Term 5 

Maths:

In Maths this term we have been exploring money. We have been developing our skills in recognising and naming a variety of coins and notes. We have also been comparing different amounts and discovering that there’s more than one way to make the same total. We have learnt important facts such as there is 100 pennies in £1 which has helped us become more confident in solving money problems.

English

This term in English, our learning has been closely linked to our topic, Coastlines. Using our exciting trip to Whitstable as inspiration, the children wrote detailed recounts of their seaside experience. We focused on using a variety of adverbs and conjunctions to help describe what it felt like to be by the coast. The children produced some fantastic pieces that beautifully captured their personal experiences and memories of the trip.

Topic

As part of our Coastlines topic this term, we have been developing our map-reading skills. We revisited our Year 1 learning by identifying the countries of the United Kingdom and their capital cities. We built on this by learning how to use map keys and the four compass directions to describe locations more accurately. We also explored coastal features, learning about the process of erosion and the important role sea walls play in protecting the land from the sea.

Science

In Science, we have been studying the uses of materials. We began by learning about the different properties materials can have such as soft, hard, flexible or waterproof. We enjoyed a classroom materials hunt, identifying objects and discussing what they were made from. We thought carefully about why certain materials are chosen for particular purposes, for example, why windows are made of glass or why our classroom chairs are made of plastic.

Term 4 

English:

This term in English, we have learnt how to create kennings poems. We started by learning a poem about Alfred the Great and creating actions to help us remember it. We learnt that in kennings poems there are only two words on a line and that these are called compound nouns. We began to make our own kennings, starting with describing different objects and animals. We then even created kennings poems about teachers in our school, considering their roles and how to describe them.

Maths:

In Maths this term we have continued our learning about multiplication and division. We learnt how to group and share objects in a variety of ways such as using arrays to help us answer multiplication and division questions. We discussed the importance of using our knowledge of related multiplication facts to help us to understand division.

Topic:

This term, we have concluded our learning about ‘Magnificent Monarchs.’ The children have all really enjoyed this topic and have learnt a lot about the different Kings and Queens of England over time. We focused on researching the impact that the monarchs had during their reign. For example, Queen Victoria is whom we should give thanks for many of our traditions such as decorating a tree at Christmas, wearing a white wedding dress and even taking family photographs.

PE:

In PE this term, we have been practising our ball skills. We have been learning how to dribble using basketballs, developing our control and accuracy as we bounce the ball into space. We have also learnt how to use a chest pass when passing to a partner. We discussed the importance of communication when working within a team in order to keep possession of the ball.

Computing:

In computing this term, we have been exploring ‘digital photography’. We started off by gaining experience of capturing different photos of each other and areas around the school. Then we learnt how to improve our photography skills by considering whether a photo should be taken in portrait or landscape mode to improve the photo. We also discussed the importance of the subject of the photo and how we need to consider good photography composition for example, through the use of lighting.

Term 3

English

This term we finished writing our adventure narrative about Julius Brenchley. The children had lots of creative ideas that they were able to put into their writing. We followed a structure of a build-up, problem and resolution within our narratives. We first planned our narrative and thought about the places he might visit before considering what kind of problems he may have and a resolution of how to fix it. The children produced some excellent and imaginative pieces of writing.

Maths

In Maths, we have continued working hard on our understanding of addition and subtraction. We have been focusing on building a better understanding of our number bonds to allow us to answer more difficult questions. We have practiced solving missing number problems, including finding the whole or the part within a number sentence. We have been able to find the difference between two numbers. We are looking forward to our next unit of learning which will be multiplication and division.

Topic

We have been really enjoying our new topic this term of ‘Magnificent Monarchs’ and already have learnt so many things about different monarchs. We first created our own timeline of monarchs and their royal houses throughout history. We were very lucky to begin our learning with a wonderful trip to Leeds Castle. We learnt all about the past owners of the castle and the children even had the opportunity to dress us as various kings, queens, lords, ladies and knights to recreate the story of the ownership of the castle. We had a tour of the castle walking through the cellars of the castle all the way through to the dining rooms and bedrooms. We are looking forward to learning even more about monarchs next term!

PE

In PE this term we have been learning about pathways in gymnastics. We have learnt that to be a champion gymnast you must be silent and make sure your movements flow. The children have had fun creating different ways of travelling across a space using a variety of apparatus. 

Spanish

In Spanish this term we have been learning about transport or in Spanish ‘Los transportes’ so far, we have learnt the word for car is ‘el coche’, aeroplane is ‘el aeroplane’ and boat is ‘el barco. We have also begun to learn a song using these words and the children are looking forward to learning more.

