Autumn Term 2013/2014

Hello and welcome to the new Year 5 blog.

This is a great way for all of the year group and parents to stay in touch with the children and their learning.

We would remind ALL bloggers however of the schools e-safety policies.

At Stoke Park Junior School, we believe learning about e-safety is vital to ensure our children stay safe digital citizens now and in the future. Through the use of the blogs, the children at Stoke Park will have the opportunity to develop their understanding of online safety and how to behave when on the web. We have a few simple guidelines that we all need to keep to in order to make the most of our year blogs:

·                Children are to only use their first name or initials when commenting and posting.

·                Parents who leave comments are asked to use their first name only so as not to identify their     child. Or post comments as "Paul's Mum" or "Kaitlin's Grandfather".

·                All posts will be checked by a teacher before they are published to the blog.

·                All comments are moderated by the class teacher before they appear on the blog.

·                Always be respectful of other people's work - be positive if you are going to comment.

·                No text talk - please write in full sentences and read your comments back carefully before submitting.

·                These blogs are the property of the school and all other school rules apply when using them.

Right, the fun bit...

Year 5 children in Stoke Park Junior School took a step back in time  to Celtic Britain.

The children had not been back from the summer a week before they were catapulted back in time, nearly 3000 years, to Celtic Britain.

The day started by the arrival of rabbles of undisciplined Legionnaire recruits and Celtic villagers. What followed was a complete immersion into the lives of their chosen characters.

The recruits, under direction of Centurion Nolanius, were given a rude introduction to the ways of life, drills and skills used in battle and equipment of the Roman Army.

The first thing that struck the children was the weight of all the equipment. 

Having considered this bearable they were told that added to their armour would be their Gladius, two pilum, three days food rations, blankets, picks or shovels, mess tins, cooking pots and parts of their tented camps.  In total, each man carrying in excess of 35 Kilogrammes.  In addition to this, the children were then fascinated (or dismayed) to learn that they would have to regularly march 25 miles per day, carrying all of their equipment, within 5 hours. A final test to prove they were worthy of service in such an effective fighting force.

However, for some reason, the one thing that convinced the recruits to ‘eat their greens’ or in this case their dried biscuits, was that, following the introduction of the ‘sponge on a stick’ they all decided that it would be best to be first in the line!

What followed was what can only be described as wild fury as the recruits were taught how to handle their gladius and scutum to devastating effect!

On the other side of the school, a more peaceful and tranquil set of events were occurring.  Children were reliving what it may have been like in a small Celtic village.  They learnt how the ancient Celts day to day lives were guided by the seasons and by what they could make/grow for themselves.

 The children were immersed into the daily lives of the villagers which included regular security patrols by the villagers, traditional weaving, tools, jewellery and ‘garden décor’ that would rival anything Sir Alan Titchmarsh could conjure up.

And then, following a nice lunch, trouble on the horizon! The Roman recruits, eager for their first ‘blooding,’ set across the field in their newly learnt formations to sack the Celtic village.  In what can only be described as utter carnage, rocks, root vegetables and severed heads were thrown at the oncoming testudo in a vain attempt to scatter the now unbreakable Roman formation.  The Celtic villagers put up a valiant fight in their battle frenzies but, it stood no match for the discipline and 

coordination of the new Legionnaires.

 

The children gained so much from the days experiences and were described by them as something they will never forget! The act of actually doing these things for real was, for them, far more memorable than simply engaging with historic accounts, videos or pictures.  The amount of valuable learning that took place acted as a spring board to a multitude of enquiry based learning.

Since that fateful day, the children have been researching the origins of Rome from the Romulus and Remus legends to the Roman Armies Onager and Ballista heavy weaponry.  Just this week, classrooms have been turned into workshops of armaments!  The children have linked their science work on forces to build and test fire their own scaled down models of ancient technologies to great success. As teachers, it has been absolutely fascinating to see some of the resourcefulness and positive learning attitudes coming to the forefront.

Yet, there is more to come.  In the final weeks of the half term there is to be a huge dust up on the school field involving only the meanest of teachers in gladiatorial combat. Cheered on by the baying crowds of Stoke Parkians there will be unrelenting battles to rival those that have echoed through the ages and stood the tests of time.  We culminate the learning by visiting the beautiful and historic city of Bath and the most celebrated and best preserved relic of Roman Britain; the Roman Baths.  

This will aid in contextualising the learning and links children have made thus far and offer them the opportunity to soak up the sights, sounds and smells of this engineering marvel.  They will be able to see, touch and inhale a piece of science, engineering and history that has been shared by rich, famous and the actual people they have been studying for the past six weeks.

This has truly been a cross curricular first half to the term. From the reading of ‘Spartapuss’ in Literacy, contextualised learning and application of shape and measure in maths, to open ended enquiry in science, music and history, the children have done themselves proud in what is a huge step up from Year 4.