This week, we have been working in small groups to compose music about a calm sea at Mousehole. Our musical composition will accompany the playscript scene that we have written for our class’s part of our 'The Mousehole Cat’ Fabulous Finish where Tom and Mowzer return to the safety of Mousehole harbour as the seastorm fades.

We know that people who write music are known as ‘composers’. Where writers use words to build up pictures in readers’ imaginations, composers compose music to build up images in listeners’ imaginations. As we have been doing a lot of writing work/artwork linked to the sea which is an integral part of ‘The Mousehole Cat’ story, today we listened to a classical piece of music which is about the sea – ‘The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave)’ by Felix Mendelssohn. He composed the piece of music after a boat trip to the Hebrides’ islands where he was impressed by the sight of a sea cave known as Fingal’s cave.  

We listened to Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. We wrote ‘Calm Sea’, ‘Rough Sea’, ‘Stormy Sea’ and ‘Cave’ on our mini-whiteboards. When we thought the music suggested one of these, we circled the appropriate words and held up our boards.
 
Whilst listening to the music, we jotted down words to describe the music. Some of the words we came up with were calm, soothing, loud, aggressive, violent……We noticed that the mood of the music changed. We also drew what we imagined whilst listening to the music.
 

After listening to the music, we discussed it with our friends. Did we like it? Why? Why not? What did we imagine in our heads as we listened to it? Did it conjur up images of the sea/cave or did we imagine something completely different? Our teacher then played us four short excerpts from the overture that we had to match to the appropriate descriptions -  building up to a rough sea, a calm sea, a storm at sea, and the appearance of Fingal’s Cave.

In small groups, we composed music inspired by the sea to accompany the playscript scene that we have written for J3's part of ‘The Mousehole Cat’ story. We looked at an illustration from this part of the story and discussed the different aspects we could see - the Storm Kitten, a calmer sea, Tom and Mowzer’s boat returning through the mousehole, villagers with their lights. We thought about what the mood of the picture is - gentle, calm, relaxed...

We worked well in our small groups to compose music to be played at the point of our playscript depicted in the picture. We discussed ways to create the mood of the picture/this point of the playscript with music e.g. the music might be quiet overall to suggest the calmness of the sea. There might be a steady beat to represent the lapping waves. Each group had to compose music to represent a different layer of the picture - the Storm Kitten, calmer sea, Tom and Mowzer’s boat, villagers with their lights.

Each group was given time to practise their layer of music in different areas of the classroom and our  Year 3 learning area. One member of the group was chosen to be the ‘conductor’ who clapped a steady beat of 4 over and over (8 times). This would be the duration of the piece of music. The conductor had to signal to the instrumentalists when to begin/when to stop. They could also devise their own hand signals e.g. for getting louder/getting softer.    

Our final task was to create a graphic score to notate our music where drawings or symbols are used to represent the parts played by each instrument on a grid marked out to show a steady beat of 4.Our teacher modelled how to  graphically notate a simple piece of music, using our ideas to complete a line on the grid for each instrument. We suggested different ways in which sounds could be represented e.g. a continuous soft sound may be a thin wavy line, whereas a continuous louder sound may be a thicker wavy line.

We sat in our  composing groups and worked together  on a blank grid to devise a graphic score for our piece of music. We discussed one instrumental part at a time and devised a notation for this part to represent the music it plays. We hope you enjoy looking at some of our graphic scores. Do you think you would be able to play our compositions using the graphic scores to help you? 

This week, in our expressive arts topic, we have been learning painting techniques as we build up to painting our own calm or stormy Mousehole seascapes. These will be used as the scenery backdrop for our 'Mousehole Cat' Fabulous Finish performance. 
   

Firstly, we learnt that the primary colours are red, blue and yellow. This is because these colours can’t be made. If you mix two primary colours, you’ll create a secondary colour. We found out that:
yellow + blue = green
yellow + red = orange
red + blue = purple

We used the primary colours to mix secondary colours in the form of three Venn diagrams which we labelled in Welsh. During our paint mixing lessons, we aimed to:

•  carefully mix the paints.
• start with the lighter colour and add the darker.
• use the brush with control .
• use our tools with care.
  

