A Small School with a Big Heart, guiding our children to become kind and courageous citizens.
A Small School with a Big Heart, guiding our children to become kind and courageous citizens.
Home PageFriday 19th July 2024
The last week at Jordans for our lovely Deer Class! They enchanted us all with their performing talents at the Leavers' Assembly, as well as flexing their creative muscles to design and make a moving picture of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. In Science they made chocolate brownies! They crafted beaded keyrings as a keepsake and enjoyed their final P.E. lesson. We wish them all a fantastic summer holiday and a successful new chapter at their next schools.
Friday 12th July 2024
Tuesday was a special day for each class at Jordans. While the Fox Class were being pirates and Owl Class were having a 'beach day', Deers were thinking of the future! The children came to school dressed in the clothes of their chosen profession. We called it Occupations Day. Throughout the day, they took part in lots of fun activities within the theme of jobs.
Friday 5th July 2024
What a glorious afternoon we had at Dropmore Infant School's country dancing festival! Deer Class showcased their 'Oxo Reel' and watched five other Year 2 classes perform their dances. There were also shared dances where all 6 schools danced together. At the end we even got the mums and dads up on their feet to dance with us!
Science
Four butterflies emerged from their cocoons this week! The children were excited to see them drying their wings and feeding using their proboscis. We released them on the playground, waving them off to a new life!
Friday 28th June 2024
The NSPCC visited Deer Class this week to deliver a workshop called 'Speak out. Stay safe.' This was to follow up our PSHE lesson about how children can find help if they are experiencing harm. We learned about the '5 Ways of Harm' that could be experienced by children.
They are:
1. Physical harm.
2. Emotional harm.
3. Bullying.
4. Not being looked after properly.
5. Privates not being private.
We met Buddy, the speech bubble, who lets us know that we can speak out if we are feeling sad or uncomfortable. We discussed who the 'safe adults' are in school or at home who can help us to get help. The children learned how to remember the Childline phone number by practising finger actions to make the numbers.
Maths
In our maths lessons, we learned how to round 2-digit numbers to the nearest 10. We found out that 'middle numbers' (those ending in 5) must always be rounded UP. The children played a dice game where they rolled a 2-digit number, rounded it to the nearest 10 then covered the answer with a counter on a game board.
Science
We are so excited to watch the life cycle of a butterfly in real life! The caterpillars in our classroom have now entered the chrysalis stage. We are hoping to see the butterflies emerge next week!
Friday 21st June 2024
On Tuesday we went to visit the Quaker Meeting House as part of our learning about places of worship in R.E. We walked across the lovely, green fields in Jordans Village. The building looks like a house rather than a church. When we got there, we looked inside. We found out that the building is 336 years old. Upstairs is a room that used to be a bedroom. We tried on some clothes like those from 336 years ago. Did you know that everyone used to wear hats then?
The main meeting room is all wood with benches arranged in a square around a table. This is so that everyone can see each other and is different from a church where the seats are in rows facing the front. We learned that Quakers meet on Sundays and sit in silence to be close to God. We spent some time in silence. It made us feel calm and relaxed.
We were told that there was a fire there 20 years ago. One of the burnt roof timbers is in the garden to remember the fire. Outside they also have a graveyard. The headstones are all the same because Quakers believe that everyone is equal. The stones are arranged in circles, like they are at a meeting. We saw William Penn's gravestone. He is the man who started the Quakers in Jordans.
Friday 14th June 2024
With Father's Day approaching this weekend, the children were excited to make cards for their dads. They used their cutting, sticking and paper folding skills. I'm sure all the dads will love the results of their hard work.
P.E.
Deer Class are getting ready for Sports Day. We are practising our athletic skills, beginning with the javelin. Our coach taught us how to hold the javelin properly and how to aim for the longest throw.
Friday 7th June 2024
Look at the progression of our sketching skills! Deer Class looked at some lovely self portraits painted by Fox Class. We talked about what they did well and what we might be able to do even better. We began by learning about the proportions of a face. Our eyes are in the middle part of our head, not the top! Year 2 found that they could draw eyes with details like pupils and eye lashes. They looked in mirrors to get their skin and hair just right. Can you guess who's who?
