Science week: investigating DNA.

During science week, we spent time learning about DNA and the work of Francis Crick and James Watson, who with help from Franklin and Wilkins, discovered the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. We then attempted to extract DNA from a banana which was a fantastic investigation.

Year 6 were fascinated to learn that:

  • About 99.9 percent of the DNA of every person on the planet is exactly the same. It’s that 0.1 percent that is different that makes us all unique.
  • If you unravelled all the DNA molecules in your body and placed them end to end, it would stretch to the Sun and back several times.

Maths madness.

We have had a great time revisiting some previously taught maths. We used our tables as giant wipe boards to draw shapes.

We then spent time measuring angles, finding the perimeter and area and also converting units of measure. The children then worked in pairs to check each others work.

We then learnt about radius, diameter and circumference.

Recommended reading

Have you ever wondered what our teachers favourite books are? 

Have you ever asked them?
If you pop down to the KS1 library you will see their latest recommendations on the new display board. There are also book reviews written by our pupils who attend our lunchtime book club, these are there to give people a helping hand when choosing a next book.

Remember to share your recommendations, you might just inspire someone…

Happy reading everyone.

Gadget shop spending!

Children thoroughly enjoyed spending their cash on science themed gadgets this week. A huge thank you to Miss Evans for organising the shop and to the Y6 pupils and other staff members who enabled it to run successfully.

Science Gadget Shop

Next week is our school Science Enrichment week. We are running the science gadget shop again this year as it has proved highly successful in previous years. Children can bring a small amount of money to purchase science related toys and games. Most items are between 50p and £2.50. Miss Evans, our science coordinator, will run it during lunchtime on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Parents are asked to send a small amount of money in with their child, in a named envelope, to enable them to visit the shop. All profits from the gadget shop will go towards new school science equipment.

Oakerwood Experience Day!

A fantastic time had by all so far at Oakerwood. A few pics from Mrs Lyall’s groups today (20.3.24) More to follow. Today Mrs Lyall took the remaining Y6 staff and a pupil, ensuring that the full compliment were together again. A great day pizza making, completing the escape room challenge, low ropes, shelter building, obstacle course and even a blindfold obstacle challenge – fantastic team work.

London Experience Day!

As part of our aim to offer rich quality experiences, which open our children’s eyes and minds to the world around them, we took our Y5&6 pupils to London on Friday 1st December. This is an experience that we will offer very two years going forwards, previously managing this experience only once before the pandemic hit. As a culmination of our British History focus on Monarchy, which is a thread running throughout our Humanities curriculum, we visited Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London. In the Abbey the children were able to put their research into practice by actually seeing and touching the memorials to our great historical monarchs. At the Tower we were mesmerised by the Crown Jewels and completed our fact finding question trails, some of us also enjoyed a memorable tour from one of the Yeoman guards. A fantastic day, the 5am start was all worth is as we managed to see so many sights, and gave our children the opportunity to achieve many ‘firsts’. We travelled both on foot and on the underground, taking in The Mall, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, The Cenotaph and War Memorials, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and ending with a Christmassy feel in Covent Garden.

We are so proud of our children who embraced this opportunity with positive learning attitudes. Many of them hadn’t been on a train before and lots hadn’t been to London. Their behaviour was exceptional, they were a joy to be with on this journey, and they were a credit to themselves and our school.