This half term is fun-filled, action-packed and certainly extremely busy! At the end of it all, will be a fabulous production, which we can now reveal is called ‘Olivia’. No, it isn’t a typing error, it really is a musical called ‘Olivia’, based on the more familiar tale of ‘Oliver’! Although the songs are beautiful, we may include one or two favourites from the original...’Consider yourself’....!!!??? We will cast parts for the play this week, so hopefully you should all know which part you are doing by Friday (fingers crossed!) We hope to keep the costumes fairly simple, so there is no need to rush out and hire anything.
Whilst the play will take over many afternoons, full curriculum will still continue up until the end of term. It will take on many forms, although there will be definitely be an ‘arty’ slant on it...you just can’t keep me away from a paint brush and glitter!
This week is a Rich Task week, where we will complete our History work on the Spanish Armada from last half term. We were so impressed by the standard of the work which was completed using the Bloom’s activities, we have decided to extend them into this first week.
In order to do this, we need you to bring in a medium-sized box (about the size of a crisp box) for Monday, or Tuesday at the latest. They will all be joined together and made into a Spanish Galleon. Hopefully, weather permitting, we will be able to construct our galleon on the patio.
More will be revealed on Monday!
The rest of the curriculum for this half term consists of:
Citizenship/SEAL
Children’s rights – human rights
In this topic, you will learn about every human’s basic rights and the differences between needs, wants and rights. You’ll learn that with rights come responsibilities, such as the responsibility not to infringe the rights of others and the responsibility to support others in their quest for rights. You’ll learn about the importance of honesty, trust, tolerance and respect for others. You find out about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and that it applies to all children, whoever or wherever they are. You will also learn how human rights apply in their school and in the local community. You will develop strategies for ensuring that rights are upheld and to promote equality in the classroom and playground, and you will learn how to encourage others to respect and care for one another.
By the end of this topic, you:
Must: know that we all have basic human rights. They take some responsibility in the classroom for ensuring the rights of others are not infringed. They consider the viewpoints of other children.
Should: understand that we all have basic rights (known as ‘human rights’) and that there are particular rights for children. They discuss issues of rights and responsibilities with others. They take responsibility within their own school community to effect positive change and to ensure the rights of others are not infringed.
Could: know what basic human rights are and can give examples of these. They are aware of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They recognise that with rights come responsibilities. They know about human rights issues, how these affect people in other places and how they affected people in the past. They know what action they could take to ensure rights are upheld in the school community. They assume responsibility for others in the classroom and playground.
Music
What a performance
The play...!!! Need we say more??
Geography
Investigating Rivers / Coasts
During this topic, through research, you will learn about rivers and the effects they have on the landscape.
The unit focuses on the components of the water cycle, how rivers erode, transport and deposit materials to produce particular landscape features and the characteristics of a river system in another part of the world
By the end of this unit, you:
MUST: offer appropriate observations about river features; identify how people affect the environment and recognise ways in which people try to manage it
SHOULD: recognise selected physical processes relating to rivers and begin to appreciate how these can change the character of places; draw on their own observations and secondary sources and use their awareness of river events to suggest geographical questions and raise issues that might be studied, eg floods, drought, pollution
COULD: use confidently a full range of skills and different kinds of maps and resources to undertake independent investigations; offer explanations for river features observed; relate local river work to generalisations about rivers elsewhere
http://www.old-glossop.com/flood2002/floodpages2002/indexflood2002.html These images record the dramatic events of 2002 when Glossop in Derbyshire was flooded. There are some lovely archived images of the same location during floods in the twentieth century.
http://www.topicbox.org.uk/browse.php?item_ID=1096&subject=Geography&topic=Rivers Find out about the way the river transports its load see waterfalls and ox bow lakes being formed.
http://www.topicbox.org.uk/browse.php?item_ID=1100&subject=Geography&topic=Rivers understanding flooding.
http://www.globaleye.org.uk/primary_autumn2001/focuson/index.html focus on rivers. A great site for background reading before we start the topic.
http://www.topicbox.org.uk/browse.php?item_ID=1091&subject=Geography&topic=Rivers click on this link to download a Powerpoint for information about rivers.