Next we experimented with tone and shade. We discussed what tone is and looked at some paint tone cards from B&Q/Homebase. We also looked for different tones of the same colour around the classroom. We learnt that tones are different shades of a colour.
 

We learnt that tones are lighter and darker. To create lighter tones add white.To create darker tones add black. To create different shades we would add another primary colour. We investigated tones and shades of blue. We were each given a ready-mixed colour blue which we painted in the middle of a strip of card/paper divided into equal sections. We then mixed different tones of the blue – painting tones getting progressively lighter in one direction and tones getting progressively darker in the other direction. We added black (not too much at first) to create the progressively darker tones. We  added white (not too much at first) to create the lighter tones.

The next day we investigated artists’ painting techniques by experimenting with creating textures.  
We looked at examples of paintings that depict water e.g. Van Gogh, Monet and examples by a Welsh artist Raymond Thomas. We also looked closely at some of Nicola Bayley’s illustrations of the sea from ‘The Mousehole Cat’. When discussing the paintings, we thought about:
What kind of water is depicted? What is the water doing? Does the painting suggest that the water is still or moving? How is it moving? Is it reflecting light? Is it painted as one solid block of colour or are different tones used? What colours/tones could we see?  Do we like the paintings? Why? Why not?
 
 

We looked more closely at the way the artists had applied the paint.
Does it look flat? Have they used a paint brush? What kind of brush strokes have they used? Long? Short? Dots?
We noticed that some of the paintings look textured – where the paint almost stands off the canvas. We thought about what might have been added to the paint to make it look textured on paper / canvas. We came up with ideas such as sand, flour, glue, tissue, cotton wool…. 

We looked at a seascape by the Welsh artist,  Raymond Thomas. Using a simple viewfinder, we  selected a part/ section of the painting and recreated it using what we have learnt about colour, tone and texture so far. We aimed to:

• mix different tones / shades of a colour.
• use the brush in different ways to suggest movement e.g. short, sharp strokes or longer strokes, dotted/stippled effect, swirling/circular motion etc.
• add texture to the paint e.g. by adding a material of our choice –sand, flour, glue, cotton wool…..
  

We discussed the important role played by the sea in ‘The Mousehole Cat’- how it is almost a character in its own right. Then we watched some Youtube clips showing a calm sea at Mousehole harbour and a stormy sea at Mousehole. We came up with words to describe the two contrasting seas. We thought about what colours we could see in the sea and how it moved. We also looked at two of Antonia Barber’s contrasting illustrations of a calm sea and a rough sea.  What different tones / shades of  colour could we see? How has movement been suggested? What strokes of the pen/paintbrush have been used e.g. short, sharp strokes or longer strokes, dotted/stippled effect, swirling/circular motion ?   
 

Using the skills and knowledge we gained this week, we painted either a calm seascape or a rough/stormy seascape. We tried to apply what we have learnt about colour, tone and texture so far. During our painting lessons, we played calm, soothing sea sounds and music in the background and also  stormy sea sounds/ music e.g sections of Mendelssohn’s ‘The Hebrides Overture’. 

Last term, we had to imagine that we were the commanders of a Roman army and wrote  ‘Battle Cry’ speeches to persuade our Roman legion to follow us into battle against the Celts. We begun by reading and viewing model battle cries and analyzed the language that was used and the persuasive techniques the speaker used to encourage their audience to follow them into battle. We read and viewed, for example, the battle cries from the films 'Gladiator' and 'Braveheart'.   

We discussed the model texts and media texts in much detail. We considered, for example,   

• Who was speaking? How did they look? What were they wearing?
  

• Why is the speech being made?     
• Who was listening? Why?
• Where and when did we think the speeches would have been made?     
• Would it have been under the cover of darkness or in the clear light of day? 
• What voice was used? Loud or quiet, strong or weak, forceful or soft? Why?
• Would the speaker have used the same voice throughout? When might the speaker’s voice rise and fall? Why would a speaker choose to do
this? 
• When might the speaker choose not to speak at all? How is this shown in the text?
• What effect can a pause have upon the listener? What can it force you to do?
• As a listener, would you have followed the speaker into battle? Why? Why not?
 

Next we looked closely at the vocabulary used in the model 'Battle Cry' speeches, discussing the meaning of the words used. We discussed, for example, the meaning of ambitious vocabulary such as chieftain,  imprisoned, courageous, cowardice, oppression, tyrant, and eternity. We practised using the dictionary to find the meaning of some of these words.

