Author: Kate Watson

We are looking forward to the term ahead and have lots of exciting things planned. As always please remember, if you have any worries or concerns, do not hesitate to get in touch.
A few reminders:
Just to confirm our PE days are Tuesday and Wednesday. Children need to come to school wearing their outdoor PE kit. They will stay in their PE kit all day so do not need to bring their uniform. Any earrings must be removed at home. Children cannot take part in PE if they are wearing earrings.
What you can do at home to help with reading...
Children must read their reading book 3x per week. This does not need to be the whole book. A couple of pages at a time still counts. This must be recorded in the reading record book.
Ask a range of inference questions. For example “Why did ___ say ___?” “How did you feel when ___?” “Why was ___ scared/happy/excited?” and “Explain how ___ felt about ___.”
Think about the meaning of words. For example “What does the word ___ mean?” “Find the word that means the same as ___.” “find the word that tells you ___.” and “Find the word closest in meaning to ___.”
A huge thank you to you all for making a brilliant start with homework, its great to see children so engaged with their learning at home as well as school.
Mrs Scott, Miss Evans and Miss Watson

English
In English this term our text drivers are “Escape from Pompeii” by Christina Balit and “The Firework Makers Daughter” by Philip Pullman. All our English work will be linked to these books therefore providing a purpose and context for the work the children produce. In the first half term, we will be working towards the skills needed to retell the whole story but with different main Volcano shape poetry and a non-chronological report on the Romans.
We will then read “The Firework Makers Daughter” in order to retell one event from the point of view of Lila and produce a diary entry in the role of Lila. Both text drivers link to our history topic “Eruptions and The Empire” linking to the Romans.

Maths
In maths this term we will be focusing on geometry (looking at the properties of 2D and 3D shapes) and statistics (interpreting and presenting data using bar charts, pictograms and tables and solving one-step and two-step questions. Again we will be encouraging children to use a range of practical resources to support their thinking and problem solving skills.

Reading
This term we will be having weekly guided reading sessions and will be focusing on children’s performance in order to improve their fluency and comprehension skills. In order to do this, children will applying the 6 p’s of performance reading: pace, pitch, pauses, punctuation, personality and power. This should promote a love of reading whilst reading a wide range of fiction and poetry.

Wider Curriculum
We endeavour to ensure all pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum. This term our topic is “Eruptions and The Empire”. In our history lessons all children will learn about the Romans. We will also link this to our geography topic “Eruptions and Volcanoes” where children will study the city of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius.
In science, pupils will be learning about plants. They will investigate and observe which conditions are required for a plant to grow. They will also identify parts of a plant and flower.
In art, pupils will master drawing techniques by sketching an erupting volcano. Pupils will learn about the author and illustrator Christina Balit by linking to our text driver “Escape From Pompeii”. Children will also take part in an educational visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and continue to study two local artists Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
In PE, pupils will be developing their balance and coordination skills by participating in tennis and rounders.
Pupils will also study computing RE, French, music and PSHCE through the Jigsaw scheme.