Spring 2

Guided Reading –

This half term we are studying the book "Diver’s Daughter" by Patrice Lawrence. This story links with our history Tudor topic and explores prejudice and betrayal in Tudor England through the eyes of a young girl and her mother. We read for meaning and answer comprehension questions based our VIPERS scheme and enrich our history learning.

Religious Education (R.E.) –

Lent: This unit involves the children in thinking about the concept of ‘temptation’ as they study the temptations of Jesus. Children will be given the opportunity to reflect on what nurtures and damages human relationships they will study some important texts from the New Testament about Christian living and will learn about the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a Sacrament of Healing and God’s forgiveness

Holy Week: In this unit children will gain a greater knowledge and understanding of the last week of Jesus’ life and how the Church celebrates this week through liturgy and prayer.

Writing –

Using the text “Treason” by Berlie Doherty, we will explore how to describe action in our writing, focussing on how paragraphing can be used to make changes in time and/or location.

We will also use our history knowledge to write biographies of Tudor characters.

Our grammar focus will be: paragraphs (change of time and place), adverbials, short sentence for effect, third person, expanded noun phrases, adverbials and parenthesis

Maths –

Decimals – We will learn to read and write decimal numbers and compare decimal numbers to find out which is greater, and which and smaller. We will add and subtract decimals before turning decimals into fractions. We will also round decimals to the nearest whole number and decimal position.

Percentages – We will compare quantities and be exposed to percentages as an amount out of 100. We will convert fractions to hundredths, both by expanding fractions and by simplifying them.

Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar –

SPAG lessons this half term are on Mondays and we will test previously learned spelling and have new spellings for the following week.  We will also explore a variety of grammar features to support our work in writing.

Spellings for this half term include: Words with an /or/ sound spelt ‘or’; Words with /or/ sound spelt ‘au’; Convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using the suffix –ate; Convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using the suffix –ise; Convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using the suffix –ify; Convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using the suffix -en

Our grammar focus is: complex sentences; functions of fronted adverbials; using simple past, present and future progressive tense; relative clauses; pronouns and the function of apostrophes

History -

In History this half term, we learn about The Tudors. We will be learning about how the Battle of Bosworth began the reign of the Tudor Dynasty and key information about Tudor history. We will discover the story behind King Henry VIII and his six wives and all about Queen Elizabeth I's life and reign. Through our trip to Oak House in West Bromwich we will learn about the key differences between rich and poor people in Tudor society in our local area.

Science –

Notable Scientists:

We will learn about 6 notable scientists and their important work - Katherine Johnson, Alexander Graham Bell, Rachel Carson, George Washington Carver, Stephen Hawking and Marie Curie.

Through exploring their lives we will also learn scientific concepts such as: Identifying how sounds are made; identifying common appliances that run on electricity; recognising that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things; recognising that soils are made from rocks and organic matter; exploring the requirements of plants for life and growth.

Physical Education (P.E.)

In PE this half term children will be swimming on Tuesdays and studying tennis and badminton. We will be focusing on how to hit a ball or shuttle with good control using recognised forehand and backhand techniques. We will also look to maintain a rally with a partner and progress into small games developing an understanding of scoring systems used. 

Children will need their Swimming kit in school on Tuesdays and PE Kit on Thursdays.

French –

In French we are learning about the vocabulary around the topic of My Family.

We will be able:

To recognise and use phrases to say if I have a brother or sister

To be able to name different family members on a family tree

To be able to build descriptive sentences into a short paragraph

To be able to understand and express simple opinions

To plan and prepare a short presentation about my family.

Personal,  Social & Health Education (PSHE) –

In PSHE we will be exploring the Relationship and Health Education for Catholic primary schools from TenTen Resources:

Module 1: Created and Loved by God explores the individual.

Continuing through the Paradise Street series, children learn about pressures that they may experience from themselves, others and the media. Children will develop ideas on how to build resilience through thankfulness, to manage their thoughts, feelings and actions and cope with new or difficult feelings such as romance and rage. They affected by what they see online

Computing – Selection in Physical Computing – Traffic Lights

In this unit, learners will use physical computing to explore the concept of selection in programming through the use of the Scratch programming environment. Learners will be introduced to an interface that allows them to learn the facets of controlling a set of traffic lights. Learners are introduced to conditions as a means of controlling the flow of actions and make use of their knowledge of repetition and conditions when introduced to the concept of selection (through the if, then structure).

Music –

In Music we will be learning about traditional music notation, note values, pitch names and time signatures.