English - Writing

This Summer term, our pupils will be engaging in a variety of writing activities across four exciting units.

Beginning with A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master, children will have the opportunity to develop their extended fiction writing skills by creating their own chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue inspired by the book. They will also explore different writing styles, including journalistic writing and recounts. The grammatical focus will include using devices to build cohesion within paragraphs and linking ideas across paragraphs using adverbials of time and place, as well as tense choices.

In the second unit, focusing on Anne Frank by Josephine Poole and Angela Barrett, pupils will be learning to write extended diary entries to gain a deeper understanding of Anne's character. They will also develop their skills in writing a more formal obituary and a newspaper report. Grammar will cover indicating degrees of possibility using adverbs or modal verbs and using adverbials of time and place to link ideas across paragraphs.

Moving on to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, the children will be focusing on writing instructions for making their own Origami Yoda. They will also engage in writing discussion texts to explore the question of whether we can predict the future, using evidence from the book. The grammatical focus will include the use of imperative verbs in instructions and experimenting with varying sentence structure for desired effect.

Finally, through Curiosity: The Story of Mars Rover by Markus Motum, pupils will be exploring explanation writing, including creating information labels and an expanded explanation for a new rover proposal to NASA. They will also learn to write a formal log using the passive voice and a short news report. The grammar focus will include using expanded noun phrases to convey complex information concisely and ensuring the consistent use of tense.

Maths

This Summer term, Year 5 and 6 maths covers 6 blocks. Ratio explores relationships between quantities using additive and multiplicative links, introduces ratio language and symbols, connects ratios and fractions, applies scale factors to similar shapes, and solves ratio and proportion problems. Algebra introduces using letters for unknowns, function machines, forming expressions and simple formulae, substituting values, and forming and solving equations. Shape focuses on understanding and using degrees, classifying angles (acute, obtuse, reflex), measuring and calculating angles around a point, on a straight line, vertically opposite, and within triangles and quadrilaterals. It also explores properties of polygons, parts of circles, drawing shapes accurately, and properties and nets of 3D shapes. Position and Direction covers coordinates in the first and all four quadrants, solving coordinate problems, describing and performing translations, identifying lines of symmetry, and reflections. Statistics involves drawing and interpreting line graphs, bar charts (including dual), reading and interpreting data from tables (including two-way) and timetables, understanding and constructing pie charts (with percentages), and calculating and interpreting the mean. Finally, Converting Units includes converting between metric units (kilograms/grams, kilometres/metres, millimetres/metres, millilitres/litres, centimetres/metres), understanding approximate conversions between miles and kilometres, working with imperial measures, converting units of time, and calculating with timetables.

Music

We start the Summer term exploring the song 'Baloo baleerie'. Baloo baleerie is the inspiration for this unit about one of the most ancient types of song – the lullaby. Pupils will explore lullabies from across the globe, learn about 3/4 time, as well as sing and play this beautiful lullaby from the Shetland Islands.

Most children will be able to:

• Sing a lullaby accurately and with expression.
• Show an understanding of why people sing lullabies to babies. 
• Understand the differences between 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures.
• Play an accompaniment using tuned percussion.
• Compose a gentle melody inspired by lullabies in 3/4 time, using a pentatonic scale, and question-and-answer phrasing.

After half term we will be learning the songs for our end of year production!