We thought about the techniques the speakers use to  move the listener to action and to  sink their words and ideas deep into the listeners’ minds.
 We identified three ways the speakers attempted to give their speeches power:
 1. Repetition for emphasis: Repeating a simple word or phrase is a great way to hammer down a strong idea or message.
2. Alliteration: A poetic device that uses repeated sounds to help listeners remember a series of key ideas e.g.  proud people, fight for/family/freedom
3. Humility: The speakers try hard to bond with the audience, attempting to show the audience that s/he is not just their leader but one of them too: ‘Brothers...Sisters, we are a proud people....

Soon it was time to write our own Roman batlle cries. In shared writing lessons,  we worked together to write a Roman commander’s  battle cry speech to persuade the soldiers under our command to put their lives at risk and to go into battle against the Celts. We tried to use the persuasive techniques, sentence structures and 'WOW' words that we had read/viewed in the model battle cries. Our next step was to write our own Roman battle cries. We worked so hard at this and we hope you will enjoy the speeches we wrote when you view our Battle Cry films.

We had written our Roman battle cries for a purpose - to persuade our audience to follow us into battle against the cut-throat Celts. Our next step was to perform and record our battle cry speeches in front of the green screen. We annotaed copies of our speeches with performance notes and rehearsed our speeches with a partner acting as our critical audience. They commented about what we had done well and how we could improve our performances. Soon it was time for filming. Using the ipads, we worked well in our groups to film each other performing our speeches. We had such fun dressing up as Roman army commanders. We tried hard to speak in such a way that our persuasive speeches would have much impact upon the audience. When performing our Roman battle cries, we placed an emphasis on the 5 Ps:
Pace – How quickly were we going to read our speeches? When might we want to quicken up or slow down our speeches?  Are there certain parts of the speech that need to be quite measured? 
Pitch - This included the rise and fall of the voice, the general intonation, ‘musicality’ and rhythm of the sentences. The inflections of the voice and the general tone of our speeches needed to be considered here. How formal or informal would they be? What sort of tone would we adopt? Why?
Power - This focuses on volume and stress. When should our Roman characters be loud/quiet? What
effect would this have? Are they loud or quiet for any particular reason? Which words are we going to emphasise and stress? More importantly, why are we going to emphasise them?
Pause - The power of the pause and what effect silence has upon the audience. Does it give them time to take in what has been said? Does it magnify the enormity of what is going to happen? Are there times during the battle cries when we will say nothing and let what is happening on screen do the talking instead? How will we choose when to speak and when to keep quiet? 
 Passion - How will we communicate our passion for going into battle for Rome?

After filming our battle cry speeches, we used the app Doink Greensecreen to impose a Roman battlefield scene behind us. It really does look as if we have stepped back in time two thousand years and are addressing our Roman army as they prepare to go into battle against the Celts. We hope you enjoy viewing a selection of our Roman battle cries that we have posted below. We are proud of our writing for a purpose and of our performances.   

In class this week, we have been using the Book Creator app on our iPads to create multimedia audio e-books of our descriptions of the Great Storm _______ based on the Great Storm Cat from 'The Mousehole Cat'.
                         We used the app to insert the text we had written, choosing a suitable font style, colour and size that would have impact upon the reader. We also searched the Internet for relevant images that would complement the content of our writing. Next we created an audio soundtrack for our e-books, recording ourselves reading aloud our writing. We tried to read with fluency, accuracy and expression. We also aimed to engage the listener's interest by reading with the 6 Ps - pace, passion, pitch, power, pause and punctuation.

                       So now we would like to publish our very own e-books online and to share them with you. We are so proud of them and hope that you will enjoy reading and listening to them too. In this topic, we have enjoyed writing for a real purpose and audience.    

