Looking back at October, Black History month

During the month of October, Y6 were studying the book Mama Miti;  written by Donna Jo Napoli and wonderfully illustrated by Kadir Nelson. It is a beautiful true story of how Wangari Muta Maathai helped to combat climate change and pollution in Kenya whilst also helping her own people plant trees for their many different needs. She did in fact win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.
In response to this book, the children had to think of an abstract noun to sow and what benefits would be found after sowing the noun.

This is just one of the fantastic responses. This one is by Charlie Wang.

Hope

The seed of hope I will plant during this time where people are falling and diseases are dancing. Like a seed, it starts as one seed, one person.  Slowly it grows until there are millions of leaves, millions of people. Though soon it will fall, the seeds, the people will begin new trees.  They will soon grow into a forest of hope- each supporting one another with the help of the friendship in the soil and the love that will help them grow.

Soon success will emerge -it will help people to support others who they know and love. So why don’t you go and plant a seed of hope? In a crowd of panic, grow it with friendship and sprinkle on love and you will be amazed how one person, one act, one seed…can change the world.

Higher order thinking skills

The photos in the gallery opposite are of another activity where the children had to think of an African animal or insect to put on an item of African clothing, and to think of an analogy as to why this animal represents the ‘Environmental Rebirth’ of Kenya.  They came up with some wonderful examples.