This term our English and geography focus has been ‘coastlines’, exploring the human and physical geography of land near the sea. We have learnt about coastal caves, arches and sea stacks, have revised how to read a map with a key and compass points, and learnt about the seas that surround the UK. We have incorporated our geographical knowledge into a descriptive writing piece about coastlines, and a short narrative about a coastal rescue, both using the progressive tense and lots of lovely expanded noun phrases. In class we are enjoying sharing Michael Morpurgo’s ‘The Puffin Keeper’ (another one of Mrs EJ’s favourites!), as well as numerous fiction and non-fiction texts about the coast. These class books are in addition to our ‘reading practice sessions’ on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, where the children read their phonics books in small groups with guidance and support from a teacher. We hope you have enjoyed listening to your child reading their phonics books to you, and that you have valued the opportunity to share their weekly ‘book for pleasure’ at home. Thank you for remembering to return both books each Monday so they can be used by other children.
In maths we have learnt all about money, including counting mixed coins, and calculating change. We have now moved on to multiplication and division, beginning with a review of arrays, repeated addition, and sharing/grouping. We will shortly move on to learning our 2, 5 and 10 times tables, with related practice at home on the Times Tables Rock Stars website (details will be sent home shortly). Log-on codes for Numbots were sent out earlier in the term, and I would recommend that the children continue to spend a few minutes every day practising their foundational maths skills via the Numbots website.
Materials have been our focus in science this term, including identifying the best use for a material based on its properties. We have explored Humanism in RE, have learnt about the genre of rap in music, and have explored our goals in PSHE, including how we can work together effectively to achieve them. Dance and multiskills have been our foci in PE, and in computing we have been using BeeBots to learn about algorithms and programming. In DT we have built our own beach huts from wood, including learning about shapes and techniques that strengthen structures, and in art we have explored flower forms, re-creating flower images using various materials, textures and shapes.
We look forward to seeing many of you at our WOW learning walk and class assembly at the end of term; thank you for your ongoing support for your child’s learning.