Group 2 Blog Week 1 A2

‘What do you call a nosey crocodile?’

Answer ….. an investigator!

This was the joke that began our investigation into air resistance in Science this week! The pupils were excited to proceed and contributed joke after joke. They then became the amazing science investigators we know they can be, constructing parachutes and helicopters as concrete learning props. The class room resembled Santa’s workshop with tissue paper, feather and wings everywhere. Timing descents and testing construction skills followed and questions answered. They used their curiosity to lead their learning and their imaginations to fund it. Next week its water resistance but we’ll use the messy room for that)

Everyone has enjoyed the Halloween festivities and they collected their body weight in sweets (or so it seemed) from descriptions of their trick or treating outings. In class we researched the history of Halloween and the origins of traditions we now take for granted learning that sweets were a bribe to keep the spirits away.

This week we have been proud to be part of the launch of D.E.A.R time in school where everyone will at 12.30pm….

This has proved popular with the pupils and staff in our class have enjoyed it too. We have special lights around our display that are turned on just for the short session which makes it feel special.

Books being read this week include classics like Awful Auntie, A Bear Called Paddington, Minecraft, Where’s’ Wally, Holes and a short biography on Coutinho. Each pupil and staff created their own bookmark as well. On Friday we had a class review of how it has gone with honest opinion shared. The discussion skills used were amazing and reflected the progress the group is making in showing respect which is after all a JNA school value.

Well, that is the first week over and before we know it Christmastime will be here – but we have other learning adventures discover before then and experiments to conduct, so cheerio from Group 2 for now.

Group 4 - Having Fun in the Sun

In Maths this week, we have switched our focus from decimals to trigonometry, where we have looked at the different types of angles there are and how we identify them. In English, we have continued on with our group read “Cosmic”, following the adventures of Liam Digby and Florida Kirby. The class have been discussing and comparing the differences between the two characters and summarising what has happened so far, and what they think is going to happen next in the story. This has sparked some really imaginative feedback in class.

The class have been debating ethical issues in PSHE this week. They’ve provided feedback on their thoughts and feelings and debated individual opinions within the class on the issues that we see in our world today. We’ve been busy helping out down the Farm in the absence of Rob. The students have been really helpful in taking turns to feed all of the animals and collecting the eggs from our chickens. For the reptile enthusiasts in the class, we have been helping take care of our snakes, bearded dragon and leopard gecko. Making sure they have the right vitamins with their food and making sure they have fresh water.

Diamond art has become a passion for a couple of students this week and we’ve seen a beautiful piece finished with the intention of having it framed and displayed. We finished the week off with Fantastic Friday where the group took part in water balloon cricket with Group 5 - no one walked away dry

Group 8 Practicing for The Open

This week during our Outdoor Education lesson, we visited the driving range to continue practicing the skills we learnt last week. The group showed some great progress and began using the driver effectively, which means that the group can now hit the ball in the right direction. This week Group 8 have also started to use different irons and are able to hit the golf ball from a flat surface. This was a little more challenging but with the use of the correct stance and hold we are showing to make some consistently good shots.

In math’s, Group 8 have been focusing on angle rules and are working towards answering some GCSE example style questions.

In English we have continued to focus on An Inspector calls, focusing on Socialism and Capitalism and also analysing each character.

Group 2 Loving Reading

Group 2 have been really engaged and motivated to read this term. We have developed a new reading room that we have made into a cosy, calm and quiet place to chill out and read. Staff are really proud of how Group 2 have been engaging with reading daily as part of their English lesson. We record how many pages each person reads and keep a whole group total. We are really proud to have read a total of 1786 pages this academic year! That does not include the pages we read as a group during snack time.  Our group story is currently “The World's Worst Teachers” by David Walliams. This is very funny and is helping us learn a wider range of vocabulary, some which is real and some can be found in the David Walliams dictionary! We have made some space on our display to start collecting all our new words and build a new word wall. WATCH THIS SPACE!

Group 2 love to read independently as well as to adults. They are also very good at retelling a story and discussing our favourite parts or characters. As part of our celebration of reading each person gets a certificate and milkshake for every 100 pages that get read. For every 500 pages they get a book voucher. We can’t wait for someone to get their first book voucher!

 As part of our Topic “Fresh Food, Good Food”, we have been learning about food preservation. We have looked at different ways to preserve food e.g. fridge, freezer, salting, pickling, pasteurising etc. We have also been looking at different types of food packaging. Group 2 also became scientists and tested different types of packaging when preserving watermelon. We were very surprised that cling film was better than a Tupperware container for preserving the food, we realised this was because there was no air inside the clingfilm. Tin foil was the worst and that was the one everyone could smell first! Everyone was pleased that we had the chance to sample some of the watermelon before the experiment due to it not looking very edible at the end.

