Welcome to Class 11
We are a Year 5/6 class and our teachers are Mrs Gilmour and Miss Metcalfe. We enjoy working hard and becoming confident learners who are excited by new challenges and opportunities.
Autumn:
Our first topic answers the question, ‘What was the Windrush?’ In this topic we will learn about when and why people migrated to Britain from Caribbean countries and where the name ‘Windrush’ came from. We will talk about the experiences and contribution made by black people in Britain. Our Independent Learning Project will be Geography based and we will locate the Caribbean on a map, name the islands of the Caribbean and learn about some key physical features of the Caribbean. Further links will be made in DT where we will learn the names of some popular Caribbean dishes and ingredients and create and refine a recipe of our own. Our art topic will investigate the work of the street artists Banksy and Keith Haring by creating an original artwork inspired by them! Questions we will consider in science include: ‘Could Spiderman really exist?’ and ‘How can you light up your life?’ In our English lessons we will be making links between our reading and writing, using extracts, short stories and longer novels including, ‘Clockwork’ by Philip Pullman and an adaptation of ‘Dracula’.
Spring:
Our Spring topic asks, ‘Did children in the Victorian age have rights?’ In History we will be looking to find answers to our overarching question and make links to the rights of the child in RRSA. We will also be working independently to research, design and make a Victorian toy in Design Technology and in our Art lessons we will look at artwork created by Jackie Morris which is inspired by the natural world. In contrast to Term One, in English we will be reading some powerful historical novels including ‘Street Child’ by Berlie Doherty. Our Geography work will include looking at why the rainforest is important to us all. In Science, we will take a look at how evolution explains how living things change over a long time and how they have come to be the way they are.
Summer
Our Summer topic is, ‘Who were the Mayans and what can we learn from them?’ We will once again be making some choices about our learning in our history topic by completing another of our Independent Learning Projects. We will be using our knowledge of electrical circuits to make a game or card in Design Technology and use different media to create a self-portrait in the style of Frida Kahlo in Art. Our Geography will ask the question: How can we attract more visitors to the East Durham coastline? This will involve conducting a survey into how a local area could be improved. In English we will be reading ‘Floodland’, a children’s fantasy novel by Marcus Sedgwick and ‘Girl of Ink and Stars’ by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
Useful Information
- Please ensure your child’s name is inside all of their uniform including PE kit and shoes.
- We use Class Dojo to set homework, award team points and communicate with parents. Please ensure you are signed up to Class Dojo using the parent code provided. For more information please click here.
- For further information about the homework your child will be set please click here
- Teachers will update Class Dojo with details of your child’s PE day.
- Pupils should come to school appropriately dressed for P.E. in either school kit (red t-shirt, black shorts/leggings/trousers), or other suitable clothes including t-shirt, shorts or tracksuit bottoms that follow PE kit guidelines. Footwear can include plimsols, trainers or barefoot (depending on the suitability of the activity).
- All children must bring a water bottle from home and take it home at night to clean and refill- please ensure names are on all bottles.
- All children are provided with a red book bag which they should bring to school each day.
- Pupils are asked to read at least 3 times a week at home and should submit their reading diary via Class Dojo.
