St John's C of E Primary - Nurturing Excellence

Swallow Class

Welcome to Our Swallow Class Page!

English

This term, the children explore Aesop's fable. They will be writing their own version of this with a focus upon reporting direct speech, using descriptive literary techniques, and using personification. We will continue to read Kate DiCamillo's ‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tula, and the children will use this as a stimulus to write a short narrative from a character's perspective. We will continue to develop our range of vocabulary, comprehension skills, handwriting, and spelling through phonics. We will also focus on perfecting those editing skills.

Maths

During maths this term, the children will interpret and construct bar and time charts. They will be consolidating counting back beyond zero into negative numbers and rounding to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000. They will explore Roman numerals to 100. The children will continue to develop their skills using the four mathematical operations up to 4-digit numbers. Remembering, of course, to continue to learn and consolidate our times-tables and knowledge of inverse calculations.

Science

This half term we are exploring Electricity. The classes will focus on mastering basic electrical concepts, building simple circuits, and identifying hazards. Finally, children will look at conductors and insulators. They will work scientifically to identify which materials conduct electricity, make predictions, and test to find answers.

History

This term we will continue to look at the House of Stuart. The children will investigate the return of the monarchy with Charles II in 1660, and the impact of the Great Plague of 1665, followed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. They will find out about the rebuilding of London and the architect Christopher Wren. They will explore the Monmouth Rebellion and The Bill of Rights whilst exploring the role of William of Orange.

Geography

In Geography our focus this half term is Japan. The lessons will focus on comparing the physical and human features to those of the UK. Key topics include identifying the four main islands and the differences between them; examining the Ring of Fire, volcanoes and earthquakes in the area, and contrasting bustling urban cities with the rural countryside.

Art

In art this half term, the children will explore needle work and embroidery. The children will examine the embroidery on the coronation dress of Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, and through this start to learn about different embroidery stitches. They will then design and create their own bookmarks using cross-stitch and running stitch.

Music

This term the children will create and perform a fanfare using percussion instruments. They will then evaluate their own performance and that of others.

R.E.

In R.E. this half term the children will be exploring Islam. The children will study the significance of the Shahadah for Muslims, before looking at Muslims duty to pray at regular times and how they prepare themselves for this. The children will then identify differences and similarities between prayer in Islam and prayer in Christianity

PSHE

This half term we will be exploring the human life cycle. They will identify each part and respond with insights and details surrounding each stage, and they will express ideas about what it is like to be an adult.