English
This week in English, we have been writing poems that aim to portray the weight and feeling of grief. In our class novel, Running on Empty, AJ’s granddad has passed away and AJ is doing everything he can to pretend that it did not happen and that everything is fine — even though it clearly is not.

We discussed how grief can show itself in many different ways and explored examples of free verse poetry that convey these varied manifestations of grief. This work culminated in the children writing poems of their own. We have been incredibly impressed by how seriously the children have taken this topic and how thoughtfully and respectfully they have engaged with such sensitive subject matter.

Next week, we will begin writing an extended narrative.

Maths
In Maths this week, our focus has been division. We began by learning how our well-practised times table facts can help us quickly calculate division problems that may initially seem tricky. For example, if we know that 4 × 3 = 12, we also know that 12 ÷ 4 = 3. We then extended this understanding to decimals, recognising that if we make a number ten times smaller, the answer must also be ten times smaller.

Learning to recognise times table facts in different contexts can really help save time and effort. We then practised dividing larger numbers using the bus stop method — a key skill that we revisit throughout primary school.

We also tackled problems that tested our understanding of what division actually tells us. For example:
A farmer has 54 bales of hay and his tractor can carry 5 at a time. How many trips will he need to deliver all the hay?
Although 54 ÷ 5 = 10 r 4, those remaining bales still need to be transported, meaning the farmer must make 11 trips in total.

Next week, we will be working with fractions.

Thematic
This week marked the end of the history section of our thematic topic, culminating in our learning about the Anglo-Saxon burial site at Sutton Hoo. We explored ancient Anglo-Saxon artefacts such as weapons and jewellery, and discussed what these finds tell us about Anglo-Saxon life and beliefs.

We then designed our own full-sized Saxon shields (thank you very much for all the donations of cardboard and newspaper!) and created Saxon brooches. We learnt why shields and brooches were designed the way they were, and what different patterns and colours may have signified.

Next week, we will move into the science part of our thematic learning, where we will be exploring how different states of matter behave and the processes that cause changes between these states.

Love to Learn

For this week’s love to learn we would like you to imagine yourself or your teacher as an anglo saxon. What would the design on their shield be? What clothes would they wear? What type of brooch would they sport? Feel free to draw a picture, write a description, write a fact file; anything you like.
 

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TTRS Battle

Several weeks ago we had a battle between Year 5 and Year 6 in TTRS which saw a tight race with Team Indigo taking a well earned victory. Well that was just the warm-up. Starting Monday there will be a battle between all classes from Year 3 to Year 6. Can Team Indigo retain their title? Can Team Royal make a comeback or will we all be demolished by Year 3 or 4???

Number Day

On Friday (6^th) it is number. Please come to school dressed up as TTRS Rock stars! We will be starting the day with our countdown assembly too so get practising your mental maths and spelling!

Friday 6th February – NSPCC number day (Reception and KS1 children to come in dressed in number themed clothes/KS2 to come in dressed as a Times Table Rock Star)

Friday 6th February – KS2 Countdown assembly at 9am (parents of year group house winners to be invited)

Tuesday 10th February - Safer internet day

Friday 13th February – Non-school uniform day

Friday 13th February - Chilton Fundraisers Winter Disco

Friday 13th February – Last day of term. School finishes at usual time