Baffled is a new piece of vocabulary which the children have recently learned through our guided reading text and it perfectly sums up their thoughts and feelings when they discovered that Mr Cappelina had unearthed objects unfamiliar to him. We explained to the children that the school grounds were used for an unknown purpose before the school was built and we are not sure what for. We unearthed: a few rusty, enormous metal poles, a flower made from glass, a lightbulb, a red feather, a straw hat and a metal cane. Using these clues, the children were able to discuss and predict what the grounds were used for and who by. We had lots of incredible and thoughtful suggestions; from a farm to a club house. Our amazing year 3 children were then shown a letter sent from the St Albans archaeological society to thank us for our hard work. 

This activity has led us perfectly into our text for the first half term, the Tin Forest written by Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson. This is the story of an elderly man who lives in a small house surrounded by other people's junk. Despite the gloomy setting, he dreams of something else. 

We can't wait to see how much the children enjoy the story and what wonderful writing they produce as a result!