Year 3 knew that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Elliot had heard about the star of Bethlehem and Elsie knew that Mary had received a message telling her that she was going to have a baby, and that she should call him Jesus.
What was Bethlehem like before Jesus was born?
Edward- the buildings were stone/ sand like.
Dylan- It was small
Libby- lots of mountains
Elsie-Rai- hot
Edward recalled how Joseph returned to Bethlehem to pay taxes.
Charlie T- knew it was where Jesus was born
Joe- described how the town was too busy, so Mary and Joseph went to the stable.
How has Bethlehem changed?
Year 3 were surprised to find out that Bethlehem was a real place that people still visit today.
Ellis- there are lots more buildings
William- the houses look different and are different colours
Courtney- more people live there
Finley- recalled that it is now called ‘The Holy Land’
Year 1 told me that Bethlehem was old and dusty and in the desert. They said it looked a very quiet town. Year 1 knew that lots of people were travelling to Bethlehem to be counted in the Census.
We think that Bethlehem would be newer and more buildings with more people around. We think there would be cars and more people too.
Year 1 think that Bethlehem is still a special place as they have lots of visitors to the stable to see where baby Jesus was born. Sadie told us that it is a holy place.
In assembly we talked about what Bethlehem looked like at the time Jesus was born. The children were surprised that it was surrounded by desert and a wall was all around it.
Sebby – They all went to Bethlehem because they were told to go back to the place that they were born
Gwen – Jesus was born in Bethlehem
Rio – People went to Bethlehem to celebrate Jesus
Alex – It looks like a quiet
Milo – The three Kings went to see baby Jesus
Holly – I think they will have painted the walls
Eva – I think some of the houses will have been knocked down and it will look old fashioned
How has Bethlehem changed?
Dominic – The city has been knocked down and new buildings have been built. The city has got bigger
Holly – I think they have knocked down the wall in order to make the city bigger
Do you think Bethlehem is a special place?
Jack – Yes because people in Bethlehem still celebrate the birth of Jesus
Gwen – People might go there to celebrate Christmas because that’s where Jesus was born
Year 5:
What was Bethlehem like before Jesus was born there?
Jacob said that it was deserted and looks a bit like a wasteland. People might be shocked to see Bethlehem like this because it is where the son of God was born (most people might expect it to be more lavish).
Why did so many people go to Bethlehem?
Riley said because they wanted to explore where Jesus was born and where he visited.
What do you think Bethlehem looks like today? Will it have changed?
Charlie thinks it has changed a lot – he doesn’t think it will be a poor village anymore.
Isla thinks they will have built more houses and fixed any ruins.
Zeb thinks it will look more crumbly and broken down.
We then looked at the new picture of Bethlehem.
How has Bethlehem changed?
Lexi said that the buildings are more modern and there is a church.
Charlie thinks it looks more like a big city rather than a deserted village.
Lily thinks it has changed a lot because there is a lot more houses.
Ellis noticed that the sky looks clear.
Do you think it is still a special place?
James thinks it is still a special place because we can remember where Jesus was born and where the star appeared.
Isla thinks it is very important because the son of God was born there.
Lexi doesn’t think it is an important place anymore because there has been too much change so it’s not original anymore.
Year 5:
What did you learn about how celebrations are different around the World?
Australia – they celebrate on the beach and sometimes eat their Christmas dinner in the heat!
China – They call Christmas trees the ‘tree of light’ and mostly decorate their houses with paper decorations and lanterns.
Germany – they often serve a whole pig as part of their dinner and they have lots of German markets.
Denmark – they cook a large rice pudding and put 1 almond in it. The person who is served the almond gets good luck for the whole year.
If you were not in this country for Christmas which country would you like to be in? Why?
Anaya would like to be in Spain because it is hot and you can relax there.
Lexi would like to be in Denmark because she thinks the traditions sound nice.
Adah and Eva would like to be in Australia because it is warm and you can spend time on the beach.
James would like to be in Germany because he thinks the feasts sound nice and likes the sound of the carols and sparklers.
Ollie wouldn’t like to be anywhere but England as he likes the cosy feeling.
What do all the celebrations for Christmas have in common?
Alice thinks that they all have decorations.
Charlie said they all have presents.
Milly said that they all have their own traditions.
Freya said that they all have Christmas food.
