Windmill Primary School
5/6 Curriculum Newsletter
Spring 2 2017 The Hobbit
Dear Parents and Carers,
Well done to all the children who have been thoroughly engrossed in this term’s theme
‘Crime and Punishment’. We hope you have heard lots about their learning at home over
the last few weeks!
The Hobbit
This term, our Theme is ‘The Hobbit’ and is based around the
famous book by J.R.R. Tolkien. The focus throughout the term will be
on English but we will also use The Hobbit to work on Geography,
History and Art skills. We will begin our term with two different Wow
days. Year 6 are heading to the Frontier Centre for an inspiring and
fun day, whilst Year 5 will be getting to know The Hobbit in a little
more detail back at school.
English
The Hobbit is a story based in a Fantasy setting and is a ‘quest
tale’, where the characters go on a journey that involves a
tremendous amount of trails and adventures. We will be using
this plot to help us write our own quest story, using our
imagination to create the most dreadful but exciting trails as we
can.
We will spend time learning how to describe a variety of settings
well, as well as how to use punctuation and grammar
techniques to add excitement to our writing.
We will then move on to non-fiction writing, where our focus will
be on newspaper reports. If your child doesn’t usually read the
newspaper, please draw their attention to any articles they may be interested in. It would
be great to see the children bringing these into school to share with the class.
As part of our newspaper writing, we will be interviewing characters from The Hobbit
about their experiences and working as journalists to find out all the latest gossip about
them!
Maths
In Maths this term, Year 5 will be developing their data handling skills: looking at statistics;
solving comparison, sum and difference problems; using information presented in a line
graph; as well as reading and interpreting information in tables. In addition to this, they
will be deepening their understanding of decimals, percentages and time.
Principal: Mr Matt Coleman BA Hons PGCE
T: 01933 623121 F: 01933 460961
E: [email protected]
www.windmillprimary.co.uk
Windmill Lane, Raunds, Northants, NN9 6LA
Year 6 will be focusing on algebra, ratio, geometry of circles and statistics (interpreting
and constructing pie charts and line graphs and using these to solve problems). They will
also be revising any parts of Maths that they find difficult so that they can be fully
prepared for their SATs after Easter.
Reading
It is essential that children read at least three times per week to develop their fluency and
understanding. Children will be rewarded for reading – we have
introduced a Reading Raffle, which is proving a great success. If
children are finding it difficult to read at home, they should speak
to their class teacher about when they can use the Reading
Zone or library. Children can read alone, with a sibling or a
parent. Your child’s reading will need to be written in their
reading log each time they read and they can then record on
the class chart.
We have also really enjoyed seeing parents in school and
reading with their children. We hope you can make it to school
for Reading Rocks; please check the Dates Sheet attached if you
need a reminder of the dates.
Spellings
Children will be set spellings to learn each week and these should be practised at least
three times per week to support spelling lessons in school. Children should be able to
read, spell, define and use these words to show their understanding.
Times tables
By the end of Year 4, children should be able to recall all their times tables
and related division facts up to 12 x 12. During Year 5 and 6, we
continually practise these so that they can be recalled at greater
speed and then applied during harder Maths problems. Times tables
and division facts are something that can be practised at any time of
day and in any place. Mathletics is a fantastic way to help the children
improve their mental maths skills and speed in a fun, interactive way.
Overview of 5/6 themes for the rest of the year and approximate costs for enrichment
Summer 1
Summer 2
Chocolate!
Lights, Camera, Action – We will be visiting London to see a theatre
production. The approximate cost of this will be £40. More details to
follow.
Be prepared for a fantastic Year 5 and 6 Production.
Key Dates: - Please see attached
We look forward to welcoming the children back after the half term break. Thank you for
your continued support.
Mrs Durrheim, Mrs Brightwell, Mrs Tracey, Miss Small, Mrs Griggs and Miss Davies
5/6 Phase Team