Monday Worship: Black History Month
This month it is black history month. Mrs Ham told us how some African children were sold as slaves and would have to work and could not go to school. They would not earn any money but were forced to be slaves. The Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman wanted to make a difference and stop slavery. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln, the president of the USA stopped slavery and freed them all. Black history month reminds us of all the black people who made and continue to make a difference to change the world such as Martin Luther King Junior, Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela. We watched a video to find out more information about a group of black children who made a difference in their town by having peaceful sit ins in restaurants that were just for white people. They had to show our Christian value of courage when standing up for what was right. We ended our worship by reflecting on how we can stand up to things that are unfair and we sang 'I can make a difference'.
Year 2 - History
Our History topic this half term is exploring the history of our local area. This lesson we concentrated on the history of our school. It was fascinating to look at the log books dating back to the 19th century. The children loved looking at the different sources that helped us to understand how our school got here. We found out that our school was originally called Culvert School until 1978 when it was reopened as St Barnabas. We created a list of similarities and differences between how our school use to be and how it is now. We really enjoyed exploring the history of our school!
Year 6 History
In year 6, we have been focusing on the theme of propaganda and how it has been used across the ages. This week, we focused on Elizabeth I and how her portraits made her appear younger towards the end of her reign. This was because she wanted to be flattered, but she also wanted to be seen as a strong monarch, especially after the Spanish Armada. At this point, she took control of the portraits that were painted of her.
Year 3- What did the ancient Egyptians believe?
Today, Year 3, as historians, explored the world of Egyptian gods and goddesses. They discovered why these gods and goddesses were so important to ancient Egyptians, using the Egyptian creation story as an example. They also learned about the extraordinary qualities that made each god and goddess unique. Additionally, they discovered the meanings behind the symbols and characteristics associated with their chosen god or goddess.
Year 4 Art - The role of a curator
In our art session we explored the role of a curator and the skills required to do this role. We then created our own gallery with various pieces of artwork and sketched this using different grades of pencils.
Year 3- P.E- Playground games in the 20th century
Today, in our PE lesson, the children played games like the ones kids played in the past, like in the 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s. A group of 5/6 taggers chased after the other children and tried to tag them. When a child gets tagged, they have to stand with their feet apart and their arms stretched out to the sides. Another child can free them by running under their arms or crawling under their legs. The children had an absolute blast! For the warm-up, the children played a fun game led by Mr. Frostie and Mr. Sunshine. The game involved running, jumping, skipping, galloping, and hopping around.
Year 1 Local History Lesson in Darwen Heritage Centre
Year 1 had a super history lesson learning about the changes that have happened within Darwen Town Centre in the past couple of centuries. Our expert (Albert) from the Darwen Heritage centre showed the children a range of different historical images and photographs of the town centre many years ago and was able to explain what is in place of them geographically today. The children couldn’t believe that a few live bears and their keepers roamed the streets of Darwen for entertainment purposes years ago, or that the butchers hung their meat outside their shops! They got to handle and see artefacts including olden day money and a wooden cash register too.
Year 1 History Walk in Darwen High Street
Year 1 have really enjoyed walking around Darwen High Street identifying different types of shops and finding out which type of shops used to be around many years ago. With the help of an expert from the Darwen Heritage Centre, they were shown different places that used to be bakers, butchers, grocery stores, pharmacies, shoe shops or different types of clothes shops (such as hat shops). They also walked through Darwen Market Place and found some placards explaining which shops used to exist in the 1800s.
Year 1 History Challenge in the Darwen Heritage Centre
After their super history lesson at the Darwen Heritage Centre, Year 1 were challenged to find the words for different types of shops around the two rooms inside the centre and also the corridor linking them. They were looking for these particular words: baker, boots & shoes, butcher, chemist and clothes. They had to tick how many words they could find on a worksheet. The exact amount of shops in Darwen from the olden days had been put around the rooms. The children found that they all had the most ticks for the clothes shops. They also really enjoyed looking at the giant models of Darwen Tower and all the unique historical artefacts that the heritage centre has within in.
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Viking Longboat Challenge
To complete our history unit on the Vikings, we complete a longboat challenge. The children worked in teams to design and make their very own boat, featuring key pieces such as oars and rudders. These were then evaluated using the success criteria. What a fantastic way to finish the unit and well done to the children for working so well in their teams.
Year 5- English- A visit from Salma (Sudanese refugee)
Today, Year 5 had a special guest, a Sudanese refugee visitor who shared her remarkable journey and life experiences with us. She spoke about the journey she undertook with her four young children when they were forced to flee their home country due to injustice and an oppressive regime. She spoke about the challenges she and her family have faced while adapting to life in the UK. The weather, the food, and the language barrier have posed significant adjustments for them. However, it was inspiring to witness the resilience and determination with which they have approached these challenges. The children were incredibly engaged and displayed remarkable curiosity. They asked numerous insightful questions, delving into the details of her experiences and seeking to understand the impact of her journey on her life and her children's lives. We want to say a big thank you to our visitor for sharing her story with us. It was an important lesson for all of us about how strong people can be, even when things are tough. We also want to thank John East for helping to arrange this visit.
Year 1 Visit to St Barnabas Church
Today Year 1 went to St Barnabas Church as part of their RE unit: Our world, Jesus’ World. Rev Ben helped us to learn more about Jesus’ world and let us think and discuss how it is different living on Earth today compared to when Jesus was alive. The children really enjoyed listening to the story of the prodigal son and either watching others act out the story or being actors and actresses themselves. They looked for images of Jesus within the church and we looked at the clothes and signs of different lifestyles people would have had back then. Year 1 have certainly enjoyed having their RE lesson with Rev Ben in church today.