Amazing Artwork!

On Friday afternoon, for our last big art project together, we created a massive masterpiece!

After coming up with lots of nouns, we picked three that were unrelated. The three nouns we chose were: 'fireworks', 'battle' and 'flowers'.

We worked together, as a whole class, to draw an image that combined all three of these things. We had to fill the whole piece of paper:

Next, we were given colourful paints, but we weren't allowed to mix them and if we wanted to use a new colour, we had to swap with someone else. This was tricky at first, but we soon got the hang  of it!

Finally, we added the highlights and shadows with black and white paint, which again, we could not mix:

Here is our finished piece:

Can you think of a suitably marvellous title for our masterpiece?

P4C

This week for P4C, we used an alternative storybook for our stimulus. We all know the story of the Three Little Pigs, but this week we read, 'The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig! It was a very funny story and made us think slightly differently about the story we were all expecting.

We were also very excited, because we completed the numbers warm-up game for the first time! Hooray!

The questions that we chose to vote on were:
1. Is it ever too late to change your ways? Why?
2. Do you need someone else to change you? Why?
3. Is life good, even if there is bad? Why?
4. What would life be like if everything was opposite?
5. What would the world be like if everyone was rude to each other?

The question we voted to discuss was, 'What would life be like if everything was opposite?'
We had a fantastic discussion, although it did get a little surreal at times! We covered topics such as identity, gender and war in a long and detailed enquiry. Well done team!

P4C

 Source: YouTube, Edward Monkton

This week, our P4C session was definitely our best discussion yet. We watched a fantastic video; 'The Pig of Happiness' as our stimulus and had a very grown up discussion. We talked about what happiness is and whether you would miss it if you had never had it. We wondered whether, in a world without happiness, you could feel sadness. Different children explained their ideas using images of scales, or comparisons to light and dark. Without having seen the light, would you know if it was dark? Without ever being happy, could you be sad? Do you need to have experienced the opposite to be able to understand it? Some children have even started to make links between previous P4C sessions, drawing on ideas from past discussions we have had. Wow!

Here are the questions we came up with this week:

1. Can everyone have happiness in their lives?
2. What would the world be like without happiness?
3. Can happiness mentally disturb you? (This group explained that they were wondering whether too much happiness can be bad for you.)
4. How and why does happiness spread?

The question we voted to discuss was: 'What would the world be like without happiness?'

At the end of our discussion this week, everyone in the class offered an interesting and insightful final thought. Well done everyone!

Another Super Week!

We have had another great week in St. Clare's Class!

On Wednesday, we visited the LifeBus. We had an interesting lesson and learned lots more about our bodies and the importance and dangers associated with how we treat them. We learned about drugs, smoking and alcohol and how they can be harmful to us. To end the session, we spent some time considering how to make the right choices and how to say 'No,' when we need to. It was a fascinating session and we came away with a greater knowledge about how to stay safe and well.

On Thursday, we had a fantastic trip to the Dulwich Picture Gallery. We worked with Jo, a professional artist, in the workshop to design and make our own World War One medals.

Firstly, we designed the symmetrical ribbons, using wax pastels and inks. We used this resist technique to make the ribbons look old and worn.

Next, we designed and made the tiles to print our medals.

Then, we applied the metallic printing ink.

We used the printing press to create our final images.

On Friday, after our marvellous performance in our assembly, we neared the end of our class novel; The Silver Donkey, and wrote some fantastic pieces to show how we think the book will end.

We also enjoyed analysing a poem about conscription and discussing the emotions involved for those left behind in the Great War.

In the afternoon, after another excellent P4C session, we spent some time writing Christmas letters and cards to our Post Pals. They have been posted off this weekend, so we hope that they will arrive soon to put smiles on the faces of some children who will be in hospital, or very unwell, over Christmas.

Next week, we have a very busy festive week!

Monday: Your last swimming session- don't forget your kit!
Tuesday: All of Upper School will be going to St. Thomas More for the Advent mass.
Wednesday: Christmas lunch!
Thursday: We will be watching the Key Stage 1 Nativity Play and we'll write our list to go up for the class Christmas party (food and drink!)
Friday: In the afternoon, we will be heading to church again for the Christmas Carol Concert.

The following week:
Monday: Our class Christmas Party!
Tuesday: CARE awards assembly, possibly Toy Day and the last day of term! School will close at 2pm.

Well Done!

 Source: http://sgpc.floriana.skola.edu.mt/category/assemblies/

A HUGE congratulations, St. Clare's Class, on a very successful class assembly on Friday! You were wonderful!

Everyone performed brilliantly and the films were enjoyed by everyone in the audience. We have had lots of lovely comments from children, staff and parents/carers- everyone loved your performance. Well done.

I'm very proud of you and you should all be very proud of yourselves!

Thank you to all of the parents, carers and families who came to support the children. We hope you enjoyed it.

A Wonderful Week!

 

We have had a fantastic week, with two trips! We are truly becoming experts on World War 1 in Year 5!

On Wednesday, we visited the Remembering 1916 exhibition at Whitgift School in Croydon. We had a brilliant day and learned so much.

On Thursday, we started to put together our presentations about particular artefacts that we saw. We even had the opportunity to handle some of the objects- and try on some helmets!

On Thursday afternoon, we edited and completed our WW1 Silent Movies. They are all ready for their grand unveiling at the World Premiere next Friday morning at 9am.

Today, Year 5 visited the Imperial War Museum. We now know so much about World War One, we could each write our own book!

Next week is another busy week. On Wednesday, we will visit the LifeBus at church (11- 12:30 if any parents could help to walk us over the road) and on Thursday, we will be visiting Dulwich Picture Gallery for a fantastic WW1-themed art workshop. On Friday, it's our class assembly! The world premiere of 'Silly Soldiers', 'The Useless Soldiers', 'Catch That Rat!' and 'The Clown Soldier'.

An Invitation and a Sneak Preview!

On Friday 9th December, you are invited to the world premiere of four wonderful silent movies, filmed in 1919 by the St. Clare's Film Company and inspired by World War One.

Here, we can see a few sneak preview shots of the filming in process. We do hope you will be able to join us at 9am for this special event!

P4C

Source: The Imperial War Museum

This week's P4C sparked another wonderful discussion. Our stimulus this week was a painting; The Menin Road, by Paul Nash. After playing some games, we looked closely at the painting before coming up with some questions to discuss.

The questions that each group put forward were:

1. Can people still have happiness in their lives during wartime?
2. What did war do to mankind?
3. Was the war as dreadful as it seems?
4. Should women have been allowed to fight in World War One?


We voted for question 4: 'Should women have been allowed to fight in World War One?' It was a fantastic discussion and led to many ideas being raised about gender, strength and equality. Well done, everyone!

Wonderful WW1 Work!

We have been working so hard in St. Clare's this half term to become experts on World War One. Here are just a few examples of some of the amazing work that has been produced in the last few weeks. Well done everyone!

These propaganda posters are inspired by the sinking of the Lusitania on 7th May 1915. Once we had learned about the Lusitania, we looked at some real propaganda posters inspired by the disaster, then created some of our own.

Our Friendship Sculptures

Here are some lovely examples of our completed Friendship Week sculptures. We each used newspaper and modrock to create little models of ourselves in various poses. Once they had dried, we wrote kind messages of friendship on the models of the friends in our class. Now we each have a model covered in lovely words about ourselves- to remind us of how marvellous our friends think we are!