Welcome to Leopards Class. Your teachers are Mrs Henderson and Mrs Boyle, with Mrs Fathers, and Mrs Akers as Teaching Assistant support. 

Mrs Henderson teaches on a Monday and Tuesday. Mrs Boyle teaches on a Thursday and Friday. They alternate Wednesday mornings. Wednesday afternoons are taught by Madame Keep and Mrs Fathers. 

2023-24

During this half term, Leopards have been using orienteering skills in our P.E. lessons. We have learnt how to read maps, understand map symbols and follow clues. We found 12 letters today to spell 2 words. Can you ask your child what they were? 

Leopards had a fantastic day celebrating 'World Book Day'. Our theme was identifying our reading super power, which is the genre or type of book we really enjoy reading. We then recommended similar books to each other and shared them. We also wrapped secret books and put key words to encourage choosing it. In the afternoon, we enjoyed copying an illustrators step by step picture of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Finally, we watched a live show of Michael Rosen at the New Wolsey Theatre to celebrate 50 years of published work. 

To reinforce our Science topic, Leopards made battery operated lights. We learned how to make circuits, design our lights and used junk modelling to create our lights. Ask your child about scientific vocabulary like appliance, complete circuit, switch, wire, battery and bulb. They worked incredibly hard! Well done, Leopards!

Learning about Stonehenge

In history, we learnt about 'why' Stonehenge is significant.

We found out that it is the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe and one of the wonders of the world.

However, even today, historians can't agree 'why' it was built,

but there are lots of theories and we had our own too...

First, we had questions and had to find the answers on 'fact cards' around the classroom.

We learnt that Stonehenge is in the English county of Wiltshire and that it was built during the Neolithic period of the Stone Age.

We found out that Stonehenge is made up of two types of stones - bluestones which are the smaller stones and the larger sarsen stones which are up to 9m high and weigh about 25 tons!

We discovered that Stonehenge may have been built as a place for religious ceremonies, a prehistoric temple that aligns with the sun's movements or maybe a giant astrological calendar.

Next, using the information we had learnt and using pictures to help, our task was to recreate 'Stonehenge today' using biscuits - Bourbons for the outer circle

and Custard Creams for the inner circle.

We even learnt how to draw a perfect circle to start our constructions using just a pencil

and a piece of string...

Science

We have been investigating what a circuit is, and how to create a complete circuit. We then identified how to prove a circuit works using switches, buzzers and motors. We then discussed how to make a circuit turn on and off using switches. Ask your child what two switches we made. 

This half term in computing, we are investigating editing tools on a publishing programme. We will use these tools to make and design lots of things from invitations, posters and slide shows about things we love. We used the add text, add image, change background and change text colour and size tools this week. Ask me what I made. 

Our DT Project this term was to

'Design and Make a Pizza'

First we needed to taste a range of pizza topping ingredients in order to evaluate the appearance, smell, taste and texture.

There were a few 'interesting' surprises...!

After creating our own design criteria and drawing and labelling the pizza we wanted to make, the next stage was the actual 'making...'

...and 'finally' the bit we'd all been waiting for...

THE TASTING!

Our verdict...

'Delicious!'

This Children in Need, as well as wearing non-school uniform, baking delicious creations for the Nacton Bake Off and selling all the treats at the end of the day, Leopards also helped to create a giant Pudsey bear out of 1ps and 2ps donated by children across the school. Leopards helped to organise how to create it and support Lions and Tigers in laying out the pennies. We raised a total of two hundred and ninety pounds in total for all fundraising activities. Fantastic work Leopards, and all of the Nacton Community!

In our Science topic last half term, we investigated rocks. As well as our volcano project, they spent time investigating the features of rocks. We looked at what sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks were and how they were formed by using chewy sweets and manipulating them to create the 3 rock types. We also then researched how different fossils are formed, and using salt dough to make our own version. Ask your child what they can remember!

Today Leopards finally got to use all of their hard work and knowledge to make their Geologist videos about Volcanic eruptions. They made their volcanoes in groups, painted them, investigated how an explanation text works and then wrote their own about volcanoes. Well done, Leopards: you were fantastic!

2022-23

Leopards had a fun packed day at the Suffolk farm and county fair. We looked at a range of livestock and why farmers looked after them, and got to stroke lots of lovely creatures. We saw an air ambulance land, investigate the work of the police and fire services and make finger print keyrings. We tasted lots of delicious local food and how it was made, and bumped into our neighbours 'Home Farm Nacton'. After a busy morning we even had a ride on a tractor. Then we tried some different cricket activities and puzzles. It was great!

West Stow

We enjoyed a 'packed day' at West Stow Anglo-Saxon village...