Group 1's Busy Week

We seem to have seen all seasons  weather-wise this past few days and the boys have enjoyed chasing around the leaves at playtime and then sympathising with each other when playing  football and the ball curves sideways in the wind like an invisible hand pushing it away from the goal. They have  kept their sense of humour though and carried on their games. 

In class strong storm winds  affected Farm activities  and indoor classrooms were used.  Everyone likes the animal room  and it is a favourite calm  place to be. Staff were pleased to see the respect with which the children continue to handle the animals and the calm language they use when talking to them.  Outdoor cooking was postponed and impromptu buns made by all. They looked delicious!

In Maths ways of multiplying was the focus. Arrays, partitioning, number lines and formal methods were all evidenced. Visual learners also benefit from tactile resources and Group 1 enjoyed exploring these. The best part was hearing the children using reasoning in their evidence as to why they were correct in a calculation when questioned. They justified their answers and knew why they were correct.

Developing  our reading for pleasure focus in class  has meant that the boys have accessed different forms of literature on different mediums. It has taken a while for them to be comfortable with reading using an online format but this term they have really achieved this. The Myon app offers a wide range of books, both fact and fiction and it has engaged even some of our reluctant readers opening up  another world of imagination. This week research was undertaken looking for ideas for World Book Day  on the 3rd March – we love dressing up!

Have you thought what character you want to be yet?

Group 1 have had access to Project Sport this half term and they have enjoyed the opportunities it has given them. Archery is a favourite and pupils who don’t always engage in sport have joined in. There is a sport out there for everyone and this is giving the boys  the chance to find what suits them. A big thank you goes to Russ from Project Sport  who has supported the boys the past half term.

Group 7's Magna Visit

This term we have begun to learn about the industrial revolution and how this has helped to not only shape the UK but the entire world.

We began by looking at the living conditions that people during the era lived in, we then had a role-playing session where staff took on the part of a person living during different eras in Huddersfield and the students would ask questions to help them have an idea on what the times were like in Huddersfield.

To help with this Group 7 visited the Magna Centre in Sheffield, we were all amazed at some of the advancements that we have made based on the technology that we developed during that era.

This week in Group 5

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Group 1

Group 7 Getting Ready for Christmas

Group 7 have begun getting into the festive spirit, we have begun to build our Christmas reindeers ready to take home to our families. Bayley is really getting into the spirit and trying his hardest whilst following the instructions given to him.

In Science group 7 are discovering if sound can travel through string. Once we discovered sound can travel through the string, we predicted if the sounds could travel through longer pieces of string, we then tried this out.

We discovered that sound does travel but it becomes harder to understand what the sounds are and they sound muffled, we then discussed that this could be because the further the sound travels the less the air vibrates and the sound is lost along the way.

This week in group 5

The Chicks have Arrived!

At Joseph Norton we are incredibly lucky to have our own farm. We love spending time there every week and are becoming more and more confident at looking after all the different animals. Recently, we have been very excited waiting for our new arrivals!

The hens on the farm laid eggs and we have gone through the whole process to ensure they resulted in healthy chicks. We have made sure the humidity in the incubator is accurate to ensure the chicks grow healthy. As a school, we have watched the air sacks grow and drawn these carefully on each egg so we can check that they were developing correctly. Our farm manager Rob has taught us all about the process that takes place over the 21 days up until the chicks’ hatch. 

We were all so excited to return to school after half-term to see the beginning of our chicks starting to hatch. Learning how to hold the chicks safely was very important to make sure we didn't hurt them. We also learnt how to feed and water them to make sure they get all the nutrients they needed to develop properly. All of children at Joseph Norton are so excited to watch the chicks grow! We had to remain calm and relaxed when holding the chicks, we have really enjoyed becoming more confident around them.

Wonderful weather for a lovely picnic!

Group 3 have been busy picnic planners. They were given a budget and had to plan what food and drinks they could purchase. This involved budgeting as well as planning a picnic with a range of foods. There were some great discussions about having a healthy balanced picnic as well as some compromises to make sure that there would be food that most people would like. The next stage was to design and send invitations out. Some were created using chrome books and some were handcrafted. The group were delighted when they received some replies.

On the day of the picnic the pupils became chefs and prepared some sandwiches as well carrot and cucumber sticks. They loved making butterfly sandwiches. Preparing the food in the morning made them very hungry so the crusts did not go to waste!

In the afternoon we had a lovey relaxed picnic together as a group and played some team games. This was great team work, we had a lovely time together.