Spring
Our topic for Spring term is 'The Romans!'
In English we will be looking at narrative poetry and considering the poetic devices of rhyme and rhythm. We will then apply this knowledge to write our own poems based on the story 'Swallows and Amazons'. Following this, we will study stories with a flashback, and link this to our learning of the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii, while focusing on using fronted adverbials. We will then study a range of playscripts to understand their structure and layout, before writing our own playscripts to retell the tragic event. To build on our descriptive language and use of expanded noun phrases, we will be writing about the historical warrior Boudica, before finally recounting all of our knowledge of life in Roman Britain in the form of a letter as a Roman Soldier.
In Maths we will explore what happens when we multiply and divide whole numbers by 10 and 100. We will continue to learn and practice our times tables including using fact families and related facts to multiply and divide larger numbers. We will learn to use formal written methods for multiplication and division and apply our range of methods to efficiently solve problems. We will reason and justify our responses to a range of problem types. We will then revisit our work in geometry and investigate length and perimeter of a range of polygons and rectilinear shapes. In Spring 2, we will move on to fractions, learning about unit fractions, mixed numbers, improper fractions, and equivalent fractions. We will add and subtract fractions from fractions and from whole numbers. Finally in Spring, we learn about decimal numbers, linking back to our work in Autumn on place value and our fractions and multiplying by 10 and 100 units in Spring.
As Scientists we will be looking at states of matter and considering how the properties of these can change through a range of observations and investigations. As part of this, we will also be looking at the water cycle making links to prior learning of rivers from Year 3.
As Computer Scientists we are learning to understand that tessellating patterns can make a single shape, have an appreciation of the links between geometry and art and an awareness of computer generated art. We will learn about what a vector graphics package is and some of the tools and features needed to create one. We will also look at bitmapping.
As Geographers we will learn about the make up of the Earth, about tectonic plates and how volcanoes are formed. We will learn about the 'ring of fire' where most of the world volcanoes can be found. We will link this to our work on the Romans and what happened in Herculaneum and Pompeii. We will also investigate how and why other types of natural disasters occur due to earthquakes and tsunamis.
As Historians we will learn all about the Roman Empire and the invasion and settlement of Britain. We will investigate the life of a Roman soldier and how this compared to the life of the Celtic people in Britain. We will learn who Boudica was, exploring her life from different view points. We will will learn how the Roman Empire shaped the Britain we see today including their inventions and other legacies.
In RE we are considering the concept of life as a journey and investigating how a variety of religions mark different milestones in their faith. We will study major ceremonies and rites of passage within a range of religions before comparing similarities and differences within them.
As Artists we will be studying the work of Antoni Gaudi and analysing a range of repeated and symmetrical patterns. We will then work in groups and use this information to design and create our own mosaic using tiles and adhesives. Finally, we will assess and evaluate our work, considering how we have applied the skills and techniques we have built up.
As Musicians we will be creating simple tunes on glockenspiels inspired by the sounds of the rainforests, focusing on pitch, tempo and dynamics before adding textures to our compositions.
As food technicians (in DT) we will be creating our own focaccia. We will first taste test a range of different toppings, choosing our favourites, before designing our own end product. We will then make and bake our breads, and taste them, in role as Romans, in a triclinium.
Here are some websites that you might find useful:
MyMaths (login provided by class teacher)