Visit to Hillier's Arboretum

The whole year group visited the Arboretum, near Romsey, on Friday 13 March. We learnt about the way the leaves and flowers of plants are adapted to conditions and the strategies they use to ensure pollination and seed distribution. We were also able to look at adaptation in animals too as Southampton University led a workshop on skulls.

The photos show a horse's skull and one of the activities where we used light meters to investigate the way that plants must be adapted to survive in different conditions.

The other photo shows the rare Leaf-Boy Orchid which originally came from mountain forests in Tibet. It is thought that it was collected by Sir Harold Hillier on an early plant hunting expedition in 1910 and is the only known example of th especies to be seen outside of the Himalayas.

It's started

Work on our end of year production, A Tangled Web, has begun!

Twenty-five writers have signed up to form the writing teams who will create the script of our play. Each writing team has two or three members and each scene of the play is written by a single team in after-school sessions lasting up to 5 pm.

The first two teams started work on 28 February and we finished our first scene tonight, 6 March.

We think the play will be as long as the productions in the last three years - and that means over 75 typed pages and over 20 scenes. Mr Mullard hopes the script will be finished by summer half term so that the actors can start rehearsals as soon as the holiday is over.

Come back later and see how work on the script is progressing. Details about the storyline of the Production will be posted much nearer the time . . . . at the moment it is confidential!

Animation Films

The films, with new music and fantastic sound effects, can now viewed on the internet.

Follow this link :

http://www.animationforeducation.co.uk/screen/screen.html

Narrative Poem

Daedalus and Icarus

In History, Literacy and Dance/Drama Year 6 have been looking at the Greek myth- Daedalus and Icarus. Daedalus was an Ancient Greek inventor and designer. He designed the labyrinth for King Minos to keep the Minotaur in. For this, Daedalus and his son Icarus were trapped in a tall tower so they wouldn’t tell anyone the way out/in the labyrinth. They both got fed up of being stuck in the tower so they made a plan to escape. They created wings out of bird feathers and candle wax. After months of making the wings were ready and they jumped out of the only window in the tower. Daedalus warned Icarus to not fly near the sun. But he did! The wax on his wings melted and Icarus fell into the sea.
In Drama/Dance we created a dance sequence to tell the story of Daedalus and Icarus. Some of the stages included- Being bored in the tower, having the idea of making the wings, making the wings, jumping out of the window, flying in the air, warning Icarus and Icarus dying.
In Literacy we wrote narrative poems to tell the story of Daedalus and Icarus. We had to use- Powerful adjectives, varying line lengths, alliteration and similes and metaphors. All the finished poems are excellent.

Here are a few examples of our poems-

Daedalus and Icarus

Sitting on the hard cold floor,
Daedalus and Icarus stared blankly.
A tall ghostly tower
Surrounded by crashing sea
Was where they were cruelly imprisoned.
Hidden from the rest of the world.
No escaping
Trapped forever.
Only one small window,
Separates them from the world.
Suddenly Daedalus has a genius brainwave
A plan to escape
Be free.
And do this by creating wings
Out of melted candle wax and birds feathers.
When finally finished
They would jump out of the tiny window.
Setting to work on the wings,
Butterflies crawl and squirm
In the small boys stomach.
Shaky hands grab feathers
And carefully pour hot wax.
Months
And months go by.
And the wings start to take shape
Finally the wings are finished
Feathers litter the hard floor
Hardened wax sticks to their tatty clothes
As the father and son strap on the wings
Anticipation fills the room
Walking nervously to the window
Their key to freedom
They stand on the unstable window
Waiting
Then, the cue to jump,
Gathering all their courage,
Taking deep breaths
They leap off the unsteady window
Daedalus and Icarus,
Father and Son,
Fall,
Falling,
Falling,
Faster,
Faster.
They start to flap their heavy wings
The sharp rocks beneath them
Approaching,
They plummet like a stone,
The violent sea welcoming them,
Gaining control
They glide like birds
Through the cold, clear sky.
Finally, they were free,
Diving and swooping excitedly
No limits
Free
Free as a bird
The endless blue sky welcoming them
Daedalus shouts a warning
At Icarus more than to him,
The small boy
Having to much fun
To listen
“Don’t go near the sun!”
The concerned father shouts
Worried
The hot ball of light
Beckoned the excited boy
To excited to listen,
He flies higher
Higher
Nearer the scorching sun
Then a
Drip,
Drip,
Drip,
Melting was drops from Icarus’ wings
Feathers fall
Realizing what’s happening
Panic strikes his face,
Fear rushes through his body,
Trying helplessly to fly down,
Wind rushes past.
Icarus falls,
Falling at a backbreaking speed
The terrified boys’ world
Breaking down
An ear piercing scream,
Fills the cold air
The poor helpless boy
Plummets to the depths
All Daedalus can do
Is watch in terror
As his son
Falls to the depths
Of the cold
Dark
Sea
Gone forever…..

Snow at School

On Monday the 2nd of February, we got about 5.5cm of snow fall overnight. Only about 63 children turned up at school and only 17 of them where in Year 6. When people started to arrive, some parents took their children home. Everyone was excited about the snow, and we all had great fun throwing snowballs at the teachers!

