This half term, our core text is ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ by Michelle Magorian. We will begin the half term by learning about WWII evacuation and link it to the text’s main character Willie. Children will then explore the thoughts and feelings of characters in the book and use different styles of speech before applying their learning, first in an evacuee narrative and then in an information text.

In whole class reading, children will begin with reading chapters from the core text and then move onto a selection of fiction, poetry and non-fiction based around WWII with a learning focus on retrieval, clarifying unknown vocabulary and inference.

This half term the pupils will learn about the importance of community, sharing beliefs and the importance of laws.

This half term, we will be studying decimals, percentages and metric measure. Pupils will be building on their knowledge of fractions from last half term to solve problems involving fractions, decimals and percentages. They will need to convert between all three (making links with place value). They will also calculate percentages of an amount. When converting between different units of measure, pupils will need to solve problems involving the calculation and conversion of units including measurement, mass, volume and time.

In indoor PE, the pupils will be building their static balance and coordination. In outdoor PE, the pupils will be building on prior skills from their learning of invasion games. They will practise dribbling, passing and defending a football. They will also learn how to worl effectively as part of a team.

Our science topic this half term is electricity. Pupils will identify and name the basic parts of a simple electric series circuit (cells, wires, bulbs, switches, buzzers); explain the relationship between the brightness of a lamp or the volume of a buzzer with the number and voltage of cells used in the circuit and use reasoning skills to compare and contrast the variation of components within a circuit; including the brightness of bulbs, the loudness of buzzers and the on/off position of switches.

This half term pupils will learn about their role in the wider world and how they belong to a community.

This half term we will be learning all about the Second World War. We will begin by learning about the series of events which led to the beginning of the War and the key leaders involved. The children will look at a timeline to better understand the chronology of the War. Then, the children will have the opportunity to explore maps of Europe and better understand who was involved and how they moved around the continent to gain control. The children will also have a chance to research and understand what life was like for children at various times throughout the war; pre-war, war and post war.

This half term the pupils will be learning about data and how to use a spreadsheet. They will begin by learning how to navigate and enter data into cells, use basic data formulae for percentages and averages and demonstrating how the use of spreadsheets can save time and effort when performing calculations. They will then move onto using a spreadsheet to model a situation and demonstrating how a spreadsheet can make complex data clear by manipulating the way it is presented. They will also create a variety of graphs in sheets and apply spreadsheet skills to solving problems.

Pupils will also continue with their weekly online safety lessons with a focus on managing their information online.

Throughout this half term, we will be focusing on the art of sculpture. The children will be researching Paul Cummins, the artist famous for the installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’. This installation, inside the Tower of London’s moat, was made up of 888,246 ceramic red poppies, each intended to represent one British or Colonial serviceman killed in the war. The children will be using these poppies to inspire their own poppy freestanding sculpture, created out of clay.

This half term the pupils will be learning how to read, write and converse about daily routines.

We will be focusing on creative composition. The pupils will begin by using chords in compositions to create music that is more harmonically interesting. They will also create accompaniment for a melody using chords and explore how chords are used within the music by listening and responding to La Bamba and looking at composition activities around the theme of 'Disco Fever'. 

• PE every Monday and Thursday.