Our Expressive Arts topic this term is based on the wonderful picture book 'The Mousehole Cat' written by Antonia Barber and illustrated by Nicola Bayley. This week, we have been doing some descriptive writing based around the character of the Great Storm Cat. In the story, Antonia Barber uses an extended metaphor and personification to describe a seastorm as if it is a vicious, ruthless cat. In class, we watched a film clip of a storm at Mousehole and mind-mapped vocabulary we could use to describe a seastorm. Next we   did some shared writing and changed the character of the Great Storm Cat to 'The Great Storm Lion'. The focus of our writing lessons was to choose vocabulary carefully, and to use 'WOW' words and adjectives to lift the character off the page. Our aim was that  the reader would easily imagine the raging seastorm portrayed through the extended metaphor of our characters - the Great Storm ........... We also used techniques such as using short, sharp sentences and repetition to build up atmosphere. Below is a selection of our descriptive writing. We hope you enjoy reading it.      

The Great Storm Lion - by Sophie Davies
The beastly storm arrived as the dark sky turned gloomy and the stormy clouds seeped darker and darker. The Great Storm Lion was stirring. It screeched with a rough roar that echoed loudly. Its spiky tail smashed against the cracked boat that slammed on the wild waves. The Great Storm Lion's sharp claws scrammed Tom's trembling boat. Tom and Mowzer were terrified in the grip of its gleaming eyes.
        The Great Storm Lion released a tyrranical fury. Angrily, it wiped the splintering boats into the breezy air. Like a savage strike of lightning, its paw punched the soggy harbour. The Great Storm Lion's eyes stared venomously at Mowzer who shook in fear. It slammed and scrammed; slammed and scrammed.
          With a splash of salty spray, the Great Storm Lion whipped Tom's exhausted boat into the shivering air. Suddenly, its tangled tail wrapped around the bleeding harbour wall. Its violent paw smacked against the leaking boat. Fiery waves smashed the bubbling sea viciously and violently. But Mowzer began to purr. Her purring rose above the noise of the Great Storm Lion's roaring. The Great Storm Lion grew quiet. 

The Great Storm Hawk - by Maisey Bryan
The trembling village turned as dark as a terrifying cave beneath the roaring sky. The Great Storm Hawk was stirring. It exploded with a powerful squawk. The soggy harbour wall cracked with a harsh bang. The hawk's deadly talons tore the damp sail of Tom's quivering boat. It flapped its mighty wings and made fearless waves grow stronger and stronger. Viciously, lightning struck the violent sky in two. Like a tsunami, with its tangled wings, it slapped the bubbling current. The Great Storm Hawk's beak gaped open and Tom shook in terror. It slapped and slammed; slapped and slammed.
               With a beastly slam, the hawk screamed up to the fierce sky. Suddenly it whipped the bubbling waves with its spiky tail feathers. The Great Storm Hawk stared at its prey with gleaming eyes. It bit Tom's leaking boat with its sharp beak. It slammed the wild water with a fierce crash, viciously and violently. But Mowzer began to purr. Her purring rose above the noise of the Great Storm Hawk's roaring. The Great Storm Hawk grew quiet.   

The Great Storm Eagle by Bailey Jones
A darkness came from out of nowhere. Beaming lightning struck the cloudy sky in two. The Great Storm Eagle was stirring. It screeched at Mowzer who felt a sadness in his loved heart. The eagle's angry talons scratched the leaking harbour walls. The wrecked boats were exhausted by the whip in the eagle's wings. Fiercely, the Great Storm Eagle smacked the weak boat on the rainy sea. Like an erupting volcano of salt, it shot riotous rain out into the gloomy sky.
                        The Great Storm Eagle's eyes glared at Mowzer. It screeched and screamed; screeched and screamed. With a slash of its violent talons, it smashed the shivering coastline. Suddenly the salty ocean rose. The Great Storm Eagle's wings tossed the gleaming boat into the stormy air. Its dreadful tail swished the shaking village of Mousehole. The cracking current slapped Mousehole aggressively and angrily. But Mowzer began to purr. Her purring rose above the noise of the Great Storm Eagle's screeching. The Great Storm Eagle grew quiet.     

