Creature Hot Seating – James and the Giant Peach

Today, we explored the fascinating new characters in James and the Giant Peach through a hot seating activity. The children worked together to create thoughtful open-ended questions for the Grasshopper, Spider, Centipede, Ladybird and Earthworm. Selected pupils took on the role of each character and answered questions in role, explaining their feelings, personalities, opinions of James, and their thoughts about life inside the Giant Peach. This engaging speaking and listening activity encouraged the children to use inference skills, develop empathy, and deepen their understanding of the characters and their relationships within the story.

 🌿✨ Wonder Poetry! ✨🌿

As part of Environmental Week and National Poetry Day, our children explored the theme ‘Wonder’. 🌎💚

They thought about the amazing things they see in nature and our environment that make them feel curious, amazed and full of wonder. They then created their own acrostic poems, filling them with imaginative ideas, beautiful drawings and colourful illustrations. 🌸🦋🌈

The children had great fun sharing their poems with the class and listening to all the different things that make us wonder about our wonderful world! 🌍✨

 🍑✨ The Great Peach Exhibition! ✨🍑

As part of our work on James and the Giant Peach, our pupils became expert persuasive writers! They designed their very own posters to advertise The Great Peach Exhibition, using exciting adjectives, persuasive language and attention-grabbing phrases to convince people to come and see the amazing giant peach. 🍑

They also included an admission fee and a special offer to make their exhibitions even more tempting! The children had lots of fun getting creative with their posters and thinking about how they could make their writing irresistible to their audience. 🎟️🌟

Conscience Corridor

As part of our Literacy work, the children took part in a Conscience Corridor activity based on James and the Giant Peach. They explored the reasons why James might want to escape his room to see the peach, as well as the reasons why he might choose to stay, following his aunts locking him away. Taking on the role of James, the children walked through the Conscience Corridor, listening to different thoughts and arguments before making their final decision about whether he should escape or stay. This engaging activity encouraged the children to explore a character’s thoughts and feelings, develop empathy and justify their decisions.

Making Marvellous Milkshakes

As part of our Procedural Writing topic, the children had great fun making their own chocolate milkshakes! They gathered all the ingredients and equipment they needed, including milk, ice cream, a blender and a straw, before following the instructions step by step. This hands-on activity helped the children develop their understanding of sequencing and the importance of following instructions, while enjoying a delicious treat at the end!

Procedural Writing (Familiarisation)

 As part of our Literacy work, the children explored a range of procedural and instructional texts, including recipe books, cooking instructions, how-to guides and step-by-step manuals. They learned to identify key features such as titles, pictures and bossy (imperative) verbs, discovering how these help us follow instructions and understand each step.

Roald Dahl Day: Dream Jars Inspired by The BFG

As part of our Roald Dahl Day celebrations, the Primary 4/5 children created their very own Dream Jars, inspired by the magical story The BFG. The children thought carefully about their hopes and dreams for the future and filled their jars with aspirations such as becoming singers, footballers, composers, farmers and actors.

Alongside their future careers, the children also reflected on the kind of people they want to be, adding dreams such as being a good friend, working hard and helping others. It was wonderful to see such thoughtful and ambitious ideas shared by everyone.

To finish their creations, the children decorated their dream jars with bright colours, gems and sequins, making each one as unique and imaginative as the dreams inside. The classroom was filled with creativity, positivity and excitement as the children celebrated the power of dreaming big!

"Dreams are very mysterious things. They can be exciting, scary, magical and wonderful!