Kingfishers Class

Kingfishers Planning Letter: Spring Term 5/6 2024 - Mrs Ford & Miss Black

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Welcome back! We hope you all had a lovely Easter holiday.

This is our Term 5 and 6 newsletter, giving you another brief summary of what your child will be learning in each subject this sum-mer term, as well as reminders of key information about our class in general. We will be continuing to focus on routines, expectations and developing independence which the children continue to make good progress with.

Our spring topic for Terms 5 and 6 is ‘Space’ which the children have already shown us lots of excitement and enthusiasm for.

Space

English

In English this term, we will be basing our writing on Simon Bartram’s Man on the Moon, creating our own sequels to the story and the writing a non-chronological report about astronauts. In Term 6, we will be using The Sea of Tranquillity to inspire our writing, including some space poetry.

This term, we are introducing some short sessions on reading comprehension and SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) to im-prove the children’s ability to answer question about what they has read in written for and also become more familiar with the terminology used in English. We hope that these sessions will ensure we see lots of progress in these areas over the summer term.

In controlled reading this term, our texts will be ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ by Drew Daywalt and ‘The BFG’ by Roald Dahl. We will use these sessions to support fluency, accuracy and expression when reading as well as the ability to answer questions verbally.

History

In Term 5, we will be focusing our history learning on how space travel has changed. Children will be learning about the first rocket and animals in space, types of spacecrafts and the international space station.


In term 6, we will be taking a closer look at explorers, particularly Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong. Children will be think-ing about the discoveries of these men and why we still remember their achievements today.

We are really lucky to be going on a trip to Herstmonceux Science Centre in Term 5 to take part in a ‘Destination Space’ workshop and have a tour of the telescope!

Maths

In Term 5, we will be covering multiple shorter units, starting with measurement (centimetres in Year 1 and introducing metres for year 2). After this, we will move on to look at 2D and 3D shapes, position & direction and time. To support the children with their learning of time, they are allowed to wear an analogue clock to school. Please not that this should not be a digital watch or one with additional features that may cause distractions.

In Term 6, we will cover another measurement unit, this time for weight/mass, volume/capacity and temperature (Year 2 only). We will spend the remainder of next term consolidating the children’s mathematical knowledge from across the year, recapping any areas that need refreshing.

Computing

The children continue to impress me with their computing skills. In Term 5, we will be using our brand new iPads, kindly bought by the PTFA, to learn programming skills. We will be using an app called Scratch Jr. which is free to download and I know the children will also love to use at home.

In Term 6, we will continue our programming learning with Scratch Jr, this time by programming quizzes.

PE

For PE for Terms 5 and 6, we will continue to have Wayne working with us on Monday mornings, focusing on racquet skills, particu-larly within tennis. Our other session will be led by Miss Black on a Wednesday, focusing on striking and fielding skills and how we can use these in a series of games. Please ensure that children come into school wearing correct PE kit on these days (Year 1 will bring theirs in a bag on Wednesday to change into after Woodland Wonder). Correct PE kit should include: black shorts, joggers or leggings, a white t-shirt, black plimsolls or trainers. If we are outside, children can wear their school jumpers or fleeces when it is cold. Please note that children should not be wearing coloured or light up trainers for PE lessons.

Homework

Compulsory

New spellings will be given out to the children every Monday on a look, cover write worksheet but will no longer be quizzed on them at school. Please continue to support your child in completing the sheet with the different activities specified to support the learning with phonics, spelling and writing. Although we are not quizzing the chil-dren on the words alone, we do do a short dictation each Monday that uses some of the spelling words so the children do still need to learn them.

Maths homework will be given out every Thursday to be returned on the following Wednesday. There will be times when this includes an English based task as well. It is really important that children are completing this as it covers and recaps areas in maths that we have moved on from in class, therefore continuing to build on their understanding. If children do not complete this each week then they may end up with gaps in their learning further in their school lives.

Encouraged

We would love to see the children using Spelling Shed, Numbots and Lexia (for those who have it) regularly to support their learning. Activities will be set each week, where required, and achievements will be recognised in our Friday celebration assemblies.

We are also very keen for children to have a go at an activity from the home learning menu which is linked to their topic for the term. We will provide an opportunity for the children to show and tell the class about their home learning and it will be put on display in the classroom for viewing by children, staff and visitors to the school throughout the term. We are already super impressed by the children who have completed home learning before the home learning grid has gone out! Thank you for your continued support with the fantastic homework that keeps coming in.

Science

In the Summer Terms, our science lessons will be focusing on everyday materials. In Term 5, we will be investigating the properties of different materials but putting them through different tests.

In Term 6, we will use this knowledge to investigate which materials will be best for making an umbrella.

Art & DT

In Term 5, we will be using chalk and oil pastels to create our own space pictures inspired by the work of American artist, illustrator and writer, Peter Thorpe. We will be focusing on contrasting colours and how we can use skills such as smudging to create effect.

In Term 6, we will be learning about wheels and axles and using the knowledge and skills we learn to design, make and evaluate a space vehicle.

RE

In RE for Term 5 we will be returning to our Term 3 enquiry question: ‘Who is Jewish and how do they live?’ this time focusing on the Jewish Bible and the celebration of Chanukah. In Term 6, we will be think carefully about the question ‘What is the good news that Jesus brings?’, focusing on the values that God, Jesus and the Bible teach us.

PSHE

Our Term 5 unit is called ‘Relationships’. This unit of work will see children thinking about the relationships and connections they have with those around them—family, friends and at school. We hope exploring this will support children in identifying who they can go to for support and comfort as well as how we should treat each other.

In Term 6, our unit will be ‘Changing Me’ which will focus on how our bodies change as we grow, the feelings we may have towards change in our lives and how we can manage these feelings. The learning in Term 6 will include the scientific terminology for body parts.

Music

In Term 5, we will be basing our learning on Gustav Holst’s ‘Mars’. We will be carefully focusing on the sounds we can hear and make, eventually relating to space.

In Term 6, we will use our Term 5 learning to create our own piece of music based on Earth. We will write down the music we compose using graphic symbols to help us remember and repeat our music.

Important Information and Reminders

The children’s PE days will be on Monday and Wednesday so please ensure children come to school in weather-appropriate PE kit on these days. See the PE box for details.

Children will need a water bottle every day (please ensure this only has water in it!). They will also need a waterproof coat for rainy days. As we get closer to summer, sunhats and sun cream on any hotter days will also be necessary. Sun cream should be applied at home and it is also helpful for children to know how to do this success-fully themselves if it needs to be topped up at school.

Thank you for continuing to respond to our request for no rucksacks at school. This has really helped to ensure our cloakroom stays tidy and can be used comfortably as our second working space. Rucksacks are still, of course, wel-come when we go on school trips!

This year, we are asking that children do not bring things in for show and tell unless it is directly linked to our learning. If they have something that is very special that they would like to show the teachers then that will be lovely but we will not be able to show it to the class.

Thank you for all of those who have continued to welcome Gerald into their families so far this year. Please remember that you do not need to do anything extra when Gerald joins you—he is interested and excited by your normal weekend activities! If the children could stick in/draw pictures or write into his book, that will be lovely as we will share Gerald’s weekend each Monday and keep a record of his adventures.