English

Elm Class will begin the summer term reading ‘Beowulf’ by Michael Morpurgo. We will be paying particular attention to the author’s intent behind his vocabulary and grammar choices and how the author shows dialogue between the characters. The children will be writing a recount, being very careful with use of tense and perspective. We will also write a narrative from a third person perspective based on the text.

Maths

The children will develop their mathematical understanding through a range of topics, building confidence in problem-solving and reasoning.

This term, we will be measuring mass in grams and kilograms and capacity in litres and millilitres. We will then use this knowledge to compare capacity and volume and solve problems involving mass and capacity. 

We will then recap our fractions knowledge, where we will calculate fractions of numbers, recognise fractions of objects and equivalent fractions and solve addition and subtraction problems with fractions. 

Science

In Science, Elm will be learning about states of matter and the water cycle. We will learn about how substances can change state by melting or freezing, and we will consider which changes are reversible and irreversible. We will then look at the water cycle, using the terms evaporation, condensation and precipitation to look at the journey of a drop of water. 

Geography

This term, we will be learning about London and the southeast of the UK. We will particularly focus on London, Brighton, Canterbury and Dover, considering their major landmarks, rivers and populations. We will also look at the history of these locations and think about their attraction for tourists. 

Art

In Art, we will be studying Byzantine monuments. We will pay particular attention to the leaders who ordered these monuments to be built, and what the monuments can teach us about Roman beliefs at the time. We will study the architecture of the Pantheon, the Colosseum and Trajan’s column, including making sketches and labelling their features. We will then create our own model of the Pantheon using papier mache, collaging techniques and our knowledge of strong structures.

RE

Our RE learning this term is titled ‘What is a good life?’ and is centred around Humanist beliefs. We will apply our understanding of the concept of duty to the ways in which religious and non-religious people try to live a good life. We will draw on questions and methods from the human / social sciences, theology and philosophy, and will particularly explore the life of James Baldwin, who was an important African American writer and Civil Rights activist.

Creative translation

Elm Class will begin to learn creative translation this half-term. This programme brings high-quality, accessible and sophisticated picture books in languages other than English into the classroom. Pupils work through the stages of code-breaking, translation and creative writing, looking at the similarities and differences between languages, both in spelling and in grammar structures. This will help us to develop core literacy skills and will help to build an appreciation of literature and cultures around the world, enriching our intercultural awareness and raising confidence and aspirations.  We will begin by looking at the story ‘Along the Tapajos’, a Portuguese language book set in Brazil.