In the morning, we explored the reconstructed village and got to experience first-hand what it might have 'looked' like and 'felt' like in Anglo-Saxon times.

We learnt about how the houses were built and what life might have been like for everyday people. We also gathered together in the 'Great Hall' where Ben, our guide, talked to us about how important feasting, storytelling and music was to the Anglo-Saxons.

After lunch, we were able to study the exhibits in the museum, handle replica objects and some of us even got to 'dress up' as an Anglo-Saxon!

ART

We have been looking at the work of the artist Victor Vasarely.

He used line and geometric shapes to create optical effects. We have responded to his work by creating our own 'optical illusion' A6 postcards. We used the technique of 'collage.'

Check out our 'scissor skills...'

In DT this half term, we have been learning about mechanical systems.

We investigated different lever and linkage systems and then followed instructions to make our own with a partner and individually.

Investigating and making levers and linkages...

Our task was then to design and make a poster with a moving mechanism

encouraging people to 'reduce, reuse and recycle.'

This is how we got on...

Over this half term, Leopards have completed a free writing project. They decided on how to respond to the book the 'Egyptian Cinderella' and what text type they would create. These are the hand written piece of work. 

Over this half term, Leopards have created their own piece of free writing based on our class text of the 'Egyptian Cinderella'. We decided on how we wanted to respond, and which text type to create it as. These children created a pdf document on a free app called 'Adobe Express'.

In Science, we started our new topic of Sound. We tried 5 different activities to help us understand how sound is made and can change. Ask your child what they remember about each one. 

In Science, we have been looking at Light and Shadows. To test how shadows are made, and how they change size and shape, we used lego figures and measured how big they were from set distances. Ask your child what they found out!

On Friday 14th October, Leopards took part in the schools P.E. 'Enrichment day'. This time we got to enjoy a 'muggle' version of Quidditch. We used our special brooms to fly as we passed the ball to each other, tried to score points in the hoops. We had great fun, but need to practise our broomstick flying a little more!

2021-22

Stone Age Day

We had an amazing day when Memma the cavewoman and her companion Twig came to visit us.  The children learnt all about the different periods of the Stone Age and re-enacted life in the Stone Age by taking part in fire lighting, cooking and eating food prepared over the fire.  The children all became part of the tribe by helping out with various jobs such as scraping skins, carving a bow, shaping antlers into tools, threading mushrooms and meat for drying and felt making.

This term our DT project is The Edible Garden.

We looked at different herbs and are growing some of our own.  Next we made pesto and pasta using fresh ingredients.  Everyone at school loved the aroma of basil and garlic while we were grinding the fresh ingredients together.  The end result was tasty and healthy.

This week in our Edible Garden project, we have been learning about, tasting and cooking with strawberries.  We made a delicious and healthy Strawberry Smoothie.  We used new cooking skills such as whisking, cutting and mashing during the preparation of the smoothie.  The end result was very popular! Although, we did have some ideas to improve it.

In Science we are finding out about states of matter. 

We made oobleck to explore the properties of solids and liquids (oobleck is a non Newtonian liquid).  To make oobleck, mix together cornflour and a little water until the mixture has the consistency of honey.  Next play with it to explore its unusual properties.  Making oobleck is easy and fun, but very messy!

Art- Painting Skills

In our art lessons, we have been enjoying learning how to mix up different colours, how to make tints by adding white and how to fade colours using water.  We looked at the work of Georgia O'Keefe and used all our new skills to create our own flower artworks in her style.

D.T. Battery Operated Lights

We designed and made our own battery operated light to our design specification.  We also used our scientific skills and knowledge to create a circuit in order to light the bulb in our lamps.  We are really proud of our finished products!

3D Masks

In the Autumn term, Leopards’ had great fun designing and creating their 3D Venetian masks in Art. Don’t they look amazing!

Time Travelling in History

To help us understand chronology, we became time travellers for the afternoon!  After designing and making our time travelling head and wrist bands, we imagined travelling back in time to different eras and periods of history.  We travelled back to Victorian times, the age of the dinosaurs, WW1 and the start of the universe.  After this we put these time periods in chronological order and decided whether they were events from BC or AD. 

Science - Electrical Circuits

The challenge for today was make a bulb light up.  The children chose the components they thought they would need and worked together to construct a working circuit.  See how they got on!

Virtual Graphic Novel Workshop with the writer and illustrator of Agent Moose

To celebrate National Story Telling Week, the children all took part in a virtual workshop with the creators of graphic novel Agent Moose.  The children were sworn in as assistant investigators and investigated a mystery in the book.  After this, they had great fun learning how to draw some of the characters- they did brilliantly!

Our drawings from the workshop- Great work Leopards!