Moorhen Class Curriculum Newsletter
Spring Term 2017
Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome back to the spring term. We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas break and would like to wish you all a Happy New Year.
Our exciting new mathematical focussed topic for the spring term is ‘The Final Countdown’. Our learning will look specifically at the solar system, and the mathematical and scientific findings of Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo and Copernicus. In science we will be investigating the weather and seasons and how these are affected by the Earth’s orbit of the sun during the year. Throughout the term, our class readers will also focus on our topic of space and the seasons and will include firm favourites such as ‘Percy the Park Keeper’ by , ‘Aliens love Underpants?’ by and ‘The Dinosaur who Pooped a Planet’ by . In history we will be investigating the view of the Earth and its place in the universe throughout the centuries. We will also be investigating Stonehenge and the significance of the summer and winter solstices. Your child will also be investigating aerial maps, globes and atlases. In R.E we will be comparing and contrasting places of worship of the major religions of the world and their celebrations. We will be beginning our exciting spring term learning by investigating the tragic story of the RMS Titanic. If you have any resources that you feel would help our learning please could you send them in with your child, ensuring that they are clearly labelled with their name.
English
In English the children will be investigating a range of topics throughout the term in order to extend their understanding, knowledge and literacy skills. Children will work to secure their grammar and spelling knowledge and understanding. The children will learn the importance of writing for different purposes.
Narrative: Aliens love Underpants, The Dinosaur who Pooped a Planet, The Man in the Moon, Despicable Me, Toy Story
Diary Extracts: Gru, Buzz Lightyear, The Man in the Moon
Biographies: Tim Peake, Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Burns
Poetry: Rhyming, Seasons,
Instructions: ESafety, How to steal the moon,
Explanation Text: Seasons, The Mars Rover
Information Test: Chinese New Year, The Solar System, Burns Night
Reading: The children will develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently. In guided reading they will discuss the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related and will become increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales.
Maths:
Throughout the spring term, your child will further develop their knowledge and understanding of the four main operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division through our learning of measure, time and data handling. We will continue to consolidate jumping in steps of 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s in order to begin to secure our times tables later in the year. These are regularly practised within the classroom but it is essential that they are consolidated at home with your help. The children will further consolidate their learning of time and it is vitally important that you support your child to tell the time as they will struggle to meet the curriculum requirements without your help. Further to this, your child will be learning about weight, mass, measuring in mm, cm, m and km and simple volume. We will be beginning our learning with place value and consolidating our number bonds to 10, 20 and 100.
Science: Weather and Seasons
The children will think about what they already know about weather. They will look at weather forecasts and will video their own school weather forecasts. They will carry out weather observations and make collages about the seasons. During Muddy Monday sessions they will make a class weather station that will measure rainfall, wind direction and temperature.
History: Key Events in the Past: Key ideas on the shape, size and movements of the Earth
The children will investigate key events in the past that are significant nationally and globally, particularly those that coincide with festivals or other events that are commemorated throughout the year
Pythagorus 580-500BC, Plato 427-347BC, Aristotle 384-322BC: Earth at centre of the Universe
Copernicus 1473-1543, Galileo 1564-1642, Sir Isaac Newton 1643-1727: Sun at the centre of the universe.
Kepler Spacecraft discovery of Earth’s bigger, older cousin.
Festivals: Stonehenge: Summer/Winter Solstice
RMS Titanic
Geography: Maps, Atlases and Globes
The children will learn to use world maps, atlases and globes to locate and identify countries and continents. They will use simple compass directions and will use aerial photographs, fieldwork and their observational skills to identify differences and similarities in locations.
British Values: Individual Liberty
The children will learn that we are all born free with our own thoughts, ideas and beliefs. They will discuss how these rights are belong to everyone whatever their differences and that we should all be treated the same way.
R.E: Why are some places special? This unit explores how religions and beliefs express aspects of human nature in a variety of creative ways.
What places are special to me and why are they special? What places are special to members of the world’s major religious communities? (Buildings used for worship, special places in the home) What do these buildings that are special to them look like? Do they have special places, objects, pictures or symbols and how are these used?
Outdoor Education: Muddy Mondays
Our ‘Muddy Monday’ sessions allow the children to enjoy a whole day of fun activities led by Mrs Butler and the Moorhen Team linked to our science, geography, art and design and design and technology learning. Every forth Monday, the children will take part in a variety of activities including class trips, seasonal activities such as planting and harvesting and wellie walks. There will also be opportunities for the children to enjoy the fire pit and to explore their local environment.
Weekly Schedule
* Sadly, we continually have children without the appropriate clothing in school. Please ensure your child has warm, comfortable clothes and sensible footwear for our Muddy Monday sessions and their full P.E kit in school for these sessions.
Monday / · Reading Books changed· Outdoor education: Muddy Mondays*
Tuesday / · Year 1 swimming
Wednesday / · Homework in
Thursday / · Reading books changed
· P.E*
Friday / · Homework Out
· Spelling Tests
Homework will continue to be issued on Fridays and will be due in on the following Wednesday. Homework is designed to support and reinforce your child’s learning within the classroom and will include spellings for your child to learn. On occasion, homework may be in the form of a supporting activity and may not always require marking. However, there may be times when your child will require your support in order to complete the task. If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to pop in and see me.
Key Diary Dates:
Year 1 swimming begins: 10 January
Safer Internet Day: 7 February
Half term: 13-17 February 2017
Thank you for your ongoing support,
The Moorhen Class Team: Mrs Fellows and Mrs Hicks