Country Dancing
We will be performing the Circassian Circle and the Lyme Weaver's Dance at Jordans Summer Fair. Here we are practising our doh-si-dohs and promenades!
Friday 24th May 2024
Deer Class went to Amersham Field Centre on Wednesday! It rained all day, but they are a resilient bunch and kept smiling and learning. The children were able to consolidate and extend their scientific studies about plants and animals.
Friday 17th May 2024
We learned about the British artist, Andy Goldsworthy this week. He was born in Cheshire in 1956. He is an environmentalist as well as an artist, known for his sculptures and photography. Andy Goldsworthy uses natural materials from different landscapes to create pictures and sculptures. Deer Class looked at examples of his work and used this inspiration to create their own natural works of art in the Bluebell Woods.
Jordans 80th birthday celebrations
Our school is 80 years old! On Tuesday, we had a fun-filled day of 1940s themed celebrations. Deer Class made traditional bread pudding, which was a popular dish in 1944. We also crafted birthday cards with our squirrel logo on the front. A local resident, and one time pupil at Jordans School, came to our assembly. We were treated to photographs of our school in its infancy. No uniform! No hall! A field instead of a playground! Jordans' birthday was a great excuse to dress up! Our school photographer captured us all in period costumes.
Friday 10th May 2024
It's cricket season at Jordans! Deer Class worked on their batting and fielding skills this morning in the glorious sunshine.
Maths
This week we have been learning about mass. We began with balance scales and made comparisons using the vocabulary of 'heavier' and 'lighter'. Next we used weighing scales and learned about grams and kilograms. Today, we tried estimating the mass of objects in the classroom. Then we used the scales to read the exact weight. It was tricky when not all the divisions were marked!
Friday 3rd May 2024
In Science this week we wrote up our research notes on plants that grow in different world environments. We worked in pairs and used the internet to find out about 4 plants that grow in our chosen environment. We looked at oceans, deserts and rainforests. Can you guess where these plants grow?
Venus Fly Trap?
Kelp?
Prickly Pear Cactus?
P.S.H.E.
How much are we influenced by gender stereotypes? Deer Class learned that gender stereotypes are views about what people are like based on whether they are girls or boys. The children were given the following statements to sort:
'I love playing football.' 'My bed is full of teddies and cuddly toys.'
'I enjoy dressing up.' 'I wear jeans and trainers all the time.'
'I go to ballet class.' ' I had a monster birthday cake.'
'I love to play with toy cars and trains.' 'My favourite colour is pink.'
Friday 26th April 2024
There was shock and horror in Deer Class on Tuesday when we discovered that our glue sticks had all disappeared! We received a letter from them, telling us that we needed to treat them better or they wouldn't come back! The children set to work straight away, writing persuasive letters, asking the glue sticks to return. They made promises to always put the lids back on and not press too hard.
Thankfully, the letters worked and our glue sticks returned!
After discussion, we realised that the statements could apply to boys OR girls. The children all knew girls who liked football and boys who did ballet. We are all unique!
Forest School/Art
As we set off for the Bluebell Woods, our key vocabulary was texture, rubbing, print and pattern. Deer Class used wax crayons on their sides to make rubbings of the many natural textures they found in the woods. Tree bark and leaves gave wonderful effects.
Back in class, the children tore and cut shapes from their rubbings and arranged them on coloured paper.
Friday 19th April 2024
Hooray for the summer term! Deer Class returned from their Easter holidays with lots of memories to relay. As part of our geography work, the children sent postcards to the school from around the world. We have plotted their travels on our world map.
Art/Forest School
The children further developed their drawing skills by learning how to sketch trees. They studied how branches form from the trunk and split into smaller branches and twigs. They then applied this skill by drawing trees from our own Bluebell Woods. Using leaf identification charts, we discovered that we have birch trees and horse chestnut trees in our woods.
