Art & DT:
All boys have returned to Art with strong enthusiasm and motivation. We have some new projects happening this year, alongside some familiar ones. Year 3 are currently drawing abstract instruments for their Art and Music project, Year 4 have collected natural forms for their pattern project, Year 5 are exploring Pop Art, Year 6 are creating theatre masks based on mythical creatures, Year 7 are investigating the theme of 'growth,' and Year 8 are creating digital art for their megacities project.
Computing:
The term has started with the boys focusing on e-safety. They have been learning how to keep personal data secure, discussing the risks of chatrooms, and understanding the implications of sharing pictures and videos.
English & Drama:
Year 3 have delved into Ted Hughes' The Iron Man, exploring the principal character through effective descriptions in English and creating powerful soundscapes in Drama. Year 4 are studying Joan Aiken's The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, enjoying the process of familiarising themselves with the characters, setting, and themes presented in the early chapters, while developing their improvisation skills in Drama. Year 5 have transported themselves to the land of Joya in Kiran Millwood Hargrave's The Girl of Ink and Stars, excelling in both critical analysis and creative writing. Year 6 have been exploring travel writing and non-fiction prose in English, while honing their comedic timing in Drama. Year 7 are planning, writing, and performing persuasive speeches on the topic of 'growing up' in their English and Drama lessons. Year 8 are studying H.G. Wells' seminal text The War of the Worlds, creating high-quality analyses of the early chapters and collaborating to produce original scripts that exemplify dystopian fiction tropes in Drama.
French:
Boys are fully engaged in their language learning! Year 2 are learning the vocabulary for items in their pencil case, while Year 3 are putting together their own playscripts using commonly used phrases. Boys further up the school are revising more complex grammar structures as they begin preparing for Common Entrance exams.
Geography:
It's been a wonderful start to the term, and the boys are as enthusiastic as ever! Year 8 will be going on their fieldwork trip to the River Tillingbourne on Monday. Year 7 and Year 6 have been reinforcing their location skills, Year 5 are learning about climates, and Year 4 are focusing on map-reading skills. Year 3 boys have been exploring human and physical features, and Year 1 and Year 2 have been familiarising themselves with oceans and continents.
History:
We have had a fantastic start to the year in History at Homefield! Year 7 are learning about the treatment of enslaved people. Year 4 have begun their exciting new Ancient Egypt topic and have been rehearsing role plays about the creation story. Year 3 are enjoying discovering artefacts from the Indus Valley. Next week, we have our first History trip planned, with Year 4 visiting The British Museum!
Maths:
In Maths, boys across the school have been consolidating their number and place value knowledge. This has included investigating sequences, number lines, and key terminology, with a snowballing activity to identify as many key words as possible in a timed challenge.
Year 3 boys have worked diligently on understanding 1, 10, and 100 more or less than a given number, solving greater-depth challenges with consecutive numbers, and cracking codes by decoding mathematical terminology and riddles. Year 4 have explored direct numbers and inequalities, Year 5 have focused on developing reasoning skills, and Year 6 boys have consolidated their understanding of the order of operations and applied this to a variety of UKMT challenge questions. Boys in Years 7 and 8 have been working through past papers as part of the Common Entrance syllabus, recapping key units on algebra and setting future targets for achievement.
Science:
The science labs are already buzzing with activity this new academic year. Year 3 are learning about skeletons and the support systems of vertebrates and invertebrates. Year 4 are investigating the properties of light, while Year 5 are getting to grips with light microscopes as part of their topic on cells. Year 6 have been revising states of matter and the process of making solutions. Year 7 are studying classification, focusing on the five kingdoms and taxonomy. Finally, Year 8 have begun the year with fascinating investigations into photosynthesis, carrying out starch tests on leaves and exploring how light intensity affects the rate of photosynthesis in pondweed.
STEAM:
Boys across the school have enjoyed revisiting the importance of STEAM in the curriculum, engaging in various activities that combine skills from different STEAM disciplines. Year 3 have been introduced to the significance of prosthetics, while Year 4 are considering the skills and attributes of an engineer. Year 5 are cross-linking to their Science work on cells by studying magnification, and Year 6 are evaluating different methods of coding Marty the Robot.
TPR:
It has been fantastic to see the boys' enthusiasm as they begin their TPR learning this year. In the Lower School, the boys have been discussing British Values and how they can exemplify these in everyday life. They have also been learning about the Creation Story and exploring its significance to Christians. In the Upper School, boys have been introduced to theology and philosophy, learning about the Golden Rule and exploring the influence and philosophies of Martin Luther King.
