Welcome to an exciting new term. We hope you and your family have had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This term's theme is: FIRE and ICE

Literacy

For the first 3 weeks we will be learning about the Great Fire of London. The children will have the opportunity to write their own diary entry, based on being a child witnessing the fire in 1666. This topic will be supported heavily by non fiction texts, giving the children chance to discover a range of information about the Fire.

Our fiction unit will be based on the text "Wombat goes Walkabout and The Snow Dragon". The children will be learning about a range of different Australian animals and will then write their own story about an Artic animal in the same style as the text.

Maths

We will be learning this term about:

Counting properties of numbers and number sequences.

Place value, ordering and estimating.

Rounding up or down to the nearest 10.

Using mental strategies to calculate answers to real life word problems.

Practising 2x, 3x, X4, 5x & 10x tables.

Developing written methods and jottings such as numberlines, to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division word problems.

Problem solving including money, mass, length and capacity.

Finding fractions of numbers and shapes including ½, ¼ etc.

Learning the properties of common 2D & 3D shapes, lines of symmetry, reflection, rotation.

Science

This first half term we will be learning about changes in materials. In the second half of term the children will learn about electricity and the dangers and learn to make electrical circuits. In each unit children will be developing their investigative skills.

History

This subject will have cross curricular links with Literacy, and the children will learn in depth about the Great Fire of London. We begin the topic by arranging key events and famous people in chronological order on a time line. They will also look at prevention and repair of the Great Fire of London, looking at ways in which they rebuilt the City in case of another great fire.

Geography

 

The children will be exploring Australia as a contrasting locality. The children will have the chance to discover the lifestyle and culture of Australian people. They will be using books and the internet to learn about physical and human features about this fascinating island.

Art

In the first 3 weeks we will be working as a class to create our Great Fire of London display. The children will look at the work of William Hogarth and create 3D models of Tudor houses. They will have opportunities to make observational drawings using pastels, watercolours and pencils. In the second half of term we will be looking at aboriginal artwork and mixed media, learning new skills and techniques and create our own aboriginal art work using dots.

ICT

This term the children are going to learn how to use CD-ROM encyclopaedia to search and locate pieces of information. The children will understand the key skills of how to search for information and then have the opportunity to process what they find into a word document, using their own words.

RE

 

Our main focus this term will be based around Christianity and why Jesus told stories. The children will be listening to a range of stories from the Bible and begin to understand hidden messages and the meanings behind them. They will learn about the parables of the Prodigal Son and Good Samaritan and through drama re enact the story in groups.

PE

The children will be learning both creative movements to create and perform their own fire or ice dance as well as traditional Aboriginal dancing based on the Indigenous Aborigines of Australia. They will begin to understand the history behind the dance and the range of emotions needed to perform it. They will also study gymnastics, learning different jumps, rolls, ways of travelling etc and create their own sequence.

Music

This term the children will be singing traditional Australian songs as well as animal compositions which will include learning songs such as 'Kookaburra' and 'Tie me Kangaroo down'.

A few important points.....

 

Our PE day is on Monday and Friday. Please ensure your child always has suitable PE clothing in school (this includes appropriate footwear for lessons outdoor).

We encourage the children to be independent and responsible for their own belongings. Please help them by labelling all their belongings clearly.

On Mondays and Fridays the children's reading journals will be checked, so please ensure your child has been reading regularly and is reading a wide range of genre. It would be helpful if you could hear your child read regularly and sign their journal. Finally, if you wish to talk to your child's teacher, please do not hesitate to come and see us at the end of the school day.

Thank you for your support.

Yours sincerely,

Catherine Madigan and Claire Hooper

Class Teachers

Karen Warren

Teaching Assistant