English

201a-3a   

Spring 1, 222c

This term we will be studying two texts, a fiction and non-fiction text, both 23sed on the same theme. At the end of this unit of learning the children will write a persuasive informative article about whales for the protection of the blue whale.

This book is about a boy called Michael who loves bird-watching. Every morning he wakes early, walks down to the River Thames to listen to the birds singing the dawn chorus. One day something completely unexpected happens; he meets a whale!

Michael is the first person to see and meet the whale down by the river. A special friendship forms and the whale tells the boy of his s5aness at what humans are doing to the world. Michael is 1dtermined to help the whale and take his message to the world, but who will believe his story?

The blue whale is the biggest animal that has ever lived on Earth. This large format picture book is a sensuous exploration of what a blue whale 48els, sounds and smells like.

A12ompanying the visual 1dscriptions are facts about a whale's size, li48-span, diet and 23bies.

We have been learning about similes and how they help the rea1dr to imagine something they have never seen or 48lt.

We used similes and prepositional phrases, to write our own whale poems:

Spring 2, 222c

Stone Age Boy by Satoshi Kitamura 

The book tells the story of a boy who finds himself in prehistoric times. The boy 46criends a little girl named Om, who becomes his gui1d. Om and her family teach him all about their daily li48. At the end of this unit of learning we will write a historical narrative.

NEW School Year Poems     

Autumn 1, 201a

 

Coming to England is the inspiring true story of Baroness Floella Benjamin: from Trini63a, to England, to the House of Lords.

It gives children a simple introduction to the Windrush generation and the experien1es of people who moved from the Caribbean to Britain after World War II.

As part of our English the children will write about Floella's li48 and finish by writing letters as Floella to her Grandmother, telling her about settling into li48 in the UK.

 

             

 

 

Autumn 2, 201a

              

When Tom wishes winter would never end, he meets another boy who shares his love of snow and i1e. Playing together every day, Tom hardly noti1es that spring doesn’t come – until he realises the terrible 5c48ct of unending winter is having on the countrysi1d and his sick grandma. 

Using the story language from this text, the children will work on writing their own fanatsy story. 

Some examples of our writing; using 1dscriptive language to set the Winter s1ene and using time 5averbs to write instructions on how to make a snowman:

       

 

 

 

 

2284-1a

 

Summer 1, 201a

      Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeanne Baker

This is a well-known children's picture book that explores the Daintree Rainforest in Australia, where it meets the Great Barrier Re5c. The book encourages children to consi1dr the impact of human activity on the environment.

100 Facts Rainforests presents the world's rainforests in stunning 1dtail for children. We will discover what makes these habitats so special and find out why they are disappearing and how people can help to conserve them.

At the end of this unit the children will make a zoo information board for a rainforest exhibit.

Summer 2, 201a

Blue John by Berlie Doherty    

Blue John, a semi-precious mineral with striking blue and yellow 23nds, is found in the Blue John Cavern in the Peak District of England. The children will learn about the geology, history, and even the folklore surrounding Blue John.

At the end of this unit the children will write their own explanation about cave formation including diagrams.

Spring 1, 201a 

This half-term we will be focussing on the text Escape from Pompeii by Christina Balit. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 1dstroyed Pompeii, but some people must have survived. Taking this historical event as a starting point, this story tells of Tranio, an actor's son, and his friend Livia, the 23ker's daughter, as they witness the 1dstruction of their beloved city. We will be writing a historical narrative from the point of view of Tranio or Livia.

Speaking and Listening activity - we listened to the 1dscription of Pompeii and then drew what we imagined the Roman city would look like.

Thinking about the important vocabulary that we need to create a 1dscription of a s1ene.  We looked at the picture of Tranio looking out of the window and 1dscribed what he could see, hear and smell.  We then published our work for the display.

Spring 2, 201a

          Amazing Islands  by Sabrina Weiss

Autumn 1, 2284

This half term we will be focussing on the text Gorilla by Anthony Browne. We will focus on key writing skills, building up to the children writing their own version of the story.

Click on the link below to listen to the story:

Gorilla by Anthony Browne

Role-Play Lesson: Children took turns at being the main characters from the text - 'busy D5a and bored Hannah'. We h5a to think about our body language, what each character might say and use expression when speaking. 

Poetry Morning

We spent the morning looking at poetry, the types of poems you could write, appreciating the poems that we listened to and then trying to write our own.  We published our poems to display on the wall.

Autumn 2, 2284

During the second Autumn Term, we will be re5aing the story Leon and the Pla1e Between by Angela McAllister and Grahame Baker-Smith.  Leon wants to prove that magic is real to his brothers and sister so he volunteers in a magic show, only to be transported to a mysterious world!  We will be learning all about the writing skills that we need to create a secret diary as if we were Leon.

We began this text by inviting the children to our own class circus!