Welcome to Cherry Class 2023/24

Heart Dissection

This term we are looking at the circulatory system and the first part of the process is understanding how the heart works. In this fascinating science project on the circulatory system, Cherry delved into hands-on learning by dissecting lamb hearts. This immersive experience provided a unique opportunity for them to explore the intricacies of the organ's structure and better understand how it functions within the circulatory system. The dissection allowed students to witness firsthand the various chambers, valves, and vessels, enabling a deeper understanding of the human cardiovascular system.

We created a classification system for sweets using the Linnaean system of taxonomy. We created ways of asking questions to sort sweets in the same way that questions can be used to sort animals into different species. Many of the questions are specific to the sweets but some could definitely be used for animals! 🍭 🍬 

We used clay to make dreidels from the dreidel game that we played as part of our Hanukkah 🕎 project! We used a variety of tools ⚒️ to sculpt and model the clay and used wooden dowels for the handle 🪵. We made the symbols ‘NUN’, ‘GIMEL’, ‘HEY’ and ‘SHIN’ for the top of the dreidel. 

Cherry Class 🍒 decided to spice things up for Hanukkah 🕎 and ditched the regular snacks for a mini doughnut 🍩 extravaganza. Well, apparently, fried foods like doughnuts are a Hanukkah tradition. Legend has it that the oil miracle back in the day inspired this deep-fried delight 🕯️. So, Cherry Class 🍒 rolled up their sleeves, got messy with batter, and voila – a Hanukkah celebration that was sweet, bite-sized, and filled with powdered sugar fun! 🤩

WWI Poetry

In Cherry this term, we have been looking at WWI. We have done a lot of research around WWI and read all about the causes, what trench life was like, the propaganda, the roles of women and also what the training entailed. After completing a report on WWI, we decided to write some poetry based off the works of Wilfred Owen and John McCrae. We then wrote the poems up onto some WWI-inspired artwork. Here are a few of our finished pieces.

Rap Battle

On the final day of term 1, both Year 6 classes had a rap battle to see who really were the best rappers in Year 6. Arias had to be based on the story of Macbeth and most had a backing track too. 🎤 Some of the better raps also included actions as well as very “interesting” outfits. Each rap was scored on its lyrics, actions, performance, and ‘swag’. The winning raps from each class then entered into a final rap battle. 🎙️ The winners in the end came from Cherry! Phoebe, Abbie, Rhea and Emily brought home the trophy with their rap which they performed to the year - see the photos below! 🏆

Science - fossil creating

In our science project this term 🧬, we have been looking at evolution and inheritance 🧫. As part of the project, we have been looking at how fossils are made and why we find them where we do 🦕. We learned that fossils are only found in sedimentary rock and have been compressed down for millions of years. We then made our own fossils using clay and Plaster of Paris. 🦖 

Cherry Cake Sale

Cherry did their mini cake sale on Friday 22nd September to raise a bit of money towards the trip to Beale Park that we went on in the second week of term. We made lots of little 'top hats' which were marshmallows with chocolate Smarties on the top. Members of Cherry helped sell the cakes and in total made £105 which was roughly a third of the total we are trying to reach! Thank you if you bought a cake! 🎂💰

Take One Picture - Bird Poems

The first few weeks in Cherry have been Take One Picture. For this project, we looked at birds within a painting by Frans Snyders and then wrote our own poems inspired by the birds we saw at Beale Park. We then typed the poems up onto laptops and printed them off. After we had done that, we drew some birds that we the same birds we saw whilst at Beale Park - the macaw, sun conure and pink ibis. We then printed the typed text of the poem over the top of the drawing which resulted in some spectacular pieces of work. 

On Thursday, Cherry visited Beale Park as part of their Take One Picture project. We had an amazing time! We went and explored the bird section of the park and collected notes and vocabulary ready to write some poems inspired by what we saw. Some of the highlights included the Sun Conure birds (which Emie and Emily christened the “mango bird”) and the macaws. We then wrote our poems ready to be taken to the next level back at school. We finished the day by having a go on the giant pillow and the train - of course! 🚂 🦜 

Finding the DNA of a Strawberry

For our first science lesson of the term, Cherry class did a hands-on experiment to extract the DNA from a strawberry. With careful precision, they mashed the strawberries in a zip-lock sandwich bag to break them down. Adding a solution of washing up liquid, salt, and water, the class watched in as the cell membranes released the DNA into the mixture. The coffee filters acted as a sieve, separating the pulp from the genetic material which filtered down into a beaker below. Finally, as the students slowly poured alcohol solution into the mixture, delicate white strands of DNA began to form at the interface of the two liquids. Cherry class had successfully extracted the genetic blueprint of a strawberry!

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