Thursday 28th March 2024
Happy Easter everyone! We made 'lift the flap' Easter cards this week. Deer Class practised their drawing, cutting and design skills, producing some colourful, cheery egg-themed cards.
English
Written instructions need to include:
a list of equipment
time conjunctions
imperative verbs
bullet points
The class used all of these features to write instructions for making friendship bracelets from plastic bags.
We then made the bracelets, which was a fitting way to conclude our work on plastic pollution and recycling.
Friday 22nd March 2024
The children have been studying the features of persuasive writing. We have read about the problem of plastic pollution in the environment and gathered facts about how people can help to solve the problem. Deer Class wrote persuasive texts to educate the readers about the problem of plastic. Can you spot the persuasive features of repetition, rhetorical questions, expanded noun phrases and imperative verbs?
Science
This week, the Deer Class scientists dissected seeds and observed them closely using magnifying glasses. They then attempted to match seeds to the plants that they produce. There was a wide range of sizes, shapes and colours of seed, but the investigators solved the mysteries!
Friday 15th March 2024
In maths we are studying shapes. The children can name 2D and 3D shapes, as well as describing them. We use the vocabulary of SIDES, VERTICES, EDGES and FACES. Here we are sorting 2D shapes into groups according to their features.
Oracy
What makes a good parent?
This was the subject of our discussion on Thursday.
These were some of the responses:
A good parent.....
gives you food when you're hungry.
reads you stories.
helps you when you're sad.
looks after you when you're ill.
takes you to fun places.
is sometimes strict.
still loves you even when you shout.
should not say 'yes' all the time.
Design Technology
Having tasted different types of salad in a previous lesson, this week we made coleslaw, which the children had voted as their favourite.
We learned food hygiene rules and safe cutting methods. The children sliced apple using the 'bridge' technique and shredded cabbage using the 'claw' technique. We also made a mayonnaise-free dressing with Greek yoghurt, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. The results were delicious!
Friday 8th March 2024
Deer Class had a wonderful time on Thursday celebrating World Book Day. The children came to school dressed up as an array of book characters. We enjoyed a special assembly where we were able to see the costumes being sported by Owl and Fox Classes. We decided to use our skills with water colour paints to create self portraits of ourselves in character. The children then wrote about who they were, describing how they looked and which book their character came from.
Geography
The weather plays such an important part in our lives. In Deer class, we are monitoring the changing of the seasons and the daily weather patterns. Symbols have been used for decades as a quick and efficient way of showing the current weather conditions. This week we watched some old and new weather broadcasts from the television. Deer Class then became weather forecasters! In groups, they rehearsed using weather symbols on a map of the United Kingdom. We all enjoyed watching each other's forecasts!
Science
We concluded our investigation into what plants need to grow this week. Cress seeds were chosen because they grow very quickly. However, what happens if they have no water? Or no light? Or no warmth? Or nothing to grow in? Here is what we found...
Friday 1st March 2024
Spring has sprung and the tulips are here! The children enjoyed seeing vases of tulips in class for our art lesson. Having practised getting the shape of the petals correct, they made observational drawings of the flowers. I'm sure you'll agree that they created outstanding pictures. We were able to share our drawings with our friends from the village this week too!
R.E.
In R.E. this term we are listening and responding to traditional religious stories. Noah and the Flood is a well known story from the Jewish and Christian traditions. Noah was a good man who was instructed to build an ark and provide safety for two of each animal on Earth. We learned that God sent a flood that lasted 40 days and 40 nights. Noah, his family and the animals were safe in the ark. When the rain stopped, Noah sent a dove to see if the land was dry. The dove returned with an olive branch. Deer Class made their own doves after listening to the story. We have displayed them with a rainbow which Christians and Jews believe is a promise from God that he will not flood the Earth again.
Friday 23rd February 2024
We are all so happy to be back together in Deer Class after our holiday! The theme of nature and the environment is threading its way through much of our learning this spring. In our music lesson we listened to the beautiful orchestral piece 'Earth', composed by Hans Zimmer. The children were familiar with his musical scores for the films The Lion King, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar. Our challenge this week was to respond artistically to Zimmer's 'Earth' music. We used mixed drawing media (wax crayons, coloured pencils and felt tips). The children had a large circle to represent our planet. They were free to express themselves in lines, pictures or whatever came to mind as they listened to the music.
