Spring 1 Overview
Our main history topic this term has been crime and punishment, and we started our topic with a themed day. We began with a Victorian courtroom drama, where the children dressed up and played the roles of different courtroom staff. It was really interesting to find out how a courtroom worked. We then looked at the invention of fingerprints and how it made catching criminals much easier. We also had a visit form the local police to tell us what they do to help keep our community safe. We have looked a crime and punishment through history and discovered how brutal some punishments were.
In English, we have been writing a mystery story and learning about all of the features that help us create drama and tension within a story. We built our story up in small steps and acted out our mysteries. We then practiced different writing techniques and put them all together in our final piece. We are so pleased with our mystery stories – they are amazing!
In Science, we have been learning about states of matter. We know that things can be solids, liquids or gases and can explain the characteristics of each one. We have also learnt about heating and cooling. We have studied the water cycle and experimented with the speed of evaporation
In Art we have looked at street art and graffiti. We have learnt some letter writing styles as well as learning how to make cartoon characters out of everyday objects. We have looked at the work of Banksy and made some Bansky style pictures of our own.
In PE, we have been doing gymnastics. We have been learning about different types of rolls and jumps, and then making a gymnastic sequence.
Spring 2 Overview
Our main Geography topic this term has covered the Geography of the UK and rivers. We have used our map reading skills to place Nottingham and Rise Park on the map, as well as re-tracing the route of our walk to Bestwood Country Park. We have learned about the difference between villages, towns, and cities and compared the advantages of all three. We have also learned to identify the key features of a river from source to sea, and how rivers have played an important role in society for thousands of years.
In English, we have written a speech to encourage people to save trees in Bestwood Country Park. We started our writing by going on a walk to Bestwood Country Park to experience a variety of nature, and then began learning speech writing skills such as using rhetorical questions, imperative (bossy!) verbs, and addressing the reader directly in the second person. Our speeches were inspired by similar speeches by Greta Thunberg, who we have researched as a passionate activist.
In Science, our topic has been animals, including humans. We have learnt about teeth in both humans and animals and compared them to each other, understanding how teeth vary based on whether an animal is a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore.
In DT we have investigated, designed, and made our own pencil cases. To do so we researched which skills and materials would be the most appropriate to make an effective pencil case. We practised sewing using a needle and thread to crate a strong and secure pencil case with an eye-catching design.
In PE, we have been doing table tennis. Children have focused on hand-eye coordination and practised lightning-fast reactions. Using a mixture of team work and competition, we had a great time developing our skills.
In Maths, we have continued to develop our skills by learning and practising formal written methods for multiplication and division. We have studied shapes and learned how to described different shapes with parallel and perpendicular lines, as well as lines of symmetry and interior angles.
In Music, we have carried on learning to play the guitar with our specialist guitar teacher, Matt. Our learning culminated in an amazing performance at the Great Orchestra Experiment, where we played alongside a full size orchestra!
Autumn 2024
Our central topic this term has been journeys.
We started by looking at the journeys of polar explorers and learning about life in the Arctic and Antarctic. Then we learnt all about the Anglo Saxons, and the period during which they moved to live in the British Isles. We went to Perlethorpe to meet an Anglo Saxon and see how they lived. We have learnt about Anglo Saxon rune messages. We have also read the Anglo Saxon story of Beowolf and written our own endings.
During our Science lessons, we have learnt abouts sound – how it is made, how it travels, and how we could use different materials to muffle sounds and make them more difficult to hear. The children thought about how to alter the pitch and amplitude of sounds, and even able to use a variety instruments to demonstrate what they had learnt. We also learnt about electricity and then used this knowledge for our DT project, where we designed and made a torch for a Polar explorer.
In IT, we have been learning how to edit photos, including changing colours as well as adding and removing objects from the picture. The children have really enjoyed their work
In Art, we have looked at the work of a local artist Anna Collete Hunt, who displays her work at Nottingham Castle. We have looked carefully at butterflies and sketched them in detail, before designing our own clay butterfly. We decorated them beautifully and were really impressed with our finished butterflies.
In Music, we have enjoyed learning how to play our guitars and have learnt some notes and put them together to play some simple tunes. We have also appreciated the music of different artists.