January 2011

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back to Class 7. We hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and may we wish you all a Happy New Year! This newsletter will give you some information about your child’s weekly timetable, the content of the curriculum for the term and additional information or reminders.

Class timetable

Swimming will commence on Friday 4 March and will continue every Friday morning until Friday 1 July, a letter will be sent out with further details next half-term.

PE is on Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons. Pupils need to bring the appropriate kits and remember not to wear earrings on these days.

Homework days are Tuesday (numeracy) and Friday (spellings & topic work).

Spellings are given out on a Friday and tested on the following Tuesday.

Children are encouraged to read on a daily basis at home.

Please sign and comment in your child’s reading diary.

Curriculum

Our main topic during this term will be to study Materials. Our other topics include Changing State & Sound in Science. In Art we will be studying Monet and Picasso and producing work using a variety of materials.

We will be exploring musical instrument making during our design & technology sessions.

PPA Time

Both teachers will have their PPA on Wednesday afternoon and during the afternoon sessions Creative Writing skills will be taught by Mr D Webb and PE by Mr P Netherwood

Other useful information

Drama Club will be commence on Friday 21 January and will be presenting their production before Easter. We will be organising an educational visit linked with art or science and further details will follow.

We hope your child will continue to enjoy being in Class 7.

Our door is always open if you have any questions, worries or concerns.

Mathematical Development

To develop mental calculation strategies and pencil and paper procedures for addition, subtraction,multiplication and division. To enhance skills involving place value, understanding multiplication and division (to include money), fractions, decimals and percentages (including use of calculators), problem solving, data handling and reasoning about shapes and measures. To practise solving SATS style questions in preparation for Spring Term Assessments.

Language & Literacy

To read a range of text-types (traditional stories, classic poems, myths, legends and fables from other cultures) by significant children’s writers. To extend reading comprehension skills and complete a range of SATS style reading questions in preparation for Spring Term Assessments.

To develop skills in story/poetry writing. – linked to a ‘coastal’ theme.

To produce non-chronological reports and explanations. To develop the skills needed for letter writing.

To gain an understanding of spelling rules and patterns & further develop grammar skills.

To further develop speaking and listening skills – especially through drama and role play.

• Science

To study the topic of Changing State during the first half term. Sound will be studied during the second half term. Children will develop observation, discussion, prediction, testing and recording skills.

ICT

To develop word processing skills, whilst using the Microsoft office programs of 'Word ' and 'Publisher.' (To attach to an e-mail). To improve keyboard skills using Typing Tournament. To use the tools in Office (Paint) to create a variety of patterns and landscapes. To use CD ROM/Internet to search for specific information relating to Contrasting locations in the British Isles and to use photographic skills to enhance their work.

Geography

To study the Water Cycle and Rivers of the World.

• History (History free term)

Art

To explore observational drawing techniques.

To work in the style of Picasso, Claude Monet & Georgia O’Keefe, using pencils, water colour paints, water-based felt-tips, pastels & collage materials.                                

DT

To design & make a musical instrument (linked with our sound project in science) using a variety of different materials.

Music

To explore sound sources, rounds and lyrics & melody during a range of compositional activities.

• PE

Games- To extend skills of sending and receiving; to build up to larger team games

Dance – To develop movement skills using music as a source of inspiration.

Swimming – To learn stroke techniques and water safety.

• RE/PHSE

Circle Time/PSHE – Encouraging children to discuss feelings and personal viewpoints with particular reference to ‘Going for goals’ and ‘Good to be me’ from our Seal FrameworkMrs Hemingway & Mrs Nuttall

Dear Parents and Guardians

Welcome to Class 7. We hope you have all enjoyed your Summer holidays. We are looking forward to getting to know our new pupils and yourselves. This newsletter will give you some information about your child’s weekly timetable, the content of the curriculum for the term and additional information or reminders.

