well done to all those who sent work in. 

12.6.20

Maths - Well done to all those who solved the Chocolate Thief maths mystery problem. Extra marks go to anyone dressing up for maths!!! A lot of you enjoyed it so today we have a Melting Ice Cream challenge.

English - Choose a second English activity from yesterday's list. The videos about how they changed the animation into a musical are really interesting and are presented by an old Blue Peter presenter. (Look under the Art Star https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/art-3/ ), or the Ghanaian Goldilocks is fun! (under the English Star).

Art -This afternoon you could make a symmetrical African Mask. You could mirror the pieces or fold it in half and make it symmetrical. Cereal boxes would be perfect.

See under Art star (below the Lion King videos).

or 

Try some African Animal yoga!

11.6.20

How can we study animals and the savannah without mentioning The Lion King? So here are some ideas you could do today for English. you choose which one grabs your interest!

1. Lion King Film Review

Watch The Lion King and review it using our film review technique from last half term. You could compare the cartoon version and the live action. Which is better? Why? What is your favourite part and why? Which is the funniest/scariest/most lovable character? Who would you recommend it to?

2. Lion King - The Musical

Watch the educational 10 part series (none are longer than 5 mins so do not worry!) about how The Lion King was turned into a musical. The short videos are all linked under the Art star above. Make short notes on each video, writing say two sentences about the things that stood out to you. There are so many different jobs involved in making a musical. Think about which one appeals to you and write about what part you would like and why.

Choose from - actors, costume designers, puppeteers, lighting, musicians, directors, scenery makers, dancers, advertising. Remember the talk Mrs Edwards gave us, about all the exciting roles. 

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/art-3/

3. Anansi Story

If you loved the Anansi stories there are more under the English star. He is up to more tricksy trouble. You could draw another cartoon about one of the stories or try and write your own in which Anansi tricks some animals.  

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/english-2/

4. Tinga tinga Tales

The link for Tinga Tinga Tales is up under the English star. If you have never heard any, these stories retell African folk tales about why different animals look the way they do. Find out why the porcupine has spines, or the elephant has a long nose. Could you make up a story about why an animal looks the way it does. Why does the giraffe have such a long neck?

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/english-2/

5. Ghanaian Goldilocks

Listen to the story of the Ghanaian Goldilocks (under the English Star above). This is a modern version of Goldlilocks, set in Africa with a twist in the ending. Can you guess the end. Stop it before Goldilocks is discovered in the house and predict the ending. You could write it down then watch the end. Or compare this story with the original fairy tale of Goldilocks. What was the same and what was different? Which has the better moral?

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/english-2/

10.6.20

Morning! We are searching for delicious recipes today! If you have a favourite, then write it up in your neatest handwriting and send us a photo and we will make a whole star dedicated to recipes. If you cannot get to your favourite recipe right now, then read the ones below. Choose your favourite and write it up beautifully. Why not draw pictures to make it look beautiful.

New today: 

Maths fun mystery challenge - you have to use lots of different types of maths to work out the puzzle. It looked fun and we all love a puzzle.

Geography sheets about Africa. It is the largest continent in the world and has so many types of habitat, including rainforests, savannahs and deserts that we will look 

Lap books are a fun way to display all the scientific and Geographical facts you are finding out about the different regions. Here is Herbie's about the rainforests. If you want to find out about how to make them watch the link below. You can pack them full of facts and they don't get lost like bits of paper. 

You can make flaps, any size or shape, to add interest. 

9.6.20  Morning! Hopefully you found out about savannah's yesterday. Today we are exploring African art and in English you are either retelling the story of "Why Anansi has eight skinny legs" or drawing it out as a cartoon with speech bubbles.

Remember to send in your drawings. 

Tomorrow will be the Year 4's meeting at 1pm. Look forward to seeing you. We will have a savannah animal quiz and bring something you have made or are proud of. 

