English
The children are going to write an extended narrative based on the fantasy story, The Journey by Aaron Becker. This is a picture book which is designed to spark the children’s imagination and inspire them to write their own stories based on the pictures. Throughout, the children will be encouraged to use carefully chosen fronted adverbials, adjectives, verbs, adverbs and similes to bring their story to life. They will also use ARMS and COGS to edit their work.
The children will continue to have daily spelling lessons, so it is important that they are given opportunities to apply what they have learnt at home. At the start of each unit, the children will record some common exception words in their logbooks and additional words they may find tricky to spell. These words will change each time they learn a new spelling rule.
Please remind your child to bring their jotter and logbook to school each day.
Maths
The children in LKS2 will be learning about time and money.
The children in Year 3 will tell and write the time using analogue clocks, estimate and read time with increasing accuracy to the nearest minute and record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes and hours. They will also learn about Roman numerals from I to XII, and the 24-hour clock. After this, they will use written methods to add and subtract amounts of money to give change, using both £ and p in practical contexts.
Year 4 pupils will read, write and convert time between analogue and digital 12- and 24-hour clocks. They will then apply their understanding to solve problems involving converting from hours to minutes; minutes to seconds; years to months; weeks to days. Once they’ve finished their unit on time, they will move on to learning about money. This will involve estimating, comparing, and calculating money in pounds and pence.
It would be helpful for the children to apply what they have learnt outside of school. This could be at home, on a day trip or whilst visiting the supermarket.
We are keen for the children to become fluent with all their times tables so we would like them to use Maths Frame to practise their times tables. Click on the link to visit the website.
Multiplication Tables Check – Mathsframe
Science
Our Science unit this half term is ‘Living Things and their Habitats. Therefore, we will spend a lot of time outside exploring and identifying a range of living things in our local environment. We will also discuss how environments can change which may pose dangers to wildlife.
If the children would like to, they could research Gerald Durrell for he was a conservationist who worked hard to save Madagascar’s unique plants and animals.
History
We’re going to make links to our previous learning about Romans, Vikings and Baghdad to explore numbers through time. The children will discuss why Roman Numerals were still used in Britain until the 12th century, explore how people counted large numbers quickly and learn when and why zero was created. They will also identify how numbers and symbols were used as a code and explore how numbers can reveal changes in our lives.
Design and Technology
The children are going to have lots of fun making a mascot and using a syringe to propel it into the air. They will identify which 3D shape is the most effective for their mascot before designing and making their own. Once they have finished, they will investigate how high their mascot can travel before evaluating the effectiveness of their shape and air syringe.
PSHE
Over the course of the half term, the children will be learning about “Drugs, alcohol and tobacco” and some of the risk factors involved with these substances. Children will also explore the factors which contribute to people’s food choices (such as religious, cultural backgrounds, personal beliefs, ethical farming, fair trade and seasonality). This will include how we can communicate our personal food needs.
We are also going to have RSE day later in the term so we’ll send a letter home, detailing what the children will learn about.
Music
The children are going to complete two units linked to sound. During the first unit, they will explore how instruments are classified and learn about idiophones and chordophones. Throughout, they will develop their understanding of call and response. During their second unit, they will learn some simple beatboxing sounds and create their own to add to a song. They will also recap how musical instruments are classified due to the sound they produce and explore the combined expressive effects of different instrument groups.
Computing
Our ICT unit this half term is ‘Making music.’ During which, the children will identify and discuss the main elements of music: pulse, rhythm, tempo, pitch and texture. They will then use a range of tools and programmes to create a melodic phrase and compose a piece of electronic music.
Spanish
Our Spanish unit this half term is ‘My town’. They will learn how to describe different places in a town, give their address in Spanish and count to 100.
PE
Throughout this half term, the children are going to play volleyball and participate in different athletics. They will learn how to pass a ball over a net, travel around a space with speed and jump, run or shoot with developing accuracy, confidence and control.