Some mad people rolled around on the floor and made snow angels! But it was also very cold and we all got hot drinks in the classroom to defrost.

We planned and performed snow experiments to show how long it took for the snow to melt and how to insulate snow to stop it from melting.

The teachers made hot drinks for us all before break to keep us warm.

At break we all went onto the field and went crazy! A few people from other year groups went home at lunchtime but lots of us went out in the fallingsnow to play on the field.

In the afternoon, we will watch a film and take part in the Multi-Skills PE sessions in the hall.

It is a great day and everyone is having great fun!

By Zoe and Samantha

A Visit from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service

On Wednesday the 7th of January we had a visit from Hampshire Fire and Rescue service.

First they showed us a video of a room burning and catching fire and they explained why we should have smoke alarms and also what to do in the case of a fire when you are trapped in a room. This happened in the hall as a whole year group.

The next bit was in our classes, they came round to each class separately to do activities with us one was to go out to their old fire engine which had been adapted and turned into a small house! When we were in there we had to spot the dangers around the house.

In the class room, we watched a couple of the road safety hedgehog adverts and another quite shocking one where a boy walks out between two narrowly parked cars and gets hit by another car coming at about 30mph.


Here is a link to a very interesting site with a lot of activities for you to try :

Hampshire Fire and Rescue

http://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/kids/learn/firetriangle.html

Animation workshop day 3

Animation workshop day 2

Animation Workshop 1

Animation Films

Animation Films

Year 6 are making short animation films using modeling clay creatures just like Wallace and Gromit, with the help of Helen from Southstreet Productions.

Animation Films

Our Animation films

Year 6 are making short animation films using modeling clay creatures just like Wallace and Gromit, with the help of Helen from Southstreet Productions.

We got into groups of 4, created our own plastescene models and then started shooting. We used lap tops and cameras these to make and watch the film we were going to make.

The models had to be adjustable so we could move them in each photo and they had to have a firm base so they wouldn’t topple over.

It was a very hard task and we had to be very patient because we had to take about 500 photos. We took so many because in each photo there was only a slight difference which meant that it ran smoothly as a movie.



Some of our films will be posted later on, but here are some photos of our models.

The Countdown Narrative Poetry

The Football Countdown


Score 18 goals in 2 minutes
and I don’t have to do it.
Don’t have to tell the truth.
First shot- keeper saves it.
2nd . . .3rd . . .4th . . . . .
all in !
This will be easy !

I’m in the safest place in the world,
My room
With my lovely computer,
my magnificent PS2
And the photos of
Me.
It’s warm
With the radiators blasting on and
the sun out, squashing its way through,
Blinding me.

The beckoning voice of the commentator screams
“and here is,
Jimmy Bullard racing down the wing,
Crosses it to Clint Dempsey
and in !"
This is easy, too easy.

Dad, pretending that nothing has happened
Calls up from the bottom of the stairs
“Hey, the football’s on in a minute.”

I am feeling
Frightened of what I’ve done, frightened to even see them.
What have I done ? I can’t go down, what would they do ?
It was fun at first
but now it’s a nightmare.

The commentator screams –
I have just missed a sitter
But
Johnson !
Yes, round the keeper
Just got to pass the ball into the goal . . . . .
Yes ! 18 !

One and One

OK, first throw,
What am I going to start with ?
All I need is Snake-Eyes, a one and a one.
And I won’t tell.
A one, excellent.
My second dice rolls across the empty floor :
A six, No!
My stomach turning, I feel sick,
I don’t want to let everyone down.
I’m in a safe corner of my room
Cuddling my teddy
The reassuring gurgle of my radiator
Fills my ears.
Right, here I go again
Come on, we can do it !
I feel shaken up.
The dice rolls again . . . .
A four –
This is useless !
A five.
Let’s try again.
A gentle voice breaks into my silent world
“Your programme’s on now”
Like nothing has happened.
Shame swells in my body, ashamed to tell them
I don’t know what to do.
I should have given it back, the money wasn’t mine to spend.
Now I’m stuck here and
I don’t know what to do.
Outside,
A child noisily screams
While a shouting gang chases him up the road.
The sun tip-toeing in.
Frightened to tell anyone.
Frightened ?
No.
Petrified ?
Yes !
Why did I do it ?
Let me try it once more
This is my last chance,
I’ll roll the dice in my left hand :
A one.
Come on, one more one –
This is my very last chance.
I can’t watch.
It’s a two !!
I can’t believe it . .
A flood of tears fills my eyes.
I’m drowning with despair.

More photos from our Day in Ancient Greece

During our day, we investigated Athenian Democracy and tested its practice of equality and justice. We decided that it was only based upon equal rights if you were a free born, full status Athenian male. It seems, that women,slaves and foreigners didn't count !

We also put three citizens on trial before their fellow citizens. The Vase of Justice, a gracious gift from Zeus, was honoured before the trial and later smashed so that the citizens could vote to show who they felt was guilty of the crime. Each citizen had an ostrakon - a piece of the pot and they cast it as a vote in front of one of the accused. The convicted criminal was stoned to death immediately after the trial.

Dance was a popular event in the ancient Olympic games. In our Olympic games, each of our cities, Athens, Thebes and Corinth, were represented by very scary warrior dance groups.