8.6.20 Savannah Week!

This week we have moved away from the Equator and the rainforests to an area called the savannah. So what is a savannah? Basically a habitat (area where creatures live) that is mainly grassland with a few shrubs and only a few trees. It is still hot but there is less rain and so plants do not grow as much as they did in the rainforests.

If you were going on a safari it would be in the savannah. The largest land animals live in the savannah: elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinos and hippos. The biggest flightless birds, ostriches and the fastest cats, cheetahs, also live here. So much to find out.

The area with the largest savannah is Africa, so in art there are lots of animal and African art ideas.

In Geography we are finding out about where the savannahs are and what they are like.

In English, we are looking at the traditional African stories about Anansi the spider. 

In Maths, it is time to try some symmetry. All the power points and sheets are on Google classroom.

5.6.20 Funday Friday! 

Join in this afternoon with a photo challenge (see below for ideas). Best rainforest themed photo please, by 3pm when they will be put up for you to look at.

It could be you face painted in a rainforest fashion, a Lego rainforest scene, toy animals in the part of your garden that has the most rainforest like vegetation (if you take the picture close up it looks better), or a picture of your artwork. 

For English there is Rainforest Calling Friday chapters, or Imagine Rainforest (see yesterday for links), or take photos of your diorama and make up a diary/ photo story of your own.

For those who LOVE spellings, week 6 spellings are available under English or activities to help you learn the words you are meant to learn by the end of Year 4, under Statutory Spellings Year 3 and 4 star.

4.6.20  Good morning! Check out the gorgeous diorama. New today is a Rainforest Quiz. Try and guess the name of the plant or animal and then you could try and find out some information. There is one animal which looks a little like a zebra but is closer to a type of giraffe! 

Or check out these "Imagine Rainforest" resources (below the Rainforest rap video). They take different aspects of the rainforest and then you can try creative writing or maths or discussing the pictures. You do not need to print them off if you are running low of ink.

If you have made anything fabulously foresty, send it in! If you record a rainforest rap or rainforest music send it in. Remember our rain-stream-river-sea music with the drums. That was easy but effective. Try something similar.(Links to rainforest music videos under music star above)

3.6.20 Morning all! Some stunning artwork coming in and being photographed in the wild! Could this lead to a photo story, posed in the garden? The monkey looks like the one in the Where's My Mum book below. Any other impressive little characters? Remember if you do not have brown plasticine, then mix together red, blue and yellow. The more you mix the colours the muddier they get. 

In English you have two options (or try both).

-Carry on with Rainforest Calling and the Guided Reading Questions for Wednesday chapters

or

-Try the Deforestation Debate power point. Read about the deforestation of the rainforests and try and write either a debate (you could present it to your family) or a balanced argument (where you give both sides). Alternatively you could write your opinion.

- Create an informative leaflet to raise awareness about deforestation. 

Science today is all about the animals and the plants. How have they adapted to living in the wettest and warmest place on Earth? Today you can find out about the murderous strangler fig, that kills its host tree and the plant which acts as a tree shrew's toilet! Watch David Attenborough say "Boo!" to a sloth. Choose how you record this information: fact cards, posters or power point. The most important point is to find out more about the inhabitants of these wonderful rainforests.

2.6.20  Good morning all! Did you get lost in the jungles? Hopefully by now you have learnt they are rainforests, because they are wet and have trees! Big trees because they are found in hot places near to the Equator. Two things plants need to grow really well are water and heat. 

Keep reading our Rainforest Calling story. We are trying to read all the entries for Tuesday. Also open the Guided reading questions to Tuesday. You could try predicting an ending. There are also other links to Rainforest themed stories, (click the Book Club link above).

Check out how to make a great diorama, or model rainforest animals, or a painting about the rainforest or learn how to draw cartoons in the Rainforest Art power point (click on the Art star above).

New half term and a new month, so time for a new combined Science and Geography topic!

We are going on a tour of the Earth, looking at the six main environments:- rainforests, savannah, deserts, temperate and boreal forests, and the tundra and arctic. Each week we will look at the weather (rainfall, temperature, sunshine hours), the wildlife that lives there (animals, birds and insects), and the plants that are found. We will also be looking at how some of these are changing.

