Crew Gray have been working hard to build their teamwork and communication skills, especially during our Crew Challenges!
Crew Challenge
Category : Crew Gray 25/26
From Pharaohs to Food Stalls: A Time Odyssey Adventure for UKS2 Fieldwork
Our UKS2 pupils recently stepped back in time for an unforgettable Time Odyssey workshop, where they explored the fascinating world of the Ancient Egyptians – before fast-forwarding to a lively trip to Doncaster Market!
We participated in an exciting, hands-on workshop that transported the children thousands of years into the past. The children asked thoughtful questions and showed great teamwork as they tackled challenges and shared their ideas.
We then swapped this for shopping stalls with a visit to Doncaster Market. This provided a wonderful opportunity to connect our learning to the present day. Pupils explored the vibrant market, observed how goods are bought and sold and even practised their communication and money-handling skills in a real-world setting.
Overall, it was a truly enriching experience that combined History, Design and Technology and real-life learning. We are incredibly proud of how engaged, respectful and enthusiastic the children were throughout the day.
Web Crawlers
Crew Gray have been learning all about web crawlers today and how search engines create index pages of all of the websites using web crawlers and hyperlinks. We explored how web crawlers work using non-fiction books to find information from the index and contents pages, and realised that this can take a long time for a human to complete, especially if you have to look through more than one book to find the correct information. We then looked further into how Google uses web crawlers and found that these are not actual people, so can get the job done much faster! After that, we became web crawlers around the classroom and rated our classroom objects using a table. We included the quantity of the object, the quality and the distance from where we were. These numbers then totalled up and we were able to rank the resources from highest to lowest. From this, we were able to see how search engines rank different websites using the quantity of times a key word is used and the quality of the information on the page, and how this affects the order that websites appear within search engines.
🐝 Buzzing with Learning in UKS2 🐝
Today, UKS2 children had a fantastic visit from a bee expert, who shared fascinating insights into the important role bees play in our world. The children learned how bees help with pollination, allowing plants to grow and produce the food we eat. They were especially interested to discover that every bee in a hive has a specific job, from worker bees collecting nectar and pollen to the queen bee laying eggs, all working together to keep the hive thriving.
The session also explored the different products that bees create, with a particular focus on beeswax and its many uses. The children were amazed to learn that beeswax can be used to make lip balms, soaps, and beard wax, and enjoyed seeing and smelling real examples. The visit inspired thoughtful discussions about how we can protect bees and support their habitats, leaving the children excited, informed, and eager to learn more about the natural world.
Times table relays
Crew Gray have been Getting Smart by working in small teams to complete our times table relays. This was fun and active way for us to continue consolidating our times table knowledge.
Ordering and comparing our height
Crew Gray have been working hard in Maths, we have been ordering and comparing decimals. To consolidate and tie all of our learning together, we were challenged to measure our heights and ordered these in ascending order.
UKS2 Celebration of learning
UKS2 were very proud to present their learning to their adults last week. After giving an introduction explaining all about our expedition titled: Justice through time, the children explained what we had done during our case studies to answer our guiding question: Does the punishment always fit the crime?
From showcasing their writing to demonstrating their growing historical knowledge, pupils have taken great pride in sharing what they have achieved.
We were all super proud of UKS2, we cannot wait to see and share our final product!
Learning from a Tudor Expert
Last week, our UKS2 Crews had a very special visit from an expert artist and Tudor enthusiast. She brought with her a remarkable portrait of King Henry VIII, which had been painted for her by her father. Seeing the portrait up close was a fantastic experience for the children, as it helped bring our Tudor learning to life.
During the session, she shared fascinating information about Hans Holbein the Younger, one of the most famous artists of the Tudor period. Holbein is well known for painting incredibly detailed and realistic portraits of important figures at the court of Henry VIII. His paintings were not just about showing what someone looked like — they were carefully designed to show power, wealth and status.
We looked closely at some of the features that made Holbein’s portraits so distinctive. The children noticed the rich fabrics, detailed jewellery and confident poses used to show the importance of the people being painted. We also discussed how artists used colour, position and symbolism to send a message about the subject.
Our visitor also gave the class some helpful critique and advice about their own Tudor portrait work. She encouraged the children to think carefully about proportion, detail and expression, just as artists like Holbein would have done hundreds of years ago.
The session was a brilliant opportunity to combine history and art, helping the children understand not only what Tudor portraits looked like, but also why they were created in that way. It was a memorable experience and gave everyone lots of inspiration as we continue developing our own Tudor-style portraits.
Memory in Action
For this week’s crew challenge, Crew McLoughlin and Crew Gray worked on strengthening their memory skills. They were given 15 seconds to carefully observe a selection of objects on the board before they were covered up. The children then had to recall and list as many items as they could remember. It was wonderful to see their focus, teamwork, and determination as they challenged themselves to improve each round.
Exploring Our Features: Self-Portrait Drafting
Today Crew Gray have been drafting their Tudor self-portraits, focusing carefully on our eyes, nose, mouth, and eyebrows. The children have been learning about proportion and placement, noticing the small details that make their faces unique. It has been lovely to see their concentration and growing confidence as their portraits begin to reflect who they are as Tudors.
