World Book Day

Today, for World Book Day,  pupils and staff celebrated their favourite books by dressing up as a book character. I hope you enjoy the photos below. Thank you to all the parents, who provided such excellent costumes.

Radio Castle Debut

What an exciting morning! A huge thank you to Radio Castle for giving us the opportunity to be DJs for the morning.

If you didn't catch our show, you can catch up by visiting www.radiocastle.co.uk and choosing Listen Again. The kids were fantastic, but I think these comments, from a parent and another of the station's DJs say it best:

"Please can you pass on many congratulations to all three classes for the best hour of radio I have heard in a long time. I cried, I laughed and I danced! What more could anyone ask for? It was brilliant so please pass on a big "well done" and "thank you" to all of the children, and the staff of course!!

Caroline Smith"

"I am part of the team at Radio Castle and have been listening to the show the children put together that was broadcast this morning. 

I felt I had to write to say what a great job the kids and staff did putting this show together and the clarity and confidence they showed delivering. It was a great and varied programme too - they are a credit to the school and I do hope it can become a regular thing. 

Well done everyone 

Dave Mann"

Debut Radio Broadcast - Listen Live Today at 11:00

Don't forget to listen in to our debut radio broadcast today between 11:00 and 12:00 on Radio Castle. You can listen live from anywhere in the world via their streaming service. Simply visit www.radiocastle.co.uk and click Listen Live. Alternatively you can catch the broadcast later with their Listen Again service. The children will be bringing you performances of their poetry and a collection of their favourite music tracks, introduced by six different DJs throughout the hour. Please tune in and support us!

Adisa the Verbalizer

This week we had a real treat when we were visited by the poet Adisa the Verbalizer. He performed some of his poems for the school and took a question and answer session with the children. He worked with each class, giving a poetry masterclass and inspiring the children to write some amazing poems of their own.

We hope you will listen in on Thursday February 4th between 11am and 12pm to the live stream of Radio Castle's special programme featuring Earl Soham School pupils, where some of the children will be performing their poems live on air!

The Egg (continued)

Below are two videos. The first is an interview with the two year five boys who made the startling discovery of the giant egg, and the second is a compilation of clips from events of the last few days.

From The Egg

The Egg!

On Monday morning, an unusual surprise awaited us in the school grounds. Over the weekend a creature unknown had visited the school and laid an egg in a break in the hedges, behind the train. This was no normal egg, however. Measuring nearly 60cm high and 40cm across, this egg was a monster! It quickly drew the attention of the all the children, having initially been spotted by two year five boys. The find was quickly cordoned off and the relevant authorities informed. 

Back in the classroom there was much discussion about what kind of creature might have laid it. A second viewing led to further discoveries, including:

• a slimy residue on the picnic benches (pictured below);
• a part-eaten apple core;
• and scratch marks in the grass. 

The children quickly surmised that the adult creature could be herbivorous, or omniverous, and great care was taken to keep a watch on the area in case she returned to the nest. 

The local police put the school in contact with the National Museum for Strange Objects (www.nmso-london.wix.com/museum), who were quick to respond with advice on caring for the egg. 

On Tuesday, the NMSO sent a scientist, Professor R. Turner, to pay the school a visit. He took a range of measurements, working out the circumference, temperature and viscosity, and used a special machine to x-ray the egg and record sounds from within. 

The local vets, Earl Soham Vets, also sent representatives to check the health of the embryo by listening in with their stethoscope. They were unfortunately unable to identify the species of animal that laid the egg, but gave good advice in keeping it safe until such time as it hatches.

World Book Day

Today we celebrated World Book Day as part of our Book Week in school. Everyone was asked to dress up as a character from their favourite book and we saw some fantastic costumes. Can you work out who everyone is?

In Blue Class this week we have looked at a different story extract each day. We began the week with The Hobbit, where we did some role play as Bilbo Baggins and Gollum. We then read from The Phantom Tolbooth and produced some artwork inspired by the settings in the story.

On Wednesday we read from Dr Dolittle and sculpted some of the characters from clay, including the very rare pushmi-pullyu.

