Sharks Spring 1 2020 Newsletter
Geography/History
We will start by looking at the structure of the earth beneath our feet. We will be making our own mini earths from modelling clay with matching keys and showing the 4 layers by cutting a cross section. We will learn about all kinds of extreme weather such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and tornadoes. We will take a closer look at a volcano erupting in Iceland and learn about the stages of eruption. We will also be looking at what happened when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD and making our own class simulation. Find out more about volcanoes here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z849q6f/articles/zd9cxyc
Key Vocabulary: core, mantle, crust, volcano, earthquake.
Science
We will be sorting and classifying rocks. We will be using our Scientist skills to test different rocks for permeability, durability, hardness and density. We will also be learning about what fossils are and how they are formed. We will learn about Mary Anning, a famous palaeontologist who became known around the world for important finds she made. Find out about her by watching her True Story video:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dd493/clips
Key Vocabulary: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic, erosion, fossil.
English
We will be reading and responding to the story ‘Escape from Pompeii’ by Christina Balit. We will be exploring features of the setting description of peaceful Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius and writing our own setting descriptions. We will learn how to improve our work through using grammatical features such as prepositional phrases, similes and metaphors. Please spend a little time reading with your child at home at least four times each week. This doesn’t always need to be their school reading book but can include their library book or any other texts that they are reading at home. Please record any books that the children read in their reading records. We will continue to reward good reading habits with bookmarks and books.
Key Vocabulary: description, adjective, powerful verb, simile, metaphor, preposition.
Music
We will continue our singing lessons with Flora our specialist singing teacher this half term.
Maths
We will be developing our understanding of exchanging when adding and subtracting using 3 digit numbers. After this we will focus on multiplication and division, looking first at the 4 and 8 times tables and related facts. We will then go on to learn methods for multiplying and dividing 2 digit numbers by 1 digit numbers. We will also be learning how to read and interpret a range of charts and graphs.
Key Vocabulary: exchange, column, product, pictogram.
Art
We will be getting out and about to collect rocks and other natural materials to make our own sculptures in the style of Andy Goldsworthy. We will develop our sketching skills by making 2D sketches of the artist’s 3D work. We will try our hand at making volcano sculptures using the technique of rock balancing, and take photos of our sculptures at various stages using the i-pads. We will also collect and sort natural materials to make our own sculpture in a frame. If anyone has any interesting rocks hidden away, please bring them in for our Science/Art work. Small pieces of slate could also be useful for making the bases.
Key Vocabulary: sculpture, environmental(ist), nature.
P.E.
First we will be developing our expression and gesture in Dance by devising our own volcano dances with a partner, contrasting strong rock shapes with flowing lava movements. We will then be devising our own sequences of movement in gymnastics, individually, in pairs and in small groups. We will experiment with using props in our sequences. We will be learning techniques for jumps, rolls and balances and extending our work using large apparatus.
Key Vocabulary: expression, gesture, contrast, sequence, patch balance, point balance.
R.E.
We will be learning about why and how people celebrate religious festivals. We will look at an overview of the world’s major religions and their main religious festivals, then have a closer look at Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Key Vocabulary: Easter, Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan.