Planet Earth  - Global understanding and Communication

Class One: Spring 2011 

Class One would like to welcome Miss Prescott to our class and are looking forward to learning and working with her. 

During this term and before we focus on the transition of KS2 pupils to KS3, we will be working hard to ensure that every child reaches their full potential in the curriculum subjects.  In order to aid this process, the class will be split for subjects such as literacy and numeracy.

Parents can also help their children by ensuring that they continue to read at home on a regular basis and learn their times tables.  This so important at this stage of your child’s learning and it will boost your child’s confidence if they are able to use these skills during their lessons.

Rather than giving homework on a weekly basis, I am intending to send home a homework pack this half term.  The pack will contain spellings and tables practise, as well as some research activities for your child to do on our science topic of ‘The Earth in Space’.  By assigning the homework in this way, it gives the children an opportunity to do extra some weeks or less on a week where time is short (illness or extra curricular activity). I also believe that giving the children a research topic linked to their school learning, will make the homework more meaningful and their school work more interesting.  Don’t forget that the ‘mathletics’ website is an ideal way for your child to improve their mathematical understanding.

In addition to the above, ensuring that your child has a PE kit in school and a pencil case with writing equipment, will ensure that no time is wasted during the school day.  Thank you, in anticipation of your support, with this matter.

Literacy:

Following the Framework for Literacy, Class one will be looking at Traditional tales: myths, legends and fables. They will also explore traditional stories from other cultures and write their own stories in the style of these tales. Children will explore verbal communication skills and develop their ability to orally retell these stories using story mapping techniques. Through this genre, the children will be developing their understanding of text organisation and paragraph use as well as refining their use of punctuation and, in particular, to correctly punctuate direct speech in their narratives.  The themes of the traditional tales will follow the theme of creation stories from different cultures

 After half term, the focus will remain on a narrative theme.  The children will look at film narratives and explores the ways in which emotions, feelings and characters can be portrayed through images, sounds and camera technique.  Through looking at this style of narrative, the children will be developing their ability to portray characters, thus enhancing their reading comprehension and written techniques.  The remaining part of the half term will focus on poetry and in particular choral and narrative styles.

The children in Class One will continue to learn French as our modern foreign language.  This term we will cover the topics of:  Numbers, Months of the Year, Birthdays, Days of the Week, Pets, Brothers and Sisters and Family.  They will learn through playing games and singing songs relating to the topics, listening to stories in French and developing their ability to converse in French.  C’est magnifique!

 Mathematical Understanding:

We will continue to follow the National framework for teaching Mathematics.  In addition to this, Mrs Roberts will be looking at maths investigative work on a Friday morning and Mrs Band, from Tretherras, will be working with a group of Yr6 children on a Wednesday morning. 

Scientific Understanding:

This will focus on attainment target 4: Physical processes.  We will be learning about the Earth and its position in the solar system.  Linked to this we will be learning about light and how it travels.  Mrs Ellis Davis (a teacher from Tretherras) will continue to be in school on alternate Mondays.  This half term she will be looking at light and bringing some light boxes for the children to investigate.

 After half term we will move on to look at Life Processes and Living Things: animal adaptations, life cycles, using keys and classification.  This continues our global dimension and links to the geography of different countries and continents in our planet.

Historical, Geographical, Social and PE:

Following on from our topic of World War 2 and Evacuees, Class one will be learning about the impact of technological advances since 1930.  We will explore the impact on society of these advances and how it has enhanced global communication.

 The children will learn about different climates and terrains in differing global regions.  They will explore the opportunities and problems that these different global locations can present to the people living there.

 PSHE will focus on decision making and assessing risks in different situations.  We will also focus on health and well being, which is also an underpinning value through our work in PE.

ICT:

ICT will continue to play a major part in enhancing children’s learning across the curriculum.

 The children will use their ICT skills and research skills to explore the impact of domestic appliances such as television and radio, as well as major historical events such as space travel.  They will have an opportunity to present their findings to the rest of the class through a multimedia presentation.  The children will also be given an opportunity to exchange ideas to others using animations.

Understanding the Arts:

The year 5’s will continue their violin lessons on a Wednesday afternoon, with Rachel Beale.  We are also lucky to be able to enjoy African drumming workshops on a Tuesday afternoon, with Zena (from Newquay Learning Partnership)

 Art will play an integral part of their learning.  We are planning to use a variety of different media types to convey differing landscapes found on planet earth.  We will also explore patterns and textures found in nature. We are also hoping to design and make our own space rockets too.

Physical Education

 PE will involve exploring dance from other cultures.  We will also continue to refine our knowledge of tactics and team work through invasion games and will focus, in particular, on tag rugby.