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Woodpeckers 2021 - 2022
Roman aqueducts: July 2022
This term, Woodpeckers class have been learning all about the Romans and their invasion of Britain.
Our Design and technology project was researching, planning, designing, building and evaluating Roman aqueducts, a fascinating invention that transported water from a source to cities far away.
We carefully considered which materials to use, and how to make our designs ‘fit for purpose’ i.e. able to carry water from one place to another.
Almost all of our aqueducts were able to fill the design criteria by transporting water from one place to another, with very little spillage (although some were rather soggy by the end of the project and sadly not fir for display!
Summer fayre superstars!
On Saturday July 2nd, 18 wonderful Woodpeckers generously gave up part of their weekend to open the Clifton upon Teme Summer Fayre in style, with our traditional country dancing. They Cumberland Square Eight-ed, Morpeth Ranted and Pat a Cake Polka-ed absolutely perfectly and impressed everyone with their teamwork, rhythm, sense of timing and cardiovascular fitness! You made your parents, teachers and school extremely proud Woodpeckers, well done! Thank you too to all the parents who sacrificed part of their weekends to get their children into school on Saturday, it was enormously appreciated and really was the highlight of the day.
Even more super Science: June 2022
This week in Science we were investigating how sound changes over distance. We made our own string telephones and were amazed when we could hear people speaking, even when we were not stood close to each other. We discovered that vibrations from the sound source make the cup vibrate, which in turn make the string vibrate. Then the vibrations travel down the string, away from the sound source to our ears. We could hear better using the string telephone than when the sound travelled through the air because the air particles were able to travel down the string and did not spread out.
There were lots of amazing scientific questions being asked, and Braxton and Tom were keen to find out what would happen if more than one string touched. We tried it first by adding another string telephone and discovered that everyone could hear the person talking. We then tried it with multiple string telephones, and discovered as long as the strings were touching, everyone could hear the person talking as the vibrations were able to travel down all the strings. Fabulous work Woodpeckers!
Volcanoes: June 2022
As part of our geography and history topic of the Romans, we have been learning all about the famous eruption of the volcano Vesuvius, which covered the Roman town of Pompeii in AD 79. In order to learn more about how and why volcanic eruptions occur, we made our own, using water, bicarbonate of soda, food colouring and vinegar. The acid of the vinegar created a chemical reaction with the alkaline bicarb, which created carbon dioxide bubbles. These then 'erupted' out of the top of the bottle, much like a volcanic pyroclastic flow.
We learned a lot about volcanoes, and had a great time too!
Platinum Jubilee Celebration: June 2022
Our Jubilee party was a wonderful way to celebrate together and honour our Queen, who has reigned for 70 years. The children all enjoyed baking cupcakes and fridge cake to share with everyone. They also worked hard to create some super jubilee flags to help us create the perfect party decorations! We all had a lovely afternoon, and it was wonderful to see so many of our families who came to celebrate with us.
Super Sound: May 2022
Our science unit of work this half term has been Sound. Today, we were looking closely at different musical instruments to see how we might change the pitch (how high or low a sound is). We then went on to make our own set of straw pan pipes to experiment with different pitches and tried to identify patterns and make conclusions.
Here are some of our conclusions:
Eddie: To make a high sound on a guitar, you make the string shorter.
Jake: The longer the bar (on a glockenspiel), the lower the sound.
Ethan: The thinner the string on a guitar, the higher the sound.
Daisy: The thicker the string (on a guitar), the lower the sound because the strings vibrate slowly.
Lily: The longer the pipe, the lower the sound.
Dylan: The shorter the pipe, the higher the sound. This is because in a short straw the air vibrates quickly, causing a higher sound.
Power Projects: Summer term 2022
Attached is a link to this term's Power Projects based on our new topic: Roman Rule. The expectation is for 2 pieces of work (by all means do more if you would like!) over the course of the entire term, with new deadlines, so that children can complete AT LEAST one piece each half term.