Year 6 think that when Jesus was born, Bethlehem looked isolated, vast and empty. It seemed very dry and was surrounded by desert. Ajay thinks that now it has more modern buildings and there looks to be less desert.
Ross thinks it is still a special place as people visit from all over the world to see Bethlehem. Ben thinks it is a special place as it is a very important part of the Christmas story to many religious people.
We thought the ‘Christmas around the World’ powerpoint was very interesting. Archie liked learning about how different countries celebrated Christmas. Year 6 were surprised that there were so many differences at Christmas compared to England.
Isla would like to spend Christmas in Australia as she would like the heat and would love to eat ice cream on Christmas day!
Borys is from Poland and he would rather be there for Christmas as there is lots of snow and you can ice skate and go sledging! Borys shared with Year 6 that he celebrates part of Christmas on the 6th December and he received some presents yesterday from his family!
Elodie would also like to spend Christmas in Australia because she is fed up of the cold weather in the UK!
Ross shared that all of the countries on the powerpoint have their own versions of the Christmas story and they all share gifts. Will said that some have their own versions of Father Christmas.
Year 1 enjoyed watching and listening to the information about Christmas around the World. Liliana told us that people celebrate Christmas in different ways. In Australia it is hot at Christmas and people swim in the sea and barbecue on the beach.(Molly) In China not all families celebrate Christmas but the ones that do put up paper decorations and lanterns and lights. (Charlie) In Germany people go to the markets. (Imogen)
Gracie said she would like to be in New Zealand as the weather is hot and she would like to wear her shorts and t-shirt. Imogen W said she would like to celebrate with her cousins in Australia. Lois would like to celebrate Christmas in Italy. Aiden said he wanted to stay in the UK and be with his family at Christmas.
Lois told us that the things that each of the countries have in common are putting up decorations in our homes, special food, giving presents and meeting family.
Last week we discussed Christmas from around the world as part of Tuesday’s assembly because we have so many children in our class from different parts of the world. Last week we wrote about some of the different ways to celebrate. In today’s assembly we learnt a few more things which we didn’t know. The children said they learnt:
Holly – Didn’t know that in Italy there is a witch who is said to still be flying around looking for the baby Jesus
Maya – I learnt that in Poland and Spain the children leave their shoes out to be filled
Gwen – I learnt that Spain celebrated The Three Kings
Jack – I would like to be in Italy to catch sight of the witch
Holly – I would like to go to France to experience how they celebrate Christmas, I usually only go there in the summer
Alfie – I would like to go to Spain so I can put my shoes out for the Three Kings
Dylan – I would like to be in Australia so I could be on the beach and have a swim on Christmas day
Orla – I would like to be in Spain to see how different celebrations about the Three Kings is.
Isabelle – I would like to go to China to see the houses decorated with lanterns
Eva – I would like to go to Germany to eat the yummy Marzipan
The thing we decided that the things have in common is they all celebrate Christmas, many have a special meal, they celebrate baby Jesus and people exchange presents.
Year 3 were fascinated with the way in which different countries celebrate Christmas. They though it would feel strange to have christmas dinner on the beach in Australia.
They enjoyed listening to the different names for Father Christmas but they thought that Italy’s traditions were the strangest….a flying witch!
They recognised that lights, decorations, food and presents were a common theme throughout.
Foundation 2 discussed the picture of Bethlehem before Jesus was born. Esme said that Jesus was born there over 2,000 years ago. Elsie said that the people living there wouldn’t have used mobile phones. Alex said that Bethlehem looked like a small town. F2 learned that lots of people were visiting Bethlehem when Mary and Joseph visited because they had a to register for a census. We then looked at the picture of modern Bethlehem. Reggie said that there are more buildings and Elsie said lots of people still visit Bethlehem because Jesus was born there because he is the son of God.
Foundation 2 loved learning about how Christmas is celebrated around the world. They were surprised to learn that Australians eat their Christmas dinner on the beach! Morwenna remembered they eat pasta and salads because it is so hot. Brooke remembered that Father Christmas changes into a summer shirt, shorts and flip flops when he arrives in Australia!
Morwenna said she would like to celebrate Christmas in Denmark as she would be excited to find the hidden almond in the rice pudding. Thomas and Kyton said they would like to celebrate Christmas in China as they would like to see the illuminated paper lanterns outside homes.
