Term 1

A Viking Raid at The Gateway!

Woodpeckers have started off the year with our exciting topic about the Vikings! They have learned all about their way of life and their achievements as well as the reasons for invading Britain and the impact they had on the world today. Woodpeckers have particularly enjoyed our trip to a Viking workshop at the Museum of Kent Life where they had the opportunity to use drama, role play and crafts to explore the Viking way of life and gain a deeper understanding on what it was like to be a Viking.  In class, they have designed and made their own Viking jewellery and used their DT skills to sew Viking purses for their jewellery.

Christophe's Story

Our class book this term is called Christophe’s Story by Nicki Chromwell. It is an emotional story about a child refugee from Rwanda trying to settle into a school in the UK. Woodpeckers were able to make excellent inferences about Christophe’s feelings and experiences which inspired them to write about their personal stories in class. This book has provided an excellent opportunity for the children to learn how figurative language can be used effectively to describe thoughts and feelings and apply this in their own writing.

Term 2

Our class novel-Varjak Paw

This term, children in Woodpeckers have enjoyed reading Varjak Paw by the British author S.F. Said, a beautiful tale told from the point of view of a cat! He is an indoor cat who lives high up in an old house on a hill and has never left home, until his grandfather tells him about the Way – a secret martial art for cats. Varjak must then use the Way to survive in a city full of dangerous dogs, cat gangs, and  mysterious Vanishing. 

Woodpeckers have used this story to inspire their writing and their role play in drama lessons. They have often had to put themselves in Varjak's shoes, making inferences and thoughtful reflections.