Redwood Class

Redwood Class Information

Term Two

English

This poignant story, written by influential poet Benjamin Zephaniah, delves into the history of the Windrush generation. Through studying the text, children will engage with the experiences of those who left behind their homes in the Caribbean and arrived on the shores of Britain after the Second World War. 

We will write an airmail letter from the main character, Leonard, to his dad who has travelled ahead to Manchester, as well as exploring his emotions and experiences through diary entries, and an advice guide for welcoming a new pupil. There will be the chance to examine and perform the poem Windrush Child by John Agard before writing their own version based on events in the story. Through the text, we will learn about the racism that many Caribbean citizens experienced while living in Britain and will respond to this through formal letters and a short speech.

History

What impact did the two world wars have on Britain?

During the unit, we will learn the following;

* the dates that WW1 and WW2 started and ended.

* the main events that led to both wars beginning.

* significant leaders such as Hitler and Churchill.

* the names of the countries that supported Britain in both world wars.

* the impact that the war had on ordinary people.

Science

How does the heart work and why is it important?

Term One

English

Writing

The Arrival by Shaun Tann is a beautifully illustrated,  wordless , picture book which explores the concept of migration, refugees or those facing difficult life-changing circumstances. 

The Arrival - Shaun Tan - Chapter 1

We will explore characters, emotions, settings, different point of view and the challenges faced by the main character. 

Through the sequence of learning, we will write a narrative, diary entry and  playscript.

Reading

This anthology contains beautiful and moving poems by a wide range of poets, many of whom fought in World War II. As an anthology, the poems have been sequenced so that the chronology of World War II is echoed.

During lessons, pupils are encouraged to ask questions, decipher the meaning of new vocabulary, retrieve information from the text and make inferences.  All pupils participate in the daily reading lesson. 

Occasionally, a ’60 second read’ will be sent home for individuals.  Please do encourage your child to complete these independently before looking at it together. 

Please do encourage reading at home.  Those who read gain a greater understanding of punctuation - for they see it in action – and have more ideas to draw on for their writing.

Geography

Our first unit of work is well underway.  We have used some of our history knowledge and knowledge of our local area to answer the question, ‘How and why have settlements changed?’ 

We are learning to;

• Know what we mean by the term settlement in geography
• Know how settlements have evolved over the years
• Know what brings people to live in a particular place in the first instance
• Know what the main human and physical reasons are for settlement change
• Use old and new maps to check on changes to settlements
• Focus on a given area and understand why changes have happened

Maths

A typical maths lesson in Redwood Class will often start with a flashback 4.  Pupils are encouraged to talk through their methods, strategies and answers with a learning neighbour when answering 4 questions.  This really does help to ‘kick start’ our mathematical thinking and allows all pupils to receive support – either from peers or from an adult.

Year 5 complete different booklets to year 6 but there are many similarities in the units/lessons.  Year 6 will often participate in the input for the year 5 lesson; allowing for consolidation. 

Place value is the first unit of work for all pupils.  This includes ordering numbers, multiplying and dividing by a multiple of ten (using the place value chart to move digits left or right) and rounding whole numbers (integers). 

All pupils have now been given a login and password for TT Rockstars.  Please do encourage your child to log in to TT Rockstars on a regular basis.  

PE

Please keep PE kits in school throughout the week.  As we have PE on Friday, pupils will wear their PE home.

PE is timetabled for Thursday and Friday this term but is subject to change.

Homework

Please continue to read at home on a regular basis and do complete any 60 second reads that are sent home.  Everyone has now been given a log in for TT Rockstars – a quick and easy way to learn multiplication and division facts.

Other news!

Well done to everyone who put themselves forward to be house captain.  It was great to see their confidence when standing up in front of the school to say/read their speeches.  The newly appointed House Captains have already been incredibly helpful and their willingness to help (and often give up their own time) is commendable. 

Bikeability was a huge success.  Thank you to the year 6 who participated – you are a credit to the school for I heard nothing but positivity from your teachers!