Think about how you want to record your information. Will this be a powerpoint, with a chapter each week? You could make lapbooks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJEztgwUvv4),  or hand write it and keep it in a folder. Maybe you will make a really detailed poster.

Today we start at the Equator (the imaginary line that runs around the Earth) and look at the rainforests. Guess why they are called that?

In English this week, we are reading Rainforest Calling. It is an exciting story, written in two styles, packed with information about the rainforest. Read the powerpoint about Guided Reading questions before and after each chapter. It sets you things to think about before reading and questions to answer afterwards. This tests your comprehension and makes you a better reader.

HALF TERM IDEAS

SCIENCE IDEAS

1. Make a pitfall trap to catch insects.

5. Check out the Earth Day Activities if you didn't do them last term.

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/earth-day-activities-22420/

FILM IDEAS

NATIONAL FILM COMPETITIONS TO ENTER (all details available on the Film Club webpage)

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/film-competitions-2/

1. STORYBOARD COMPETITION WITH INTO FILM

2. 100 WORD FILM REVIEW WITH INTO FILM

3. FILM REVIEW OF THE WEEK BY INTO FILM

4. FILM OF THE MONTH WITH INTO FILM 

5. NATURE IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD (SEE LINK BELOW. WINNER GETS £300 OF FILMMAKING KIT)

PRESTON FILMS JUST FOR FUN

6. LOO ROLL 2 - THE SEQUEL (4 to 5 second clip to classtwo@prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk. ) If you did it before but are desperate to have another go, we will try and fit your clip in.

See The Preston Loo Roll Challenge here https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/films-made-by-students-1/

7. "We're Still learning" - Weird and wonderful things and ways you are learning - 4 to 5 sec clips to classtwo@prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk. See clips for inspiration here https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/were-still-learning-film-clips-send-yours-in-today/

8.PHOTO COMPETITION - Mon 25th May  to Friday 29th May. First title released on the Photo Club webpage/star at 9am 25.5.20 and must be uploaded by 4pm that day. Open to the whole family, including older brothers and sisters and parents. Three categories are 1. Reception and KS1, 2. KS2 and 3. Everyone else!

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/photo-competition/

9. Shadow puppet and theatre. Send in your films of your plays. 

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/shadow-puppet-films-and-resources/

10. Any film you want to share with your friends. Must be a U certificate please!

SCAVENGER HUNT SET AT 1PM ( IF YOU FOUND THIS AFTER 1PM, TELL ME THE TIME YOU STARTED!)

1. A CLOTHES PEG

2. A STORY BOOK ABOUT AN ANIMAL

3. SOMETHING HEART SHAPED

4. A TOOTHBRUSH

5. A LEFT TRAINER

6. A FLOWER

7. A CUDDLY TOY

8. A SHOELACE NOT IN A SHOE!

9. A BOTTLE

10. A HAT

Send a photo to classtwo@prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk with your start time. 

FUN FRIDAY AFTERNOON - ONE HOUR LEGO CHALLENGE - BUILD THE BEST THING YOU CAN IN ONE HOUR AND SEND IN THE PHOTO TO THE ABOVE EMAIL. PHOTOS WILL SHOWN ON THE WEBSITE. 

22.5.20

Fun Friday afternoon time!

Lego Challenge - Best thing you can build in 1 hour at 2pm. Photos will go up to be judged by an independent judge!

This morning you could work on your fairy tale. Plan, write, edit, word process or illustrate it.

OR

Check out the The Big Dreams On The Screen Storyboard Competition.

1. Listen to the "1. STORYBOARD COMPETITION" power point again (See link below this)

2. Watch the videos about how to make a good storyboards.

3. Make a mind map of all your BIG ideas for the future.

3. Either print off the storyboards or draw your own, using the ones below as a guide.  
4.Think about adding things like camera angles.

