Social

During the first half term we will be reading the book Wonder by the American author R.J. Palacio. As well as reading comprehension and inference activities we will be using it as inspiration for our grammar, spelling and writing tasks. We will be focusing on understanding language in context, commonly mispronounced and misspelled words, comparing characters, passive voice, informal diary writing and formal newspaper writing. 

After half term we will be looking at the work of Dr Seuss during the week of World Book Day, and then non-fiction texts relating to the American civil-rights movement. We will be finding out about Maya Angelou and performing her poem Still I Rise. We will be learning about Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and writing biographies in the style of Bedtime Stories for Rebel Girls/Boys Who Dare to be Different. We will be analysing Dr King’s famous I have a Dream speech, and will finally write our own persuasive speeches about causes we believe passionately in. 

Position & Direction – plotting coordinates using a four-quadrant grid; translating and reflecting shapes. 

Decimals – identifying the value of digits up to 3 decimal places; multiplying and dividing using numbers up to two decimal places. 

Percentages – solving problems involving calculation of percentages; using equivalences between simple fractions, decimals and percentages. 

Algebra – using simple formulae including missing number problems. 

Converting units – solving problems using metric units of measure; converting between metric units; converting between miles and kilometres. 

Area, Perimeter & Volume – recognising that different shapes can have the same perimeter; calculating areas of parallelograms & triangles; calculating volume of cubes & cuboids. 

Fractions (weekly lesson for whole year) - simplifying, comparing and ordering, adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying, finding fractions of an amount.

• Autumn 1: Physics - Light - to inform our Big Light Day around Diwali 
• Autumn 2: Biology - Evolution - linked to History timeline, including Vikings 
• Spring 1: Focus on Chemistry - Famous scientists (cultural capital: to instil hope and aspiration) linked to History unit on America 
• Spring 2:  Biology - Living things as it is Spring, so we can get outside to look for signs of life! 
• Summer 1: Physics - Electricity - linked to the Victorian era in the Monarchy topic. 
• Summer 2: Biology - Animals including the human body - linked to PSHE programme of study including transition to senior school. 

Land of The Free 

Our Topic this term is all about North America.  

In Geography, we will be looking at and creating maps. We will be drawing world maps from memory and marking on the names of continents, countries, cities and oceans. We will mark the Equator and discuss the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. On continent maps we will research and mark physical and human geographical features as well as historical & culturally significant places in North America. Finally we will look at maps of New York, comparing aerial photos with street maps and the topological Subway map. We will eventually use these to create our own stylised, pictorial maps using pen and ink. 

In History we will be looking at the way the USA has changed socially and culturally over time, with particular emphasis on the Civil Rights Movement. 

In Art, we will research American artists such as Georgia O’Keefe (landscapes) and Keith Haring (pop art) and create our own masterpieces in their style using paint, collage and mixed media. 

In DT we will be researching some traditional American recipes and then adapting them, before preparing and cooking them. We will also be completing a STEM challenge based on the Hoover Dam. 

RE 

Term 1 – Creation & Science: Conflict or Complementary? 

Term 2 – How can following God bring Freedom & Justice? 

Computing 

Term 1 – Film Making - Children will explore various aspects of film-making. They will choose and use appropriate software in order to complete tasks such as writing a script, researching information, filming and editing. We will use digital devices for recording and work through pre- and post-production stages, planning good-quality interviews for a documentary and completing the process with use of video editing 

Term 2 – Spreadsheets - Children are given an understanding of spreadsheets and how they can be used. We will learn skills in formatting and entering specific formulas as well as investigative skills in using the spreadsheet to solve specific problems.  

PSHE 

Term 1 – Dreams & Goals – we will be creating personal learning goals, then thinking about our dreams for the World, and how we can make a difference to achieve them. 

Term 2 – Healthy Me – We will be looking at the health implications of food, drugs and alcohol as well as learning some emergency first aid, discussing how we can manage our mental health and combat stress.  

French 

In French, we have been focusing on explaining things about ourselves: labelling parts of the body, explaining physical actions and introducing ourselves to each other as well as learning colours and clothing names. Going forward, we are working to develop our knowledge of food and looking at how we can explain our likes and dislikes within both a personal/home and school setting.

Music

This term, with our exciting 'America' topic underway, we are evaluating and exploring the music of several US Composers. These include Leonard Bernstein's 'West Side Story', George Gershwin's 'An American in Paris' and John Adams' 'Short Ride in a Fast Machine'.  We will be listening, reflecting and replicating the music using instruments, bodies and voices. The children will also be developing their ability to write music on a stave using musical notation in the Treble Clef.

PE