English

Welcome back Tyrrhenian – the worthy winners of the Most Beautiful Classroom Competition!  We hope you will enjoy yourselves with varied texts to study:  ‘Animal Farm’ with Ms Coombe, which is essential reading and will set you thinking about history and politics as well as the use and abuse of language.   Mrs Parsons is already looking forward to this term’s trip to Hampton Court and we shall read ‘A Traveller in Time’ by Alison Uttley, her favourite read from when she was your age, which will transport you back to Tudor England.  We’ll look at time travel in literature in general as well…and write our own epics. And as ever, poems will uplift us as the days begin to lengthen.

Of course, we will debate, give speeches, improve our essay-writing and comprehension skills, and work on spelling and grammar.  Your help is invaluable in encouraging your child to read widely, use a dictionary and a thesaurus to build vocabulary, and to learn spellings.  We promise a busy but happy term.

Mathematics

We are studying the following mathematical concepts this term: Factors, Pythagoras’ Theorem, Data Analysis and Algebra

Physics

We are focusing on Sight and Sound including all aspects of human sight and hearing plus the physics behind light and sound such as spectrum, lenses and colour mixing

Biology

Support and Movement

• Recap on support in plants.

• Move to support in animals by looking at the skeleton.

• Identify the major parts of the skeleton.

• Look at how the skeleton moves

• • ligaments

  • tendons

• Antagonistic muscles

Reproduction

• Studying basic life cycles.

• Move into human reproduction identifying male and female structures. Menstruation, theory of conception, development of embryo into foetus.

• Studying respective hormones.

Chemistry

Metals and Non-Metals

• Order properties of metals and non-metals for comparison.

• State the properties of metals and say in what ways some are exceptional.

• Know the methods of extraction of some metals and some non-metals.

• Know how metals and non-metals react with oxygen.

• Know how metals and non-metals react with water.

• Know how metals and non-metals react with acids.

Corrosion

• Describe some reactions, which happen relatively quickly and slowly.

• Know conditions necessary for the formation of rust and that it is an oxidation process.

• How to increase rate of rusting and how to prevent it.

• Recognise other examples of rusting.

Spanish

We will study school based matters: subjects – liking, disliking etc. We will learn to give further opinions, handle time, the time table and study meals and food. Finally we will describe our school and look at how we get here.

Later our topic will be the home, what it is like and where we reside. We will learn vivir the verb to live. Don Quixote like we will encompass description of our abodes, rooms and the bedroom. We will have ample time to look at prepositions.

Daily routine will occupy our time, and the reflexive verbs to get up, wake up and get dressed, which should delight any teenager. After school activities will include to go to bed (acostarse) and to enjoy oneself (divertirse).

Our final topic will be the town, saying where we are going using ir (the verb to go) and giving and understanding directions.

There will be vocab tests and two end of unit tests.

!Estupendo!

German
The aim of the course is to talk about friends, home towns, and to present freetime activities. The students will learn how to express their opinion on things and to negate sentences. We already started to work in the Logo! 2 book working on chapter 1 “die Kölner Clique”. There will be regular vocabulary tests. The vocabulary of each chapter will be given to the children in the lessons. Since a lot of students have difficulties with the German grammar, especially the conjugation of the verbs, pronouns and capitalization will be discussed. Every Wednesday there will be homework and I will collect the exercise books nearly every Tuesday. I will give out a lot of additional material. It would be good if the students would either stick it in their exercise books or if they use a folder, so that their material won’t get lost.

Clara: Clara will work on her skills in summarising, analysing and interpreting texts as well as on grammar (we will have a special look at the cases (Kasus))

Anouk: Anouk will participate in the regular lessons but she will have additional material that she can work on as soon as she has finished her work. It will be exercises to work on her means to express herself in German as well as questions to slightly more difficult texts.

French

We will be talking about a visit to France: schedule, naming places in a town and asking where they are, naming shops and things they sell, giving directions …
Talking about health: keeping fit, exercise programme, healthy eating, healthy living …
Grammar covered:
‘Aller’ + infinitive; ‘il faut’ + infinitive; using ‘vous’; prepositions: ’sur, dans, devant, derrière’; negatives: ‘ne … pas, ne …. jamais, ne rien’; using the imperative; present time

Geography

Ecosystems

Pupils will be looking at a variety of Ecosystems and study how the physical and living world interact to give rise to unique habitats. This will link in with some of their climate work from last term. We will carry out some Fieldwork in Cherry Hinton Park looking at soil samples. Pupils will conduct series of experiments comparing the characteristics of different soil types. Pupils will learn how to plan an investigation, how to record findings and then present data and results.

History- The Tudors 1485-1603

This term we will be looking at the Reformation and its impact on England and the rest of Europe. We will study the short reign of Edward VI and the power struggle that resulted when he died. We will learn about Mary Tudor’s 5 year reign and how she won the nick name ‘Bloody Mary’. We will also be looking at Tudor art and how in an age before photography, the portrait was so important in shaping peoples ideas on power, wealth and position.

Philosophy and Ethics.

This term pupils will look at Ethics. They will be addressing what is meant by Ethics along with some of the ethical theories and thinkers involved. Pupils will be asked to consider different issues raised and give their opinion on them.

Music

For the first half of term we will study the music of Indonesia and Java, specifically through the use of gamelan. We will listen to recordings of gamelan music, attend a gamelan workshop, and learn to play and compose for the instruments involved. In the second half of term we will begin preparation for performing a large-scale musical during the summer term. We will also think about opportunities for learning orchestral instruments, with a particular focus on tuned percussion and on brass. To support this we will play the marimba we have on loan, and attend a visiting brass performance.

Film-making

We are still working on group films which the class will now begin to edit. Our aim is for the whole class to have each made their own short film. Thereafter, the class will focus on two class drama film projects that will involve them as actors or crew.

Art

Tyrr will continue their self portrait for the first few weeks of term. Later they will begin a project entitled Building a Print- Printing a Building. This will be a printmaking project in response to the urban environment.

PSHE

The focus this term is on world and local politics and world finances.

Young Enterprise

How do you open and manage a bank account? What is the best way of saving money? How can I make money even though I’m still at school? How do I work with other people to help run a club or to reach a goal? These are some of the questions that we’ll answer in this new subject as we compete with Ionian in the end of term competition..