5. You don't have to be good at drawing. You can draw stick people. Just make it clear.

6. Add notes about the lighting and dialogue (What they are saying).

7. Send it in to the competition.

OR

Carry on your Hans Christian Andersen research watching more of his original fairy tales on the Fairytaler Youtube channel (link below)

OR 

Make a shadow puppet play and film it. 

21.5.20 For those of you getting into shadow puppetry, try looking at the links below for ideas. The puppets do not have to be neat or painted. They just have to have a clean cut outline. 

Spellings change today and you could find out about Eid, a special annual festival celebrated by Muslims, which will be this Saturday. 

20.5.20 We talked about how hard it was to get a gold Blue Peter badge. Today, the most recent receiver of a gold Blue Peter badge, has been given a knighthood. Sir Tom Moore is a Guiness World Record holder for raising the most amount of money for charity, by walking round his garden at the age of 99. He wanted to raise £1000 and currently has raised £33 million pounds. Now 100, Sir Tom Moore has even recorded a song with Michael Ball.

His message is, you are not alone and don't give up. Be kind to each other.

Check the daily timetable for today's English and Science ideas.

If you are struggling to think what you could do when you are bored or want to do something creative, try these Aardman animation crafting sessions. Aardman made Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep animations. They are really fun and run by the world's best animators!! What a great opportunity to learn.

Each week they have a new challenge and show children's work on their Youtube site. That could be your work up there next week!

19.5.20  Choo-choo! All aboard the learning train! Who invented the engine and the railways, I hear you ask?? You guessed it! Those inventive, industrious Victorians! Today we find out all about the first steam engines. Who exactly did invent the first engine? What were the Rainhill Trials? What did they think would happen if you travelled above 30mph?

There are powerpoints to read, videos to watch and sheets to complete should you desire. Or make a poster all about it. Remember Adam Hart Davis, the man who taught us all about the Romans...well he is back with news about the speed merchant Victorians! 

English - Today's fairy tale is The Emperor's New Clothes. Try to read the ebook (under English star), then think about who the good and bad characters are. Not so easy on this story, as they are all a little silly. What was the moral of this story? As you think about it, you could retell it as a storyboard? Retell it to a member of your family? 

OR

Try adding words to the Victorian train poem below. 

There are lots of activities on Mathletics, if you have chosen to do the shape work. There is also addition and subtraction, angles and interpreting data on graphs, which will be revision for work we have already covered. If you have lost your password, send an email. I have them all!

Week 5        18.5.20

Morning everyone! It is a fairy tale and puppet-astic week we are in for! Be prepared for scary stories, colourful characters and hopefully some happy endings!! We are starting with fairy tales written in the Victorian era, by Hans Christian Andersen. You might think you know the story of the Little Mermaid, but what was the real ending?

In art today we are looking at the wonderful world of puppets. There are loads of styles to choose from. You could retell a fairy tale!

Maths - White Rose are now repeating videos from Week 1. If you did not do those you could try them. To access the week 5 work and videos click their link for more work.

Please be careful about what you write in emails to each other. It is important to be kind and not say negative things to each other. Something you might think is funny, can sound really rude to the other person. They cannot see you smiling or read your body language, to know you are joking. So choose your words carefully and if in doubt, don’t say it! Stay positive and build each other up. 

15.5.20

Just interested to know if anyone tried skipping. It is a brilliant aerobic work out favoured by many athletes. Do you know any skipping rhymes? You could film them and send them in.

Today is about finishing off any reports, or spellings, or reading comprehensions. If you have done all that, why not read a good book and tell your family why you love it.

This afternoon you could try YUMU music, the Noodle TV dance "Believer" , a French game, touch typing or a Crest award.

14.5.20

New today - Reading comprehension about Victorian Inventors (In History dated 14.5.20) and Victorian Sundays (see R.E. for resources and instructions).

Well done Year 3's for doing so well on the group meeting. It was good to see everyone looking so well.

