Our core text this term is ‘Gorilla Dawn’ by Gill Lewis.  We will be learning to infer using clues from a text and evaluating the choices the author has made.  We will also be generating descriptive vocabulary about a jungle in preparation for writing a narrative about the invasion that takes place within the story.  Throughout the half term, the children will develop their knowledge and understanding of spelling, punctuation and grammar and apply this to their writing.

Our geography learning will focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo and comparing the human and physical features to those in Great Britain. We will also be exploring the illegal mining of coltan and colbalt and the impact this has on the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

In maths this half term, our focus will be on place value, addition and subtraction.  There will be a focus on using and applying this knowledge to solve problems in a real life context. Children will begin the term by continuing to secure formal written methods for the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). As the term progresses, children will be learning how factors and multiples can be used as part of the multiplication and division process; this will also include building on knowledge of prime numbers and mental calculations. 

During our science learning journey, we will be learning about living things and their habitats. We will look into the two main groups as well as other living things that do not fit into these groups. We will also recap our learning on vertebrates and invertebrates.

In art, we will learn different shading techniques and then build up texture using oil pastels and acrylic paint to create pictures of gorillas based on the work of Kim Guthrie.

In French, we will explore the patterns and sounds of french through sounds, as well as recognise different dates. This will include days of the week, months of the year and numbers up to 31.

In RE, we will be learning about Judaism and what the life of a Jew looks like. We will learn to understand the meaning behind a Bar/Mat Mitzvah and the importance of providing hospitality. 

In our topic Relationships, we will learn understand different loving relationships and compare the features of a healthy and unhealthy relationship.

PE days 

Sherald - Tuesday and Thursdays

Banksy - Monday and Wednesdays

Wiltshire - Tuesday and Wednesdays 

In English this term we are continuing our focus on our core text 'Gorilla Dawn'. Our supporting text is a biography; 'David Attenborough- Big Dreams, Little People'. Inspired by our texts, we will be writing a motivational speech as the Black Mamba, encouraging people to join our group of rebel soldiers. We will also be writing a non- chronological report on the Democratic Republic of Congo, outlining the culture, resources and effects of coltan mining.

In Geography we will continue with our learning on unethical coltan mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its impact on the environment. We will be conducting a whole school survey to understand the usage of electronic devices across the school and then considering ways to encourage people to recycle their mobile phones and electronic devices so that the batteries can be reused, thus reducing the need to mine for coltan. 

In maths this term, we are continuing our learning around the four operations where we are learning to understand how to calculate long and short division. Furthermore, we are learning to identify prime numbers, square numbers and cube numbers. We will slowly make our way to fractions and learn how to add and subtract them too.

In Science, we will be learning about Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and inheritance and comparing living things and their adaptations.

In art, we will be creating sculptures to represent the climate crisis. We will be using the work of  Jason deCaires Taylor as inspiration for our art installations.

In French we will introduce new vocabulary around pets as well as use and integrate a new connective word. 

During our whole class reading, we follow a consistent reading approach:

Mondays: Fluency

Tuesday: Retrieval skills

Wednesday: Inference

Thursday: Contextualising the text 

Friday: The Big Picture

Our spelling which will be handed out as apart of homework will be the statutory Year 5/6 spellings.

In RE, we will be learning about Sikhism. We will be looking at the 10 Gurus and their teachings within the religion.

We will learn to understand different loving relationships. We will make comparisons between healthy and unheathly relationships whilst learning about consent and different forms of love and commitment. 

PE days:

Wiltshire and Banksy - Wednesday

Sherald - Thursday

Friday - Swimming for year 5s, PE for year 6s

Last day of term:

Wednesday 20th December

In English this term, our core text is 'Pig Heart boy'. We will be learning to write a setting description, a dual narrative, write a flashback and a non-chronological report. We will also spend a lot of time focusing on our spelling, punctuation and grammar. 

In Curriculum, we will be learning about the Anglo-saxon and Viking settlement. Developing our understanding of when the Anglo Saxons/Vikings existed and what their everyday life was like, as well as describing the consequences of the Viking invasion of Anglo-Saxon life. At the end of the half term, we will create our double page spread answering the question: What struggles did the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings face during the time of Edward the Confessor?

Maths this term will be around statistics and properties of shape. We will take a closer look at line graphs, pie charts, circles. two-way tables and angles. 

We will tackle lots of arithmetic and reasoning questions!

