Term 3 & 4 Newsletter – Class 5

Welcome back! I hope you were able to enjoy your Christmas break. It has been great to see the excellent effort the children have already been putting in to their learning. There is lots to look forward to over the next term! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those families who kindly contributed to the gift I received at the end of last term which was a lovely surprise. Please remember to have a read of communications from school, including newsletters, to keep up to date with what is happening.

Mr Boorman

If you have any questions, please see me after school or contact me at rboorman@blackboys.e-sussex.sch.uk

History

Our main theme this term is the ancient civilization of the Maya. The Maya were a civilization who lived in an area that used to be known as Mesoamerica, in what is now the country of Mexico. They are famous for their great pyramids, as well as for their amazingly advanced work on mathematics and astronomy. We will be finding out about life as a Maya, and about their customs and beliefs, as well as their incredible inventions.

Numeracy

We will be starting the new term by continuing with our work on fractions, decimals and percentages. We will then move on to learning about converting metric and imperial measures.

Art

Our main focus in art is architecture including the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

DT

In DT, we will be learning about and making traditional Maya food.

PSHE

Our two PSHE topics this term are ‘Dreams and Goals’ and ‘Healthy Me’. PSHE will be taught by Mrs Hall this term.

ICT

This term, we will be learning about the Mars Rover to help understand computer images and design programmes. After half term we will be learning about computational thinking with a focus on programming.

Homework

Homework will be set each week on a Wednesday. A homework menu will be given out which will feature mainly reading and writing tasks, with some maths tasks to reflect classroom learning Homework is handed in the following Monday.

Don’t forget, you can do some extra work at home on Times Table Rock Stars, and make sure you keep reading – reading records have been given out, and we are keen for children to earn some certificates! Children can bring their books from school home to read, and they can bring books from home into school.

Monday: PE with Mr Boorman. Homework handed in.

Tuesday: PE with Zara Breeze.

Wednesday: Homework handed out.

Friday: Spelling dictation sentences.

Literacy

In Literacy, we will be focussing on the non-fiction text, ‘Why were Mayan games so deadly?’. This will help us to learn more about this ancient civilization, focussing on the Maya ball game ‘Pok a Tok’ within our writing. We will also continue to work on our knowledge of punctuation and grammar as the term progresses. After half term, we will be studying the work of Shaun Tan, with a focus on the books ‘The Red Tree’ and ‘The Rabbits’.

Spellings

In Key Stage 2 we are following the ‘Superhero Spelling’ scheme, which follows on from the KS1 Monster Phonics scheme. There is a spelling session each day Monday – Friday, where children in Key Stage 2 are split into their year groups in order to cover the year group objectives. Each week, children will bring their list of words home on a Monday and spend time in class learning the different rules and patterns in a range of different ways. On Fridays, children complete dictation sentences to show their learning of the spelling words.

Science

In term 3, we will be learning about how sound is created and how we hear. After half term we will be learning about the human circulatory system and living a healthy lifestyle.

RE

Our two questions this term are: ‘Creation and science: conflict or complementary?’ and ‘How do people with non-religious views decide what is a good life?’

PE

In PE, children will be learning to play hockey. They will also be learning about traditional dance with specialist dance coach Zara Breeze.

Geography

We will be learning about where the Maya came from, and how their surroundings contributed to their daily lives.

Forest School

Class 5 will be taking part in forest school lessons in term 4 (half a class each week). If you are able to, please look out for the sign-up sheet as children will only be able to go off site if we have enough adult volunteers.

Key Dates

Monday 10th February – Parent Consultation

Wednesday 12th February – Parent Consultation

Monday 24th February – INSET day

Friday 28th February – Year 6 trip to Houses of Parliament

Wednesday 12th March – Author visit

Friday 4th April – Last day of term. Cup Assembly