Your first piece of work MUST be handed into school by Wednesday 25th May
Your second piece of work MUST be handed into school by Wednesday 13th July
/docs/a_a_a_maths_010221/POWer_Project_complete.pdf
Bike-ability: April 2022
This week, Year 4 children had the opportunity to perfect their cycling skills by taking part in the Level one Bike-ability course. The instructors were both very impressed with the children who took part, and we were all very pleased and proud to learn that everyone had passed. Well done Year 4!
South African Pen Pal Project: April 2022
As part of our longstanding pen pal project with Morning Star Children's Centre in South Africa, Woodpeckers class have made some gorgeous Easter cards to send over. These were rather fiddly and time consuming, but the end results are fab!
We have been nurturing our pen pal project for many years now, and we really appreciate how much our friendship with the children in South Africa teaches and inspires us. We hope it continues for many years to come.
Tudor explorers' hard tack biscuits: March 2022
As part of our Tudors topic, we have been learning about the explorers of the Elizabethan 'Golden Age'. To get an idea of what life was like on board, we made some hard tack biscuits, which sailors would have survived on when at sea for possibly years at a time.
Hardtack is a hard, traditionally square-shaped biscuit that was eaten on ships as it lasted a very long time. They were made from basic flour and water. The biscuits were baked four times to ensure that they would last for many years on the ship, but this meant that the biscuits were extremely hard to eat. Because of this, sailors often dunked them in brine, water or any liquid available so that it was easier to eat. Hardtack was part of the navy diet, until the introduction of canned foods made preserving food far easier.
All the children were very brave and had a taste of our finished biscuits, and we agreed that they tasted like 'slightly burnt pizza base'!
School Closure: 21st March 2022
Here is your overview for the next two days Woodpeckers.
/docs/Home_learning_wc_Tuesday_22nd_March.pdf
All activities will be uploaded to Seesaw for you this evening.
Hope to see you all again very soon indeed!
Mrs Q x
Super Science: March 2022
This week in our science lesson, we were learning about the different parts of the flower and how they work together to make seeds which grow into new plants. We started the lesson by dissecting some flowers to help us learn the names of the different parts. The children proved what super scientists they are!
Tudor toys and games: March 2022
This week we have been learning about the lives of Tudor children and had a go at designing toys and games out of household or garden objects, just as Tudor children would have done. The children had a great time going into the forest school area and field and not only making their games but playing them too!
Selly Manor trip: March 2022
On Tuesday 8th March, as part of our Tudor topic, Woodpeckers class visited Selly Manor, a real Tudor house in Bourneville, Birmingham.
We had a detailed tour in the morning, handling genuine Tudor artefacts and discovering the secrets of the house, such as the infamous priest hole, and the children excelled themselves with both their Tudor knowledge and superb listening skills.
In the afternoon we dressed up as Tudor children and played some games, such as juggling and diablo.
It was a fantastic, informative day, and Woodpeckers class were tremendous ambassadors for the school, making us all very proud indeed.









Tudor portraits February-March 2022
Our topic this term is the Tudors, and we spent all of the first half of term working immensely hard on creating our own self portraits in the style of Hans Holbein, a famous artist from the Tudor times who painted (among others) Henry VIII and the infamous portrait of Anne of Cleves.
We started by researching Hans Holbein, then learned about proportion and how to draw features in the correct places on the face. We drew some draft self portraits, then spent time ,earning about colour blending in order to make skin tones that were realistic and similar to our own. After all of this preparation, we were finally ready to draw and paint our final pieces- and I am sure you will agree, what tremendous pieces of work they are!
Jigsaw P.H.S.E: February 2022
This half term in P.S.H.E, we have been focusing on our dreams and goals. We all have different dreams, and know that we have to work hard to reach them. Sometimes we may be challenged or disappointed, but know that with hard-work, motivation and perseverance we can achieve.