Year 3 knew that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Elliot had heard about the star of Bethlehem and Elsie knew that Mary had received a message telling her that she was going to have a baby, and that she should call him Jesus.
What was Bethlehem like before Jesus was born?
Edward- the buildings were stone/ sand like.
Dylan- It was small
Libby- lots of mountains
Elsie-Rai- hot
Edward recalled how Joseph returned to Bethlehem to pay taxes.
Charlie T- knew it was where Jesus was born
Joe- described how the town was too busy, so Mary and Joseph went to the stable.
How has Bethlehem changed?
Year 3 were surprised to find out that Bethlehem was a real place that people still visit today.
Ellis- there are lots more buildings
William- the houses look different and are different colours
Courtney- more people live there
Finley- recalled that it is now called ‘The Holy Land’
Year 1 told me that Bethlehem was old and dusty and in the desert. They said it looked a very quiet town. Year 1 knew that lots of people were travelling to Bethlehem to be counted in the Census.
We think that Bethlehem would be newer and more buildings with more people around. We think there would be cars and more people too.
Year 1 think that Bethlehem is still a special place as they have lots of visitors to the stable to see where baby Jesus was born. Sadie told us that it is a holy place.
In assembly we talked about what Bethlehem looked like at the time Jesus was born. The children were surprised that it was surrounded by desert and a wall was all around it.
Sebby – They all went to Bethlehem because they were told to go back to the place that they were born
Gwen – Jesus was born in Bethlehem
Rio – People went to Bethlehem to celebrate Jesus
Alex – It looks like a quiet
Milo – The three Kings went to see baby Jesus
Holly – I think they will have painted the walls
Eva – I think some of the houses will have been knocked down and it will look old fashioned
How has Bethlehem changed?
Dominic – The city has been knocked down and new buildings have been built. The city has got bigger
Holly – I think they have knocked down the wall in order to make the city bigger
Do you think Bethlehem is a special place?
Jack – Yes because people in Bethlehem still celebrate the birth of Jesus
Gwen – People might go there to celebrate Christmas because that’s where Jesus was born
Year 5:
What was Bethlehem like before Jesus was born there?
Jacob said that it was deserted and looks a bit like a wasteland. People might be shocked to see Bethlehem like this because it is where the son of God was born (most people might expect it to be more lavish).
Why did so many people go to Bethlehem?
Riley said because they wanted to explore where Jesus was born and where he visited.
What do you think Bethlehem looks like today? Will it have changed?
Charlie thinks it has changed a lot – he doesn’t think it will be a poor village anymore.
Isla thinks they will have built more houses and fixed any ruins.
Zeb thinks it will look more crumbly and broken down.
We then looked at the new picture of Bethlehem.
How has Bethlehem changed?
Lexi said that the buildings are more modern and there is a church.
Charlie thinks it looks more like a big city rather than a deserted village.
Lily thinks it has changed a lot because there is a lot more houses.
Ellis noticed that the sky looks clear.
Do you think it is still a special place?
James thinks it is still a special place because we can remember where Jesus was born and where the star appeared.
Isla thinks it is very important because the son of God was born there.
Lexi doesn’t think it is an important place anymore because there has been too much change so it’s not original anymore.
Year 5:
What did you learn about how celebrations are different around the World?
Australia – they celebrate on the beach and sometimes eat their Christmas dinner in the heat!
China – They call Christmas trees the ‘tree of light’ and mostly decorate their houses with paper decorations and lanterns.
Germany – they often serve a whole pig as part of their dinner and they have lots of German markets.
Denmark – they cook a large rice pudding and put 1 almond in it. The person who is served the almond gets good luck for the whole year.
If you were not in this country for Christmas which country would you like to be in? Why?
Anaya would like to be in Spain because it is hot and you can relax there.
Lexi would like to be in Denmark because she thinks the traditions sound nice.
Adah and Eva would like to be in Australia because it is warm and you can spend time on the beach.
James would like to be in Germany because he thinks the feasts sound nice and likes the sound of the carols and sparklers.
Ollie wouldn’t like to be anywhere but England as he likes the cosy feeling.
What do all the celebrations for Christmas have in common?
Alice thinks that they all have decorations.
Charlie said they all have presents.
Milly said that they all have their own traditions.
Freya said that they all have Christmas food.