Class timetable

• Mrs Nuttall will teach Class 7 every Monday & Tuesday and Mrs Hemingway will teach Class 7 Wednesday morning, and all day Thursday and Friday.
• Mr Craddock will be teaching Literacy to Class 7 every morning for an hour, as he specialises in this subject. Mrs Nuttall and Mrs Hemingway will therefore take Class 6 for Numeracy on the days which we are teaching, whilst Class 7 have Literacy.
• Swimming will not commence until the spring term and a separate letter will be sent out to parents nearer the time. PE will be on a Tuesday afternoon and a Wednesday afternoon. Pupils need to bring the appropriate kits and remember not to wear earrings on these days.
• This year all pupils will be taught French as their Modern Foreign Language, by Madame Paton. Our French lesson will be every Tuesday morning from 9.45am until 10.15am.
• Homework will be set on a Tuesday and a Friday. It is expected that homework is brought back into school on time to allow marking to take place before the next homework is set.
• Children are encouraged to read everyday at home. Please sign and comment in your child’s reading diary

Curriculum

• Details of the topics to be covered this term are on the reverse of this letter. Some of the topics will be taught in ‘blocks’ with greater cross curricular links. We hope this change has a positive impact on your child’s learning. If any parents have interesting hobbies or jobs it would be beneficial for the pupils to hear you speak about them in class. Also if parents have any artefacts relating to ‘Coal Mining’ which we could use to assist our Humanities topic, they would be gratefully appreciated.

• Other useful information

• Both teachers will have PPA on Wednesday afternoon and these sessions will be taught by Mr Netherwood (PE teacher) and Mr Webb (Creative work).
• Some pupils will be placed into a ‘Numeracy Target Group’ to raise their levels of attainment and they will receive small group tuition in a separate room taught by Mrs Nuttall every Wednesday morning between 11 and 12noon. Please do not worry if your child is chosen it will benefit them!
• Please ensure that your child’s name is written clearly on every item of clothing.
• A visit to a National Coal Mining Museum will be arranged for this term to enhance children’s

•        understanding of coal mining in our local environment.

We hope your children will enjoy being in Class 7. Our door is always open if you have any

questions, worries or concerns. We look forward to meeting you all very soon.

Mrs Hemingway & Mrs Nuttall

Mathematical Development

• To develop mental calculation strategies and pencil and paper procedures for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
• To enhance skills involving place value, the four number operations, money, fractions, decimals, percentages, data handling and calculators.

• Language & Literacy

• To read a range of text-types (novels, stories, poems, play-scripts, poetry) by significant children’s writers.
• To develop skills in story/poetry/non-fiction writing. To gain an understanding of spelling rules and patterns.
• To develop grammar skills during the sentence and word level sections of the Literacy Hour
• To complete a written piece of work every Friday morning during our ‘Big Write Literacy Hour’.

Science

• To study activities based on Forces and Friction linked with our study of Coal Mining. To also complete Year 5 modules of Changing State & Gases Around Us. To develop an understanding of a range of scientific vocabulary. Children will enhance their observation, discussion, prediction, testing and recording skills.

• ICT

• To further develop word-processing skills, whilst using the Microsoft Office programs of 'Word ' and 'Publisher'. To create a Multimedia Presentation using text, images and sound. To use the Internet to search for specific information.

• Geography

• To study our local area of Shafton – past and present and develop map reading/drawing skills.

• History

• To develop a historical knowledge and understanding of coal mining and its link to Shafton through the ages.
• To visit the National Coal Mining Museum during the autumn term to gain a deeper understanding of ‘life as a miner in the past and what life as a miner is like nowadays’.

• Art

• .To study QCA module 5A ‘Objects & Meanings’ and link the work to History and DT using a wide variety of different media. To also work in the style of Pablo Picasso.

• DT

• To design & make a moving coal cart that would have been used to transport coal underground in Victorian Times,
• using dowelling, balsa and a variety of other material. To discuss and evaluate their work.

Music

• To develop skills in rhythm and composition.
• To listen to a variety of music taken from different eras.
• To study African drumming styles.

PE

• Dance – to develop a dance routine based on Robotic movement.
• Gymnastics - to develop gymnastic sequences to include controlled balances.

• RE/PHSE

• To study Christianity and related Festivals – Harvest and Christmas – and the place of the Bible and churches within the religion.
• PSHCE – To study Citizenship with special reference to Community Issues and Themselves (using Dorothy.Com)