Autumn Term

This half term we have been learning about the use of graphic line in art to show movement and texture,  inspired by cave art and Vincent Van Gogh’s use of thick paint (impasto). We have learned how to use sgraffito painting, where a layer of thick paint is applied over a layer of colour and then marks created with impasto over the top. We also tried out tonking, which is applying paint then dabbing and blotting with scrunched paper. It was lots of fun! The final piece was to design an imaginary creature using these techniques.

How Do Electronic Devices Work

In year three we’ve been enjoying finding out how electronic devices work by input, process and output. This includes computers so we have explored paint programs and how the output is different to non-digital artwork.

We learned  that computers link in a network, and to understand this better thought about what a network is in our own lives before finding out how computers do this.  

We practised being a computer network in class, passing many messages to different computers at the same time. It was fun but hard work until we discovered the network switch (a bit like a postman) speeds things up. 

School disco night!

Thanks to the Friends of the school for organising the disco! Year 4 and 5 enjoyed the work of DJ Neil and his accomplice who kept the children boogeying and singing. 

StART Studio Visit

Year 4 had a wonderful afternoon visiting Start-studio. We all had fun designing and making our own tiles to add to the whole school mosaic project. We are all very eager to see the final piece displayed at school!

Our class trip to the Baptist Church and Wymondham Abbey

We had a great morning visiting some Christian places of worship in our local community. We were very lucky to have a talk with Pastor Paul Smith at the Baptist Church. He told us about how Christians use this space to celebrate their religion. He also discussed the wider support they provide our community. Later, we also got a tour of Wymondham Abbey. This interesting talk delved into the history of the Abbey as well as how this space is used by the Christian community. These two different spaces provided us with a greater understanding of the similarities as well as the differences there are within Christianity.

Science – Electricity

In this study, we have become a little more expert in physics – thinking about electricity. We have been building on our knowledge of open and closed circuits to test hypothesis about the brightness of the bulb. We made 3 circuits. We started with a basic circuit with 2 wires, a bulb and a battery. We thought about the cause and effect on the dependent variable, the brightness of the bulb, as we changed the independent variables, how many batteries and bulbs the circuit had.

Year 4 DT Electrical Systems

Are you brave enough to play Piranha Lake? We made an electrical game using our knowledge of switches. By covering a piece of cardboard in aluminium foil, which conducts electricity, we made a ‘lake’. Next, we made cardboard piranhas and put drawing pins through them. All except one of the fish had masking tape on the back of the drawing pin, which meant they would not conduct electricity. After this, we connected a circuit containing a buzzer to the lake. Using the crocodile clip on the end of a wire connected to the battery, we then played piranha roulette, taking it in turns to pick a fish up with the clips. If the buzzer didn’t sound, we found a safe fish. If the buzzer went off, the circuit had been completed and therefore the piranha was found! We worked so hard in groups to make our games and really enjoyed it!

Karate!

We loved our karate taster session with Verve Martial Arts Thetford on Thursday! We all joined in very enthusiastically and enjoyed using the pads and break boards. The roundhouse kick was a definite favourite!

ATTENTION: NEW STUDY FINDS CHILDREN ARE … LAZY! 

We had a great time in our English lesson today debating whether this headline was in fact true. We split into two groups to compile our argument either agreeing or disagreeing with this statement. Here were some of the arguments put forward in this debate:

Children are lazy

  • Lots of children spend all their spare time watching TV or gaming.
  • Children get loads of holiday time.
  • Parents do too much for children which makes them lazy.
  • The streets around the school are full of cars as many children prefer to drive to school instead of walk.
  • Children spend far too much time staring at a screen instead of being outside playing.
  •  Children often use iPads to watch videos which isn’t good for their mental or physical health.
  • Electronics are highly addictive and therefore children just can’t stop playing with them.

Children are not lazy

  • During holiday time, children are mostly going out doing things with their friends and family. and not just sitting around being lazy.
  • Most children walk to school if they can. Sometimes having to drive isn’t the child’s choice but their parents as they live too far away or their parent needs to go off to work after dropping them off. 
  • The school day is tiring as children are physically and mentally active so sometimes they need time after school to relax.
  • Children use technology to get moving, such as watching Yoga tutorials.
  • Most children spend their spare time at a club, doing homework or going outside to play with friends.
  • Most children have strict rules around screen time so this time is limited and only a treat after being physically and mentally active all day.

We hope that Nonsense Research Ltd will be interested in the arguments we have put forward and hope we have managed to show them that children aren’t lazy (mostly!)

Y4 DT Structures

This half term we have been learning about structures. We have talked about engineers and architects and explored shapes that make strong structures. Here we are investigating triangles! We began by making geometric shapes using mini craft sticks and modelling clay. We discovered that triangles were much stronger than square shapes. To put our learning into action, we were challenged to make a geodesic dome out of dowel rods and elastic bands! After practising joining the rods in pairs, we worked in a group to create our 3D structure. It was tricky, but we didn’t give up! Can you tell we are very proud of our efforts?

8-12 Browick Road, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 0QW

Telephone: 01953 603061

When you contact the school, your enquiry will be dealt with by a member of our administration team: Miss Paula Bilverstone (School Administrator), Miss Julie Clarke (Finance Officer) or Mrs. Hannah Jones (Administration Assistant).
Email: office@browickroad.norfolk.sch.uk

SENDCo: Miss Vicki Wild
Email: senco@browickroad.norfolk.sch.uk

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