Dear Parents,

Here is an overview of the work planned for the Spring Term.

R.E.

In R.E. we will be following our new school scheme called ‘The Vine and The Branches.’ The themes for this term are ‘Galilee to Jerusalem’ and ‘Desert to Garden'. Children will begin to prepare their own liturgies as well as saying the more formal prayers such as ‘The Sign of the Cross’, the ‘Hail Mary’ and the ‘Our Father’. We will be saying grace before and after meals. Please help your child to learn these important parts of our faith. We will be celebrating Harvest, Advent and Christmas with appropriate liturgies, hymns and drama.

English

Our English work will continue to form a very major part of the school day. Individual ‘Reading Books’ will be sent home daily from our Accelerated Reading program. The children will quiz on these books in school. Children will also bring home a Phonics based reading book. Please sign your child’s reading diary when you have heard them read. It is very important that you hear your child read everyday.  Your child will be reading in school, but not always from their individual ‘Reading’ book. We will be concentrating on developing their written comprehension skills as well as their writing. We will be working on developing a fluent, expressive style of writing for different genres; fiction, non-fiction, poetry and instruction writing. We will also be focusing on the accurate use of a wider variety of punctuation.  We will continue to link spelling and handwriting activities to develop a good cursive handwriting style and it is important that you ensure your child is spelling words correctly particularly the tricky words that cannot be sounded out. 

Maths

 In Maths, our number work (both mental and written) will include addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We will be looking at fractions of shapes and of numbers and we will work on the measurement of time, length, height, mass, capacity and temperature. We will be working with money and applying addition and subtraction strategies to real life problem solving activities. We will continue to secure our number bonds to 10, 20 and to 100 as well as apply our 2, 5 and 10 times tables in various problem solving activities.

Science

Our work in Science will be based on animals and humans relating to survival, growth and exercise.  The children will learn that humans have offspring which grow into adults. Find out about and describe the basic needs of humans for survival. Describe the importance of exercise, and eating the right amount of different types of foods. We will also be learning about living things and habitats.  We will be using our local environment to find out about different habitats and the animals and plants that live there.

History

 In History, children  will learn about London in the 1660s and the Great Fire of London. They will find out how the fire started in a bakery on Pudding Lane, why it spread so quickly, and how people tried to stop it. They will also learn about the damage it caused, how we know about it from sources like Samuel Pepys’ diary, and what changed in London after the fire. 🔥📜

Geography

In geography, we will be studying hot and cold deserts. This topic will involve locating hot and cold deserts around the world and identifying their common physical and human features. We will also examine the weather and climate of desert environments, learn where deserts are located, and explore the physical and human characteristics of both hot and cold deserts.

Art and Design Technology

In Art, we will be studying colour and tone. This will involve exploring tints, tones and shades through the book The King Who Banned the Dark and examining paintings by Pablo Picasso from his Picasso's Blue Period.

In Design and Technology, we will be studying designing and making vehicles. This will involve learning about the importance of wheels, creating fixed and free axles, and selecting from a range of tools, materials and components to build our vehicles.

P.E

Work this term will include developing basic dance movements to create and perform short sequences independently and with others. We will also be learning basic skills necessary for children to participate in team games including different ways of kicking objects. 

Music

In Music we continue to use Charanga, our online resource.  This term's unit is called "I Wanna Play in a Band!" We will be learning about beat and duration with a focus on Rock Music and Movement. 

Computing

PSHE

This term's themes will include, "I am Unique," "Girls and Boys," "Clean and Healthy," "Feelings, Likes and Dislikes," "Feeling Inside Out," and "Super Susie Gets Angry." 

We will have the opportunity to explore our feelings and emotions as well as talk about how we are all valued, special and unique.

May I take this opportunity of thanking you in advance and I look forward to your support in this very busy term.

Mrs Ward