Junior 4

Class:  Junior 4 (Year 5/6)

·         World War II – Key people and events.

·         The Earth and our Solar System.

In Language we will be looking at both biographies and autobiographies as our non-fiction topic. We will be looking at who the children are interested in, along with them designing questionnaires for each other before they end the topic by writing their own autobiography.

We will be utlising opportunities to enquire across the curriculum, with the class to work on their research skills within our topics, along with their interview and questioning skills.

Within Welsh we will be reading the Wncwl Em story which is related to the topic of Bwyd. The class will also be using the Welsh Language mats to further develop their conversation skills, particularly so that conversations about personal information and hobbies can be held without prompts.

We will be covering a wide-range of maths topics this half term:

·         Multiplying and dividing by 10/100/1000.

·         Decimal numbers and fractions.

·         Mental strategies for addition and subtraction.

·         Column addition of decimal numbers.

·         Algebra.

·         Converting between different measures.

·         Calculating time intervals.

·         Problem solving activities.

Our Science topic for this half term will be that of the Earth and our Solar System. We will be briefly looking at the Earth and what makes it habitable for us. The class will then focus more on the planets which make up our Solar System, drawing upon their own knowledge and interests to learn more about the planets they want to focus upon. We will also be having a visit from specialists who deliver a ‘Universe in the classroom’ workshop.

Mrs Lucas is teaching Design Technology to Year 6. Pupils have already started researching their topic Funky Folders in which they’ll design and make an iPad folder from reclaimed materials.  Pupils are required to make a mood board’ independently which shows examples of folders and files, images and colour schemes they’d like to use and most importantly PS or P6 plastic food containers to make our shrinkies!

Mrs Lucas is teaching Art to Year 6. In Art, pupils will be studying the artist and sculptor Henry Moore.  His ‘shelter’ sketches will complement their Year 6 World War II topic.  As a requirement to collect reference materials independently, Mrs L has asked pupils to save pictures of sculptures, rocks, stones and driftwood, information about Henry Moore and air-raid shelters and practise sketching people lying under covers.

Mrs L will also be teaching Music and as well as our school Christmas production, pupils will be studying Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Holst’s Planets Suite.

Our PE topics for this half-term will be Football and Swimming. Football will take place on a Thursday afternoon and suitable clothing and footwear for outside will be necessary. We will be working on basic skills during different fun games. Swimming will take place every Monday morning with swimming kit required every week. These sessions are taken by qualified swimming instructors at Gwyn Evans Leisure Centre. One exciting opportunity this half term is that our class will be having a visit from the British Red Cross, who will be delivering a First Aid Workshop.

Our first topic this half term will be that of the Second World War, where we will be looking in particular at the people and countries involved. We will be drawing on what the children themselves want to learn about whilst focusing on significant key events over the course of World War II. We will pick this topic up again in the Spring term, where we will look more at life in Britain and Wales during the war, whilst looking to go on a trip to the Imperial War Museum in Manchester.

Language and Mathematics homework will be given out every Thursday, with the class having until Tusday to return both. There will be a spelling test every Friday, for which all children will be expected to practice their spellings at home. Reading diaries should be brought in and signed every day, with children to write a brief paragraph abut what has happened in the pages they have read also.

Times tables, Maths Whizz, ActiveLearn, Spellings and by having them reading regularly.