Term 2

Maths

In maths, we have been working hard on solidifying our understanding of addition and subtraction. We have learnt that there are different methods to being able to solve a calculation, such as crossing 10s where you reach the nearest 10 first then add or subtract the rest of the number. We also learnt about counting the 10’s first and then the 1’s to help add and subtract two-digit numbers. We have used a variety of representations to help us such as number lines, dienes and counters and have built upon our understanding of place value to help us solve number problems.

English

In English, we have been expanding our learning on significant people. In particular, Julius Brenchley who we learnt about during our trip to Maidstone Museum. We first learnt a text through our talk for writing approach associating actions with pictures about Julius’ adventures around the world. We focused on understanding the structural features of our story where we noticed a repeated pattern of a build-up, a problem and a solution during Julius’ adventures. We have also expanded our grammar learning about adjectives and how they can improve our story writing. We are looking forward to innovating this and creating our own adventure stories!

Science

Our science topic this term has been ‘Human Survival’. We have studied the human life cycle and have discussed how we all start as babies and as we grow older, we develop from a child, to a teenager to an adult to elderly. We learnt about key processes that happen between these stages; birth, growth and reproduction. We have also discussed what humans might need in order to survive such as food, water, air, shelter, space, sleep and love, and which of these we think are the most important to human survival.

Computing

In computing this term, we have been exploring the benefits and uses of information technology. We have discussed what IT we might see in the wider world and in school and the use of different technologies. While discussing the uses of IT, we also have spoken about the importance of online safety and the rules we should follow when using IT.

Term 1

English:

In English, we have been reading various texts and learning about the lives of different significant people. In particular, Mahatma Gandhi and Rosa Parks.  We have been learning how to write a biography for these significant people. The children have learnt that a biography is a written recount of somebody’s life. We looked at the features we need in a biography, such as subheadings, to separate different sections of information. The children had a go at writing their own biography for Rosa Parks and all produced really excellent biographies!

Maths:

In Maths, we have been focusing on the concept of place value. We have done this by representing numbers to 100 in a variety of ways, using different manipulatives to support our understanding, for example, the use of a place value grid, base 10 equipment as well as a number square. We have concentrated on knowing how many tens and how many ones are in a number indicating their place value.

 Science:

Our Science topic this term has been ‘Habitats’ focusing on the key enquiry question ‘How do different habitats support plant and animal survival?’. We have discussed what makes a habitat and that most living things live in habitats that suit their needs. We then compared the differences between things that are living, dead and things that have never been alive, and explored our own outdoor area to see if we could find these.

Art:

Our Art focus this term has been exploring colours. We have recapped our learning about primary and secondary colours and learnt how to make, describe and use a range of hues to make different colours. We learnt that when mixing hues, we need to use a different amount of colour depending if we want a lighter or darker hue. For example, to make a darker purple we would need to add more blue then red.

Term 6 - 2023/24

English:

In English this term we have been writing diary entries. First, we read and drew a story map of our model text, a diary entry from a girl called Daisy, who was a Victorian school girl. After we had identified and picked out the features of diary entries, we began to write our own.

Our first diary entry was written from our viewpoint of a child at a modern school. We described some of the things that we might do and see at school such as sitting on the carpet, going out for break time or using the interactive whiteboard.

We then recalled what we had seen as well as our knowledge of what schools were like in Victorian times to write our own diary entry from that point of view. We wrote of experiences such as writing on slate boards with chalk, being shouted at by a teacher or being punished by the dunces cap or the cane.

Maths:

In maths, we have started to learn to tell the time with analogue clocks. We started learning about how we measure time in general such as the days of the week and the months of the year. We then learnt about o’clock times. This is when the long minute hand is pointing to the 12 on the clock face. We practised making different o’ clock times on mini clocks.

We then learnt half-past times. This is when the long minute is pointing to 6 and the short hour hand is half way between two numbers. We had a go at listening to an half past time and recreating it on our mini clocks.

History:

In history we have been learning about what schools were like in Victorian times. We have been recalling everything we have found out to write our answers to the enquiry questions “What was school like in the past and what is school like now?”. To answer we first wrote down what we have learnt about Victorian schools. We learnt that the teachers were very strict and had different punishments for the children including the cane and the dunce’s hat. Children in Victorian times had a two-hour lunch break so that they could go home and have lunch, but they didn’t have a playground, until Samuel Wilderspin came along. We then wrote about what school was like now and what we did at school, such as writing on paper with pencils and sitting in groups at tables on plastic chairs. Finally, we wrote about what school we would prefer to go to. The majority of us voted that we would like to keep things as they are!

PE:

Our topic in PE this term has been Rackets, bats and balls. During this topic, we have explored and developed our control of different bats and rackets. These have included: cricket bats, tennis rackets and hockey sticks. We used lots of different sized balls and guided them around courses and the playground. We found that it was easier to use large balls and a longer sticks. We later used our new skills to play games such as quick cricket and hockey.