Dear Parent/Carer,

Welcome to Term 5. We hope you enjoyed the Easter break!

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History/Topic
Following the PKC scheme of work, this term our Topic is ‘Anglo-Saxons, Scots and Vikings’. Obviously, this topic is HUGE and the term is short but will endeavour to learn as much as possible about this fascinating time in British history. We will look at who the Anglo Saxons were, and when and where they came from. We will look briefly at what life was like for people in Britain during this time. Moving onto the Vikings, we will learn about Viking Longships and how these enabled them to invade and raid so successfully. To end the term, we will learn about Alfred the Great and how he earned his name! During our lessons, children will look at sources and evidence from this time including extracts from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and photos of artefacts left behind which enable us to learn about what life was like. Excitingly, we will be taking part in an Anglo-Saxon workshop at Folkestone Museum where we will meet an Anglo-Saxon skeleton and find out what life was like in Anglo-Saxon ‘Fulcanstan.’

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Art
Art will continue to be taught by Mrs Purver on Fridays. This term we will be completing a unit on Anglo-Saxon art. The children will study art of the Anglo Saxons by focusing on objects found at the burial ground at Sutton Hoo, illuminated letters painted in the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Bayeux tapestry. The children will learn that the interlocking and interlaced patterns used in the metalwork at Sutton Hoo are echoed in the designs used in the Lindisfarne Gospels, and use watercolours to produce their own, similar designs.

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Science
Science will continue to be taught by Mr Brinkly on Mondays. This term Children will study Plants. They will learn about the different parts of flowering plants and their respective functions. They will also learn that a botanist is a scientist who studies plants. The children will explore what plants need to thrive, contrasting different plants and the differing amounts of things they need to live. Children will then learn about how water is absorbed and transported in a plant. Finally, the children will explore reproduction in plants, looking at pollination and seed dispersal respectively.

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Numeracy
The focus for this term will be fractions. The children will explore the key vocabulary numerator and denominator before ordering and comparing unit fractions and non-unit fractions. The children will begin to explore equivalent fractions and use number lines and bar models to represent these. Following our unit on fractions we will progress to our unit on mass and capacity. The children will be using scales to measure, compare and order mass, using kilograms and grams. We aim to ensure that the children have a good grasp of these areas so that we can progressively build on their knowledge and understanding. As ever, times tables continue to have an important role to play in ensuring your child feels confident in number.  We will be focussing on fluency in recounting times tables and have regular activities to encourage participation and home learning.

English
This term, we will start by writing a persuasive job advert for a dragon catcher! The children will be unleashing their creativity and imagination as they describe dragons and think about the skills a suitable candidate for the job might need. We will then write a newspaper report about the Viking invasion of Britain! As usually, there will be a big focus this term on uses of punctuation, handwriting and SPAG features and we aim to develop and use a wide range of exciting vocabulary. 

Our class text this term is How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.

R.E
This term our R.E unit is Kingdom of God and as a class we will be exploring the question ‘When Jesus left, what was the impact of Pentecost?’ The children will make clear links between the story of the Day of Pentecost and Christian belief about the Kingdom of God on Earth. The children will also make links between ideas about the Kingdom of God explored in the Bible and what people believe about following God in the world today, expressing some of their own ideas.
 

P.E
Will be on Tuesdays and Fridays. In class, this term we aim to cover an ‘OAA’ (Outdoor Adventurous Activities) unit and have a specialist teacher in to teach us how to play squash. On Fridays, the children will be focusing on cricket. PLEASE make sure your child has their FULL PE kit in school, at all times and that it is clearly named.  PE is a vital part of the curriculum and children need to have the correct kit with them.

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ICT
ICT continues to be taught b y MR O on Fridays. This term the children will be continuing to review their learning and understanding about online safety and alongside this they will begin their unit on email. The children will be learning about databases and will be exploring branching databases.
• A branching database is sometimes referred to as a ‘binary tree’ or a ‘key’
•  Branching databases classify groups of objects
•  If you have created your branching database correctly, someone else should be able to use it to identify an object that they have in front of them, e.g. to find out the name of an insect, a fruit or vegetable by using a series of simple questions and yes/no answers.

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Homework and Spellings

On a Monday or Tuesday, children will be sent home with a new homework challenge. The children can bring in their completed homework on any day but must be handed in by Friday. The homework will include:

• Daily reading of a home reader (20 minutes, building to 30 minutes and minimum of 3 x weekly)

• 
  Number bonds or times tables

• Spellings, these will be tested on a Monday

• Children can also play on TT Rockstars and complete any activities from the grid that they wish to.

If you have any questions or concerns, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to working with you together this term.

Many thanks for your continued support,

Mrs Honzik and Mrs Crockford