The New Forest Small School

Although we know that many pupils tell their parents all about what they having been studying and doing at school, not every child is so forthcoming. Therefore so that you all know what your child has been up to in the last term and what plans there are for next term, you can now visit this new page providing the latest news from the Lower Primary Class. This page is updated each term.

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If you have any specific queries regarding this class or your child please speak to the form tutor Alex or pop into the office to talk to Ali or Maz.

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Autumn Term 2020

 

Spring Term 2020

 

English

Last term the children enjoyed exploring fairy tales and then did some fantastic work creating autumn poems - I hope some of you were able to see their poems while they were displayed in the classroom. Following the children's interest in the constellations from our visit to the Planetarium at Winchester Space and Science Centre last term, we will begin this term by exploring some of the stories and characters behind the constellations.

Art

Our first topic in art this term will be winter trees, the children have already created some beautiful blow paintings which are on display in the classroom exploring that wonderful shapes created when deciduous trees shed their leaves. We will explore this topic through
a variety of media including sculpture. We will also be creating some artworks to tie in with our English topic of the constellations.

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Maths

 

Moving into the Spring term, Lower Primary will be continuing to transition into doing focused topic work on Tuesday mornings. We will be keeping things practical whilst working on any given topic,  which will include baking, DT work and more! These newly found skills will then be easily transferred into their self directed work on Fridays.

We have already started looking into measurement, fractions, money and data handling and will continue to build on these skills over the coming weeks.

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DT

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For our Primary project work this term, the children are going to be focusing in on a very specific topic. They have been building on their independent design/work skills over the last term, so should be ready to take all those new abilities forward into a rather tricky challenge.

We will making Marionettes! These will be made up of as much recycled and repurposed materials as possible. Found items from the shore line, off cuts of wood, old toys and plastic bottles etc. The idea is to make something beautiful and useful out of common pollutants and rubbish. 

Science

The children loved our topic on space last term and I was very proud of the knowledge and enthusiasm they displayed during our trip to the Winchester Space and Science Centre.
Our topics this term will be light and sound, which we will be exploring through a range of hands-on experiments.

History

In History this term we will be continuing our timeline work. Over the autumn term we explored the history of the universe from the Big Bang to the formation of the planets. This term we will be looking at the origins and development of life on earth including the first humans.

Geography

In Geography we will be continuing get outdoors and explore the geography of our local environment, looking at the forest environment around the school as well as using maps to see where this environment fits within the wider local area.

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Music

We are learning more 2, 3 and 4 part pieces, including Havishnu (a Jewish song of Lamentation) and a calypso titled Janie Mama.

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Autumn Term 2019

DT

This coming term our NFSS DT enthusiasts will be working on a diverse range of projects. 

 

Kindergarten are currently learning all about tool use and safety, Lower Primary will be working on their Fairy/Miniature gardens, Middle primary are focused on Miniature worlds or Teddies, whilst Upper Primary will be working on an independent basis with work ranging from Textile design through to electronics.

It's going to be a productive term!

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Maths

This term we welcome some more budding, mathematicians to our class. Together we will be exploring the wonderful world of numeracy through games, practical activities and independently chosen tasks.

Each child has now set their targets - Where are you driving your 'learning car' to next? Whilst some of our newcomers are setting a course to refining their written number formation, others are moving on to 'number juggling'. Our more experienced members of the group are planning to Zoom off on to some pretty challenging calculations and problem solving.

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Music

We are focusing on good ensemble singing (singing in time/all together) as well as starting to think about intervals and major and minor keys. 

We are experimenting with singing solos. After half term, we will be learning Christmas songs. 

English

Our first topic in English for this new academic year is Fairy Tales. We will be reading a range of fairy tales and developing an understanding of some of the common themes fairy tales explore and key elements in these stories. We will also be exploring creating our own characters and settings to create fairy tale type stories.

 

Art
We have begun the new academic year in Art with work on close observational drawing, developing our skills in this area by looking at what is 'really there', rather than the way we imagine things to look. We have so far done this through looking closely at sunflowers from the garden as well as creating portraits of others in the class and self-portraits. We will move on after half term to a focus on autumn art and crafts.

