7 Pioneer threw themselves into their first source analysis today. The ability to analyse sources will be central in their Hums expeditions and into GCSE. Sources are analysed in detail to help us gain an insight into the context and attitudes of a certain period in history – in our case, we looked at the recruitment propaganda posters from the Great War to gain an insight into society’s attitudes and expectations of men during this time.

We first looked at the features that we would be looking for in a source, for example, body language, facial expressions, language and hidden messages. We then explored how these features tell us a message about the source and the historical period it was from.

It was fantastic to see how focused Pioneer were when analysing the sources. They were really thinking deeply into how and why the images and language of the posters were portraying a message. I’m excited to hear the wonderful insights the students have about the other sources we will look at. Judging by the annotations they’ve made in today’s lessons, their full written source analyses will be brilliant!

Keep up the hard work Pioneer!

7 Pioneer are just over half way through their first expedition at XP East. Time is flying by, but I would like to take a moment to pause and appreciate the students in 7 Pioneer who have consistently worked hard throughout their time at XP East in Hums.

These pupils show our Habits of Work and Learning (HOWLs) to an excellent level. They always Work Hard, stay focused, and put their best effort into every piece of work they do. They Get Smart by responding to all critique and feedback given to their work, whether that’s from myself or their peers, so they can improve. They are always a pleasure to have in the classroom, they Be Kind to their peers and staff, and are always respectful and compassionate.

The other students in Pioneer are also close to this superstar status – let’s get the whole class there!

Here’s our Hums superstars: Thomas, Charlotte, Junia, Abi, Jess, Ava, Charlie, Alice, Dylan, Torran, Callum and Cerys, with their drafts and final draft of their First World War Letters. I would like to appreciate them for their fantastic conduct in Hums since being at XP East.  Keep it up!

This week, 7 Pioneer have been busy drafting and re-drafting their letters from the perspective of soldiers in the trenches of the Great War. Each letter was inspired by a Doncaster soldier who is buried at Hyde Park Cemetery, whose life and death we explored during our fieldwork there.

The pupils have finished draft 2 and gave each other peer critique, making sure they were kind, specific and helpful in their feedback. A particular mention to Dylan S, Ava and Marcus who gave superb feedback that was kind, specific and helpful. Pupils get smart by responding to this feedback and using it to improve their work – it’s great to see the progression between each draft!

Before the final write up, there was one very important job for us to do! Pioneer stained paper with tea, ready for their final draft write up tomorrow. This will create beautiful work and give their letters a more authentic appearance, almost as if they’ve come straight out of the trenches on the Western Front!

Here’s Pioneer in action today:

7 Pioneer have made a great start back at school.

They are busy preparing for the Remembrance Day service they will be holding with 7 Explorer on Friday, which all parents are invited to.

They also handed in their first drafts of their letter from the trenches. I look forward to marking them, giving praise and critique, so improvements can be made next week when we continue the drafting process.

A special mention to Aaron for his beautiful work and superb craftsmanship and quality. He had the initiative to stain his paper and add an envelope to make his letter look authentic!