Welcome to Year 5/6 Wonderful Willows and Splendid Spruces!

A Child’s War

In this exciting unit, we will be learning all about WWII. Our main area of study will be History, where we take a look at life between 1939-1945! We have more great geographical links where we talk about trade and again link to sustainability, finding out how families needed to ‘make do and mend’ and plant crops to become more sustainable without importing products in to the country. In Art, children will look at Lowry and his style of work, based on a range of blitz pictures and drawing from perspective using darker tones to recreate the images.

Science will link to a range of forces that helps understand how the world works. Computing will focus on E-Safety and the importance of how children can keep themselves safe online while using a range of devices. PSHE learning about each other’s differences and how we are all unique, understanding our British Values of Mutual Respect. RE will focus on perspectives on God across a range of religions, looking at beliefs of his existence.

Reading and writing

We have a range of whole class reading books this half term. Some of our main ones include: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Letters from the Lighthouse. We will use a range of texts that are set in the 1940s period during the war to get a taste of what life was really like back then.

Fiction

We will be writing a portal story, where a character has to travel through a mysterious portal and enter another world! The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be a good stimulus to get children writing about their fictional tale.

Spelling will happen for 15 minutes a fay during our SPaG slot, where children will learn how to develop their spelling strategies. Punctuation and Grammar (alongside reading comprehension) will all happen daily.

Poetry

We will look at a range of poems written about the war, including one written by Wilfred Owen.

Memorable Experience

We have an exciting opportunity to go to Beaumanor Hall! Here children will get to see where operations for WWII took place and experience a full day trip around the hall. They will take part in exciting code cracking experience, writing a letter using a quill, understanding those key slogans, ‘make do and mend’ and ‘loose lips sink ships’. Children will experience what it will be like to be in a bunker!

Careers and parental engagement

Career: Museum Curator

This half term, children will find out about this role. Whereby the curator holds fascinating facts about the collections they look after within the museum.

Parental Engagement Opportunity

We will be inviting you in to class to work with your child to make an air raid shelter! Children will use card and a range of junk modelling resources to create their own air raid shelter! The competition is on!

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In this great historical unit, we will be learning about the industrial revolution. We will discover the History of Cromford Mill and look at the geographical links with locality right here in Derbyshire! Looking how Richard Arkwright changed history through the use of industrial factories.

In Art, we will take a look at Richard Morris and his work, replicating a range of drawings using shading and hatching. Computing will feature technology in our lives, looking how the modern uses of computers have developed the world we live in. PSHE is a great opportunity to look at the theme ‘being my best’. RE will feature what followers do when the going gets tough.

Reading and writing

Here our main stimulus will be Oliver Twist as our whole class reading book. The book is a modern print for children in Year 5 and 6. Here we take a look at dialogue while studying the conventions of a playscript.

Fiction

We will be writing a dialogue that advances the story. Looking how other texts use dialogue to show their characters and how they think, feel and act.

Non-Fiction

Newspaper Report – This is a great opportunity to write in a different style to experiment with the different tones and look at traditional newspaper layouts. We will focus on the formal and factual language they use along with biases they may come with.

Memorable Experience

We have an exciting opportunity to go to Cromford Mills! Right here in Derbyshire, on our very doorstep, we have some fantastic links to history. We will take a trip to Cromford for the day and study how the Mill was a key to the revolution of modern Britain.

Careers and parental engagement

Career: Animator

We will take a look at some famous animators and how they have brought their visions to life.

Parental Engagement Opportunity

Children will have created a fantastic animation they would love to share with you. We invite you to come on in and work with your child and see what they have done so far!

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In the topic, Frozen Kingdom, we will take a look at Geography. We will study places within the Arctic and what makes it inhabitable for certain animals and why it is such a harsh environment for others. This will link nicely to our DT focus where we will develop our knowledge of building shelters. Children will study what makes structures stronger by reinforcing them and evaluating models to test their suitability for a specific purpose. We will use Computing to create a database where we can sort a range of animals we have classified and researched within Science, into a sorting system.

Here we will also learn more about glockenspiels in Music and further develop our rhythm within this area. PSHE will consist of ‘keeping myself safe’. In RE, we will compare the different beliefs of Christians and Humanists and looking at the similarities and differences between them.

Reading and writing

Here we read a fantastic adventure of Shackleton’s Journey. We discover how history remembers those who dare to travel it, looking at the preparations, designs and map reading leads to Shackleton exploring the Antarctic!

Fiction

Here we teach children to write a story for suspense. Using a range of model texts, we see how authors keep the reader in suspense and wanting to read on, we will apply some of these techniques within our writing to adopt this style.

Non-Fiction

Here we study biographies. We will look at writing a biography for a famous historical figure, such as Shackleton. Recounting their life events and highlighting the significance of said person.

Memorable Experience

Unfortunately, we are unable to organize an experience to the Arctic. Luckily, yet again, we have another wonderful opportunity that isn’t to be missed! We have organized for Prime Virtual Reality to come into school and conduct a workshop so all children can explore the Arctic regions in style!

Careers and parental engagement

Career: Architect

We will listen to an architect talk about their career and the importance of what they do in uncovering history throughout the ages.

Parental Engagement Opportunity

We will have a competition of who can create the best structure. Using practical resources, lots of teamwork and knowledge on reinforcement, children would love for you to come in and make these amazing models with them!

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In Darwin’s Delights, we will be taking a look deeper into our Science topic. Children will study the theory of evolution and how animals including humans, have adapted to their surroundings over time. We will take a look at Galapagos island and how species have evolved through time. This topic will have close links to Geography, studying Rivers and how they form over time.

In Computing, we will take a look at programming. DT will give children the opportunity to design their own product that involves animals and how they move using a CAM mechanism. Music we take a look at a different style – Rap! RE – We take a look at the question – ‘What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain?’ In PSHE, we will discover how the body grows and changes.

Reading and writing

Darwin’s Dragons will be a fantastic edition to our whole class reading! We will certainly learn a great deal from this as we build up our final writing pieces for the year.

Fiction

Suspense – We will further develop our techniques for suspense and showcase a variety of skills we have learnt throughout the year!

Non-Fiction

Non- chronological report will be our final non-fiction topic.

Memorable Experience

Field Trip – To study the River Derwent and how it meanders through town!

Careers and parental engagement

Career: Mechanical Engineer

As we learn how to make our own mechanical game, it seems like a great time to learn about an engineer!

Parental Engagement Opportunity

In DT, we will be making our own mechanical animals. You are invited along to join us in making them using cams.

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