Vusa Tebe, ten, is in Year 6 at Hall School, in Brighton, East Sussex

I did my first experiment in science. We drew a diagram of what was meant to happen and wrote about the facts before we did it. We had set up a ray box at an angle to face a piece of plain paper held by a clamp. The ray that we shone on the paper was thick and the beam we got back was thin. I didn’t expect that. I don’t know why it was different because I didn’t get a chance to ask my teacher. I’d like to do the experiment again.

Jessica Bird, seven, is in Year 2 at Eden Park infant school in Brixham, Devon

Usually we all sit on a carpet and listen to the teacher. We get a bit squashed. In one science lesson, we split into groups. The lesson was about melting things. We didn’t do the experiment ourselves because there was hot water. We watched the teacher do it. It was good because it was easier to see what was happening. I prefer group work to working on your own. You learn more if you work together, you can talk to your friends about it.

Carl Fletcher, five, is in Year 1 at Ringcross primary school, Islington

I have to spell 10 words a week. Short words like Mum and Dad are easy. When we have to learn hard words I practise them with mum. I have a book with long words in it to help me get them right. The hardest word I’ve tried to learn is bird. I copied it into my book but someone rubbed it out and I couldn’t learn it for my test. I don’t sit with my friends because I get my spellings wrong if we talk. I got a certificate for good spelling.

Interviews by Children’s Express, a charity promoting learning through journalism by young people aged eight to 18