Maths
We will spend the first couple of weeks covering numbers up to 1000 and focusing on the value of each digit. Children will learn how to compose and decompose numbers, compare, order and look for patterns. Once children are confident with this unit, we will move onto addition and subtraction. We will start off with simple addition before moving on to addition where renaming is required. Subtraction is also covered in a similar way where simple subtraction is mastered before moving to subtraction where renaming is required. Once children master addition and subtraction, we will start to look at problem-solving questions and practice using bar models.
English
The first part of the half term will be spent exploring Ted Hughes' 'The Iron Man' which tells the story of a gigantic metal robot who appears out of nowhere, crashing onto the beach and shattering into many parts. He is discovered by Hogarth, a young boy. The Iron Man proceeds to devour farm machinery, until the farmers rise up against him. The children will partake in a variety of activities to pick apart this fiction text, including drama, before working towards writing a monologue and a poem.
We will then move on to 'The Boy Who Grew Dragons' by Andy Shepherd, a story about a boy who discovers a strange old tree at the bottom of his grandad's garden. He takes the funny fruit from the tree back into the house - and gets the shock and delight of his life when a tiny dragon hatches! The tree is a dragonfruit tree, and Tomas has got his very own dragon, Flicker. We will be using this book to create some writing including an information text, a diary entry and informal letter.
Spellings
The children will receive a new spelling list each Monday and will be tested on these spellings on the following Friday. There will be opportunities to practise these spellings in school throughout the week but you can also find a collection of these lists for this half term below so that you can support your child's learning at home.
Reading
Children take part in Guided Reading sessions twice a week in which whole class strategies are used, using different forms of media including pictures, films and whole class texts and written comprehensions. The children also have time to read independently for pleasure after dinner every day with a book from the class book corner as well as frequent library trips. All children have access to Bug Club which has lots of amazing fiction and non-fiction books at your child's reading level and we also provide a Home Reader book each week which is changed every Friday. Please ensure reading records are signed by an adult weekly and returned with the home reader.
History
In this topic children learn about prehistory in Britain, and how we find out about prehistory. They discover what life was like through each of the main time periods of the Stone Age, right through to the Iron Age. Children find out about civilisation started, how agriculture became a huge driving force for things like stone circles to be built and how different metals such as bronze and iron changed the way we interacted with each other and created huge defensive earthworks that we can even see and walk today. We will be furthering children's knowledge of this period with an inspiring outdoor trip to The Island at Summerseat. Children will learn about Otzi - The Iceman, create cave art, build woolly mammoth dens as well as craft bows and arrows. Details of the trip will be shared within the first weeks of the new term.
Science
During this unit of work, children will learn about the structure of the human skeleton and how the muscles also work alongside the skeleton to support and protect the human body. They will then look at how skeletons differ in different animals. Finally, children will look at nutrition and
the importance of eating a healthy diet.
P.E.
This half term we will focus on dance and Health Related Exercise in our bi-weekly sessions. P.E. kits (a plain t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms plus pumps or trainers together with a sweatshirt) are to be brought into school and can be left in lockers. Long hair should be tied back and earrings either removed or taped over for safety.
R.E.
Our unit this half term will be ; Called By God'. This unit will give children an opportunity to consider what it means to be called by God and the responses people have made to that call including the Old Testament prophets.
PSHE
We will explore the following topics in PSHE this half term: rules and their purpose, cooperation, friendship (including respectful relationships) and coping with loss.
