As part of Adventurous Learning this week, Year 5 took their English lesson to Rydal Caves to strengthen their understanding and use of ‘spooky’ adjectives.

This term Year 5 are focusing on the book, Goth Girl, a tale set in a fantastical world in which Ada Goth, daughter of the strange Lord Goth of Ghastly-Gorm Hall, is growing up. Ada’s mother is dead and her father is very, very strange! Surrounded by a motley crew of servants and many ghosts, Ada’s life is lonely until she meets Ishmael, a ghostly mouse. Soon Ada and Ishmael are off on some very special adventures full of magic and invention!

When in the caves class members took it in turns to read pages of the book out loud by candlelight. They listened to the echos, watched the flickering shadows on the walls, felt the cold air on their cheeks and discussed the words they might use to describe these ‘spooky’ occurrences. They finished the afternoon with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and a cookie.

Students who experience an outdoor learning environment are more attentive, while consistent exposure to nature decreases stress and anxiety and helps elevate mood, contributing to a positive learning experience. Approaching English concepts in this manner brings them to life, gives them a ‘real-world’ application, and creates excitement in the subject.