http://www.cleo.net.uk/resources/displayframe.php?src=307/consultants_resources%2F_files%2Fgorge.swf a short animation which shows how a waterfall creates a gorge...remember gorge walking in Conway?
http://www.cleo.net.uk/resources/displayframe.php?src=309/consultants_resources%2F_files%2Fmeander4.swf meander formation
http://www.nwlg.org/pages/resources/geog/hydro_cycle/alt/alt_into.htm looks at the River Alt
http://www.swgfl.org.uk/rivers/ some good information if you want to do a project about rivers on your own.
http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/woodgate/activities/stream01.htm photographs of river features including pollution
http://www.angliacampus.com/public/pri/geog/rivers/ fantastic resources which poses questions for you to think about and then attempts to answer them.
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/contents.htm you might recognise the little avatars from Snaith Primary!
http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/rivers/index.html this provides a real challenge and is definitely a ‘could’! Locate the rivers using the keys and maps provided.
http://icteachers.co.uk/children/cyberhunts/riverhunt.htm great to use as a webquest
http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConMediaFile.6373/Watch-the-Thames-rise-and-fall.html watch the River Thames in tide!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/riversandcoasts/rivers/whatis_river/index.shtml this is really good site, packed with useful information
HISTORY – TUDOR EXPLORATION
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/TudorExploration/NMMFLASH/index.htm love it! Click on the two rats at the beginning (aka Sir Walter Rodent and Sir Francis!) As you work your way through this site, you are sure to learn lots and smile throughout!
http://www.channel4learning.net/sites/essentials/history/units/tudorexpl_bi.shtml
Literacy
This term, we will be looking at the following areas:
Poetry – work by significant authors
Authors and text – class model
Extended narrative
Impersonal writing
PE
Athletics
In this unit, you will focus on developing your technical understanding of athletic activity. You will learn how to set targets and improve your performance in a range of running, jumping and throwing activities.
As in all athletic activities, you will have to think about how to achieve the greatest possible speed, height, distance or accuracy. This will be great preparation for Sports Day!
By the end of the topic, you:
Could: show good control, speed, strength and stamina when running, jumping and throwing; adapt skills and techniques to different challenges and equipment; use good technique; pace their effort well; know the rules; organise and judge events and challenges well; identify activities that help develop stamina or power and suggest how some can be used when warming up; pick out the important features of a performance; make good suggestions about what could be improved
Here I Am
We are continuing our topic of Freedom and Responsibility with the Relate section. We shall be focussing on the idea of Forgiveness. You should be familiar with some of the reading that we will be looking at, as they were explored during your Reconciliation.
Forgiveness
In the Gospel according to Matthew, we learn about an important way of
loving other people, of setting them free. When the friends of Jesus
asked him to teach them how to pray, he taught them the ‘Our Father’.
A reflection
I wonder if Peter thought a lot about this prayer, especially the words,
‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’.
I wonder if these words puzzled him, if he did not quite understand what
they meant. We cannot expect God to forgive us, if we are not ready to
forgive others when they have hurt or harmed us. I wonder if Peter
thought as I sometimes do, ‘Sometimes when I forgive someone, they
just go and do the same thing again or something else that hurts me just
as much, or more’. I wonder if that is what led to a question Peter asked
Jesus. Read about this in the Gospel according to Matthew 18:21-22, or
read or listen to the simpler reading version on Copymaster A. Each time
we say the ‘Our Father’, we remind ourselves that we, too, must always
be ready to forgive.
Competition
Have you seen the new Olympic logo for the London 2012 games? What do you think of it? Think you could do better? Well, you could have a chance of doing just that. Go to http://www.fubra.com/london2012/ to have a look at some of the alternatives that have been submitted. If you do have a go, we could submit them through school! Go on...be creative!
As you can see, we have so much to get through and to write your end of year reports too!
And finally...
Just as we have had a great holiday, Miss Wilson has also had a fantastic time in Cyprus for her wedding to Anthony. I am sure that we will all still call her Miss Wilson for ages,(sorry Miss!) but just in case you are fantastic with names, she will now be called Mrs Morgan. (This could get confusing when the other Mrs Morgan returns from having her baby!!) We wish her and her new husband every success as they start their married life together. xxx
Here’s to a successful end to the year!
Year 5/6 team.
