Autumn 2 has been an incredibly busy term for Brown Bears and the children have risen to the challenges of the term admirably.  

We have finished our first History unit exploring significant people of the past.  The children have enjoyed learning about different people who have changed the way we live today and have written some brilliant diary entries and letters sharing information they have found out and exploring what emotions people would have felt.  Lots of the children were able to identify many of the individuals before we revealed them on our class display each week.

In Maths we have covered a number of different concepts, with a focus on those facts connected to the 2, 5 and 10 times tables.  Division has caused us some challenges, but we have had a strong focus on writing the amount we are dividing at the start of the number sentence and linking this number to the equals number in the multiplication facts to help us develop our understanding.  We spent time learning about time and because this is a very tricky concept, it is something we will continue to work on throughout the year.  At home, you can help your child to understand quarter past and quarter to by counting in 5s how many minutes past.

English texts this half term have had us exploring different story endings for a mystery story and writing our own adventures of a very mischievous cat!  We have explored different features of poetry and become experts at comparing things using similes to help create an image in the reader's mind.  Towards the end of the half term, the children's writing was linked with Christmas stories from around the world, which was supported by our fantastic acting in the Nativity.

We have been exploring the work of the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.  We have created our own pumpkin inspired artwork using pastels, paints, crayons and felt pens which, by testing out each medium beforehand, meant that we were all able to produce unique pieces that you can see below.   It also taught us that it is okay not to get the finished product straight away and having another go is sometimes needed.

The children did a truly amazing job in the lead up to Christmas with the Nativity, the Christingle and keeping focused on all their learning.  We are all very much looking forward to what 2024 has in store for Brown Bears.  On our last day of the year in school, we created a surprise piece of artwork with some fantastic collaborative colouring.  Please pop into our cloakroom to see it in all its glory and take a look at our favourite pieces of work display.

Looking forward to seeing everyone back in 2024!  Happy New Year to all our wonderful children and families.