And today we read an extract from The Borrowers and designed our own board games based on the story.

Tomorrow, we'll be finishing off our work from the week and hopefully adding some paint to our clay sculptures (if they are dry enough!). What is your favourite moment from a book? Leave us a comment below and tell us all about why you like it.

One final challenge: where's Wally?

Football Fever

This week in Blue Class we have been in a Football Frenzy as we approach the World Cup. The children were put into groups and assigned a home city around the world. Each group then came up with a name for their football team and designed their kit. With a budget of £70m and a limit of 1500 player points, the groups then had to put together a squad of 15 players.

The groups designed and built their own football stadiums, which had to meet a given set of criteria.

Each day the groups had to put forward two teams, taking into account injured players, to compete in two matches. In each match, the team with the highest player points won.

On Wednesday the groups were given the opportunity to boost their teams with a transfer day. Corporate sponsorship gave them an extra £500,000 per win. Following the transfer window, an additional two games were played on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the children learnt how to write a match report. An example is shown below.

Berlin Bears V  London Lions Results.

No travelling was needed for the Berlin Bears when they had a match against London Lions right in their home, Berlin. They had a match which had the audience on the edge of their seats with a strong result of 2-0.

The crowd was buzzing as we started the match on a rather nice day with the sun shining brightly on the lime green rug within the stadium.

On 13 Gerrard started off through the middle getting at least 16 yards before the Wild Cats’ striker pulled in front of him, forcing to feed Noone his precious cargo.

All of a sudden Noone curled round Davies and nodded the ball successfully into the awaiting net. The spectators went wild, even the 272 from London.

After Michael Solmen shouted for play, this time London’s forward, Cattermole burst ahead passing back and forth with Campbell. Getting too close for comfort for the Growlers Campbell nodded it wide and a disappointed murmur spread across the crowd.

At the next whistle, the players gathered in the center for half time. After that the players trooped into the tunnels.

The long whistle signalled that they had to come out. Whitaker took the center pass and stabbed it straight to Shelvey, Shelvey received it even though  the wild cats’ midfielder Cole gave all his effort to block the pass. So Shelvey was off playing into the space on the right, dodging and sprinting, the ball always in front of him until Cole was back again sending in a slide-tackle within a whisker of Shelvey’s shin.

Despite that attack on the 78th minute Shelvey managed to screw his volley perfectly- Sczensay didn’t stand a chance. That sent the crowd wild- the Berlin Bears were in the lead! 2-0

Now with 3 minutes left in the game the Wild Cats’ center pass went to Jenidae however he only got 19 yards before the last whistle sounded. It was over.

The growlers won and celebration was in store!

by Naomi

By the end of the week, tensions were high as the top teams, Rio Mosaic and Paris Penguins battled it out for first place, while Brahman and The London Lions were trying to avoid relegation.

The final points score looked like this:

Match >	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
The London Lions	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Rio Mosaic	3	3	3	3	0	3	3	0	3	0	3	3	27
King Kong	0	0	3	3	0	3	3	3	3	0	0	0	18
Berlin Bears	3	0	0	3	3	3	3	3	0	0	3	3	24
Paris Penguins	0	3	0	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	0	0	24
Majestic Parrots	3	3	3	0	3	0	0	0	3	3	3	3	24
Brahman	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	6

Rainbow Class

As the intrepid explorers set off for the depths of Norfolk (How Hill) on Wednesday...

...those of us left in school came out to wave them off. 

We were left with an odd mixture of year groups: almost all of year six; a couple of year fives; no years fours at all; some of year three; and all of reception to year two. We split into two classes for the week. Mrs Stoney kept Reception, Year one and half of Year two (a combination of Red and Yellow class, which has for some time been known as Orange Class), and I took the remains of the older year groups, plus the other half of Year two. This left us with a dilemma to solve. I had some of Blue Class, and some of Yellow class. We had already named this mix Green Class when teaching Year three to Year six in the afternoons for the past year or so. Now, however, I also had some Year twos...from Orange class. Luckily, I was saved from having to name them Brown Class, by a clever Year two girl, who thought of the name Rainbow Class.

