Dear Parents,
Welcome back, and Happy New Year to everyone!
Thank you for all your cards, good wishes and Christmas gifts. They were all very much appreciated.
Below is an outline of the work we will be covering during the Spring term 2013.
Mathematics topics will include the following :
Count up to 100 objects by grouping them and counting in tens, fives or twos; explain what each digit in a two-digit number represents, including numbers where 0 is a place holder; partition two-digit numbers in different ways, including into multiples of 10 and 1
Know the 2x & 10x table moving on to the 5x table. Derive the division facts which relate to these.
Add or subtract mentally a one-digit number or a multiple of 10 to or from any two-digit number; use practical and informal written methods to add and subtract two-digit numbers
Solve word problems involving multiplication, division, addition and subtraction.
Use the symbols , -, , and to record and interpret number sentences involving all four operations; calculate the value of an unknown in a number sentence (e.g. 2 6, 30- 24)
Use units of time (seconds, minutes, hours, days) and know the relationships between them; read the time to the quarter hour; identify time intervals, including those that cross the hour
Visualise common 2-D shapes and 3-D solids; identify shapes from pictures of them in different positions and orientations; sort, make and describe shapes, referring to their properties
Maths Homework: Homework is given out on Thursday and collected by the following Thursday. Thank – you for all the support and help you give to the children as these skills are very important.
Towards the Easter break, Maths workbooks will be on sale in school to help support your child further at home.
Literacy will be taught using cross curricular links wherever possible. The areas of study for this term include:
Fiction
Traditional stories.
Stories by the same author.
Non fiction
Information texts based on the Great Fire of London. Diary entries.
Leaflets. Posters. Reports and recounts across the curriculum.
Poetry
A range of poetry styles. Similies and adjectives. Short creative & descriptive writing using poetic imagery.
We have begun the term by looking at poems. The children are now being encouraged to use the descriptive vocabulary from the poetry lessons to add details and descriptions to creative writing activities.
When we study the Great Fire of London in our second half term, the children will be provided with a range of texts to research information. They will be required to complete two long writing tasks. The first task is a diary entry requiring the children to imagine they were at the scene. They will use a range of descriptive and powerful vocabulary and to link and extend sentences using a variety of connectives. The second writing task is to create a page, or pages, for an information book about the fire. They use a range of features for presenting their work including headings, bullet points and key facts.
The third literacy focus, again after half term, is traditional stories. It would be beneficial for your child to read, retell and discuss several traditional tales at home. In school we will be looking at how the stories begin, the use of predictable and patterned language, how events are linked together and the use of dialogue. In order to be able to write stories your child will be encouraged to role play various situations and retell parts of the stories orally.
Spelling will continue to be taught using Read Write Inc. materials. Children will learn to apply their phonemes through regular practice using the ‘Get Spelling!’ programme.
Please continue to hear your child read regularly at home and add a comment to the reading record book. All your support in this area is valued and appreciated.
History ‘The Great Fire of London’ –Through information, texts and pictures, children will learn about the Great Fire and develop their History skills through ordering events and exploring why things happened as they did. They will learn more about life in Stuart England through looking at the life of the historical character Samuel Pepys.
Geography We will be studying ‘An Island Home’, the Isle of Coll, Scotland, and comparing and contrasting it with Sheffield. In Literacy we will study Mairi Hedderwick who lives and works on the Isle of Coll. She has written many ‘Katie Morag’ storybooks based on island life.
Our Global Issues links this term are:
– Global Citizens (this half term) in which we are learning more about how we are all connected in our world. How can we learn to co – operate more with others? How do non – governmental organisations like CAFOD help our global neighbours? How can we speak up for others?
– Fairtrade Fortnight (straight after half term) in which we look at justice and fairness in goods and trade.
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P.E. will be on Tuesdays (dance) and Thursdays (gym & indoor games) with outdoor games on Friday (weather permitting.) Please provide your child with shorts, a t – shirt, jogging bottoms, sweatshirt and trainers. As part of Health and Safety Regulations children are asked not to wear jewellery during P.E.
Science topics for this term will be ‘Materials’ and ‘Electricity.’ The children will be learning about properties of materials the part materials play in our everyday lives and the world around us. They will begin to suggest questions to investigate relating to properties of materials and, with help, present results in block graphs, making simple interpretations of these. We will also explore basic circuits and conductivity, comparing events e.g. the brightness of bulbs in different circuits, and electricity in our lives.
R.E. will cover topics on ‘Books’, (The Bible, stories of Jesus, books used at Mass) ‘Thanksgiving’ (Eucharist) and ‘Opportunities’ (Lent and Easter)
ICT will focus on two areas:
– ‘Typing and Designing Documents’: The children will learn word processing techniques and ways to combine images and text.
– ‘Creating Artwork and Designs’: The children will be learning to select and use different techniques to communicate ideas through pictures. We will be using the work of artists Pollock and Mondrian for ideas and inspiration. We will look at reflecting and repeating patterns through ICT work in Maths.
DT This term the children will be investigating and making rolling toys in our topic ‘Make Your Own Roly Poly.’
Art This term our topic is ‘Investigating Materials’ and we are weaving with wool, paper and textiles. Please send in any scraps of cloths & textiles you have particularly in blues and greens for our weaving activities.
In Music the children will be exploring pitch, pulse and rhythm through the topics ‘Taking Off’ and ‘Feel the Pulse.’
Finally, if you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me or come and see me.
Ms Devitt
