Curriculum coverage map
YEAR GROUP: YEAR 5
TOPIC: Rain Forests
TERM: Summer 1
Key texts: The Great Kapok Tree – Lynne Cherry
History
 History of South
America.
Geography
 Study of South
America.
 To describe the
way in which
land in tropical
biomes To
describe the
way in which
land in tropical
biomes
 To find out
about countries
on South
America.
 To find out why
different areas
have different
climates from
Design technology
 Construct a
habitat.
Science
Life Cycles
 To find out about
the functions of
parts of flowers.
Discover the ways
in which plants
'clone' themselves
and reproduce
asexually as well as
consider the
reasons why
humans clone
plants.
Learn about some
of the ways in which
different types of
animal reproduce,
including how and
RE
 Rules for living.
Computing
 Switched on
‘We are
Photographers’
 Complete: ‘We
are traders’
(Using Microsoft –
Excel,
spreadsheets)
English
Reading:
 Non-fiction texts on rainforest/deforestation
 Other rain forest stories - e.g. State of Wonder
by Ann Pratchett, The Journey to the River Sea
by Eva Ibbotson
Trip/experience
 London Zoo – Rainforest
experience.
Home learning prior and
post topic
Prior -
Writing
 Poetry week – to learn poems off by heart.
 Dialogue between animals
 Fact files/report on rain forest animal/s or rain
forest.
 Travel agent’s leaflet on Brazilian rain forest
 Poster about conservation of rain forest
 Descriptive writing - setting/creatures
 Letter to employer explaining why the tree
was not cut down.
 To write the ending of the story.
 TV report
 Debate on conservation of rain forest discussion writing
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Visit to Kew Gardens
Research an animal
which lives in the
rainforest. Create a
top trump card.
Find a interesting
poem and learn it off
my heart with the
correct intonation.
Weekly punctuation
task.
Weekly Mymaths
tasks.
the rainforests
of Brazil to the
deserts of
Chile.
 Introduction to
the longest
mountain
range in the
world: Andes
 Human
Geography
study of South
America.
 South
American Case
Study.
why
internal/external
fertilisation.
 Find about the life
cycles of animals
living in a woodland
environment, then
consider ways in
which the life cycles
of animals in other
environments
around the world
might differ.
Compare the life
cycles of different
animals, focusing on
gestation periods
and growth.
Find out all about
the work of
naturalists and
animal
behaviourists
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Poem based on illustration
Assessment - story writing.
Non chronological reports
Spoken language
Role play conversation between creatures
before speaking to man
 Developing questions and hot seating
characters
 Interview creatures/men
 Develop a range of adverbials (prepositional
phrases) to support descriptive writing
 Discuss how the text would need developing if
it was not a picture book. Annotate pictures
with words/phrases/similes/metaphors as
appropriate to year group and learning need
 Drama activity - meeting. Children in role as
creatures of the rainforest and teacher as
their leader/children as workers and teacher
as company owner
 Debate - should we save the rainforest?
Identify discursive language required and
evaluate its use.
 Writer talk: The writer uses many different
text types within the book. Why? What is the
effect?
Grammar
 Use of adverbials as sentence openers
 Use of dialogue and related punctuation and
speech bubbles to show characters’ feelings
Post
Dependent on what the
children will still want to
learn.
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Use of connecting adverbs to support the
construction and cohesion of discursive
writing
Create poetic sentences using listed
prepositions Behind the great tree is the shimmer of
afternoon heat, Under the great tree lies a
tangle of emerald leaves
Generate collective nouns - a quivering of tree
frogs, a snooze of sloths
Improve a sentence - focus on the
grammatical elements that need consolidation
or review
Spelling
 From Year5/6 National Curriculum spellings
list.
 Weekly spelling tests.
Art and design
 Investigate
pattern
Art to music
using chalks.
3D rain forest
Henri Rousseau art
 Leaf pictures
Collages
Pointillism
PE
Striking and
Fielding
Agility/ speed
training
Music
 African
drumming
 Gospel singing
 Create a
soundscape
using
instruments.
Focus author
Jeannie Baker (Miss Mattera)
Daniel Mordern (Miss Kuar)
Cressida Cowell (Miss Byrne)
Enterprise/globalisation
Raise money for shelter
Make Gingerbread houses for
sale.
Exploring what world trade
is and investigating at some
of the major industries in
different South American
countries and some of their
main exports.
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Launch/hook
event
 Listen to music
and create images
of what the
children can hear.
Use rainforest
soundscape and
play as children
enter darkened
classroom.
Slide show of
devastated rain
forest.
PHSE
 How do we take
responsibility for
our own actions?
Do we consider
the impact of
actions on
others?
Links to cultural
identity
 Comparing life
in Britain to
those in South
America.
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Maths
Weekly Mental Maths tests
End of Summer Assessment.
Miss Byrne’s set
read and write decimal numbers as fractions
Read and order Fractions
read and write decimal numbers as fractions
Continue with learning times tables x4 to x9
Stops Problem Solving
% as parts of 100 and % as fractions and decimal
fractions
Conversions e.g. millilitres into litres
Metric units
Read Roman Numerals to 1000
Data Handling
Mr Mooney’s set
read and write decimal numbers as fractions
% as parts of 100 and % as fractions and decimal
fractions
Solving problems using % and decimals
Estimate volume of cubes and cuboids using cm3
Calculate area of squares and rectangles using cm2
Solve problems involving units of length, mass,
volume and money
Reflection and Translation
Miss Materra & Miss Kular’s sets
Recognise percentage symbol and write
percentages as fractions and decimals.
Calculate and compare the area of squares and
rectangles.
Animal Right
Campaign.
Outdoor learning
opportunities
 Investigate the habitats
and animals which we can
find locally.
 Recognise and estimate volume and capacity.
 Solve problems involving addition and subtraction
of units of measure.
 Reflection and Translation.
 Roman Numerals
Useful links:
http://my.rainforest-alliance.org
http://www.rain-tree.com