The Great Storm Jaguar by Lillie-Mae Rees
Suddenly the azure sky was transformed by dark swirls. The Great Storm Jaguar was stirring. It EXPLODED with flames of fury. The torn sails of Tom's leaking boat were slashed by the jaguar's angry claws. It roared louder and louder; louder and louder and the Great Storm Jaguar played around with the weak boat. Swiping his aching paw into the venomous sea, it sent sheets of salty spray into the shivering village. Suddenly Mowzer shook. Like an erupting volcano, the Great Storm Jaguar squirted sheets of liquid from its wet nose. Its swerving tail punched the helpless boats into the shivering sky. It crashed and slammed; crashed and slammed.
              With its spiky tail, the Great Storm Jaguar smacked the swirling boats into the soggy harbour wall. Suddenly its glowing eyes stared at the bleeding village. The harsh clouds grew bigger and bigger until they BURST. The Great Storm Jaguar's pointed ears heard Mowzer screaming like a hawk. It started to gather up grey clouds and harsh waves violently and viciously. But Mowzer began to purr. Her purring rose above the noise of the Great Storm Jaguar's roaring. The Great Storm Jaguar grew quiet.    

The Great Storm Lion by Ollie Edwards
A swooping darkness came from out of nowhere. The Great Storm Lion was stirring. Its curled claws ripped the weak sail of tossed boats that sat in the soggy harbour. Currents snapped at the stormy sky as leaking boats capsized in the shivering ocean. The Great Storm Lion's breath created rough waves. Its savage mane broke the great fishing village and its screeching tail smacked the grey harbour walls that were breaking. Like an exploding hosepipe, its mouth spat a beastly wind.
            The Great Storm Lion's tyrranical eyes stared venomously at Mowzer. It stalked and scrammed; stalked and scrammed. With its sharp claws, the Great Storm Lion broke Tom's wooden boat. Suddenly it tore the rusty mast from it, spitting out a salty spray. Its spiky tail slapped the pushing current. The fearless sea exploded ferociously and violently. But Mowzer began to purr. Her purring rose above the noise of the Great Storm Lion's roaring. The Great Storm Lion grew quiet.           

The Great Storm Eagle by Erin Prosser
Just at that moment, the miserable clouds smothered the sun's gentle light like a cave's shadows closing in. The Great Storm Eagle was stirring. A harsh wind rose over the shivering harbour walls. It whipped the exhausted boats into the chilly air with a svage swish of its violent paw. Its glowing eyes burned like fire. The Great Storm Eagle flew down and rammed into the weak boats, slicing them in half. Aggressively, it whipped its feathery wings backwards and forwards, blowing Tom's struggling boat away from the bleeding village.
                 Like a depressed thunder cloud, the Great Storm Eagle burst with uncontrollable rage. Its sharp talons threw stinging rain and gloomy fog. It squawked and screeched; squawked and screeched. With anger, it threw a threatening fog at Mowzer who shivered. Suddenly the vindictive wind swirled like a vicious hurricane. The Great Storm Eagle hovered over the deadly waves, staring at Mowzer; nearly hypnotizing her. It punched the scared boat with obnoxious waves, unpleasantly and horribly. Its pointed beak tried to capsize the leaking boats. But Mowzer began to purr above the noise of the Great Storm Eagle's roaring. The Great Storm Eagle grew quiet.   

The Great Storm Tiger by Amarli-Jane Moore
Suddenly the light sky transformed into darkness. The Great Storm Tiger was stirring. It snarled in anger as it ripped the soggy sails of quivering boats. Its cruel eyes stared at Mowzer who started to shake. It whipped its dark paw and tossed the slippery boat. Angrily, the Great Storm Tiger swung its toxic tail around the aching boat. Like a spraying fountain,it spat out salty spray. The Great Storm Tiger's sharp nails scrammed the squeaking boat. It punched and roared; punched and roared.
               Wits its strong paw, the Great Storm Tiger hit the exhausted boat. Suddenly its rough roar echoed all around the shocked harbour walls. The Great Storm Tiger peered at Mowzer who shivered. Its fierce whiskers curled through the violent wind. The Great Storm Tiger snarled fiercely and venomously. But Mowzer began to purr. Her purring rose above the noise of the Great Storm Tiger's roaring. The Great Storm Tiger grew quiet.

