What was the legacy of ancient China?

This project teaches children about the history of ancient China, focusing primarily on the Shang Dynasty, and explores the lasting legacy of the first five Chinese dynasties, some of which can still be seen in the world today.

Art and design

In art we have been making taotie reliefs. We had to followed the instructions and created a relief form using a cardboard, clay, casting plaster and mark making tools. 

Ask your child: What is a taotie?

Science

In science we have been using newton meters to measure the mass of everyday objects in the classroom. We have also been exploring levers, pulleys and gears: discussing how they assist the movement of objects.

Ask your child: What is the difference between mass and weight?

RE

In RE we have been learning about the Hindu festival: Holi. Holi is celebrated throughout India and beyond. Bonfires are lit on the first day of Holi to remind Hindus of the story of Holika and Prahlad. Coloured paint is thrown or squirted at friends, family and even strangers on the second day of the festival. This commemorates a story about the young Krishna and his beloved Radha.

Ask your child: Why do Hindus cover each other in paint during Holi?

Our WOW event

During our WOW event we completed three investigations to compare and describe, the effects of water resistance, air resistance and friction.

Ask your child: Why would a moving object travel further on a smooth surface compared to a rough surface?

Innovate 

This week we completed our innovate challenge. We had to create a podcast based on one specific aspect of the Shang Dynasty. Working in partners we planned our podcast, wrote a script and then recorded the end result.  Click the link below to listen to our podcasts. 

Art: our companion project Tints, Tones and Shades

In art this week we have been learning how to mix tints, tones and shades. We used our knowledge to identify, mix and record colours from a piece of artwork. 

Music

This week we have been exploring the pentatonic scale. We used the chime bars to play the notes on pentatonic scale and using these notes we composed a short piece of music. 

Geography: our companion project Investigating Our World

This week we have been using compass points, grid references and scale to interpret Ordnance Survey maps, of the local area.

Computing 

We have been learning about the terms and conditions of a variety of social media organisations, and reflecting on the personal information which people consent to 'giving away' when they sign up to such websites. We created a 'data gift' which we can place next to our computer, to remind ourselves of the importance of knowing what we are consenting to. 

History

This week we have been learning about the religious beliefs of people who lived during the Shang Dynasty. We found out they believed in a supreme god, called Shangdi, and used oracle bones to predict the future. We worked in pairs to create a poster to demonstrate our knowledge.

Home learning