We had a fantastic day at the St Michael’s Junior School Sports Competition. The sun shone and everyone enjoyed the challenge, playing in either the boys 7-a-side, girls 6-a-side, or the mixed netball competition. The children conducted themselves admirably and were rewarded with runners-up medal in the girls football and winning the mixed netball competition, playing against some much larger schools. Well done to everyone and thanks to all of the parents who ferried the children to and from St Michael’s.
To mark National Poetry Day on Thursday, we enjoyed sharing our performances of poems. Our approach to sharing poetry is to treat the poem as a poem: letting its verbal magic work through the enjoyment of its sound. Reading the poem aloud. Hearing its sound in the air, feeling its shape in our mouths, seeing which lines draw us in. Noticing, and thinking about what we like and are reminded of in our reading and experience.
We looked more carefully at Eleanor Farjeon’s Cottage and used this as the starting point for writing our own poetry.
Cottage (1942)
Eleanor Farjeon
When I live in a Cottage
I shall keep in my Cottage
Two different Dogs,
Three creamy Cows,
Four giddy Goats,
Five Pewter Pots,
Six silver Spoons,
Seven busy Beehives,
Eight ancient Appletrees,
Nine red Rosebushes,
Ten teeming Teapots,
Eleven chirping Chickens,
Twelve cosy Cats with their kittenish Kittens and
One blessed Baby in a Basket.
That’s what I’ll have when I live in my Cottage.
Later in the year, we will be sharing details of the national Poetry by Heart competition, so watch this space.
An enormous ‘thank you’ to all of the Year Six parents who organised our cake sale and to the children who advertised it: we raised over £180, which the class are now busy planning how to spend. We are looking to get some ‘quality of life’ items that will make our final year together even better!