MVS Newsletter December 2020

FEATURES
FEATURES
THIS TERM IN HUMANITIES
Black History Month - by Ms Begum, Head of Humanities
I was honoured to deliver an assembly on Black History
Month UK in October, and I was especially proud of Peggy
(Year 7), Ariadne, Eliana and Emeka (Year 9) who assisted
me. The presentation focused on the origins of BHM UK
and the achievements of ordinary black people including
Mary Seacole, John Kent, Frank Arthur Bailey and Lilian
Bader . Their courage in the face of threats along with their
resilience in the face of adversity inspired generations of
people to stand up for civil rights. We at MVS can certainly
learn lessons from their stories about the importance of
resilience, but also, remember that, “What we need it not
the history of selected races or nations but the history of
the world, void of national bias, race hate and religious
prejudice.” (Carter G. Woodson, the father of BHM.)
Remembrance Day - by Ms Ridley, Assistant Head and Head of English
Remembrance Day assembly was delivered by MrWinter, and allowed all members of the School community
to contemplate the unimaginable sacrifices people of the Armed Forces made for us and continue to make
for us. While there was ample contextualisation of World War 1 and 2, including poppies and John McCrae’s
In Flanders Fields, and the purpose and meaning of both the Reveille and The Last Post. Mr Winter’s assembly
made the significance of war even more poignant by explaining the tragic death of one of his schoolmates,
who was serving in Iraq, in 2007. Pupils were impressively attentive and respectful throughout the assembly,
and some continued the discussion of Remembrance Day into lunch and the rest of the school day. Some
pupils were able to deepen their knowledge of how the Great War was represented in art by analysing the
painting ‘Gassed’ by John Singer Sargent and others shared stories of a family member who fought in WWII.
The Norman Conquest
One of the highlights of the Autumn Term was the effort
of Year 7 History pupils applying their knowledge of
the Normans’ desire to build motte and bailey castles
in 12th century England to create their own model
castles. I am so proud of EVERY SINGLE pupil who said
that they very much enjoyed making their castles. They
said that their parents enjoyed making the castles, too!
by Ms Begum, Head of
Humanities
The Water Cycle Song
One of the joys of teaching for me is that pupils can be just as inspiring
as teachers. Zebedee (Year 7) contributed to his peers’ learning by
leading fellow geographers to create their own water cycle song.
Though some may have slightly mixed their evaporation with their
condensation, the important part of the activity was that pupils had fun
learning an aspect of geography which combines complex physical
geography with science. A lot of research has been undertaken about
how learners learn, with a particular emphasis on visual, auditory and
kinaesthetic learning. Both Year 7 Geography classes were excellent in
combining all three elements of learning to create their water cycle song.
Listen on Twitter!
@MaidaValeHuman
4 5