Crew Godley blast off to the Moon!

Crew Godley blasted off into Case Study 2, Mission Apollo 11 – What made the Moon landing so special? We explored exciting space vocabulary connected to the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing, discovering that lunar means relating to the Moon, learned that a module is a self-contained unit of a spacecraft, and understood how gravity is the force that pulls objects toward each other. We talked about descent, the careful movement downward to land the spacecraft, and learned that Tranquility was the name of the calm and peaceful landing site. To bring our learning to life, we created detailed sensory maps of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, imagining what the astronauts might have seen, heard, and felt as they made history.

Phonics in action.

During this focused activity, the children’s early phonic awareness was assessed and further developed. The children were challenged to sort a range of familiar objects according to two initial sounds they have been learning through the Read Write Inc. phonics scheme.

This activity provided a valuable opportunity to observe the children’s ability to listen attentively, recognise initial sounds and apply their growing phonics knowledge with confidence. The children demonstrated strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they discussed their choices and organised the objects appropriately.

Activities such as this highlight the importance of secure foundational phonics skills and how these can be applied meaningfully to support future reading and writing development. We were extremely impressed with the progress the children have made and the confidence they showed throughout the task. Well Done Crew Frost. Keep up the hard work.

Final product.

This week, the children completed their final outcome. Each child selected a vehicle and used wax crayons to create an observational drawing, which will form part of their cohesive flap book. Throughout the process, the children demonstrated strong listening skills and developing fine motor control. They also showed effective critical thinking and problem-solving as they worked carefully through each step of the task. We have thoroughly enjoyed observing their engagement and focus and look forward to seeing the completed flap books. Well done, Crew Frost.

Sharing our Stories: 06/02/2026

Beautiful work this week

Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!

To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.

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Year 9 DofE Skills Session @ XP East

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