This half term in Cedars, we have travelled back in time to when the Anglo – Saxons and Vikings inhabited Britain. We started off by learning about how the Anglo – Saxons separated Britain into seven kingdoms and how their ways of naming places still exist today. The children had the opportunity to become archaeologists to look at some artefacts from this time before trying to figure out their uses. After this, we learnt about the violent raids the Vikings led and their vicious attack on Lindisfarne. We then produced newspaper reports based on all of our knowledge about this attack which were filled with amazing facts. 

The children have also enjoyed their PSHE lessons this half term where they have had the opportunity to think about the jobs they would like in the future. They have been able to work collaboratively with their groups to plan the skills and strengths they will need for these jobs. The children enjoyed being able to create their own job adverts for a job of their choice.

Over the past two weeks, we have been completing an Art project using all of our knowledge from this half term. Cedars have produced some amazing pieces of artwork showcasing their knowledge of the colour wheel and complementary colours. This unit of work started with seeing the children learn about tertiary colours before moving on to look at how some well-known artists use colour in their art.  

During this half term, Cedars have been very busy with their Let The Games Begin rehearsals making sure they knew the words and actions for the songs as well as their cues for entering and exiting the stage. Their hard work paid off as they received a huge applause at the end of the two performances with many positive comments made by the audience members about these incredible shows.

In our Computing lessons, we have completed a mini project using our PowerPoint presentation skills. The children have planned their own branching stories, which are interactive, that change slides when certain text boxes are clicked on. We have had fun choosing different animations and transitions for the stories we have created and learning how to add pictures from the internet. In our lesson next week, the children will have the opportunity to share their mini projects with each other.

Our Art lessons this half term have seen us learning about botanical art. Cedars have been able to produce detailed drawings of different fruits and flowers before using watercolour paints to add colour to them. The children used their paints thoughtfully to reflect the shading of their fruits therefore creating almost 3D looking artwork. 

Cedars have been enjoying their topic, Emperors and Empires, where they have been learning about the Romans and their invasion of Britain. In the first few weeks of this term, the children created some excellent storyboards about the ancient legend of Romulus and Remus who the Romans believe founded Rome. During our Topic lessons, we have had many discussions about different aspects of Roman life and whether we would like to have been alive at this time in history under the rule of the various emperors. 

Our Languages lessons have also linked with our topic where we have been learning some ancient Latin. The children have been able to use their new Latin vocabulary to read short comic strips about family members, animals and chores we do around the house. Our final lesson of this half term will see us consolidating all of our Latin skills into an information poster about one of the areas we have learnt about.

In a recent Computing lesson, Cedars were using their word processing skills to create a plan for a VE day celebration. They had to write an event proposal for a music concert saying: where it was going to be held, the food they would serve, who would perform and how they would keep everyone safe who attended. The children had fun finding pictures to add to their posters in order to advertise their event.