Winners announced for Geography Facts Competition

As part of our International Day celebration held on the final day of the last half-term, Mr Fletcher hosted a Geography Facts Competition on Zoom for Juniors and Seniors. Nearly 30 pupils participated in the competition, which focused on flags of the world and European capital cities. The pupils were first shown images of 30 flags and had to name the country for each one. They were then asked to correctly identify 20 European capital cities on a map. The questions were free answer (not multiple choice), and participants had a limited amount of time to answer each question. 

Last week, the winners were announced, as follows: 

  • Two equal first prizes (a £20 book token) went to Luke Beaton (Y7) and Livia Lucato-Hadeler (Y9), both of whom achieved a perfect score of 50. 
  • Third prize (a £15 book token) went to Yauno Barthoma (Y6) with a score of 47.
  • Runner-up prize (a £10 book token) was given to Aaron Gutmanas (Y5) who correctly answered 46 questions. 
  • Narsay Barthoma (Y2) received a special honourable mention (and a £5 book token) for achieving an impressive score of 41 despite being one of the youngest pupils to participate.  

Would you like to test your own knowledge? Take this quiz, and check your answers here. No peeking!

 

 

 

Year 7 and 8 Research Presentations

During the first half of the Spring term, Year 7 and 8 pupils were asked to conduct a research project on any topic of interest. They worked on this project as part of their Learning at Home timetable, in place of regular Drama and Computing lessons. The pupils then delivered their Powerpoint presentations over Zoom to their classmates and teachers during the final two weeks of the half-term.

The aim of the task was threefold: to work on creating a good Powerpoint presentation, to promote independent study in an area of personal interest and to work on public speaking skills.  After each presentation, the other pupils had an opportunity to ask questions about the information they’d just heard, requiring each presenter to demonstrate their depth of knowledge and thought on the subject.

The topics reflected a wide range of interests and passions among the pupils, and the presentations demonstrated the considerable amount of work and time that they had invested into researching, documenting and explaining their subject matter. Some of the subjects that Year 7 pupils chose for their research projects included the history of cars, medicine, Singapore, trains and Elizabeth I. Topics from Year 8 included art and architecture, legendary guitarists, indoor climbing, fishing and tennis.

Year 8 Presentation Topics

 

 

 

 

February 2021 Skylark

Although 2021 did not begin as any of us hoped, we are pleased that we have been able to offer a rich Learning at Home programme thanks to the tremendous efforts of staff, parents and our pupils themselves. To see more of  what has been happening during this first half-term, please see the latest Skylark Newsletter.

 

 

 

International Day

Today is Chinese New Year, so at Heritage we turned our attention to China for our annual International Day celebration. 

During the day, Infants and Juniors chose from a wide range of activities that highlight Chinese culture, history, geography, art and nature. Classes came together later in the day to talk about what they learned and showed what they made. Seniors began the day with an assembly that included presentations from three pupils, as well as a visit with a Heritage parent who talked about his experience growing up in China. At the end of the day, nearly 30 pupils took part in a Geography Facts Competition on Zoom. 

We’ll be sharing more about what the pupils learned, did and made, but in the meantime, enjoy these videos from our pupils Jayden (Y5), Max (Y3) and Mier (Y2).

Piano Duet – The Yellow River

Chinese Characters and Calligraphy

How to be an Ancient Chinese Emperor

Chinese Architecture

Television Journalists Visit Year 5

Yesterday, Year 5 were visited via Zoom by Channel 5 and ITV journalists Charlotte Grant and Will Mott. This was a valuable opportunity for the pupils to hear firsthand from two seasoned television reporters, as they prepare to create their own news broadcasts for an at-home learning assignment.

During the session, Ms Grant and Mr Mott first talked about the most important elements of broadcast news reporting. They noted the importance of choosing powerful images to tell the story, along with compelling interview subjects. In deciding on which element of the story to focus on, they suggested that the pupils ask themselves, ‘What’s the first thing I would tell my best friend about the story?’

Ms Grant then showed the class three different examples of stories she has reported on, and how she chose the camera shots for each. The pair discussed the differences between presenting in a studio and reporting on a story on location, noting that one of the challenges of reporting outside of a studio is the need to memorize your lines rather than relying on an autocue. Mr Mott spoke from experience, telling the class that ‘If you forget your lines on live television it’s very embarrassing!’

The pupils then asked some excellent questions – including whether it’s strange to look at the camera when reporting, how to react to an interviewee, what type of voice and expression to use, and how to focus when there’s a lot of distraction around you. The class took full advantage of the opportunity to learn more about TV journalism, and should be well prepared to create some outstanding news stories of their own!