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Science

Our topic in Science for this term is space, for which the children have shown great interest and enthusiasm! We have begun by looking at Earth as a planet and how this creates day and night, and we will then move on to look at Earth's place within the Solar System. There will be practical experiments to explore areas such as forces and states of matter (solids, liquids and gases).
 

PSHE

Our first topic in PSHE is gardening/healthy eating and we have/will be picking some of our garden produce (potatoes, apples, pears and so on) and turning them into delicious food to try.
 

History

In History this term we are creating a timeline exploring the history of the universe, looking at some of the key events in the journey from the universe's beginnings to the development of life on earth and the appearance/development of human beings.
 

Geography

For Geography this term we are exploring the beautiful environment around the school, looking at the range of habitats and natural features that are found within the school's immediate vicinity. We will be creating maps which reflect our growing knowledge of our local area, using key landmarks in the landscape.
 

P.E.

In P.E. we have begun with developing basic ball skills (throwing, catching and running with the ball) as well as gross motor skills such as sprinting, hopping and jumping. We have also begun to introduce some basic racket skills which will develop into hitting the ball for both control and power.

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Spanish

Lower primary will be looking at:

• Greetings and Introduction

• Feelings/emotions 

• Numbers 

• Ages and appearance (Parts of the body)

• Colours

• Christmas traditions and vocabulary

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Summer Term 2019

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DT

All three primary classes are currently in various stages of project work.  We have teddies, board games, toys and lamps all on the go.  These should be finished over the next few weeks.

Once those are completed, we are going to dedicate the rest of our DT time to putting the finishing touches to the tree house.  It's almost there... Just a few tweaks and safety checks needed before the grand opening!

As a finishing touch - as well as to celebrate the NFSS's 25th Anniversary - anyone who has contributed to the construction work will be asked to leave a hand print with signature somewhere on the tree house.

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Maths

Last term, Lower Primary have been continuing in their exploration of all things 'measurement' related.  Using this knowledge, we are now moving forward into solving some practical mathematical problems, as well as working with our new found concepts in varying applications.

The class are all busy consolidating their new found knowledge, as well as incorporating their solid skill base in order to move forward ready for their next numeracy challenges.

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Music

We have our work cut out for us preparing for a big concert in the last week of the summer term (Wednesday 3rd July).

As both of these terms 5 and 6 are so short, we are focusing on our repertoire for the big day.  We are learning:

1. I can see Clearly Now

2. Mama Mia

3. Acc-ent-tchu-ate The Positive

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We will be singing in the concert along with Kindy and Middle Primary.

If you want to help your child, please sing along to any recordings/YouTube etc of these songs. I have found the version of Accentuate The Positive - but we have only learned ONE of the parts. (The main part).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M0ZbdEjE31

Have fun!

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English

This term our topic is drama.  We will be exploring some of the basic skills involved in dramatic expression - learning how to use our voices, faces and bodies to communicate and tell stories.  We will begin with playing games (to encourage confidence in being expressive in front of an audience), learning to communicate using gesture and facial expressions and working on improvisation skills in developing short sketches to present to an audience.

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Art

Our topic this term is weaving.  We will start with some simple bracelet/necklace weaving and then move on to creating a piece of hanging art using a simple card loom. We will hopefully  also be involved later in the term in creating a piece of environmental art for a local project and creating art in the forest.

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Science

We have begun this term exploring states of matter - solids, liquids and gases - and the way materials can move between these different states.  Later in the term we will be exploring the science of climate change as well as touching on diversity in science.

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PSHE

At the beginning of this term our topic is gardening, exploring some of the positive impacts gardening and food growing can have on our health as well as the environment.  We will move on to explore environmental health further through the subject of air pollution.

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Geography/History

We are exploring our human origins, from the earliest hominins to the development of Homo Sapiens.  We will be looking at how humans lived during the Stone Age.

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Spanish

This term we will be learning vocabulary related to food and drink.  The children will be introduced to expressing their likes and dislikes, healthy eating, the bakery, breakfast and dinner.  They will concentrate on singular and plural nouns and adjective agreements.  They will also learn to order drinks in a cafe.  Towards the end of the term we will move on to hobbies and interests.