13.5.20  This is National Nurse's Week. What a great time to remember the amazing work nurses everywhere are doing to save lives. You researched Florence Nightingale earlier. Watch the link about Mary Seacole. She was also influential in setting up nursing as a profession. 

New today : Spellings and Science Invertebrate hunt.

Year 3's are meeting on Google Classroom at 1pm today. Bring something that made you happy or you are proud of, and a book or film title you could act out for charades!

12.5.20  Morning all! Today we are learning all about the Industrial Revolution. Did you know that before 1750, Britain was mainly farmland and villages. Then the steam engine was invented, which could power machines. The first factory ever built in the whole world was in Derbyshire. The Victorian Era covers the last half of the Industrial Revolution, and was a time of huge change. 

Watch the videos, read the ppt in History and make a cartoon timeline to show what happened!

11.5.20   Morning everyone! Well we have some more fun things to try this week. Rich Victorian children were educated at home and had to be seen and not heard!!! Sound familiar? They had home tutors and played mainly with their siblings, but what did they play with?

 We are writing reports this week (this can be hand written or a power point or word processed at the end). Choose from either researching Victorian Toys or Victorian Inventions. The Victorians were really clever. Their inventions changed the world. Read about how to write a report first in the English ppt. Then use the resources or the Art ppt for Toys, to find out some facts. Start with a spidergram or mind map to collect ideas.

In the Art ppt there are toys you can try to make and one of those is a puppet theatre to print out and colour. Check out Oliver's toy theatre which he made two weeks ago. Maybe you could make one?

Learn how to play marbles properly from the marbles ppt above. Loads of different games to try out. Which one is your favourite?

7.5.20 Tomorrow is 75th Anniversary of V.E. Day. So what does V.E. stand for?  Why are we remembering it? V.E. stands for Victory in Europe and it marks the day that the Second World War stopped in Europe and Hitler's troops surrendered. To find out more look at the activities under the V.E. star above and choose from a whole range of activities. 

OR 

Finish your Film Reviews and send them to Into Film's Review of the Week Competition. someone has to win it. Why should it not be you! 

Well done to all the Year 4's who managed to make the class meeting today at 1pm. We were the first year group to trial it and we succeeded in seeing and hearing everyone. Next time we will try a quiz! Year 3's will meet next Wednesday at 1pm. 

So the challenge set, for all those with longer hair then they would usually have, is to send in your mad hair photo!

6.5.20

Today is the launch of Harry's first adventure novel, which you can read below, (use the arrows to go forwards or backwards as needed). A thrilling, action-packed story full of suspense. No spoilers! You will have to read it! The author might even let you interview him, if you have his Google address! May be someone would like to review this for our class webpage. Use the same review outline as for a film. See also Oliver's review of "Star Wars - Rise of the Skywalker."

Any other budding authors with a tall tale to tell, send it in!

New today - Science - Sorting vertebrates (spine or backbone) and invertebrates (outer backbone)

5.5.20 

Good morning, Class 2! Hopefully you have looked at Writing a Film Review Part 1, (under English star above), and will look at Part 2 today. Try writing out you review in rough today. Think about the paragraphs you want to write:

-An interesting introduction

- A brief summary of the beginning of the story with no spoilers!

-What you liked about the actors/story/set/costumes/camera work

-What you didn't like.

-Who you would recommend to watch it.

-A cool end sentence to make people want to watch it!

History today is all about Victorian Schools! Decide whether they are better than modern schools!

Check out Lola's clever letter from Queen Victoria complaining about the working conditions of child workers (see below).

Week 2 w/c 4.5 20

Good morning everyone! Some of you found the Google classroom on Friday. White Rose Week 3 maths is posted there and on the Daily Timetable (see star above). You are all becoming film reviewers this week and by the end of this week, you should have a Film Review to enter the Into Film Review of the Week Competition. 