Design Technology
We began our food technology unit this week. Our first task was to consider where our food comes from. We identified 19 different fruits and vegetables and thought about whether they grew under the ground or above it. Deer Class learned the term 'root vegetable' for those that grow underground. We sorted the fruits and vegetables as a class then worked in pairs to create two groups.
Friday 9th February 2024
What a treat we had on Tuesday when we visited the Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden. Our day began with a walk through the village, stopping at sites that Roald Dahl mentions in his children's books. Our village trail led us to the church of St Peter and St Paul. In the graveyard here we visited Roald Dahl's grave and sat on the nearby memorial bench that has his own children's names carved on it.
Then we walked to the museum. Did you know that the purple gates at the entrance to the museum were a gift from the Hollywood film makers who made Charlie and the Chocolate factory? Inside we encountered a door that looks and smells like chocolate! The children dressed in flying gear and sat in the model aeroplane to commemorate Dahl's time as a fighter pilot. We saw his writing hut and learned about his early life at school.
In a workshop called 'Creative Collaborators', Deer Class worked with a partner (as Roald Dahl did with Quentin Blake). Together they made playdough monsters, invented their own story characters and crafted settings for the character using collage.
Since returning to school, we have continued this activity and written the full stories about our invented characters!
Friday 2nd February 2024
In our maths lessons, we have moved from multiplication to division. The children have been using manipulatives to make equal groups from a given number. We have explored the relationship between repeated addition, multiplication and division. We can therefore record 3+3+3+3=12, 3 x 4=12 and 12 ÷ 3=4
Here we are making equal groups and recording our findings.
Computing
Deer Class are practising their programming skills on the iPads. This week they worked in pairs to make a bee move around a garden. One partner wrote down the directions for a route and the other predicted where the bee would end up. They then sent the bee off to see if they were correct!
Art
Alongside our studies of the author Roald Dahl , we have been finding out about his illustrator, Quentin Blake. This week the children chose an illustration from a Roald Dahl book or one of Quentin Blake's own children's books. They used the trace and transfer method of drawing. Finally they used water colour paints just like Quentin Blake. The results are spectacular and will make a fantastic art display in school.
Friday 26th January 2024
The children are enjoying our indoor P.E. sessions on Mondays. We are practising yoga. The work focusses on controlled breathing alongside stretching, bending, balance and strength. We have learned several yoga poses including the dog, cat, mountain, squat, aeroplane and tripod. This week the children were following a pattern of movement from one pose to another. We always end by laying down on our backs and relaxing each part of our body while breathing deeply.
English
Roald Dahl's Enormous Crocodile has given us great scope for writing this half term. On Tuesday we made 'wanted' posters, describing how the crocodile looks and why he is dangerous. This was a great opportunity to showcase the children's artistic skills as well as their writing!
Science
Deer Class upcycled shoe boxes this week and created different habitats. They included jungles, arctic landscapes, woodlands and undersea homes. The children have been learning about the lifestyle needs of plants and animals and how they have adapted to their environments.
Friday 19th January 2024
In our maths lesson on Tuesday we were doubling numbers. The ladybird mats provided a practical and visual way to record our work.
The children put spots on the ladybirds using counters or drew spots with whiteboard pens. We started with low numbers, then got more ambitious!
Art
At Jordans, we are developing our sketching skills by taking a school-wide theme each half term. Our latest task was to sketch our own shoe. Deer Class spent some time practising shapes and lines before making these observational drawings. We are very proud of the results!
Friday 12th January 2024
Deer Class have returned from a restful Christmas break and are excited for the spring instalment of their learning.
Our Religious Education topic is 'God and Nature'. We began by exploring the Christian story of creation from the book of Genesis.
The children worked in pairs to illustrate the 7 stages of the creation story. Here they are collaborating as artists...