The Great Storm Piranha by Dylan Wood
The dark sky transformed into a pitch black cell. The Great Storm Piranha was stirring. It swam quickly, making shivering waves on its way. Its glowing eyes stared like a lazer beam, burning the salty water. Below the damp sky, boats found themselves in the Great Storm Piranha's deadly mouth. Viciously, it swam upwards - over and over again. Like a bubbling volcano, it spat salt water out over the trembling village. The Great Storm Piranha's toxic tail fin flung the weak boats up and down in the shifting sea. It slipped and crashed; slipped and crashed.
             With anger, the Great Storm Piranha's furious fins flipped all the worn out boats which capsized in the foamy water. Suddenly the savage sea smashed with a violent wind. The Great Storm Piranha leapt out of the cold sea and bit the fragile sails apart. Its sharp teeth shone through. The stormy sea became wild and angry. But Mowzer began to purr. Her purring rose above the noise of the Great Storm Piranha who grew quiet.     

The Great Storm Lion by Callum Burford
Suddenly a terrible darkness descended and the whipping waves banged across the leaking harbour wall. The Great Storm Lion was stirring. It pounced onto the soggy harbour wall. It smashed the motors, snapped flapping sails and cracked bobbing boats. The Great Storm Lion was splashing the trembling boat into the squelching harbour walls. Clouds shivered with lightning. Its jagged mouth blew columns of rain into the village. Its beastly eyes stared at Mowzer. Whipping waves roared over the harbour. Softly Mowzer sung her heart out to the roaring lion.
                  All of a sudden, the Great Storm Lion slapped Tom's fragile boat into the rocky reef. It roared at Mowzer who shook in fear. Like an exploding bomb, it fired salty spray at the cowering village. The Great Storm Lion slapped and banged; slapped and banged. With its powerful paw, it smashed into the ripped sail. Suddenly its curvy whiskers slammed into the soggy coastline. The Great Storm Lion pounced onto the whipping waves that splashed onto the wiggling boats. Its cruel mane splashed the harbour walls. Suddenly its dribbling mouth viciously bit open a strike of jagged lightning. But Mowzer began to purr. Her purring rose above the noise of the Great Storm Lion's roaring. The Great Storm Lion grew quiet.  

 As a 'Super Start' to our Mousehole Cat expressive arts topic, we visited a working harbour similar to that at Mousehole - the harbour/marina at Porthcawl. We were met at the harbour by Sion, the harbourmaster, who told us all about everyday life at the harbour as well as some of its history. Sion explained that Porthcawl harbour was built in the 19th Century as a coal port. Coal would be transported to Porthcawl harbour by railway from the coal mines in the South Wales valleys before being exported all around the world. In recent years, the harbour has undergone a regeneration and is now a busy marina with berths for up to 70 boats and watercraft. Sion explained that the harbour is most busy during the summer months with boats and yachts docking here from all over the UK, Europe and further afield.  

Sion the harbourmaster told us that as well as hosting leisure craft, the working harbour hosts some fishing boats that go out to sea everyday to catch fish that are sold at local markets - just like the fishing harbour at Mousehole. Indeed, we met one of the fisherman and waved him on his way as he headed through the harbour gates and out to sea. The boats inside the harbour contact Sion by radio  when they are ready to go out to sea and he opens the harbour gates for them to pass through. Mr. Evans was even allowed a turn at opening the harbour gates. He had to push a red button and the gates opened electronically. Sion also showed us how he could raise the level of the water inside the harbour. He opened sluice gates in the harbour walls and sea water came flooding in and the boats rose in the water. Sion also pointed out the large crane that is used to lift boats out of the water if they are in need of repair or a washing down.   

We spent some time exploring the marina and sketching features that interested us. Some of us sketched the boats. Others sketched the harbour walls, the pontoons between the boats or the ropes and buoys that bobbed in the water. It was a cold day but the biting wind didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. We thought about the similarities and differences between Porthcawl harbour and Mousehole harbour that we explored on Google Maps last week.

Soon it was time for lunch and the lovely staff at Coffi allowed us to eat our packed lunches sitting at their outside tables. We enjoyed watching the world go by whilst eating our lunches and chatting to our friends.

After lunch we visited Porthcawl RNLI Station where we learnt all about the amazing work the RNLI does at Porthcawl and the coastline around to save lives at sea. We were welcomed to the RNLI station by two volunteers who talked to us about how the RNLI is a charity whose lifeboat crews provide a 24-hour rescue service in the UK and Ireland. Their seasonal lifeguards look after people on busy beaches and their Flood Rescue Team helps those affected by flooding. We watched a short film which showed us how RNLI crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,200 lives since 1824. The volunteers  explained the risks people face when going out to sea or to the coast. Watch this short film that highlights the important work the RNLI do to keep us safe.  