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Spring Term 2019

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English

Our topic this term is story writing.  We will be exploring the art and craft of story writing both through reading and discussing existing stories (particularly fairy tales and Greek Myths) as well as the children creating their own story ideas.

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Science

This term we will be exploring materials, beginning with the materials both natural and human we find around us, and continuing by touching upon areas such as magnetism, forces, light and sound, and electricity.

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PSHE

This term we will be looking at physical health particularly in terms of healthy eating, beginning by exploring what is meant by a 'balanced diet' and the role different food groups play in nutrition.  We will be creating some 'balanced meals' as a class and looking at why some foods are healthy and others are not.

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History and Geography

This term our study in these subjects will be combined in a project about Britain, looking at Britain's history and geography beginning with Ice Age Britain.  We will continue by exploring some of Britain's natural features and then move on to look at hunter gatherers in Britain.

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Art

This term we will be focusing on the natural world and changing seasons using mediums which the children may not have used before such as charcoal, stencil printing and fabric work.

 

Spanish

This term we will be looking at Hispanic traditions (Dia de Reyes 6th Jan); have an introduction to basic reading; Family members; Clothes; Pets; All about me - revision and finally Food and Drink.

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Maths

The class will be exercising their mathematical muscles using measurement as a basis for exploration.  This is something we have touched on before the Christmas break and will now be taking some time to look further into... all things length, weight and angle.  Keeping things totally practical we will be measuring accurately in DT, baking delicious things and experimenting with ramps etc Those who need extra challenge will be asked to juggle multiple measurements to find total quantities.

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DT

Moving on from our most successful miniature tree house project - Lower Primary will be making the most of any dry weather to get their large tree house in the garden finished.  Fingers crossed the sun keeps shining and our timber has time to dry a little!  We also have some fine tuning to be getting on with on our go-kart.  We will also be having planning meetings, in which we will make an action plan of works and possible projects to be carried out in the coming weeks.  I will be offering up the idea of 'toys with mechanisms' and 'board games'... will they go for the idea though?!

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Music

Continuing our explorations of harmony singing using simple rounds and canons.  Trying to begin writing our own songs and doing some basic research into instruments.

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Autumn Term 2018

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Music

We start the term with Autumnal Songs as well as the summing up our summer holidays in 3 words and turning it in to a song.  Halloween type pieces to follow as well as the illustration of some our Harvest numbers, particularly the Paint Box Song. And then we have Christmas...

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Spanish

Greetings and introductions - Saying Hola for different times of the day, introducing themselves to friends, feelings and emotions, numbers, colours and parts of the body.

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English

This term we are exploring Poems.  We will be reading a range of fantastic children's poems from many different authors, times and cultures and discussing the way they use language and poetic devices to get their message across.  The children will also be writing lots of their own poetry based on what they have learnt.

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Art

This term we will be creating a range of pictures that celebrate the wonderful wildlife of the New Forest using a number of different mediums.  Our final pictures will be displayed in the school/classroom.

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Science

This term we have an extended project about the Human Body.  The children will help to generate topics for investigation by creating questions about how the body works.  We will then explore and learn more about these topics as well as exploring the body through experiments.

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PSHE

We will be cooking with produce from the garden, also gardening, as well as discussing class values, rules and the relationship between rights and responsibilities.

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Geography

We will be exploring our local environment, beginning with where we live and continuing with looking at the New Forest and wider area.

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History

Our topic this term is 'The Age of the Dinosaurs'.

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Maths

As well as the continued practice of 'number juggling' and mental arithmetic, we will be looking at the use of number and number pattern with measuring, weight and fraction work.  There will be lots of practical activity surrounding these topics as well as lots of fun in 'Maggie Maths', as the class call it!

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Design & Technology

We have another exciting DT project to get stuck into!  As well as completing the tree house in the garden, we will be creating small individual tree house lamps for each child to take home.  These will create calm focal points for dreaming and meditation.  Who doesn't love the idea of exploring a miniature world? These trees are based on the works of LA artist 'Jedediah Corwyn Voltz' who uses house plants to build his tiny houses around.  I look forward to seeing what the children come up with and will let the artist know how we get on.