We are starting a new book bu Anna Sewell, called Black Beauty. It is a cartoon, read along version based on the original, with a soundtrack. It is full of drama and suspense and is still popular today. It was written in 1877 by Anna Sewell, who loved horses and wanted to expose how badly some horses were treated. In those days, horses were used for everything, instead of cars and lorries. They even pulled canal boats. Anna was the first person to write a book from the horse's point of view. It helps us see how the horse felt.

1.5.20 It's the first of the month! 

Lots of Blue Peter badges rolling in, which has inspired today's writing task. If you haven't got one yet,or forgot to send it off, do not worry! Let's apply for another! Time to get a collection!

(If yours has arrived then remember to follow the instructions in your letter to apply online for an identity card. It is about the size of a credit card.That is what you use to prove you are owner of the badge! It will have your name, your photo and how long you can use the card on it. You should be able to use it until you are 16 years old.)

A pdf of the History Hackers - Victorian Venture is now available below for those struggling to get it.

Some super homemade films coming in. They will be put together in a Preston Learning At Home Film. Anyone tried filming their 4 second Loo Roll Challenge? Catch the loo roll from your right and throw it out to your left. Watch the clip below to see what I mean. It would be super if we could get the whole school involved! (see 29.4.20 link) It looks fun!

30.4.20

Welcome to the last day of April 2020. Remember....

"30 days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31, except for February alone. It has 28 days clear and 29 days each leap year!"

This year is one of those special leap years too. 

Some of you were shocked by how hard poor Victorian children had to work. They slaved away for hours to be able to buy a scrap of food, and they all wanted was to be able to go to school to escape the poverty trap! Imagine that. 

New today : Some tasty spellings! A song about food to learn and another to help you remember Victorian work facts! Some Mathletics assignments for those of you who love Mathletics. 

Please return your Class 2 questionnaire, (you can do it online), about which topics you liked which you studied this year.

Also check out the Great Preston Loo Roll Challenge. What is the funniest way you could catch and throw the loo roll? Could you dress up or be doing something funny?

Morning everyone! Today you are going to find out all about how hard poor children had to work in Victorian times. It might shock you! If you have spare time, why not think about one of the film project ideas.

It would also be really helpful if you would take time to fill in the form below, which is about which topics you liked this year. Basically what did you love doing and what were you proud of? It can be downloaded, filled in online then attached to our class email. It really does not have to be long at all! It just helps to know what was fun and enjoyable!

27.4.20

So please check out the new Preston Fim Project next to the Photo Club star.

https://www.prestonjmi.herts.sch.uk/film-club/

There are four national competitions you could enter, including drawing storyboards for a film about big dreams, writing film reviews and making your own live action or animated stories. It should be a lot of fun! Also make your own 20 second clip of how you are learning at home to be put into our Preston Learning At Home film. Make it the best 20 seconds possible. That could be a series of 3/4 second clips of different things you are doing, or pictures of your projects. 

New today :

SCIENCE - Living Things and Their Habitats - Grouping Animals ppt (under Science) 

Victorian Venture ebook Guided Reading Question ppt for each chapter (below)

History Hackers Victorian Venture ebook 

Summer Term Week 2 (w/c 27.4.20)

New today - English biography writing project continued. All the resources you will need to know to be able write a biography, including links to videos and fact pages about the Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale.

Maths - White Rose Week 2

Art - Loads of ideas for Victorian style art projects

Reading - Victorian Ventures ebook (see link in Reading Club)

Suggested Timetable in Daily Timetable

24.4.20

Happy Friday! Well done Jess for an awesome bee photo, which was the KS2 runner up! Today's new challenges include finding out about the Lake District, using Google Earth. Follow the instructions in the power point to do some virtual mountain climbing. Which mountain has the best view? Also, learn a silly song about the Victorians.

23.4.20

Check out the amazing "Nature" photos you took, which are on the Earth Day webpage. You can vote for your favourite and the votes will be announced at 4pm. 

Just realised that today is St George's Day, the patron Saint of England. Feel free to leave the Beatrix Potter power point until tomorrow and get busy finding out who St George is!