This week, Mrs Allen set the class a team goal, which was to work together to create the funniest potato character. The children started by brainstorming ideas and discussing different strengths within their team. Everyone had to work together to complete the challenge, with some amazing results!
Well done Woodpeckers, you certainly worked hard to achieve your goal!
January 2022: Times table reminder
As you know, all year 4 children will be participating in a times table check in June of this year. This will be an on-screen check consisting of 25 times table questions. Your child will have 6 seconds to answer each question. On average, the check should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.
The purpose of the check is to determine whether children can fluently recall their times tables up to 12, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will also help us in school to identify if your child may need additional support.
One way that you can support your child with their times tables is through regular (ie 15 minutes per week) practice of Time Table Rock Stars.
We also have regular timed practice checks for all children in Woodpeckers, with more time given per question to children in year 3. Some parents have requested the link to the tests again in order to practise the test at home, a good example can be found here:
https://www.timestables.co.uk/multiplication-tables-check/
Thank you as always for your continued support of the children's learning.
Tudor topic Power projects- January 2022
Your child will have come home with a paper copy of the Power Projects, the expectation of which is 2 pieces of work by the last Wednesday of term please. We love seeing what the children have made at home, where they have visited and and their own creative interpretations of the topic- and thank you as always for supporting them so well!
Below is a PDF copy of the project sheet- they can of course use their own ideas too.
/docs/POWer_Project_full_copy_updated.pdf
Tudor Portraits: January 2022
This term in art, we are going to be studying and drawing our own Tudor portraits. To get us started, we used photographs cut in half to help us draw self portraits of our own. We had to look carefully at shape, line and tone to create accurate drawings. Here are just a few of the finished portraits, I think they are amazing!
DT project: Egyptian mummies and sarcophagi
Our Design and technology project during the autumn term was making our own Egyptian mummies and sarcophagi! We started off by researching felt dolls and learning about mummification in our topic lessons. Then we spent time learning different stitches including: cross stitch, running stitch, back stitch and blanket stitch (this one was very tricky!)
We also investigated other design techniques such as pleating. Once we were confident with the practicalities of sewing (including learning how to thread a needle and tie a knot- very important skills when sewing!) we started to design and make our mummies. They had started out as very traditionally Egyptian in style and design, but soon became more individual and reflective of the children’s tastes as you can see! We had to use accurate cutting skills, different stitching techniques when attaching all of our ‘jazzy bits’ (eyes, ties etc.) and very careful stitching when sewing the back and front of the mummies together and then stuffing them. Once we had completed our mummies, we then moved on to their sarcophagi- the coffins in which Egyptian mummies would have been buried. We started by learning about ancient Egyptian beliefs about the journey to the afterlife, so we would be well informed when decorating our sarcophagi. We then covered shoeboxes in plain paper and made them appear more authentically ‘Egyptian’ through the addition of amulets, Egyptian religious symbols, for example an eye to let the spirit peep out, and a small door through which the soul could come and go as they pleased. We finished off by adding some hieroglyphics and jewels, before finally laying our mummies to rest in their completed sarcophagi. The children have worked incredibly hard on their design and technology project this term and their finished products are absolutely wonderful. Well done Woodpeckers!
Deliver us dance: PE
This half term, Woodpeckers class have been innovating an extended dance sequence to Deliver Us, the opening song from the Prince of Egypt. This film is the story of Moses, and Deliver Us tells the story of the slaves in Egypt building the pyramids, and Moses' journey in a basket down the river Nile.
The children had several different sequences to choreograph, learn and perform, including whole class, small group and partner sections. They have worked incredibly hard and learned the entire 7 minute sequence off by heart in order to perform, which is a really terrific achievement. We hope you enjoy the performance!
//player.vimeo.com/video/656541481?title=0&byline=0&loop=1
November 2021: Egyptian silhouette art
Last week, Woodpeckers class investigated and created some absolutely beautiful silhouette art with an Egyptian theme. They blended pastels to create a sunset effect and then cut out some Egyptian silhouettes using black paper to stick on top. I'm sure you will agree that the results are truly wonderful. Well done Woodpeckers!