Year 6 think that when Jesus was born, Bethlehem looked isolated, vast and empty. It seemed very dry and was surrounded by desert. Ajay thinks that now it has more modern buildings and there looks to be less desert.
Ross thinks it is still a special place as people visit from all over the world to see Bethlehem. Ben thinks it is a special place as it is a very important part of the Christmas story to many religious people.
We thought the ‘Christmas around the World’ powerpoint was very interesting. Archie liked learning about how different countries celebrated Christmas. Year 6 were surprised that there were so many differences at Christmas compared to England.
Isla would like to spend Christmas in Australia as she would like the heat and would love to eat ice cream on Christmas day!
Borys is from Poland and he would rather be there for Christmas as there is lots of snow and you can ice skate and go sledging! Borys shared with Year 6 that he celebrates part of Christmas on the 6th December and he received some presents yesterday from his family!
Elodie would also like to spend Christmas in Australia because she is fed up of the cold weather in the UK!
Ross shared that all of the countries on the powerpoint have their own versions of the Christmas story and they all share gifts. Will said that some have their own versions of Father Christmas.
Year 1 enjoyed watching and listening to the information about Christmas around the World. Liliana told us that people celebrate Christmas in different ways. In Australia it is hot at Christmas and people swim in the sea and barbecue on the beach.(Molly) In China not all families celebrate Christmas but the ones that do put up paper decorations and lanterns and lights. (Charlie) In Germany people go to the markets. (Imogen)
Gracie said she would like to be in New Zealand as the weather is hot and she would like to wear her shorts and t-shirt. Imogen W said she would like to celebrate with her cousins in Australia. Lois would like to celebrate Christmas in Italy. Aiden said he wanted to stay in the UK and be with his family at Christmas.
Lois told us that the things that each of the countries have in common are putting up decorations in our homes, special food, giving presents and meeting family.
Last week we discussed Christmas from around the world as part of Tuesday’s assembly because we have so many children in our class from different parts of the world. Last week we wrote about some of the different ways to celebrate. In today’s assembly we learnt a few more things which we didn’t know. The children said they learnt:
Holly – Didn’t know that in Italy there is a witch who is said to still be flying around looking for the baby Jesus
Maya – I learnt that in Poland and Spain the children leave their shoes out to be filled
Gwen – I learnt that Spain celebrated The Three Kings
Jack – I would like to be in Italy to catch sight of the witch
Holly – I would like to go to France to experience how they celebrate Christmas, I usually only go there in the summer
Alfie – I would like to go to Spain so I can put my shoes out for the Three Kings
Dylan – I would like to be in Australia so I could be on the beach and have a swim on Christmas day
Orla – I would like to be in Spain to see how different celebrations about the Three Kings is.
Isabelle – I would like to go to China to see the houses decorated with lanterns
Eva – I would like to go to Germany to eat the yummy Marzipan
The thing we decided that the things have in common is they all celebrate Christmas, many have a special meal, they celebrate baby Jesus and people exchange presents.
Year 3 were fascinated with the way in which different countries celebrate Christmas. They though it would feel strange to have christmas dinner on the beach in Australia.
They enjoyed listening to the different names for Father Christmas but they thought that Italy’s traditions were the strangest….a flying witch!
They recognised that lights, decorations, food and presents were a common theme throughout.
Foundation 2 discussed the picture of Bethlehem before Jesus was born. Esme said that Jesus was born there over 2,000 years ago. Elsie said that the people living there wouldn’t have used mobile phones. Alex said that Bethlehem looked like a small town. F2 learned that lots of people were visiting Bethlehem when Mary and Joseph visited because they had a to register for a census. We then looked at the picture of modern Bethlehem. Reggie said that there are more buildings and Elsie said lots of people still visit Bethlehem because Jesus was born there because he is the son of God.
Foundation 2 loved learning about how Christmas is celebrated around the world. They were surprised to learn that Australians eat their Christmas dinner on the beach! Morwenna remembered they eat pasta and salads because it is so hot. Brooke remembered that Father Christmas changes into a summer shirt, shorts and flip flops when he arrives in Australia!
Morwenna said she would like to celebrate Christmas in Denmark as she would be excited to find the hidden almond in the rice pudding. Thomas and Kyton said they would like to celebrate Christmas in China as they would like to see the illuminated paper lanterns outside homes.