Years 5 and 6 Curriculum Letter Autumn 2

ST THOMAS’S (HALLIWELL) C E SCHOOL
CURRICULUM INFORMATION FOR PARENTS - Autumn 2
Year Five and Six Teaching Team: Mrs Unsworth, Miss Varley, Miss Moores, Mr Burke, Mrs Lane,
Miss Lawrie, Mr Collins and Mrs Mitchell
Subject
This term we will learn about
Literacy
RE
This half term the children will be looking at the bible story of
Christmas. Firstly we will look at the meaning of the words ‘religious’
and ‘secular’.
They will then be learning how to navigate through the bible using
chapter and verse references, then they will be reading Luke (Chapter
1) and Matthew (Chapter 2) and discussing their understanding of
both.
Before comparing the stories; looking for similarities and differences.
Yr6 & Yr5/6
The children will be focussing on play-scripts. They will firstly look at
the key features of a play-script and the importance of stage directions
for both the audience and the actors.
They will then become very familiar with a play titled ‘The elephant in
the room’ and will write their own scene for this play. Throughout their
writing children will need to focus on using: interesting synonyms,
hyphens, colons and semi-colons.
They will be given a list of words which they will be expected to be
able to spell and write the definition of. They will be given on a Friday
and will be tested the following Friday.
Topic/
Art / DT
Computing
Science
Numeracy
Yr5 - The children will be focusing on stories that contain dilemmas.
We will look closely at a modern retelling of the Ancient Greek myth of
King Midas and how a character has to make a very important
decision. The children will write their own dairy entry based on this,
including relative clauses and interesting synonyms and adjectival
phrases.
They will be given a list of words which they will be expected to be
able to spell and write the definition of. They will be given on a
Tuesday and will be tested the following Tuesday.
Miss Moores’ Gp
This half term the children will continue to learn their times tables,
ensuring that all children can recall all multiplication and division facts
up to their twelve times table. We will also be starting to look at
fractions such as; equivalent fractions, finding a fraction of a given
number, improper and also mixed number fractions.
Further to this children will continue to carry out ‘crazy calculations’
weekly, where they are encouraged to use the formal written methods
that they have been previously taught to work out a variety of
calculations. Arithmetic challenges will continue to be sent home every
fortnight.
Mrs Unsworth’s Gp
This half term the children will continue to learn their times tables,
ensuring that all children can recall all multiplication facts up to their
twelve times table.
We will continue to work on the four rules of number - + - X and ÷. We
will also be looking at fractions. Equivalent fractions, finding a fraction
of a shape and a given number. We will also be looking at improper
fractions. We will be learning how to use the ‘bar model’ to solve
problems.
Miss Varley’s Group
This half term the children will be given fortnightly arithmetic
challenges and will continue to learn their times tables, ensuring that
all children can recall all multiplication and division facts up to their
twelve times table. Time will be spent looking at fractions and being
able to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions. We will be also be
look at angles and how to work out missing angles in a straight line, in
a full turn and missing angles in a quadrilateral.
The children will be learning about’ Forces’ this half term. We will be
focussing on ‘Gravity’, ‘Friction’, ‘Water Resistance’ and ‘Air
resistance’. We will also be looking at ‘Materials’ and their properties;
including their suitability for the purpose they are used for. We will be
looking at the processes of change. Through both of these units of
work we will be planning and carrying out investigative work.
Writing tasks will be set on our class blogs. The children will be
encouraged to add posts and comment on others ideas and written
work.
Time will be also given in class to access Bug Club – our online
reading resource.
The children will be continuing with the topic of ‘Egypt’ They will find
out what archaeologists do and why the discovery of the tomb of
Tutankhamen was so special. We will also be looking at the
gunpowder plot and using this to do some exciting writing around the
traditions of bonfire night.
Ways you can help your child at home
Support your child by asking the children what they have
learnt and giving them an opportunity to reflect on it.
Listening to your child read every night and signing their
reading diary
Allow the children to access websites such as Grammar
Monsters to aid them in their learning.
Help them with their weekly homework
The children all have a Bug Club account where they can
access online reading resources. (Details are found within
your child’s diary)
The school website has some great links to websites that
your child could access from home. Develop mental maths
skills by asking them to work out calculations mentally. Help
them to learn their multiplication tables/ homework
Talk to your children during cooking activities where
materials change. For example an egg changes from a liquid
to a solid when heated. Water when frozen changes from a
liquid to a solid.
Allow your children to access and add to our class blogs. We
would be extremely grateful if any parents, family and friends
also leave comments about any research the children have
added. The children will love the fact that you have seen their
hard work.
The Internet is also an invaluable resource for research and
could be used to help them with their homework.
Support your child with any learning log homework or
blogging exercises related to the topic and allowing them to
further their research using the internet.
Music
PE
Personal and
Social
Education
British
Values
Other
Information
We will be learning about composition, listening, singing and learning
about rhythm, pulse and tone.
This half term the children will covering dance in the theme of
‘cowboys’ and also basketball. During dance they will be: performing
basic dance actions with control and fluency; choosing appropriate
movements and creating simple patterns on their own and in small
groups.
In basketball children will develop new skills and play competitive
games.
The school value this half term is Respect. We will be focussing on
respect for each other, the world and ourselves.
Support your child with any learning log homework related to
the topic and allowing them to further their research using the
internet.
The life Caravan will be visiting school and we will be focusing staying
healthy and illegal and legal drugs.
We will be having a British values day on Wednesday 9th November.
Where we will be focussing on remembrance and looking at Armistice
Day and the British tradition of reflecting on this.
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Support your child with any learning log homework related to
the topic and allowing them to further their research using the
internet.
Children should read for 15minutes at least 5 times a week. This should be recorded in the Home/School Diary.(Please see the
reverse of this sheet)
Children should have their reading book in school every day.
Grammar Hammer and Maths Skills checks will be sent home alternate weeks. These should be completed during the week
and returned to school the following week.
Children will also have a Learning Log Task sheet with ideas of learning tasks they can complete during the course of the half
term.
Please sign your child’s Home/School Diary at least once a week, as a record that you agree the reading/homework has been
completed.
Thank you very much for your continued support.