November 2021: Year 4 times tables check
Some of you may know that all year 4 children will be participating in a times table check in June 2022. This will be an on-screen check consisting of 25 times table questions. Your child will have 6 seconds to answer each question. On average, the check should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.
The purpose of the check is to determine whether children can fluently recall their times tables up to 12, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will also help us in school to identify if your child may need additional support.
One way that you can support your child with their times tables is through regular (ie 15 minutes per week) practice of Time Table Rock Stars.
We will be introducing the timed practice checks from next week to all children in Woodpeckers, with more time given per question to children in year 3. If you would like to practice the test at home as well to support your child with their rapid recall, a good example can be found here:
https://www.timestables.co.uk/multiplication-tables-check/
For more information on the times table check, please click on the link below which will take you to the government guidance for parents:
We are tremendously proud of the children's mathematical understanding and enthusiasm, and greatly appreciate everything that you do at home in order to support them.
Amazing animation: November 2021
In Computing, our new unit of work is animation and the focus of our learning is making pictures move. In our first lesson, we created our own Flip books, and today we used the I can animate App to create our own animations. Below is a video of all our work. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as we enjoyed making them.
/i/video/Animation_Video.mp4
Homework reminder: November 2021
Click below for the PDF of the letter sent to parents with clarification of homework expectations:
Happy Halloween: October 2021
What a busy and fun-filled half term of learning! To celebrate, the children were allowed to come to school in their Halloween costumes ready for the disco after school. We think they look amazing...and a little scary! Happy Halloween!
Marvellous Magnets: October 2021
To end our unit of work on magnets, today the children worked in small groups to design and create their own magnetic games. We had so many excellent ideas, including magnet mazes, magnetic racing tracks and a brilliant football game which used a ball magnet to score goals. As well as showing their creative and scientific sides, the children also showed super co-operation and team work. Well done Woodpeckers!
Super Science: September 2021
Woodpeckers have really enjoyed investigating forces and magnets this half term. Today we used magnets to identify magnetic and non-magnetic materials and some of us were surprised to learn that not all metals were magnetic. Materials which were magnetic were steel and iron and nickel. Materials which were non-magnetic were rubber, wood, paper, card, wool, plastic and copper.
We also talked about magnetic fields and used the words attract and repel to describe what happened when two magnets were placed next to each other. We could clearly see how magnets used push and pull force. We had lots of fun, as well as finding out lots about magnets.
Ukulele: September 2021
Woodpeckers have been given the amazing opportunity to learn to play the Ukulele during this school year. We have been getting used to holding the instrument correctly and are becoming more familiar with playing different notes. It is certainly not easy, but we have been impressed with the perseverance some children have shown and they are producing some wonderful sounds. Well done Woodpeckers!
Basketball: September 2021
This term, Woodpeckers have been developing their basketball skills. We started by learning how to dribble and pass the ball, and this week we had the opportunity to practice our shooting skills using our brand new hoops. It was lots of fun and the progress over the three weeks has been amazing!
Boundless Activity Centre: September 2021
On Wednesday 22nd September, Woodpeckers class enjoyed our first ever trip to Boundless Outdoors Activity Centre in Malvern. Well, the sun shone, and so did our enthusiasm!














South African Pen Pal Project: September 2021
We are so excited to be starting our pen pal project once again with the staff and children of Morning Star Children's Centre in South Africa! Today, we made rainbow themed pop up cards as South Africa is known as the 'Rainbow Nation', and we have written a letter to Morning Star with lots of facts about ourselves and questions for our new friends. We can't wait to get a reply!
Welcome to Woodpeckers!
Below are PDF copies of our Autumn Term newsletter and this term's Power Project homework.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to grab us on the playground, or email the woodpeckers teacher address.
Woodpeckers 2021 - 2022
Archive 2020-2021
Click on the image to see previous work.