This half term, our core text is ‘The Great Kapok Tree’. The story canters around the Amazon rainforest. The book opens with a map of the world showing all of the places where rainforests once existed and all of the rain forests that are actually left. In English, we will be using this book to write a non chronological report based on deforestation. The children will use headings and subheading to write about why deforestation is happening, its effects on our planet and what we can do to help slow the process down. We will also be looking at how to write a great character description. The children will be using Roald Dahl's characters (Miss Trunchbull and the Bloodbottler) as inspiration in order to create their very own character description of the BFG.

For R.E we will be focusing on 'How does a Leader Inspire?.'  Some of the questions we will explore are: What are the qualities of a leader? Who influences the things you do? How do people show that someone is important to them? What sort of people were the leaders Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and others. Pupils will be building on their learning from last term about beliefs about God. They will review their understanding of monotheism and polytheism when learning through all of the modern religions. 

During this half term, we will continue to learn about multiplication and division. Then we will be moving onto area and perimeter and converting different lengths of measurements. The children will learn to measure lengths in metres, centimetres and millilitrers. They will then use their knowledge of conversion to add and subtract lenghs.

In P.E the children will be focusing on net games using hands and rackets. They will learn to move safely in a confined space with a range of objects. They will first practise sending and receiving a beanbag before moving on to using rackets to move quickly in different directions.

Our focus for this half term is rocks. Children will learn about the different types of rocks like granite, chalk, sandstone, limestone, marble, slate, pumice and basalt. They will also learn about how fossils are made from rocks and organic matter. Then, children will learn about how sedimentary rocks are formed from layers of sand, stones and mud. By the end of the term the children will be able to: ask and answer questions about the way soils are formed, explore how and why rocks might have changed over time and identify similarities and differences between different types of soils. 

Understanding their role in an emergency situation is the focus of our PSHE lessons this half term. The children will know the steps and actions to follow if they’re in an emergency situation. Including calling the emergency services. They will then learn to know which steps to follow if somebody is stung or bitten. 

This half term we will be focusing on deforestation and learning about the rainforests of the world. The children will identify different types of rainforests and will use geographical language to compare two localities. Using  maps and google earth the children will observe the changes that have taken place due to deforestation and will discuss the impact of deforestation on global and local communities.

In computing the children will learn to recognise how text and images convey information. They will be looking at using images and text to communicate a message effectively. Next they will look at desktop publishing. The children will think about how to make careful choices regarding font size, colour, and type in an invitation. They will then think about the different ways information can be laid out on a page. They will look at a range of page layouts such as letters and newspapers, and begin to think about the purpose of each of these.

In art the children will be introduced to Bogolan artwork. They will create a moodboard exploring Bogolan mud cloth and create a repeated pattern using line and resist. They will discuss a natural fabric dying process – a way of changing the colour of fabric using natural materials only and will then experiment wioth natural materials themselves to create their very own Bogolan artwork. 

In French the children will learn how to write and say different colours. They will then move onto naming different animals before learning the names of common pets.

For music we will be looking at: Compose using your imagination. The children will use their imagination  to create their own compositions. They will write a melody and find sounds that represent the story you want to tell. Singing and listening are at the heart of each lesson. The children will play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, D, E, F. 

• Rocks workshop