Pentwynmawr Primary School
Welcome
Dosbarth Merlin
Welcome to Dosbarth Merlin with Miss Newell.
Croeso i'r Dosbarth Merlin gyda Miss Newell.
Take a look at who has been elected to represent our school and class this year...
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Our topic for the Spring term is 'Community Explorers' and our class focus will be
'Bend and Flow'
During the term’s topic of ‘Community Explorer’ our focus will be ‘Bend and Flow’. This topic will engage learners in exploring the fascinating natural and human aspects of rivers, with a particular focus on local examples such as the River Usk and the River Ebbw in order to discover how rivers in South Wales shape our environment, communities, and history.
In Dosbarth Merlin, we always start our topic by discussing the topic title and thinking about what it means to us
within the six Areas of Learning Experience.
These are:
Literacy, Language & Communication
Numeracy
Humanities
Health & Wellbeing
Expressive Arts
Science & Technology
We made notes of all our ideas and created mind maps.
Miss Newell will use our ideas to create a pupil led topic for us!
Take a look at some of our ideas here...
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Below are some of the interesting tasks that we have taken part in so far this term. Come and take a closer look!
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In our science session this term we have been focusing on hydropower and how rivers in Wales can help to create a sustainable future.
This image is of a TASC wheel. TASC (Thinking Actively in a Social Context) is a framework that we use to help pupils develop problem-solving and thinking skills. It encourages pupils to work together, ask questions, explore ideas, and find creative solutions. TASC supports independent learning and teamwork by guiding pupils through a structured process, helping them take ownership of their learning in an engaging and meaningful way. This approach helps build confidence, resilience, and critical thinking skills that benefit children across all subjects.
We looked closely at the hydropower station in Carmarthenshire which uses the water of the River Towy to generate power. As the water flows through the station, it spins a turbine, converting kinetic energy into mechanical energy.
We created a hydropower model of our own, here is a video explaining what we did...
Hydropower
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Our topic for the Autumn term is 'Diversity and Dreams' and our class focus will be
'Children of the Revolution.'
Throughout this project, we will explore what ‘diversity’ means to us in Dosbarth Merlin. We will explore how we are all different and compare our lives to children in the past. We will dive into the history and impact of the Victorian era in South Wales including the lives of the rich and poor and other significant social and moral changes of the 19th century. At the heart of this project children learn how to write newspaper reports on an historical theme and learn additional skills of explanation writing.
In Dosbarth Merlin, we always start our topic by discussing the topic title and thinking about what it means to us
within the six Areas of Learning Experience.
These are:
Literacy, Language & Communication
Numeracy
Humanities
Health & Wellbeing
Expressive Arts
Science & Technology
We made notes of all our ideas and created mind maps.
Miss Newell will use our ideas to create a pupil led topic for us!
Take a look at some of our ideas here...
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Take a look at some of the experiences we have had so far this term...
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We took a closer look at child labor during the Victorian era. We decided to research different jobs that children did back then.
We took on the roll of time travelling BBC reporters and used the Green Screen app to visit the Victorian era to present our research.
Take at look at this talented duo and their performance!
Click this link to watch! - A Time Travelling Performance
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We visited St Fagan's National History Museum for a Victorian School's workshop.
We learnt lots about the way children dressed, how they were treated and what a typical day in school looked like.
We have a fabulous time!
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In Dosbarth Merlin we have three dragons Dafydd, Bryn and Carys. Each week during our Seren Yr Wythnos assembly pupils who have tried hard to speak Welsh during the week are awarded by receiving a certificate and taking home one of our dragons.
Their challenge is to speak Welsh at home and send a video via SeeSaw of them doing this. Take a look at some of the fantastic Welsh that Dosbarth Merlin have been speaking at home!
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Don't forget that you can access Spelling Shed, Mathletics, Times Table Rockstars and Oxford Owl at home.
Here are the links:
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Here you will find copies of any letters that we have shared with you: