Welcome to Spring 2 in Flamingos Class
English
Our text for this half-term is The Lion and The Unicorn by Shirley Hughes.
This is a beautifully illustrated book about a young boy called Lenny whose father goes off to fight in the war. Before leaving, he gives his son a brass badge with two animals engraved on it: a lion for bravery and a unicorn for courage. When Lenny is evacuated, he takes his badge with him. Although the story is about the loneliness and sadness experienced by children during the Second World War, it is also a story about different kinds of courage.
Pupils will be exploring the following writing genres:
Information presentations, diaries, letters and non-chronological reports.
Key grammar covered will be: Direct and reported speech, multi-clause sentences, prepositions, commands.
Direct Speech Punctuation: It is important that pupils are able to use direct speech punctuation correctly in order to achieve Age Related Expectations in their SATs in year 6.
Useful website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zhqh92p
Multi-clause Sentences: Also called compound sentences, these are sentences that express two complete thoughts. Two independent clauses can be joined by a comma and a conjunction. Each clause has a subject and a verb.
Example: Samira likes football. Ben loves basketball. These are two independent sentences. They can be joined using a conjunction; Samira likes football, but Ben loves basketball.
Useful website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHLPBhCEi5o
Prepositions: A preposition is a word that tells you where or when something is in relation to something else. Examples of prepositions include words like 'after', 'before', 'on', 'under', 'inside' and 'outside'.
Example: The house was on the hill beside a tree.
In this sentence 'on' and 'beside' are prepositions which show you exactly where the house was.
Useful website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zw38srd
Commands: Command sentences are used when you are telling someone to do something.
Commands usually start with an imperative verb, also known as a 'bossy verb', because they tell someone to do something.
Example: "Fetch me some biscuits."
In this example, 'fetch' is the imperative verb.
Commands are used when writing instructions to tell someone how to do something.
Useful website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z8strwx
Spelling
This is taught three times per week and pupils are tested on Mondays. The spelling sheet for each half term is uploaded to Class Dojo.
Handwriting
This is taught three times per week. It is important that pupils form and place letters correctly and that they develop a cursive, fluent and legible handwriting style. Pupils will receive their pen licence once they can do this consistently.
Drama Production
Some of our English lessons will be devoted to rehearsals for our forthcoming production of The Shirt, a musical by Barry Hart and Anna and Paul Cookson.
This musical, created specifically for schools, is a modern take on the parable of the Good Samaritan which the children learnt about during recent SEAL sessions.
With an uplifting and toe-tapping musical score, The Shirt is a heartfelt and powerful way of exploring the importance of loving your neighbour and an effective way to challenge intolerance and discrimination.
The story follows the main character, a young football enthusiast, on their birthday. After receiving a Red's football shirt as a gift, they proudly wear it to a match, but despite the team winning, things don’t quite go to plan! Ultimately, the story highlights themes of resilience, kindness, and the unexpected connections formed during tricky times.
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Mathematics
This half-term, our focus is on fractions and decimals. Both are ways of showing equal parts of a whole. Secure knowledge and fast recall of their timestables and related division facts are essential in understanding and making progress in this, and all areas of mathematical study.
Fractions: If pupils have secure knowledge of timestables, fractions are easy!
Fractions show equal parts of a whole. The denominator (bottom number) tells us how many equal parts the whole is divided into. The numerator (top number) tells us which of those parts we are interested in.
Key vocabulary:
Proper Fraction: Where the numerator is less than the denominator.
Improper Fraction: Where the numerator is greater than the denominator.
Mixed Number: Where there is a whole number and a fraction, e.g. 3 ¾
Useful website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zsbd7p3#zjxy46f
Decimals: A decimal is a way of writing a number that is not whole. Decimal numbers are 'in between' numbers. For example, 10.4 is in between the numbers 10 and 11. It is more than 10, but less than 11.
Take care when reading the values of decimal numbers.
4.2 means 4 and 2 tenths.
4.20 means 4 and 2 tenths and 0 one-hundredths. The last zero does not need to be there.
4.02 means 4 and 0 tenths and 2 one-hundredths.
Useful website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zsbd7p3#zjxy46f
Computing
Pupils will be studying photo editing. This is the process of changing or enhancing the quality of a photograph. Digital photo editing software can be used to do this.
Photo editing allows us to improve a photograph and make it fit for purpose. When we edit a photo, we can:
- improve the quality of the photo;
- remove any unwanted parts, such as objects in the background;
- fix any problems with brightness or contrast, making the photo more visible;
- remove any imperfections using filters.
As always, there will be a lesson and continued focus on safety.
DT
In our DT sessions, we will be designing and making miniature moving playgrounds.
Drama
Drama will be used as a strategy to teach and embed across a range of subjects. This will include hot-seating, role-play, conscience ally, freeze framing, thought tracking, teacher in role, flashback and flash forward questioning.
In addition, we will be rehearsing for the Lower Key Stage 2 production (see above for details!)
French
Pupils will be learning phrases to describe the weather and vocabulary for the compass points; counting from 1-100 in multiples of ten; combining this knowledge to make statements about what the temperature is in different parts of France and to deliver a weather forecast. The unit culminates in a French science lesson, where the children explore the water cycle.
Geography
Building on children’s understanding of the United Kingdom, this unit will explore Northern Ireland. Children will use maps of Ireland and Northern Ireland to locate key features and locations. In Year 1 and 2 children learned to name and locate the countries of the United Kingdom. In Year 5 children will learn more about Ireland in the context of the British Empire.
Throughout this unit, children will be forming an understanding that Northern Ireland is a diverse place, with contrasting landscapes including rural and urban environments. They will encounter new and ambitious vocabulary that features throughout the unit, offering children many opportunities to rehearse and apply it in their talk tasks and written work.
Children will build on their map skills, using maps of Northern Ireland to look at the shape of the land and to identify key locations. We want them to focus on the geography of an area and why it might be interesting to geographers. In this unit, there is a lesson on tourism where children learn that tourists can be helpful to regions as they bring money to spend. They will think about the purpose of organisations such as UNESCO and the National Trust and how certain important areas of the world are protected.
History
Pupils will be studying the Stuart period of history. The aim is to support children to develop a chronologically secure understanding of this significant period of British history by diving deeper into the changing role of the monarchy during the 17th century.
Significant events during this period include The Gunpowder Plot and the English Civil War.
Useful website: https://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/timeline/stuarts.htm
Life Skills
Alongside our SEAL work, we will be exploring personal strengths, skills and interests. Pupils will be encouraged to think about how they can set and work towards personal goals and targets.
Music
This lesson will be taught by Mrs King on Wednesday afternoon. Music is used for many reasons and can help us express our feelings. Music can be loud or quiet, fast or slow, smooth and connected or short and detached. We can also use instruments with different sounds to help communicate different emotions. Children will be able to explore the music in this unit and try to connect their feelings with what they hear.
P.E.
Tuesday’s PE session, led by Mrs McCaghrey will be dodgeball. This lesson will be taught indoors.
Thursday’s PE session will be an outdoor session, led my Ms Hodges. We will be developing our tag rugby skills.
For all PE sessions, it is essential that pupils have the correct kit, that long hair is tied back and that all jewellery is removed (or earrings taped up).
For our outdoor sessions, pupils should have a pair of trainers or similar (not their school warm shoes) and warm outer clothing, such as leggings, a hoody or a tracksuit. They will not enjoy their PE lessons if they are cold.
R.E.
Our RE sessions ask, “Is Forgiveness Always Possible?”
Forgiveness (noun) is the action of forgiving or being forgiven. To forgive (verb) is to stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone for an offence, flaw or mistake. Forgiving means changing the way you feel about something that has happened or been done to you.
Pupils will be exploring what Christians believe about forgiveness, looking at specific parables from the Bible and developing their understanding of the Easter story.
Science
Our science lessons are all about sound.
Sound can travel through solids, liquids and gasses. It travels in a wave, vibrating particles in the medium it is travelling in. Sound cannot travel through a vacuum. For example, when you hit a drum, the drum skin vibrates, making the air particles closest to it start to vibrate as well. These vibrations pass to the next particle, then the next and carry on until the air particles closest to your ear vibrate, passing the vibrations into your ear.
