English

This half term, we have continued expanding our learning around the novel of 'The Iron Man'. We have spent time focussing on how to enhance our understanding of SPaG skills such as structuring paragraphs and linking ideas via fronted adverbials. The children have also applied their skills to a persuasive piece of writing, encouraging Hogarth to let the Iron Man out of the pit.

We have also spent some time focussing on learning poems by heart and performing them. All of the children had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the poem and the language used. They then explored a range of methods to learn 'Firework Night' by Enid Blyton and how best to perform in front of a crowd. 

Here is a copy of the poem that the children learned and performed:

Maths:

In Maths, the children have focussed their learning around the topic of 'addition and subtraction' or 'multiplication and division'. They have used their knowledge of number bonds to solve addition calculations which carry between the digits in a column method, as well as using their number bond knowledge to solve subtraction calculations where they were required to exchange. Some of the children have also been exploring multiplication and division. As the term has developed, they have been expanding their understanding of multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000.

Science:

This half term, our Science topic has been 'Sound'. As well as gaining some understanding of what sound is, the children have explored how sound travels and have created different sounds, using drums and rice. The children will be making their own instruments in the coming weeks, whilst exploring the concept of pitch and they will be putting their listening skills to the test! 

Topic:

Throughout our topic of 'The Victorians', the children have been learning about how life changed throughout this period for children. They have explored who Lord Shaftesbury was and how he impacted the working lives of children. To add to this, we have also explored the Victorian education system. Understanding the structure of a day in a Victorian school was enhanced further by our 'History off the Page' day. We spent the morning taking part in activities which were a similar structure to the school days for Victorians. In the afternoon, the children then made a number of Victorian toys and explored the wide range of Victorian artefacts.

English

In English, we have started to look at our new book called ‘The Iron Man'. This week, the children have read the first chapter and have looked at the features of a chapter compared to that of a story. This will prepare them for the following weeks when they will plan, draft and write a predictive chapter for the follow on of the story. 

Maths

In Maths, the children have revisited and used their place value skills to represent numbers to 100, 1,000 and 10,000. Using number lines, partitioning and practical resources, the children have really enjoyed building and segmenting numbers to show their understanding of the value of a number. 

Science

During science this term, the children have been learning about states of matter. So far, they have learned about the differences between a solid, liquid and a gas and have carried out their first experiment: measuring and comparing the weight of a gas in different fizzy drinks. 

Topic

The children have really been enjoying learning about our new topic, the Victorians. They began the term creating a timeline of events that happened during the era, followed by a closer look at Victorian inventions. Taking inspiration from this, the children then went on to create their own invention and took turns to pitch their ideas to the rest of the class in a Dragon's Den style presentation.