So for three days, we were Rainbow Class and I was Mr Rainbow. We took the opportunity to do lots of art and maths, based around the story Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and the classic poem Jabberywocky by Lewis Carroll.

It was a lovely three days and I really enjoyed working with this great bunch of kids.

Simile and Metaphor Poems

In Literacy lessons in Blue Class, we have been learning about similes and metaphors and today the children wrote their own poems using these devices. 

I think they have done an amazing job. Here are a selection; I hope you like them as much as I do.

Bottles

A T.V. is like a bottle of shows

A forest is like a bottle green

A graveyard is like a bottle of gloom

A mum is like a bottle of love

A classroom is like a bottle of learning

A dog is like a bottle of friendship

A friend is like a bottle of laughter

A toy is like a bottle of fun

And you are like a bottle of hope

Joseph

Your Class

Imagine your class was a box full of trouble

Think that your book was a field full of trees

What if your teacher was a box full of strict;

Your playground a planet of fun

I know the staffroom is a tin full of chocolate

The office is a world of information

But your school is full of care.

Grace

Spring Poem

The chestnut nocturnal birds swoop low over the field like a hang glider.

The new spring buds are like a blanket over the bed frame.

The newborn buds are like a swarm of bumble bees committed to the hive.

The lambs’ new grown coats are white clouds floating in the sky of green..

Blossoming bushes are works of art just about to be sold.

Vibrant emerald grass is like an ocean on a warm summer’s day.

The newly grown arms curved over the meadow sheltering the duvet of verdant fur.

Naomi

My Room

My room is like a valley

My bed is a mountain top, way up high

My light is like the moon, shining down at night

My toys are like the people that live in the valley below

My wardrobe is like a forest hanging with clothes

My rug is like a meadow where I run and skip and play

My mirror is like a lake reflecting me back

My room is my personal world

Come and visit me one day!

Lucy

What if?

What if I was as tall as a mountain?

I would see the world pass by.

What if I was as sly as a fox?

I could sneak some chocolate if I try.

What if I was as quiet as a mouse?

I could have a midnight feast.

What if I was as strong as an ogre,

I would scare people like a beast.

What if I was a big bad monster,

Stomping around the town?

Would my friends still like me?

Or will I have let them down?

Sadie

I wake up in the morning

The alarm clock is like an eject button,

throwing me from my bed.

The clothes are like sandpaper,

waking me from the dead.

The breakfast is like fuel

giving me energy for my head.

The mum calling is like a nagging child,

waiting for some chocolate spread.

The school bus is like the peaceful calm,

before the storm of the day ahead.

Alice

Mum

My mum is like a little ray of sunshine glowing in the distance.

My mum is like an elf wrapping up presents.

My mum is like the friend that goes to school with me.

My mum is like my teacher who shows me what to do.

My mum is like the Dairy Milk bar which I really love.

My mum is like my toy bear which I love to cuddle.

My mum is like the float which helps me to swim.

My mum is like a school supervisor who helps  solve problems.

My mum is like the blossom which is pink and soft.

My mum is like the piece of candy which is very sweet.

My mum is my mum who I love very much.

Maddie

Classroom

The classroom is so loud it is like bombs of laughter are being dropped.

Your teacher goes hush, hush, hush as if you’re hiding from your predator.

Then the bell goes ring like it is freeing you forever.

But down in that bottomless pit you know it’s not true.

You go back in and oh no! It’s geography! It’s like death has really come!

Its lunch time yum yum yum it is like heaven’s been born in your mouth.

“I don’t like you anymore!” it is like death has finished you off.

You get home and you start to complain but then you stop and realise something.

Your school is the best!

By Bella.

THE WORLD

The world is a bundle of memories,

Still left from the world before.

The future’s a bundle of pathways,

Which each day grow more and more.

The past is a bundle of strangeness,

Now left forever behind.

The people are a bundle of difference,

Some mean, some sad, some kind.

The world is already changing,

Right before our eyes.

And one day no one will remember us,

For our lives will belong to the skies

By Elsie