NEW: ENGLISH (Click on the ENGLISH star above)

Beatrix Potter power point, with reading comprehension, activities and video links. If you finish that quickly, why not write a biography about Beatrix Potter?

Check out the Peter Rabbit ebook, colouring pages, and art ideas on today's timetable. 

Spellings for Year 3 and Year 4! Watch the power point then choose an activity a day to learn your spellings. For example Monday - handwriting, Tuesday - word search, Wednesday -Look cover write check and sentences, Thursday - What word where?  and Friday- spelling test.

21.4.20 Good morning everyone in Class 2! Every morning, new items will be mentioned here and then you will find the power points or worksheets by clicking the star above. It is usually best to do Maths and English in the morning, when you feel awake. Leave the other subjects for the afternoon. Why not take a half an hour quiet time every day to read a book of your choice? There is a suggested timetable, with links to your activities, if you would like to follow one. If you are finding it hard to concentrate, take a break and do something physical.

New today - Maths, English and History

BIG NEWS!! We start a brand new, fantastic History topic today! The Victorians! This is a really interesting time in history, so you will love it. There are so many dramatic changes to the way people lived and clever inventions. Each week there will be a power point with activities and challenges set, which should be completed by the Friday. Think about how you would like to collect your work for this project. Keep it together somehow, perhaps in a ring binder, exercise book, scrap book or a power point. Whatever works best for you! 

15.4.20  Check out this interesting mould experiment by Eva and Amelia. The bread on the left was untouched, the middle piece was touched by washed hands and the piece on the right was touched with dirty, unwashed hands. The bread was then sealed inside ziplock bags and left to develop mould. Keep washing those hands everyone! If repeating this experiment make sure you seal it in a bag and don't touch the mould. Why not try pressing some flowers. Place inside a book and press with weights on top for about a week.

Today's photo title is "Play"

13.4.20 Today's photo competition title is "Circles". Check out the webpage for ideas or come up with your own. 

The green Blue Peter badges are coming through. Hendrix got his during Science Week, and Herbie has just received his. This might be a good time to think about sending in for another Blue Peter badge. Check out their website for all of the other badges. There are 6 other badges you could apply for. How about sending in a picture, story or poem to get a blue badge?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/about-blue-peter-badges

10.4.20

Today's photo competition title is "portrait".If you are struggling for ideas, check out the power point on the Photo Competition page or our Art page.

9.4.20 Some excellent Europe projects developing and carefully coloured flags.

Photo competition is still running, if you want to vote or take part. 

8.4.20  Good to see some of you are learning an instrument. Check out YUMU, with the password you were sent, if you want to learn recorder, guitar, singing or keyboards. Also check out the great photos you have been taking, on the Photo Competition site (go to Home Learning, then the start next to Storytelling). Today's title is "Different". Could that be old and new, hard and soft, metal and plastic, or an odd one out in a set? There are so many ways you could show this. If you don't want to take a photo, you could still vote.

7.4.20 Photo title = "Colour"

So many of you are getting busy gardening! Any good photos send them in.

3.4.20

Calling all Class 2 story writers. Send in any stories you would like to share with your classmates, for our new Story Club site. They could be based on our projects, such as a Dr Xargle style story, or one of the ideas you were developing in your Creative Writing books. Now is the perfect time to finish it off. You could hand write it, or practise touch typing and word process it. Illustrations would be fabulous too. If you are stuck for ideas, think of the game we played during Book Week, and pair up with someone, then keep swapping papers for each question (folding down your answer so they cannot see it), to get a random set of things to write a story about.

1. A noun - person/animal/thing (write it down, fold the paper and swap)
2. Another noun - person/animal/thing (write it down, fold the paper and then pass back)
3. A place where they met
4. What the weather was like
5. Date (day, month or year)
6. Unfortunately a problem occurred….write what the problem was.
7. Luckily one of them had a secret super power to be used to solve the problem which was…
8. How the problem was solved
9. In the end …………..was it a happy or sad ending?

Use your random facts to write a proper story. Could you add more problems or characters to improve it?