The volunteers told us that Porthcawl is one of the busiest lifeboat stations in the country and described some of the recent 'shouts' involving the Porthcawl lifeboat. On January 5th, for example, the Atlantic 85 lifeboat was launched on service following a report of a Stand Up Paddleboarder struggling in the rip current at the point in Rest Bay. In November, whilst on a training exercise, Porthcawl RNLI volunteer crew onboard their Atlantic 85 lifeboat were flagged down by a windsurfer to the east of Hutchwns Point. He was experiencing difficulties due to the tide and wind conditions.

We had the opportunity to look closely at the lifeboats that are launched from Porthcawl RNLI station and crewed by local volunteers who get to the station as quickly as possible when they are paged during an emergency situation. The smaller D Class (IB1) Lifeboat has been the workhorse of the RNLI fleet for over 50 years. Able to operate closer to shore than the Atlantic 85 the IB1 is ideal for rescues close to shore in fair to moderate conditions. It is light enough to be manually righted by the crew after a capsize. This lifeboat is launched at Porthcawl using a Tooltrak tractor and trailer unit.

Rose Of The Shires is one of the new generation of RNLI B-class Atlantic inshore lifeboats. It is almost 8.5m in length.

With a crew of four, and two 115hp petrol engines, the lifeboat is capable of speeds in excess of 35 knots, and is fitted with a manually operated righting system which allows her to remain operational even after capsize. At Porthcawl the boat is launched using a specially designed Tractor unit with carriage.  She has an endurance of 2.5 hours at maximum speed.

The volunteers showed us the Kit Room where the lifeboat crew dress and prepare to go out to sea during a rescue. We were shown the helmet, balaclava, drysuit attached to their boots, thermal suit, gloves and pagers as well as their lifejackets. Each of the suits is specially made to fit each individual crewperson and has their name on it. We all had a chance to hold the lifejackets and helmets. We couldn't believe how heavy they were.    

There was just time to visit the RNLI shop to buy some small souvenirs to remind us of our visit. Thank you so much to the RNLI volunteers who showed us around Porthcawl RNLI Lifeboat Station and talked to us about the invaluable work the RNLI and its volunteers do to keep us safe at sea and on our beaches and coastline.   

In the afternoon, we spent time investigating the types of shops and businesses that there are in Porthcawl. We wanted to find out what a seaside / coastal town was like and started to think about its characteristics. We walked through John Street, Porthcawl's main shopping street and conducted a survey of what type of shops and businesses were there. We recorded our findings using tally marks on our survey sheets. We found that there were many charity shops, gift shops, fashion stores and well-known chain stores such as Boots and Superdrug.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to school on the bus. We had all enjoyed a busy day at Porthcawl exploring the harbour, RNLI station, sea defences and the town itself. Even if it was a bit cold and breezy! J3 would like to thank Sion the harbourmaster and the volunteers at Porthcawl RNLI Lifeboat Station for spending time with us. We learnt such a lot from you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.      

In class this week, we have been thinking about the importance of punctuation marks such as capital letters, full stops, commas, question marks and speech marks. We spent time discussing the purpose of different punctuation marks and the jobs they do. We decided, for example, that:
- full stops are used at the end of sentences. They show the reader where to pause and to take a breath.
- capital letters are used at the beginning of sentences. They are also used for the names of people, places, days and months etc.
- question marks are used at the end of questions. Questions often begin with words such as 'Who', 'What', 'Why', 'Where', 'When' and 'How'.
- speech marks or inverted commas are placed before and after spoken words.
-commas are used to show the reader where to make a slight pause. They are also used to separate items in a list.  

We did some 'Kung Fu' punctuation where we read a passage from 'The Mousehole Cat' and did different Kung Fu movements for each of the missing punctuation marks. We punched the air in front of us, for example, to represent a full stop. We placed our hands above our heads in the shape of a capital A to represent a capital letter.  

In small groups, we were given a passage or sentences based on the story 'The Mousehole Cat'. We had to discuss the passage/sentences and decide which punctuation marks were missing. We then had to practise our 'Musical Punctuation' performance. Each of us had to choose a punctuation mark and a musical instrument that we would play every time that our specific punctuation mark came up in the passage. A drum, for example, could be played to represent a full stop, the maracas shaken to represent a capital letter, a recorder blown to represent speech marks etc.   

