Spring Term Newsletter

We have so many new areas of learning to cover this term. Below is a brief run down on the UKS2 curriculum for the Spring Term:

We will be using ‘The 1000 Year Old Boy’ for our reading and writing stimulus this term which also has cross-curricular links to our History unit on the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. In reading, we will continue to build on our skills: vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and summarise with a focus on vocabulary. We will continue to have regular discussions about our reading in ‘Book Talk’ and will develop our reading skills with a range of tasks and activities from Reading Recharged. 

In writing, our extended writing pieces will be a diary entry as one of the characters from ‘The 1000 Year Old Boy’ and a newspaper article written about one of the main events. We are going to focus on some high-level punctuation and vocabulary as well as developing our sentence work with a range of phrases, clauses and punctuation for demarcation. In Year 6, we are now building our portfolio of writing ready for the end of the year. 

Maths
Year 5 pupils will learn about fractions and decimals this half term.
Year 6 pupils will cover Algebra, Shape, Area and Statistics units with a particular focus on test technique ahead of their SATs.

Science: 
Throughout the Spring Term, children will continue to develop their knowledge of Living Things and Their Habitats. They will build upon their knowledge of life cycles of living organisms to begin to group and classify living things. Throughout this unit that will further develop their scientific enquiry skills through classification and research whilst learning about the famous taxonomist - Carl Linnaeus. After completing this unit, the children will begin to study Evolution and Inheritance. Within this unit, they will learn about the work of Charles Darwin and how offspring inherit certain characteristics from their parents. 

History:
In our History lessons this term, the children will gain an understanding of what life was like in England at the end of the 4th century. We will focus on how the country changed during the settlement of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Discovering who the Vikings were, why they carried out raids and why they chose to settle in England will form the basis of children's learning. 

RE
During the Spring term, the children will focus on identity amongst different faith members. The religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam will form the basis of the children's discussions and learning. 

Art and Design
Throughout this half term, the children will focus upon a unit that will develop the pupils skills in using different art styles, exploring effects with tools, understanding and applying chiaroscuro, and creating symbolic and expressive drawings. This unit of study encourages children to form their own opinions about art, understand the impact of techniques, and convey messages through their artwork. 

Design and Technology
The children in the Upper Phase will be connecting with a Textiles unit called, Structures - Playgrounds. They will journey through the processes of designing, making and evaluating a range of different structures taken from their own plans and using materials available to them.

French
Year 5 children are focusing on describing people's appearances through listening, speaking and writing activities. Year 6 children are learning to describe their hobbies and how to describe their pets. Children are encouraged to look for links between English and French.

Music
Pupils are taught about chords and how to use different chords to create compositions. They will also be taught how to appreciate a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians.