Year 4 recently revelled in a ‘Fantastic Finish’ to conclude their learning about World War Two.
Newhaven Fort visit
On Friday 3 February, the two Year 4 classes enjoyed a visit to Newhaven Fort. They were immersed in the history of the iconic site and furthered their knowledge of life on the Home Front. Pupils took part in an artefact handling workshop, exploring a range of primary sources to identify the roles of women and air raid wardens, as well as the experience of blackouts in British cities.
The children relished an opportunity to observe a wide range of exhibits in the museum. These included a bomb site, equipped with both Anderson and Morrison shelters; a shop displaying rationed food items; tools and clothing used by the Land Army; and images of VE day celebrations. A particular highlight was the Blitz shelter, where pupils experienced a simulation of the sounds heard during an attack. In the afternoon, the children explored the grand magazine, where ammunition would have been housed, and the gun emplacements, enabling them to identify how the fort was defended. Finally, pupils enjoyed navigating the caponier tunnels that the resident soldiers would have used in years gone by to access the coast.
World War Two Day
On Monday 6 February, Year 4 pupils engaged in World War Two Day at school. They started the morning discovering an interactive model of Anne Frank’s house before exploring her thoughts and experiences of life in hiding through diary writing. Next, they learned about the important and significant role of codebreakers at Bletchley Park and enjoyed cracking both alphabetical and numerical codes themselves!
Pupils concluded the day by learning about key events of D-Day and how Britain won the war before engaging in VE day festivities, listening to WW2 songs, and generating words and phrases to capture people’s emotions and celebratory activities.