Our topic this half term is animals including humans, we will look at what the impact of our lifestyle has on our body and how it functions. As well as the component of blood, describing their functions, which nutrients are transported within animals including humans and describing the functions of the main parts of the circulatory system.

In Art this term, our artist is Travis Bedel. We will be learning to use shade techniques to create abstract drawings and learning to communicate ideas through sketches and convey a sense of individual styles.

In French, we will learn to identify different forms of weather. We will learn to share questions towards the weather and be able to identify what the weather is like in French. 

During our whole class reading, we follow a consistent reading approach:

Mondays: Fluency

Tuesday: Retrieval skills

Wednesday: Inference

Thursday: Contextualising the text 

Friday: The Big Picture

Our spelling which will be handed out as apart of homework will be the statutory Year 5/6 spellings.

In RE, we will be learning about Christianity. Pupils will explore religious festival throughout the calendar year and understand the meaning behind Advent. We will also understand and reflect on Jesus' temptation. 

In RSHE we will learn about relationships and the element of 'respect'. Pupils will learn about the importance of 'respect' being present in all relationships and the impact it has on a healthy relationship. 

PE days:

All classes - Wednesday and Friday 

Friday - Swimming for year 5s, 

Last day of term:

Friday 9th February

In English this term, our core text is 'Pig Heart boy'. 

In Curriculum, we will be learning about Ancient Greece! Pupils will learn to understand the social structure and its impact on various classes, as well as explore the Athenian political system and its connection to modern governance. Most importantly, we will explore the roles and rights of women in Ancient Greece and their relevance today.

Maths this term will be around fractions! We will learn to add and subtract fractions as well as mixed numbers. Pupils will also build their confidence around decimals, learning to convert decimals as fractions and divide/multiply by 10, 100 and 1000. 

Our topic this half term is Forces! Pupils will learn to identify the effects of friction that act between moving surfaces and investigate the effects of air resistance. This will follow into investigations on water resistance! 

In Art this term, our artist is Claude Monet. We will focus on Monet-inspired landscapes and learn to identify and analyse the elements common found in Claude Monet's landscape paintings. Pupils will begin to understand how Monet has portrayed atmospheric effects in his landscapes which will help our pupils create their own Monet-inspired landscape!

In French, we will learn eleven new items of clothing! Looking more closely at adjectival agreement by describing clothes in terms of colour and focusing more on possessive adjectives. At the end, we will apply all of this knowledge and imagine packing our suitcase for a holiday!

During our whole class reading, we follow a consistent reading approach:

Mondays: Fluency

Tuesday: Retrieval skills

Wednesday: Inference

Thursday: Contextualising the text 

Friday: The Big Picture

Our spelling which will be handed out as apart of homework will be the statutory Year 5/6 spellings.

In RE, we will be learning about our local religious community life, focusing on expressing our own commitments, reflecting on why we commit to things. This will give us the chance to compare and contrast the different ways religious communities show they belong.

In RSHE we will learn about the importance of rest, focusing on yoga, embracing mistakes, going for goals and taking responsibility for our feelings.

PE days: Wednesday 

Friday - Swimming for year 5s, 

Year 6 additional PE: Thursday

In English this term, we are continuing our work on 'Pig Heart Boy' and learning to 

In Curriculum, we will be learning about Ancient Greece! Pupils will learn to understand the social structure and its impact on various classes, as well as explore the Athenian political system and its connection to modern governance. Most importantly, we will explore the roles and rights of women in Ancient Greece and their relevance today.

Maths this term will be around fractions! We will learn to add and subtract fractions as well as mixed numbers. Pupils will also build their confidence around decimals, learning to convert decimals as fractions and divide/multiply by 10, 100 and 1000. 

Our topic this half term is Forces! Pupils will learn to identify the effects of friction that act between moving surfaces and investigate the effects of air resistance. This will follow into investigations on water resistance! 

During our whole class reading, we follow a consistent reading approach:

Mondays: Fluency

Tuesday: Retrieval skills

Wednesday: Inference

Thursday: Contextualising the text 

Friday: The Big Picture

Our spelling which will be handed out as apart of homework will be the statutory Year 5/6 spellings.

In RE, we will be learning about Christianity. Pupils will explore religious festival throughout the calendar year and understand the meaning behind Advent. We will also understand and reflect on Jesus' temptation. 

In RSHE we will learn about the importance of rest, focusing on yoga, embracing mistakes, going for goals and taking responsibility for our feelings.

PE days: Wednesday 

Friday - Swimming for year 5s, 

Year 6 additional PE: Thursday