The Masterminds

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Last half term, we looked at explanation writing in English. For one task, the children had to observe what happens when you drop sultanas into fizzy lemonade then explain why it happens. The experiment was very POPular .(Sorry.)

To remind us that March 1st is a most important day for all Welsh people, Mrs Mackie made some all some most delicious Welsh cakes. No- one refused one!

Last half term, we learnt about the difference made by the invention of the steam engine to the course of British History. We visited Kelham Island Museum to see the steam engines and learn all about the steel industry in Sheffield. The children formed a production line on which they had to make as many spoons as possible. Year 6`s productivity was definitely better than ours!

Last term, our Geography topic was all about looking at the differences and similarities between Sheffield and Barcelona. The class was very interested in learning more about the home of (arguably) the world`s top football team. They also had a look at the architecture of Gaudi ,whose buildings can be seen all over the city. They painted pictures of buildings in his style. In the pictures, you can see the class performing their class assembly. Some tourists are being shown around Barcelona. It`s their lucky day as Suarez and Messi have taken some time out from training to welcome them to the Nou Camp. Some of the visitors are trying out the Spanish phrases they have learnt with Mrs Caballero.

In February the whole school took part in this very important day .We thought about how the messages we send online should always be positive ones. To get into practice, everyone wrote positive and affirming messages on one another`s T shirts.

The Masterminds have been discussing the topic of Difference and Diversity in their PSHE lessons. We looked at photos of all kinds of people who looked a bit “different” including Professor Stephen Hawking. We concluded that appearances can be deceptive and that we need to learn to accept people as they are .We went on to explore, through drama, the life of Baroness Jane Campbell, who lives with a disability and campaigns for rights for disabled people  .We wrote balanced arguments about the issues.  For our final lesson, we staged a Parliamentary debate preceded by a noisy demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament! I`m pleased to announce that, when it came to the vote, the Disability Discrimination Act was passed by a resounding majority!

In January, several classes in KS2  took a walk along High Street and Church Street to find out about some aspects of Barlborough`s History. We were particularly interested to find out who the de Rodes, Pole and Ruthyn families were, although nowhere could we find out anything about the Longfords. We subsequently used the local History website provided by the Local Studies Centre and wrote guidebooks to Barlborough  during  our English lessons.

For more information on Anti-Bullying Week, visit our anti-bullying page.

We enjoyed reading our poems to Mrs Ferreday`s class. They were written in the style of Gervase Phinn, a poet from Yorkshire.

We are in the middle of designing and building either a new motorway bridge or a new footbridge for Rother Valley Country Park .We have looked at the designs of beam, arch and cable stayed bridges. In the photos, you can see the children investigating how much weight a beam bridge will hold and how to strengthen it. The challenge will be to build our designs from wood, card and any other materials that are available around the classroom.