Reading The Graveyard Book in Year 6

 

Exploring The Graveyard Book: Guided Reading in Year 6

This week in guided reading, Year 6 dived into Chapter 3 of The Graveyard Book, uncovering more of the mysterious and eerie world of Bod and his ghostly guardians.

Through discussion and questioning, the children explored key themes such as identity, belonging, and the balance between safety and freedom. They analysed how Bod’s relationships with the graveyard residents shape his understanding of the world and made predictions about the challenges he might face beyond the graveyard walls.

Using close reading strategies, pupils examined the descriptive language in the text, discussing how it builds atmosphere and tension. They explored the author’s choices—from sentence structure to character development—enhancing their ability to infer meaning and engage deeply with the text.

A fantastic session full of insightful discussion, thoughtful reflections, and a few chills along the way! Year 6 can’t wait to see where Bod’s journey takes him next.

Year 6 enjoy yoga! PE / Year 6

Year 6 Find Their Flow with Yoga

Year 6 embraced calm and concentration this week as they worked in small groups to create their own yoga sequences. Combining balance, flexibility and teamwork, the children experimented with different poses, focusing on smooth transitions and controlled movements.

To support their balance and focus, they also practised breathing techniques, learning how deep, steady breaths can improve stability and help maintain a sense of calm. It was wonderful to see them encouraging one another, refining their sequences, and recognising the power of mindfulness in movement.

A fantastic session full of focus, strength, and teamwork—well done, Year 6!

P4C in Year 6 - English / Philosophy for Children / P4C

 

Exploring Big Questions: What Is Fear?

This term, children are focusing on writing a tale of fear in English. To spark children's interests, our pupils engaged in a fascinating discussion centred around the question: What is fear?

As the discussion unfolded, pupils explored whether fear is something we learn or something we are born with. They debated whether fear is always a bad thing or if it can sometimes be useful, helping to keep us safe. Some questioned whether fear is the same for everyone, or if it depends on personal experiences and perspectives.

Throughout the lesson, children practised skills of critical thinking, reasoning, and respectful debate, listening to one another’s ideas and building on different viewpoints. 

Children then started to think about how we respond to fear; they were able to describe what our bodies do in response to something fearful. Some children were even able to describe the idea of fight or flight!

"Fear is when our body shakes and trembles to tell us to avoid something."

"Fear is when we are scared of something."

"Fear is different for everyone."

"Fear can be a good thing because it can save us from dangerous situations."

Similes and Metaphors in Year 6 - Writing / English

This week, as part of our Tale of Fear sequence, children have been exploring the world of metaphors and similes. 

Children were given a variety of images and challenged to create a metaphor or simile for each image based on an eerie setting. 

They absolutely loved being able to experiment with vocabulary, personification and imagery and generated some fantastic ideas to share with the class. 

Well done Year 6!

Coding Day in Year 6 - Computing

Year 6 had an exciting day of coding as they put their programming skills to the test! Using Scratch, pupils worked collaboratively to create a range of codes that helped them build a game inspired by their previous term’s topic, the Ancient Maya.

Throughout the day, they explored different coding techniques, including:
🟠 Movement and Controls – Using event blocks and conditional statements to make characters move in response to player input.
🟢 Interactions and Consequences – Coding logic to trigger events when a player reaches a certain goal or makes a mistake.
🟣 Animations and Sounds – Bringing their games to life with sprite changes, background music, and sound effects.

After successfully creating their Maya-themed games, the pupils were set a new challenge: designing their own Scratch game based on their current topic – Crime and Punishment. They began brainstorming ideas, from medieval justice trials to detective-style mystery games. 

A fantastic day of learning, problem-solving, and digital creativity—well done, Year 6!

Exploring Happiness in Year 6 - Humanism / RE/ P4C

 

Exploring Happiness: A P4C Lesson on Humanism

 Year 6 delved into a thought-provoking question as part of their RE learning about Humanism: What is happiness?

