English

Adriatic and Arabian children will be working on a narrative unit this term, undertaking a range of activities to develop their story making skills. Each lesson will begin with a language game, teaching a specific writing skill. Children will work on oral storytelling, looking at the work of storytellers such as Pie Corbett. They will also look at different story types, story structures using the ’story mountain’ and write stories of their own. The children will learn how writers turn an ordinary sentence into an outstanding sentence by using a range of different innovations, for example, a range of time connectives, sound and action sentences, dropping in clauses, creating short simple sentences and using compound and complex sentences where appropriate, using questions to draw in the reader, exclamations for impact, adverb openers, prepositional openers, adjective or simile openers. The unit is heavily drama focused, encouraging the children to explore characters, plot and setting through hot-seating, improvisation, talking and drawing before writing. They will also be taught how story mapping and mind mapping can aid planning.

In Reading Rotations children will have a chance to use interactive programs on the internet, read one-on-one with a member of staff, practise spelling and handwriting and extend their comprehension through focused reading activities. They will also reinforce their sentence level work towards improving their creative writing. Children will be learning a list of spellings each week and five maximum scores in a row at their level will result in prizes being awarded for their effort.

Maths

In Adriatic Maths this term we will be learning more about number including division, ordering, rounding, multiplication and subtraction. We will also start to look at probability and interpreting line graphs. We will practise estimating, measuring and drawing angles and we will use Mathletics to practise and reinforce what we learn.

Arabian class will complete work on percentages, moving onto work on ratio and proportion. They will then embark on a unit on shape and space, measuring and drawing angles using a protractor, calculating perimeter and area of simple and compound shapes, reading and plotting coordinates in up to four quadrants. They will also work on data handling in connection with our I.P.C. Topic, collecting data and drawing graphs to show their results. Throughout the term, the children will continue to take part in daily speed tests to improve recall of basic facts. They will using the four operations with decimals.

I.P.C. Topic – Making Things Go

This topic will incorporate work on Geography, ICT, and is especially focused on Science and Technology. In Geography, we will look at the use alternative sustainable energy in our school. In ICT, we will be researching how sustainable energy is used around the world. In Science, we are going to make and investigate different ways of generating energy. In Technology, we will be making a range of models which need different types of energy to work and consider effective ways of providing this energy. An end of topic presentation will round this off at the the end of term.

All our work on energy will be complemented by a series of five workshops by Mad Science. Workshops will include:

Watts-Up, “Fun”damental Forces and Stunt Planes.

http://www.madscience.org/locations/east/workshops.aspx?sm=3669

The children will also be visiting the Department of Engineering on Friday 18^th June to learn about the science behind building and launching rockets.

Citizenship

In Citizenship this term students will be focusing on God and gods. Students will look at early tribal religions and consider how the belief in God has been expressed through different religions. We will then move on to consider rights of passage in society, looking at different customs and practises around the world.

French

In French we will continue to use games, songs and oral activities to practise speaking and listening skills. This term we will be learning about the weather, colours and descriptions of people.

Spanish

This term we will be doing lots of outdoor games to build/reinforce the children’s knowledge of animals, numbers, the alphabet, foods, parts of the body and colours.

Art

In Art this term we will be using drawn objects to create a tessellating pattern and also studying the work of the artist, Escher. We will be making a patchwork cloth using small scraps of material; so children please start collecting material now!

Music

In Music this term, Arabian and Adriatic will work on expressive performance skills, leading up to our production of ‘Oliver’.

Nature Studies

We have managed to dig the entire allotment and have planted parsnips, spring onions, broad beans and potatoes. Inky, with the help of some of the senior boys have erected a wonderful shed - we will now be able to collect water. We continue to bird and butterfly watch and will be doing a ladybird survey over the next few weeks.

Sport

With the good weather upon us, the range and variety of sport being taught this term is broader than ever before. The Juniors will consolidate existing skills and gain new ones through cricket. They will plan, use and adapt strategies for small team activities, developing their knowledge of the principles behind them and applying rules and conventions. All sessions will incorporate a good balance of fun and games, coaching, skills and drills.

KINNERZ COACHING hopes that the Juniors thoroughly enjoy their sport in the term ahead, with friendly games, tournaments and events planned and organised when possible.

Adriatic and Arabian

English

This term Adriatic and Arabian classes will be looking at non-fiction texts. During the first three weeks we shall be studying and creating our own biographies and auto-biographies. Following this we shall go on to look at other non-fiction text types including discussion and persuasion. This will form the basis of a newspaper, which we will produce and sell to parents and friends. In Reading Rotations children will have a chance to use interactive programs on the internet, read one-on-one with a member of staff, practice spelling and handwriting and extend their comprehension through focused reading activities. Children will be learning a list of spellings each week and five maximum scores in a row at their level will result in prizes being rewarded for their effort.

Maths

In Maths this term, Adriatic class will be building on the fantastic progress they made last term, including work on: partitioning to multiply and divide large numbers, reading and plotting coordinates, calculating area and perimeter of rectangles and understanding digital and analogue time. We shall continue learning the times tables through chanting and song so they are firmly embedded by the end of this year.

Arabian will continue to practise doubling and halving, as well as multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000 during their work on written methods for multiplication and division. 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.

Both classes are very excited about the Enigma Maths Project taking place on Tuesday 26^th January.

I.P.C. and Science

This term we are focusing on geography topics and have started off with a short unit on food, farming and Fair Trade using invaluable resources from Oxfam. The children have been learning about the challenges facing farmers in the developing world. Our next topic will be an I.P.C,. unit called Settlements: Building a Village. Children will find out about different types of settlements, about services needed in settlements, about village life in this country and a contrasting locality and how to map and record geographical information. We will look at the history of a village, using evidence to research and record historical information. Technology tasks will include designing their own settlement and designing and making a ‘Settlement Game’. Science sessions during this unit will look at materials and their properties.

Citizenship

Through the Theatre of Understanding, this term we are going to focus on rituals, traditions and festivals. We will introduce the religious aspect and the purpose and meaning surrounding the different practices.

French

In French, Arabian class will be practising listening and speaking skills covering a variety of topics including food, personal descriptions and colours. Activities will include games, songs, role-plays and stories.

Spanish

In Spanish this term we will be learning some new songs, but also having lots of ‘dialogue races’ and other games to ensure that the children can speak as well as sing!

Year 6 will be looking at some pop songs as well, to hopefully inspire some of them to listen to some of the fantastic Latin music that is available.

Art

Collage work, using different materials to create a collage eg. fabric, wire and string. Also working on basic drawing skills using sketch books.

Music

For the first half of term we will explore musical form through listening and composition. We will create pieces which include a rondo, and a theme with variations. 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.

Nature Studies

Making use of the winter landscape, we are studying animal tracks, identifying birds and trees and also looking at the topic of hibernation. Towards the end of term we will be planting seeds for the allotment.

Sport

KINNERZ COACHING will be supplying a wide range of sports and activities this term from Dance to Dodgeball. All classes & sessions are focused on improving the children’s team work, communication and individual skills. Training, learning, fun & games from start to finish!

We think this will be an exciting term ahead and are looking forward to the positive relationships that will be made between students, teachers and parents. Assemblies and P.S.H.C.E. (personal, social, health and citizenship education) will emphasis our Golden Rules and encourage the children to develop their social skills and strengthen their self-esteem.

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.