When we were ready, we performed our 'Musical Punctuation' to the rest of the class. They had to read the passage closely, look and listen carefully to our performances to see if they could work out which of our musical instruments represented which punctuation marks. We all played our instruments well and the class were able to identify which instrument represented which punctuation marks. We enjoyed our 'Musical Punctuation' activities and they helped us to better understand the purposes of different punctuation marks so that we can use them accurately in our own writing. 

This week in Maths, we have been learning all about 2D shapes and their properties. We have been investigating the properties of squares, rectangles (and other quadrilaterals), triangles, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, circles and ovals! Did you know, for example, that a rectangle has two pairs of equal sides, four vertices and four right angles?

We have enjoyed practical maths activities where we worked with a partner to identify different 2D shapes and to sort them according to different criteria. In our 'Quadrilateral Investigation' , for example, we were given a selection of 2D shapes which we had to sort into groups after looking closely at their properties. We had to decide if the 2D shapes we cut out were squares, rectangles, other quadrilaterals or not quadrilaterals at all! 

Today we became 2D shape detectives! Our mission was to explore around and about the school in our groups, looking for examples of 2D shapes. We could look for 2D shapes in the classrooms, in corridors, in the halls, upstairs, downstairs, outside in the playground, in the woodland area, on the MUGA - in fact almost anywhere! Mr. Evans challenged us to find a variety of 2D shapes not just squares and rectangles. Could we, for example, find any pentagons, octagons or ovals? We set off in our detective teams with our iPads so that we could take photographs of any 2D shapes we found.   

We worked well in our detective teams and found lots of evidence of 2D shapes around the school. Here we are tracking down 2D shapes and here are some examples of 2D shapes we found. We had cracked the case! Crime solved. Case closed. Until the next time.........We are now going to look out for 2D shapes outside school -- at home, at the shops, at the park, in the street....... 

Today Year 3 enjoyed their visit to Caerleon's Roman Fortress and Baths. The remains of the amphitheatre, barracks and baths at Caerleon - or Isca as it was known in Roman times - provided us with a vivid picture of what life would have been like two thousand years ago in Roman Wales.

At the Capricorn Centre, we were lucky enough to enjoy a Roman banquet role play where we feasted on such Roman delicacies as peacock brains, oysters and stuffed dormouse! An impressive selection of Roman foods was laid out on the long banquet table. Some of us wealthy Romans, dressed in purple robes, were served delicious food by our Roman slaves. "Slave, peel me a grape and be quick about it!"  

Soon it was time for us to head off in the direction of the Roman amphitheatre that would have been outside the protective stone walls of the Roman fort. Here the Second Augustan Legion would have trained - exercising, marching and practising fighting with their swords, shields and javelins. Crowds would also gather at the amphitheatre for special announcements as well as entertainment such as fights between gladiators and wolves or bears! The Romans enjoyed a bit of blood and gore! At the amphitheatre we practised marching as a Roman legion to Roman commands and instructions. Forward march! 1..2..3..4, 1..2..3..4...  

Frigidarium, tepidarium, caldarium and natatio. Sounds like one of Harry Potter’s spells! In fact, they describe the wide range of facilities and rooms  on offer to the Second Augustan Legion at the Roman Baths. These included heated changing rooms, a series of cold and warm baths, covered exercise rooms and even an open-air swimming pool. The Romans liked nothing better than a relaxing bathe and swim. At the baths we saw the hypocaust - the heating system that heated the water of the bath-house. We also saw artefacts from two thousand years ago such as mosaic art and pieces of jewellery found in the remains of the baths. These must have fallen from people as they swam.   

At the museum, we were shown a multimedia presentation all about Roman Isca and the historical site at Caerleon. We found out lots of information about Roman soldiers and their way of life. Some of  us visited the reconstructed barracks room. We could see how six Roman soldiers shared two rooms where they would eat, sleep and store their equipment including swords, javelins and shields. They slept on wooden bunk beds with thin mattresses. In the barrack rooms, we had an opportunity to try on replica helmets and armour. We couldn't believe how heavy the armour was!