The children shared their ideas on how to achieve happiness, suggesting a range of meaningful actions and attitudes. They highlighted the importance of loving and being kind to yourself, emphasising that happiness can start from within. They also noted that doing enjoyable things, whether it's spending time with friends, practising a hobby or simply relaxing, contributes to a sense of well-being. Other responses included exercising, which boosts both physical and mental health and learning about other people, which fosters understanding and connections. The idea of showing equality and treating others with respect was also mentioned, with the children recognising that creating a kind and fair world can lead to greater happiness for everyone.

The discussion took an interesting turn when the children posed a new big question: Is it harder to find happiness as we age?

Many children reflected on how our brains change as we grow, and how responsibilities increase, making it more challenging to focus on what makes us happy. They discussed how, as we get older, we become more aware of the problems in the world, and this awareness can sometimes make happiness feel more elusive. However, other children pointed out that with age comes the opportunity to try new things, to learn from experiences, and to find happiness in different places. They recognised that although life may become more complex, the ability to explore new interests and relationships allows us to continue finding joy at any age.

A deep and enriching lesson that not only helped the children explore happiness but also encouraged them to consider how it might evolve throughout their lives.

Pollination in Year 2!

This week in Science, Year 2 have been learning about the pollination process. Once we understood how pollination works, we then took part in a role-play exercise showing the process.

Year 6 Make Some New Year Goals - PD / Personal Development

In our PD sessions, year 6 have been looking at goals and dreams. 

Each child created a tile which represented their goals for the future. They linked this to an animal which shared similar qualities to those that they possess. 

They then used their tiles to create a class totem pole for the rest of the school to observe outside their classrooms. 

The children really enjoyed this activity and liked being able to share their thoughts and ideas with others. 

Cycle training course in February half term! Ages 7+

We are pleased to let you know that Mulgrave Primary School (SE18) is hosting a half term Cycle Training Courses for children aged 7+ again this year in February half term, the training is open to children across the borough.

There are two separate types of sessions to choose from depending on ability. 

• LEARN-TO-RIDE 
  Children's Complete Beginner cycle training for age 7 years and over. Suitable for those who have never ridden a bike or would like to come off stabilisers.
• INTERMEDIATE
  Children's Intermediate (Level 1) group cycle training for age 7 years and over. Suitable for those who can cycle without stabilisers but are not yet fully confident on the bicycle.

Bookings are now live here: 

https://www.cycleconfident.com/events?area=greenwich&course=child-group

Try before you bike!

This is an exciting opportunity to try out cycling before buying a new, nearly new or pre-loved bicycle. There is also an option to move over to purchase the bike through to Cycle to Work scheme at the end of your trial. It is a great scheme for anyone curious about trying out cycling, and for those considering exchanging their existing bike. 

Year 3 - Comparing the Strength of Magnets

 

Year 3 have been comparing the strength of magnets, by testing the distance each magnet can attract objects from and recording results!

Year 3 - Magnetic or Non Magnetic?

 Year 3 have been predicting and sorting according to which objects are magnetic.

Are all metals magnetic? Why might this be?

Year 3 Immersion Day - Forces

 As part of our immersion experience, Year 3 have been exploring lift and air resistance, by making gliders and testing their ability to fly: Who's could fly the furthest?

Year 3 Science - Exploring Magnetic Poles

 Year 3 have been exploring magnetic poles, and have even created their own compasses!

What's the world's biggest magnet?

Creating a compass using a straightened paper clip will give you a clue!

P.E - Dance - Year 2

This half term, Year 2 are exploring dance within P.E. To tie in with our topic, Year 2 have been learning different dancing techniques and exploring how we can move our body in different ways to represent the life cycle of a plant.

Acer Tree's Mini Chef!

 On Friday, Acer Tree took part in cooking and selling veggie pasta bake. We worked in teams to cut vegetables, mix the ingredients, package up portions and then sell at the end of the day!

Year 4 Ukulele!

Year 4 have got 2025 off to a musical start - carrying on with their Ukulele learning with Mrs Manser. They have been learning different Chords, and playing along with the chord progressions from some of their favourite songs.