Summer Term 2015 Reflections Summer term 2015 Focus Religious Education The focus for this half term has been on Religious Education. The emphasise has been to learn about religion in a way children can celebrate and share experiences from their own communities and cultures. Each class had an opportunity to visit a local place of worship to enable the children to develop a greater understanding of the religions and cultures that make up our community and the wider world. In key stage 1 and 2 it was an opportunity for the children to compare and contrast what they have seen and experienced on the visit to the Places of Worship in previous years. The children in EYFS began by visiting one of our local churches, West Ham Parish Church. Parents, and some grandparents, came along to see what the inside of the church looks like. They even got an opportunity to listen to the organ!
Reflections Summer term EYFS-Nursery and Reception In EYFS our topic was Communities, Cultures and Festivals. We spent each week looking at a different religion, getting familiar with religious artefacts and how different people celebrate and worship in their religions. We went on a visit to West Ham Parish Church and enjoyed the peace and reflective time the church offered us. We thought about how Christians go to church to reflect and be quiet and then thought about where we go to be still and thoughtful. We drew pictures and wrote about our special places. Page 2
Year One The children in Year 1 have been learning about Belonging. They learned how people show belonging through what they wear and what they do for example; belonging in school. Children learned about how people show belonging in different religions. Some of the many exciting learning opportunities included creating special bracelets like Rakhis and also creating their own prayer mats with repeated patterns. Over this half term Year 1 also had the opportunity to learn about the Easter Story and visit a church. Page 3
Year Two Children in Year 2 looked at why Muslims fast during Ramadan and we discussed the people Muslims remember during this period. Children then looked at George Seurat's paintings. We discussed how he used pointillism to paint his pictures. Children then created a piece of art work to show why Muslims fast using pointillism. Year 2 visited St Pauls Cathedral as part of their learning in Ranelagh Curriculum. They had the opportunity to ascend into the dome's Whispering Gallery and look at the inside of the beautiful Cathedral from above. Many of the children were extremely brave and climbed right to the top of the dome to look at the spectacular views over London! The children then had a tour of the Cathedral and learnt about its main features and the meaning behind the many paintings and mosaics. They learnt about what was important in the Cathedral to Christians. A day to remember. Page 4
Year Three Year 3 designed, stitched and created amazing symbols. They looked at different symbols and their meanings. They then designed a symbol that was special to them and created this using a range of techniques. Children were very proud of their work and showcased this to KS1 classes. Feedback was also very positive and many children stood in awe looking at the beautiful designs. Year 3 celebrated the Hindu religious festival of Holi. The festival is celebrated all over the world by Hindus and Sikhs. The special story is about good overcoming evil. We gave the children an opportunity to experience the special festival by throwing shredded pieces of paper at each other in the school hall. Children then wrote about how they felt and used words such as 'happiness', good overcoming evil and friendship to describe their experience. If you want to learn the Holi story and know more about the special festival, speak to a child from year 3. Page 5
Year Four In Year 4 this term, we have finding out about how Hindus worship at home and in the Mandir. We also created beautiful senses poems of based on what it might feel like at a Hindu wedding. later we looked at how the Bible is so important to Christians and we experienced the Easter story by attending workshops at St John's Church in Stratford. A big focus this term has been to think about what influences us to be the amazing people that we are. During our topic, children have created some fantastic projects that we now have on display in our reflection area." Page 6 Page 6
Year Five Children in Year 5 compared and contrasted people's beliefs about God, exploring ideas held by followers of the major religions and identifying similarities and differences. Children visited the Karamsar Gurdwara in Ilford where they learned all about the customs and ideals of Sikhism Page 7
Year Six Year Six pupils had the privilege of visiting the London Buddhist Centre to learn about Buddhists and Buddhism. The children were very insightful and asked many questions about how Buddhists live and what they believe in. The children even had the opportunity to take part in self reflection through meditation led by an ordained Buddhist, Srivati. It was a fantastic experience enjoyed by all. Children in Year 6 also had an opportunity to create a piece of art in response to their trip to the Buddhist Temple. The children thought about their own cultures and beliefs and explored using a variety of media to create beautiful pictures of their own choice. We re on the Web! See more examples of work on the school website. www.ranelagh.newham.sch.uk