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Projects

History – British Maritime History

Trip to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Year 5 had an amazing day exploring the history of Portsmouth Historic Dockyards. The children had the opportunity to go aboard HMS Warrior to experience the Victorian life on sea. They interacted with actors who explained to them the Sailor's life and the children even had the chance to get in the hammock to experience sleeping conditions! The children found the difference in living quality between the sailors and the officers interesting. We also were able to go into the Mary Rose Museum, which offered an amazing insight into life aboard a Tudor ship. With the 500-year-old artefacts, the children were able to use their historian skills to figure out what the life of a Tudor sailor would have been like. The children had a wonderful day and have enriched their learning and understanding.

What the children said:

“Fun and factful because there were notice boards telling us what was on the ships.”

“The were a lot of massive ships and they were really cool. I learnt that only half of the Mary Rose remains in the museum.”

“HMS Warrior was interesting because you could see the actual rooms and it wasn’t a replica. You could see the real object in the rooms as it would have been a long time ago.”    

    

RE – Humanism – A Good Life

Humanist Visitor

Year 5 had the wonderful opportunity of taking part in a special assembly hosted by 'Dorset Humanists'. This compliments their current RE unit 'A Good Life', where the students will consider important philosophical questions such as - What is good and bad? What might a good life involve? Is it important for you to live a good life? 

Children will now have a greater understanding of humanism and the key values this worldview holds. 

What the children said:

“I liked hearing about the peppered moths and how they evolved to be different.”

“I liked seeing things from a different point of view."

Science – Space

Mobile Planetarium

Year 5 children have enjoyed spending time inside a mobile planetarium and have been amazed at and inspired by our travelling scientists who have brought to life the children’s understanding of Earth and Space! The children had the opportunity to enhance the learning from their science lessons and further their understanding of space and planets.

What the children said:

“It was fun when you laid down you could see the planets moving.”

“I think it helped with my science because it showed different scenarios in space and what it would be like to be an astronaut.”

“I learnt that there is a north star which doesn’t move.”

Geography – New Forest

Trip to Bolderwood

Year 5 enjoyed their trip to Bolderwood in the New Forest.  We learnt about human impact on the national park and looked for evidence of this. The children used the geographical skill of map reading to follow a path in the right direction, and whilst we were walking, they considered the human impact that they could see. The children discussed whether human impact was always a negative. The children also practised their geographical skill of sketch mapping, considering the site from an aerial view. The children also spent some time taking some photographs for their art project. They considered the rule of thirds and placing objects in the foreground or background.

What the children said:

“I liked taking the pictures. I had to think about the perspective and the light, especially in the morning.”

“I enjoyed the fact that we did geography doing the human impact and art taking photos at the same time.”

DT – CAM Toys

The children have spent some time researching CAM mechanisms and designing their own toy with a moveable part. The children considered who they were making the toy for and what they wanted to achieve with their design as part of the criteria. When making their CAM toys, the children had to measure and cut the wood using tools, stick the wood together and then attach their CAMs. This process was difficult, but the children showed great perseverance to achieve some amazing work.

What the children said:

“It was because if you didn’t hold it long enough it would fall apart.”

“Fun because we don’t usually build things like that so I enjoyed trying something new.”

Art Project

In art, the children have enjoyed exploring different mediums to reflect the beauty of the New Forest. They started looking at Nancy Wolff and how she uses line, shape and pattern in her artwork. They then explored drawing, painting, printing and textiles to create different leaves of their own. 

Following this they explored Anna Atkins and how she introduced the world to cyanotypes. The children enjoyed the opportunity to then create their own cyanotypes. They then finished their project with some photography of their own out in the New Forest. It was a great project of new skills and their final collage outcomes reflect all the great art they achieved.