Project Cards

This half term Zayit and Seorah classes have been focussing on the topic of ʻUnder the Seaʼ and the big question: ʻHow can I create my own story?ʼ

View or download

In our launch week we visited an aquarium, read, listened to and talked about a variety of Under the Sea-themed books and explored the ocean through virtual reality. The classes then made their own story by creating characters, writing and recording the narrative using technology and this was then edited for a book launch to the school. During the project the children used Seesaw as a way to give their peers feedback on their stories. In art, we designed and created characters for our stories. In music, we made percussion instruments and recorded the audio to play as background wave music for the entrance to our exhibition. The book launch was very successful and the pupils then shared their story maps and books with other pupils in different classes.

Teacher’s Reflection

“Overall this was a successful project! All pupils were given student voice throughout, from creating their story to their own characters, and coming up with an ending independently. One of the highlights of this project was the children’s use of technology throughout the project. They all seemed to really enjoy it and it allowed children of all abilities to participate. Next time I would ensure clearer audio or that subtitles were added to ensure all children’s parts were able to be heard. I am most proud of how well the children all worked together to create their stories using story cubes, as this was a really collaborative project and the end project shows this.

The best part about the project was seeing the children’s faces when they saw they got to use iPads in the lessons and how much they loved using the Chatterpix app. Another thing that was the best was watching them watch their own videos back and recognising which of their friends were talking. They kept asking to rewatch it over and over again.

I found it challenging to record all the audio in only a week. I felt that if I were to do it again, I would allow longer for the recording of the narrative to allow pupils more time to practice and rehearse their lines.”

— Leigh Kennedy

Student Reflection

“I thought the project was fun. The highlight was using the iPads and I learnt all about sea animals!”

– Zephania

“This project taught me about teamwork and how to create a story.”

– Eli

“The highlight was the aquarium trip and the fish shop as it taught me all about sea animals, fish, octopus and whales!”

– Dylan

Gefen was very excited to do our project on Animals in the Wild. We answered the big question of ʻWhat do we know about wild animals in our community?ʼ

View or download

To do this we looked at what makes an animal a wild animal! We also found out many facts about wild animals that live around us. Gefen used their literacy skills to write non-fiction texts about their animals and then put this information into a short animated video. We were able to take a trip to the zoo to look at wild animals and have animals come to our school! At the end of the project, we held a Go Wild Party which the parents and other classmates we invited. During the party the children played the wild animal games they created as well as showcased their animations, pictures and models they made.

Teacher’s Reflection

“I think the project went well as it was a topic the children were interested in. It was good for them to find out facts about animals that they could see in their area. They were engaged in the trips we went on, particularly the zoo trip and they enjoyed looking at the different animals. The visit from Wild Fangs was also a great experience as the children were able to hold and touch the animals and find out different information about them. Many of the children were initially reluctant to hold the animals but their confidence increased after they spent time with the animals. They enjoyed presenting their findings in a different way, such as through animated videos and by creating their own games which they presented during the Wild Party to their parents and other children.

I would like to continue to use more ICT in future projects. It would have been nice to have seen some wild animals in our area but unfortunately, on our walk, we did not see any!”

— Stephanie Sungtong

Student Reflection

“My favourite part was the trip to London Zoo. I learnt about what animals eat and where they live.”

– Leon

“I liked the project because we got to use Chatterkids (animation app).”

– Ari

“I liked the project as I liked learning about the animals and I liked the ants at London Zoo.”

– Yoni

During this half of the term, Tamar class have been answering the big question ʻwhat would it be like to live in the rainforest?ʼ

View or download

For this, they researched the life of tribes that live in the rainforest and used this information to create their own ʻstop-motionʼ films, which were set in the rainforest. This involved them creating a storyboard and mini-set, as well as filming and editing their films using an app called StickBot.

Teacher’s Reflection

“I enjoyed this project as it allowed the students to learn a new skill and demonstrate their creativity through a different creative media. The students loved making and editing their films and it was wonderful to see how proud they were of their work when their families came to the exhibition. This was the first project where parents came to see the exhibition and the students loved this. If I did the project again I would ensure that more time was spent at the start of the project exploring how life is different in the rainforest.

What was the best thing about the project?

— Students having ownership over how they produced their work (e.g., poster, presentations, videos).

— Students having the opportunity to learn the skill of filmmaking.

— Hosting the awards ceremony as the exhibition of the project.

What did I find challenging?

— Supporting students in making their own films without taking the ownership and agency away from them.

— Films were not focused enough on the big question.

— Found it challenging to refer to the big question throughout lessons and for students to understand how life would be different. This was most likely due to the fact that we were unable to do the trip due to the lack of time.”

— Sam Dexter

Student Reflection

“I think it went great. It was hard to come up with the idea but even harder to create! I learned that people cut down rainforests to get wood to build houses, tables, paper, chairs, but it endangers animals.”

– Noah

“Best project ever because we made our own films and got to show them off to parents at the Gradu-Oscars.”

