While reading Roald Dahl’s story The Witches, we were inspired to read, write and perform playscripts. We understood how important it was to speak clearly, use expression in our voice and to think about our actions as well as facial expressions.
World Book Day 2023
We have loved to see the children in their wonderful outfits, celebrating their favourite books and authors for World Book Day. All of the children have completed a range of book related activities in school.
Ella in Year 6 said she enjoys World Book Day. “I love reading and it’s fun to be the characters you love for the day”.
Sadie in Year 4 said she enjoys World Book Day because she loves reading and it’s a day all about celebrating reading.
Year 3 and 4 enjoyed discussing how people can keep themselves safe and happy online. We also shared what we like about using the internet and what we’d like to change about it.
Graphic novels are longer stories written and illustrated in the style of a comic, combining a sequence of engaging visual elements that drive the plot, coupled with short pockets of text in the form of captions and dialogue. The format has seen a burst in popularity in recent years and we have recently ordered a wealth of new graphic novels for both of our Accelerated Reader libraries for our children to enjoy in school and at home.
Check out these BooksforTopics links with recommended texts for 7-9 year olds and 9-11 year olds.
https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/topics/literacy-reading/graphic-novels-lower-ks2/
https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/topics/literacy-reading/graphic-novels-upper-ks2/
This month the staff were looking out for children who have made great progress in their reading but also who work well with others.
In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 the children take part in partner work when reading stories. They help friends read tricky words and have shown themselves to be great team players.
In years 3, 4, 5 and 6 staff were really pleased to see how the children can support each other with reading and celebrate others achievements. They have made AMAZING progress too!
A special mention to Tyler in Y4 who has made 18months progress in his AR reading age in the last half term and to Maxwell In Y6 who has made 2 years and 4 months progress!
What an achievement!
We are so proud of you all and love to see so many of you enjoying reading. We hope you enjoy your prizes.
Next Month teachers will be keeping a close eye on the children who use Accelerated Reader, to see how well they perform in quizes and improve their reading. Staff will choose a Reader of the Month who shows a great commitment and attitude to their reading, using AR and when sharing books.
Before Christmas, Amazon UK contacted Harton Primary School to ask if we wanted some Christmas decorations that the children could use to create their own designs. Pupils in year 4 and 5 had the chance to create their own designs and there were even prizes for the top designs!
In DT, Year 4 applied their knowledge from science about electricity to design and make their own electronic greeting cards. We used copper tape, LEDs and coin cells to make complete circuits which would light up when someone pressed the right place on the card. We thought about who the card was for, what the best design would be and how to incorporate a circuit into the card. They looked amazing and very festive! Check out some of our brilliant finished products.
Year 4 loved their visit to Wrekenton Waste and Recycle Centre. We explored the site and gained a greater understanding of how different materials are reused or recycled. We were also fascinated to learn about the Energy From Waste plant at Teeside. During our trip, we discussed what each of our different coloured bins were for and we even brought a battery bin to school. It’s important that we dispose of batteries properly and they should never be put in household waste. We also used our science knowledge to sort different materials at the centre into solids, liquids and gases.
Looking for good books as Christmas presents for children?
Books for Topics have put together a list of recommended books to give to primary school aged children this year.
Our Key Stage 2 pupils took part in the national Times Table Rock Stars ‘England Rocks’ competition last week. Amazingly, we came 16th out of 4000 schools across the whole country!
Especially well done to Y6F who came 53rd out of 29,000 classes, closely followed by Y5F who came 79th.
We are super proud of all our pupils who took part, showing how amazing they are at their multiplication facts. A fantastic achievement!
