In Literacy, we will be reading the book Beowulf; this is Michael Morpurgo’s poetic retelling of the tale of an epic hero and the infamous monster Grendel. It will provide rich opportunities for the pupils to reach into the depths of their imagination to produce creative pieces. From newspaper reports to emotive diary entries, children will be developing their grammar, punctuation and spelling through stimulating, rich outcomes.

In Literacy, we will be reading the book Beowulf; this is Michael Morpurgo’s poetic retelling of the tale of an epic hero and the infamous monster Grendel. It will provide rich opportunities for the pupils to reach into the depths of their imagination to produce creative pieces. From newspaper reports to emotive diary entries, children will be developing their grammar, punctuation and spelling through stimulating, rich outcomes.

In Maths, we will be finishing off our fractions and then diving more deeply into multiplication and division. TIMES TABLES ARE CRUCIAL! The children will progress to multiplying 4 digit by 2 digit numbers and dividing 4 digit by 1 digit numbers. I will share the methods the children are taught in class so you can also consolidate these at home but if you can take the time to practise these skills at home to develop fluency, that would be really helpful.

In Maths we will continue to do weekly arithmetic tests. Children have really improved their scores which is great to see. Generally, we could all do with some revision on adding and subtracting mixed number fractions as well as percentages so, if you’re looking for a focus at home, it can be these topics. In class we’re going to focus on decimals: dividing and multiplying by 10, 100 and 1000 and adding and subtracting decimals which have a different number of digits.

In Science, we will be looking at states of matter, focusing on reversible and irreversible changes. We have a term packed full of fun practical experiments to engage the children’s senses and bring science to life in the classroom.

In Science, our topic is Earth and Space and children will work towards being able to answer the big question, ‘Is there a pattern between the size of a planet and the time it takes to travel around the sun?’ They will carry out simple class-based investigations and devise their own methods for recording, questioning and evaluating.

We have lots of fantastic maps to look at in Geography, as we discuss whether maps of the same area can be useful. The children will develop their understanding of the physical and human geography of New York - its population, politics and habits.

Our geography focus will be the Silk Road. This really is a magical topic where we’ll learn about the most important trade routes around the time of the Abassid dynasty, which goods were traded and how and the most dangerous trade routes. We’ll focus on critical thinking throughout these lessons so we can eventually answer the question: ‘How advantageous was the Silk Road?’

In Art, we will be focusing on the contemporary period, researching and exploring three main artists and their self-expression: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama. We will be studying their methods and techniques to answer important questions about how emotion can be communicated through art, before having a go at creating our own version, inspired by these artists.

In Art, we will be developing our print making.

In Music, we will be learning how to play steel drums with the amazing company Kinetika Blocco. The children are split into two groups and learn how to play a collective piece. They started this just before half term and it sounds absolutely amazing!

In Music, we will be learning how to play steel drums with the amazing company Kinetika Blocco. The children are split into two groups and learn how to play a collective piece. They started this just before half term and it sounds absolutely amazing!

In PE, we will be learning gymnastics, fitness, dance and dddgeball.

In PE, we will be learning athletics, tennis, cricket and outdoor adventurous actvities.

In PSHE, we will be studying:

Is social media always positive?

What makes a healthy family unit?

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In PSHE, we will be studying:

How does self-esteem affect your future?

What changes can we expect during puberty?

Computing studies will move on to the important topic of data-handling.

Our Computing topic this half term will be online safety. The children will be taught how to recognise when health and wellbeing are being affected in either a positive or negative way through online use, understand that passwords need to be strong and that apps require some form of passwords and recognise a couple of the different types of online communication and know who to go to if they need help with any communication matters online.

We are studying Sikhism in R.E., specifically focussed on Sikh stories and what they can tell us about the priorities and customs of the religion. The pupils will be discussing the relevance of these stories and considering whether these tales are a good way to deliver a message.

Our RE topic will be Christianity and our big question, ‘What is the best way for a Christian to show commitment to god?’ We have lots of discussions during these sessions and focus on how we can discuss our differing beliefs respectfully.