English

This term, we will be studying poetry and non-fiction texts. During the first half of term, we shall study a large range of poetry and use poems by famous authors as inspiration for our own work. We shall collect an anthology of all our poems during the unit. During the second half of term, we are going to study non-fiction works including biographies and autobiographies. This work will link into our topic of Artists’ Impressions of the World. Pupils will also look at other non-fiction texts including work on opinion, fact and fiction. Throughout the literacy programme pupils will be given the chance to write in personal journals, where they can write about their learning, important events, and their feelings and emotions throughout the year. They will also practise their handwriting skills and follow a programme of spellings, a list of which they will be expected to learn every week.

Maths

In Maths this term, Adriatic class will be working with numbers, including making sure all of our times tables are learnt and ready to use in other areas of Maths. We will be looking at shape, including rules of a triangle and the names and properties of common 3D shapes. We will also do some work on fractions and data handling, including organising data into tables, pictograms and graphs.

Arabian will start off the term with place value, reading and writing numbers and partitioning. They will practise the essential skills of addition and subtraction bonds to 20 and 100, doubling and halving and multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000. The children will work on written methods for the four operations. The term will continue with work on fractions, decimals and percentages, shape, space and measure and data handling. The children will complete daily mental maths challenges including speed tests of basic facts.

I.P.C. and Science

For the first two weeks of the term, the children will be doing a small project on How We Learn. The purposes of the unit are to encourage the children to explore ideas about how learning takes place, remind them of strategies they can use in their own learning and encourage them to think about their learning as something over which they have control. The children will want to talk to you about your own learning styles. The next IPC tpoic will be Artists’ Impressions of the World and will involve two trips: one to the Fitzwilliam and another to the Tate Modern. The project is very practical and the children will have the opportunity to explore art movements such as Impressionism and Pop Art as well as look at Aboriginal art and look at different techniques of painting, printmaking and sculpture. In Science, the children will work on Light and How We See Things.

French

This term we shall start learning some lessons within different subjects through the medium of French. Two or three lessons each week within our Maths and IPC units will be delivered in French giving the children a real opportunity to engage in a subject in a different language. These lesson are effective due to the very visual and practical nature of the lessons with children linking visual clues to language in order to learn. The children will speak French where possible, but the emphasis will be on the content: Maths or IPC.

Nature Studies – Mrs Rigby

While the weather is good, we will be tidying up the allotment and preparing the soil in readiness for next Spring’s planting. We will be looking at wildlife habitats as well as studying the effect of the changing seasons on our surroundings. Please ensure children bring a coat and wellies for this subject area.

Art - Mrs Atkins

Sewing and making simple useful objects eg. Constructing pencil and pen holders. In connection with their IPC topic, the children will also be studying artists from around the world.

Spanish – Mrs Fernandez

This term we will be continuing with our songs, dances, silly stretches and other physical activities, while incorporating a grammar-based approach to give the children the basics they need for effective communication. For example one song focuses on the various forms of ’ser’ (to be), another one on forms of ‘estar’ (the other verb ‘to be’) etc. The children will learn the songs and then practice the language actively in the classroom, the emphasis still being on oral communication skills. Homework will be given periodically, although it will be rather different from usual written work as it will incorporate NLP principles - this basically means that I would ask you to encourage and help your child to use the body as much as possible (instructions will be given of course!)

Music- Mrs Gold

Arabian and Adriatic - Connecting with this term’s topic, students will begin by learning two Aboriginal songs and have a visit from a didgeridoo player. Students will learn about circular breathing techniques needed to play didgeridoo, and try them out. We will then move to thinking about the relationship between pictures and music, specifically in Impressionism (for example, Debussy) but also how composers have portrayed pictures in music (Mussorgsky, Ravel) and how music has been used to create pictures (Fantasia). Students will be given a postcard of an Impressionist picture on which to base their own composition. I hope to record and play these.