In English we will be exploring more genres this term – an evenly balanced arrange of fiction and non-fiction texts. We will be advancing our knowledge of explanation texts using our recent visit to the Greater Manchester Fire Safety Centre as a stimulus. Alongside this non-fiction work, we will also be looking at descriptive writing, using the Darwin's Dragon book, that links in with our Evolution topic in Science.  Later on in the summer term, we will look at classic football heroes from South America to produce biographies to tie in with our Geography topic, ‘The Americas.’ 

In Maths we will be focussing on reasoning and problem solving skills in the areas of: Geometry (missing coordinates, symmetry, translation, reflection and 3D nets); ratio, money (story problems); time (timetables and duration); and Algebra (working backwards problems, formulas and algebraic expressions).

As Geographers we will be learning about the continent of South America.  Using atlases and maps, we will identify where South America is located and will explain its location in relation to the Equator, Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle.  We will then focus our learning on Brazil and examine its six key environmental regions.  Later in the term, we will visit Macclesfield Forest to revisit our learning about rivers and carry out some fieldwork at the source of the River Bollin.

As Historians we will be examining the Ancient Maya civilization.  We will learn about the number and writing system that they used and will investigate and compare their achievements to that of other civilizations previously studied in Key Stage 2.  At the end of the topic, we will conduct our own enquiry into the reasons behind the decline of the Maya and present our findings to the class.

As Scientists we will be building upon our knowledge of living things and their habitats.  We will look the classification systems of Aristotle and Carl Linnaeus and use these to identify living things in our school environment.  We will also begin tracking living things in our new school pond area.  In Summer 2, we will be learning about the theories of evolution and inheritance.  During the topic, we will look at the work and findings of Charles Darwin and Mary Anning.

As Computer specialists (in Computing) we will be computational thinkers. The children will learn about some common algorithms, and recognise that more efficient solutions to the same problem can reduce the impact of computation on energy and other resources.

As Artists we will be looking at the work of Paula Swisher and use her artwork as inspiration for our own pieces.

In PSHE we will be learning about belonging to a community, valuing diversity and challenging discrimination and stereotypes. We will also be learning about money and work, influences and attitudes to money and financial risks.

In RE our question is: What can be done about racism? Can religion help? The children will have opportunities to consider the concept of diversity and will be discussing a diverse range of views about questions of living together, tolerance and respect and prejudice-reduction. Following the study of beliefs and values in different religions and worldviews, pupils will be able to think about their own experiences and views about race, ethnicity and racial justice in relation to religions and worldviews.

As Engineers (in DT) we will be creating a model car that incorporates an electrical system.  We will apply our understanding of computing to program, monitor and control our products using a BBC Micro-Bit.

As Musicians we will continue to look at a number of composers from the Baroque period of music, discussing the impact of different composers on the development of music styles and the musical features they were each known for. We will be using staff notation to play a canon, compose a ground bass melodic ostinato and learn and perform part of a fugue. Later in the term we will turn our focus to our end of year production.

As Linguists, in French lessons we will be learning to explain what we do in a typical  weekend, learning 10 phrases which use a variety of verbs in the first person. We will continue to work on our reading, listening and speaking skills as well as phonic awareness. Building on our knowledge of conjunctions and opinions, we will produce a final written piece about our weekends.

Here are some websites that you might find useful:
 

MyMaths - log in provided by class teacher

Topmarks - Maths games
 

KS2 Bitesize - Learn more about our class topics and play interactive quizzes

Times Tables Rock Stars - log in provided by class teacher