– Yitzi

This term, Keren embarked on a reflective journey about their time in year 7.

View or download

This allowed them to explore their favourite memories, trips and lessons, as well as any tips and advice they have learnt. They created an ebook that includes these highlights and interviewed key staff members about working in secondary. This allowed them to focus on their interview skills as well as their ICT skills.

Teacher’s Reflection

“I really enjoyed watching the students think honestly about the advice that they would pass on as it showed what they have learned this year. It was also lovely to hear their personal highlights and know that the trips and projects were fun and exciting.

The most challenging thing was constructing the e-book into a format that looks professional. We wanted the information to be organised into sections as opposed to just being on the page. Trying to teach the students to place pictures in an orderly manner was a challenge.

Next time, I would perhaps prepare an e-book format prior and have the students place the information in. This is so that it achieves the intended look. The launch was a fun success as the students had a survival challenge where they had to survive on a desert island.”

— Bethany Rentall

Student Reflection

“I enjoyed thinking about my year. I liked creating my e-book and doing my vlog. I learnt how to do more things on the computer like how to create a movie!”

– Liam

“I enjoyed finding images to add to my survival guide. I learnt how to plan a day of lessons and interview people professionally.”

– Rafael

“The project taught me that confidence is vital!”

– Shamai

“I learnt how to give good advice.”

– Reuben

This term, the enthusiasm for learning through projects continued. Students Focused on lines and angles and explored how these are used in everyday life. Our big question was: How can we use lines and angles to support recreation and wellbeing?

View or download

In this term’s project, students used lines and angles to create their own game. The latest research by Oxford University conducted in 2020 shows that playing games can help to improve our mental health and wellbeing. Students, therefore, had an ‘Inter-school Wellbeing” Game-a-Thon. We invited another school within our community to join us for a wellbeing morning where students played the games that they had created. This provided a fantastic opportunity for Keren to socialise with peers outside of their immediate school community and continue to develop their skills of self-advocacy and confidence in oracy. Our therapy team was also integral to this term’s project as students worked on their social skills and learnt how to use various equipment such as rulers, compasses and protractors correctly.

Teacher’s Reflection

“The best thing about this project was seeing the progress and development of students’ fine motor skills as they learnt how to use a protractor and ruler. The students grew immensely in confidence and became more willing to take risks in their projects.

The most challenging aspect of this project was perhaps the most rewarding as students initially struggled with using the correct equipment. Some students felt frustrated throughout the process but were resilient enough to keep going. I spent lots of time teaching students how to hold a ruler and compass correctly. The result, despite the challenge, was amazing to see!” – Nikeisha Webb-Hardy

Student Reflection

“This project taught me to expand my imagination.”

– Stephen

“I enjoyed playing games and getting to meet new people. The highlight was when the students from the other school came in.”

– Rafael

“The highlight of the project was designing the game, even though it was hard.”

– Poppy

This term, Zayit and Seorah started working on their first project ‘Plants’, and focused on learning related to the big question: ‘What makes a good garden?’ 

View or download

We started our project with an exciting launch week to introduce the topic. We explored the plants within our school and local park, participated in sensory experiences with nature and created art using natural materials. We also began learning songs for our exhibition day and visited a beautiful garden to get inspiration for our own garden project. Throughout the course of the term, we developed our art and design skills as we designed our own gardens for the playground. We visited a plant nursery to choose and buy plants for our garden and grow our own plants from a seed. We also learnt about different types of plants, parts of a plant and plant life cycles which supported us in caring for our new gardens. At the conclusion of our project, we hosted the first-ever ‘Gesher Garden Show’, where we invited our parents and families to visit for an afternoon. This gave us the opportunity to show off our amazing gardens, perform our show, create refreshments with herbs we grew and share our project work.

Teacher’s Reflection

“We think this was a really successful project as the pupils really retained the knowledge, seemed to really enjoy learning about the topic and were invested in maintaining the garden by watering and decorating it with artwork and wood chips. Our favourite thing about this project was our seed planting video and it still brings us to tears every time we watch it as we are so proud of the children’s performances. Next time we would integrate more technology into the project through the children being involved and creating their seesaws, and continuing to develop their feedback cycle. Sharing our Gesher party show with our parents and the school community was a huge highlight of the project and the children were so enthusiastic to share their garden project with everyone.” – Katie McEnallay and Leigh Kennedy

“My favourite thing was the children working together on all of the steps from designing the garden, shopping, preparing and planting and caring for the plants. There was lots of lovely teamwork and opportunities for the children to be involved with support as they needed.” – Leigh Kennedy

Student Reflection

“I thought the project was amazing and really fun. The highlight of the project was going on a trip, going to the gardening shop and when we gave the lady money for the plants. The project taught me how to plant a seed – and I can do teamwork.”

– Poppy

“I thought the project was fun. The highlight of the project was the Gesher Garden Show with mum, dad and my baby sister and going to Church Gardens.”

– Dylan