Learning 2-8

Our thematic approach to learning at St Peter’s 2-8 gives each class a new, exciting theme every term, chosen to inspire and motivate our younger pupils and feed their imaginations. Throughout the term the teachers let the children’s curiosity lead the way.

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside...

Year 1 enjoyed an exciting trip to Whitby Museum and Runswick Bay to begin the autumn term. They were greeted by a beautiful beach and sunshine, and had lots of fun making sandcastles, paddling in the sea, fossil hunting and digging in the sand. The visit was inspired by their themed text for the autumn term, Fortunately, the Milk, by Neil Gaiman, a story which features a time-travelling stegosaurus, aliens, vampires, dinosaur police and the Queen of the Pirates. The children explored the fossil and shipping wings of the Museum and even found a pirate ship in the playground! Throughout the term, the children also learnt how to make dinosaur poo as part of their topic on animal diets, discovered how to write like a pirate, and created dinosaur fact files.

Ye Olde York

Year 2 travelled back in time in to explore the origins of the historic city of York. They learnt about everyday life for the people who lived in and ruled the city, from the Romans and Vikings to the Georgians and Victorians. They used architecture and artefacts to inform their learning and visited lots of interesting landmarks including York Minster and York City Walls. The highlights of the term were a celebratory Roman banquet and an extravagant Georgian

Ball, both organised by the children. The banquet included Roman honey biscuits, made by the children, along with olives, cheese, grapes, pitta breads, honey, dates, figs and olive oil, and to wash it down was a delicious ‘red wine’ (blackcurrant juice). Alas, there were no roasted dormice or flamingo tongues! The children designed their own costumes for the banquet and the ball and enjoyed singing and dancing.

Georgians in York

Year 2 visited York Mansion House as part of their Ye Olde York theme, investigating the Georgians in York. They were given a tour of this impressive building by the Lord and Lady Mayoress and thanked them for their welcome and hospitality.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Year 3 visited Murton Park as part of their Narnia topic, inspired by The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. To get an idea of what it would have been like for children in Britain during the Second World War, the children went to Murton Park to experience first-hand life on the Home Front. They even dressed as evacuees! It was a fantastic day, but it didn’t stop there. At Forest School, pupils explored woodland, finding fascinating insects and plants as well climbing trees and making dens, just like evacuees would have done when they arrived in the countryside.

They also created their own amazing propaganda posters to help persuade wartime Britain to Make Do and Mend and Dig for Victory. Year 3 also worked in teams to make their own model Anderson Shelters and bake rock cakes with rationing in mind.

Geography in Action

In March, one of our parents, Mr Carrotte, gave a fabulous assembly about his recent month-long expedition to the Antarctic. The children were completely captivated as he explained how he formed an expedition team, along with seven others, in celebration of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expeditions. During the trip, Mr Carrotte and his team skied, climbed and conducted scientific experiments. We discovered how much equipment was needed for an expedition, which included warm clothing, food, skis, sledge, tent, sleeping bag, climbing harness, helmet, goggles, a solar panel to charge phones and batteries, and a small satellite dish to communicate with people.

National Poetry Day

For National Poetry Day, St Peter’s 2-8 focused on global warming and how our choices affect the environment. Children explored the poem The Story of Squiddly Diddly and thought carefully about the importance of marine conservation. The children enjoyed performing the poem to their class and created a whole-school performance. The poem also inspired the children to upcycle their plastic bottles from home into artwork. The children wrote lots of poems in different styles, related to their themes, including haikus, kenning and acrostic poetry.

The Magic Faraway Tree

Year 1’s theme for Easter term was The Magic Faraway Tree, by Enid Blyton. The children enjoyed fun adventures in the lands at the top of the magic tree, including a special Bushcraft workshop. They learnt how to build shelters, create campfires by using flint and bake chocolate bread, and were taught survival skills including the Rule of Three – that a human can survive for three weeks without food, three days without water and three minutes without air. They also explored philosophical questions and key concepts linked to their seven school values, such as: What does it mean to be kind? Do our actions have consequences? and Can dreams come true?

Alice in Wonderland

Year 2 had a wonderful time exploring their themed text Alice in Wonderland in the Easter term. This began with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in Forest School, where the children met a White Rabbit who twitched his whiskers and introduced their new book. They also visited Northwood Trail Fairy Sanctuary and the Fairy Museum in the hope of meeting some magical creatures!

Throughout the term, children wrote their own adventure stories, made special potions, learnt how to tell the time, developed their illustration skills, discovered new plants and animals, and planned their very own Wonderland Garden Party in Forest School. They also prepared sandwiches, jam tarts and even made their own lunchboxes. The children played garden games and the forest was draped with bunting that they made themselves. Smiles the size of the Cheshire Cat’s grin could be seen all around!

The Last Bear

Year 3 learnt about the impact of climate change in the Easter term, with topics inspired by their class text, The Last Bear, by Hannah Gold. The children explored the Arctic Circle using maps, and discovered which animals live in the Arctic and how they have adapted to their surroundings. They also investigated the impact of climate change on the Arctic and the animals that live there, learnt about the traditional Inuit way of life, and encountered famous explorers who have visited the Arctic. In addition, they visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park to investigate polar bears with a workshop from a polar bear expert! Did you know that a polar bear’s fur is actually clear, not white?

World Book Day

Children and staff at St Peter’s 2-8 celebrated World Book Day in March, inspired by this year’s theme, You Are a Reader. St Peter’s 2-8 enjoyed a nonuniform day and staff and children were encouraged to dress up in Recycle, Reuse and Create themed costumes inspired by their favourite book. The children also participated in the I Am a Reader photo competition by having their photo taken reading in the most unusual places they could find. We saw children on a camel, in a chicken coop and on top of a tractor wheel! Ms Veasey, drama teacher at St Peter’s 8-13, led workshops all week and the children thoroughly enjoyed acting out different scenes from their favourite books.

Fishy Goings On!

Year 1 children arrived back to school after Easter to discover their new learning environments inspired by the sea and the book, Manfish: A Story of Jacques

Cousteau. The children designed and created a waterproof outfit, invented their own deep-sea creatures, played Fish Guess Who! and wrote down funny adjectives to describe some truly unique fish.

The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales Term certainly started with a splash for Year 2! As part of their big reveal, Year 2 were put through their paces with diving and swimming activities to complete their Explorer Training inspired by their story, The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales. The children loved using their goggles and snorkels and designing their own Secret Explorer badges.

Around the World in 80 Days

Year 3 children were whisked off on an exciting adventure, around the world in 80 days. They dived straight into looking at other countries across the globe and finding rhyming words to write their very own poems in the style of Pie Corbett’s A Chance in France. They carried out research and used Google Earth to study the planet and discovered some interesting facts. Did you know that 70% of the earth’s surface is covered in water? This inspired the children to create their own planet earth using balloons and paper maché.

Shark Fest

Children came to school dressed as their favourite Shark for Shark-Fest! Outfits were very creative (and a little scary at times) with shark-sharp teeth only softened by huge, excited smiles. Throughout the festival, the children had lots of fun playing games, attending a trash bang workshop and jumping on giant inflatables, with icecream treats to finish. A truly fun afternoon and fantastic way to end our shark theme!