This week, we have been learning about the difference between past and present. We looked at our local area in the present and compared this to how it used to look in the past. We discussed the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent, including the use of bottle kilns in the pottery-making process. We discussed that some bottle kilns can still be seen today, although these are no longer used to produce pottery. We also spoke about the importance of canals as a mode of transport in the past, and compared to this to the transport we have now.

We enjoyed learning about how pottery is made and explored manipulating playdough in different ways to create our own pottery. 

This week, we have been learning about repeating patterns. We discussed that a repeating pattern is a pattern that repeats over and over again. We found out that these patterns can be made in different ways, including using colours, shapes and different objects. We practised completing repeating patterns and then explored creating our own. We challenged ourselves to create three-part repeating patterns.

We have been learning how to read longer words. We practised using the ‘chunking’ method to read longer words, for example ‘sunset’. This involves reading the first part of the word e.g. ‘sun’, before reading the second part, ‘set’. We then put these word parts together to read the long word.

In writing, we have been writing captions about our local area in the past. We are continuing to work on our use of consistent finger spaces between words. We have also been practising our letter formation. A focus for us moving forwards is to ensure our letters are sitting on the line correctly. 

This week, we added colour to the Clarice Cliff vase designs we created last week. We made sure to use bright colours, such as yellow, orange and red, and ensured we were careful to colour within the lines. The final pieces looked brilliant - well done, Swans!