West Leigh Juniors Weekly News

PE Days Summer 1

3T

• Indoor PE - Tuesday
• Outdoor PE - Friday

3H

• Indoor PE - Wednesday
• Outdoor PE - Thursday

3L

• Indoor PE - Monday
• Outdoor PE - Friday

3M

• Indoor PE - Tuesday
• Outdoor PE - Thursday

Swimming

• 3H - Monday
• 3L – Tuesday
• 3T – Wednesday
• 3M – Wednesday

Year 4

As part of our English lessons, Year 4 have continued rehearsing for our upcoming performances which are taking place next week: 4B and 4C on Tuesday 19th May, and 4E and 4SW on Thursday 21st May. The children have also continued their unit on biographies and have, once again, focused on the author, Michael Morpurgo. They have practised using a range of cohesive devices, such as conjunctions, various forms of the past tense, fronted adverbials and paragraphing to make their writing ‘flow’.  As mathematicians, they have focused on fractions and decimals. Some groups have practised calculating fractions of quantities to solve problems - some with more then one step. Others have compared and ordered a range of fractions and decimals whilst some have been learning how to subtract decimal numbers formally. In science, the children worked in groups to investigate which materials conduct electricity. They were presented with a selection of materials to test within their circuits and had to consider the importance of a fair test. They represented their results in a clear way and drew their own conclusions about which materials were conductors and which were insulators.

PE Days Summer 1

4B

• Indoor PE - Friday
• Outdoor PE - Tuesday

4E

• Indoor PE - Monday
• Outdoor PE - Thursday

4SW

• Indoor PE - Wednesday
• Outdoor PE - Thursday

4C

• Indoor PE - Monday
• Outdoor PE - Tuesday

Swimming

• 4B - Monday
• 4SW - Monday
• 4C - Wednesday
• 4E - Friday

Year 5

It is unbelievable that we are almost at the end of another week packed full of learning and fun.   This term, the focus has been on angles and statistics. The children have learnt to measure and draw angles using both manual and online protractors and have practised finding missing angles within shapes. They have also developed their skills in reading, interpreting and analysing data in tables, applying the four operations to answer questions. In addition, they have explored line graphs, solving problems based on the data presented and in some classes, calculated averages using mean, median and mode. In English, they have studied the inspirational poetry of Maya Angelou and Amanda Gorman. They explored a range of poems, discussing how each poet inspires and communicates with their audience, before writing a personal response to a chosen poem. They compared the lives and works of both poets, recognising how each overcame adversity and used poetry as a powerful voice. The children also examined quotations from Angelou’s work to create inspirational posters and listened to an extract of Still I Rise to analyse its themes and record their own recitals. The unit concluded with a study of Gorman’s The Hill We Climb, where we explored themes such as cultural identity and completed comprehension activities to summarise its key ideas.

In science lessons, using their ‘Moon Diary’ homework, the children identified and explored the phases of the Moon, learning how and why its appearance changes throughout the month. They were able to explain how we see the Moon in the sky and demonstrate its eight phases. Building on their learning from spring term, the children explored the structure of Mayan civilisation, comparing it with that of the Anglo-Saxons. They researched the different levels of Mayan society, identifying key differences between them. They also examined daily life, making predictions and drawing comparisons with other historical periods they have studied. Through further research, they explored how social status was reflected in aspects such as housing, clothing and possessions, before creating fact files to show how men, women and children lived across different levels of society.

PE Days Summer 1

5G

• Indoor PE - Tuesday
• Outdoor PE - Wednesday

5A

• Indoor PE - Friday
• Outdoor PE - Monday

5N

• Indoor PE - Friday
• Outdoor PE - Monday

5F

• Indoor PE - Thursday
• Outdoor PE - Wednesday

​​Swimming

• 5N – Tuesday
• 5F – Tuesday
• 5G – Thursday
• 5A – Thursday

Year 6

As always, it has been a memorable and eventful week for the Year 6 pupils at West Leigh. Firstly, there was the small matter of SATs week to contend with! We are incredibly proud of the calm, mature and determined manner in which the children approached each of the tests. They demonstrated resilience, focus and positivity throughout the week, and regardless of outcomes, they should all feel proud of the effort and hard work they have invested over the course of the year. Of course, SATs week is about far more than tests alone. The children also enjoyed opportunities to relax, laugh and spend time together as a year group. On Tuesday afternoon, they enjoyed time together at fields where they were able to participate in a range of activities with their friends. Adding to the excitement was the official launch of this year’s Leavers’ Assembly preparations. There was immediate enthusiasm and animated discussion as pupils began to learn about this year’s script. It is already clear that they will be eager to throw themselves into creating a memorable and entertaining celebration of their time at West Leigh, when the time comes later in the term. Alongside this, pupils continued to engage enthusiastically with their wider curriculum learning, demonstrating that even during such a busy week, curiosity and creativity remain very much alive in Year 6. As scientists, they carried out an investigation involving blood splatter analysis (thankfully, it was not real blood that was being splattered!). We hope the children enjoy a well-earned restful weekend after all of their efforts this week.