Summer Term Letter to Parents 2021

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to the Summer term!   This term our topic is called ‘Life on Earth’.  In English, we will be writing poems about the sea using personification and will write a book in three chapters inspired by Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, entitled ‘Shipwreck!’.  Lilac Class will be studying facts about the sinking of the Titanic and writing recounts and newspaper articles about the disaster. We will also be involved in report writing about conservation issues.  Lilac Class will be focusing on Henderson Island, ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ and why it needs to ‘be saved’.   Our exciting Whole Class Guided Reading text is entitled ‘Shackleton’s Journey’ by William Grill.  It tells the story of William Shackleton’s 1914 trip to the Antarctic with the ship ‘Endurance’. The story is not only told through text but also through beautiful illustrations. 

In Maths, we will be learning about converting improper fractions to mixed numbers and vice versa.  We will also learn how to add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers and find fractions of numbers.  Lilac Class will then work with decimals and explore the relationship between decimals, fractions and percentages.  This will be followed by geometry work about the properties of shapes and position and direction.  We will be finishing the year with measurement work, converting units and looking at volume.

In Science, our topic is ‘Living things and their Habitats’.  We will be studying the differences between animal groups and looking at food chains.  In addition, we are also going to learn about the life process of plants and the difference types of plant reproduction.  I am also hoping that we can go on a couple of nature walks!

In Topic, we will be looking at seas, rivers and oceans and the water cycle.  We will be learning about the journey of a river and how it is formed.  We will also be looking at sea erosion and how caves, arches and stacks are formed.  We will examine the effects of pollution in the sea and will be particularly looking at plastic pollution.   Our country of study this year is India and we will be learning about physical and human geography in relation to this country.  In Art, Lilac Class will be drawing pictures of sea shells using pastels and creating sunflower designs inspired by Van Gogh and Klimt.  We will also be exploring the use of Pointillism in painting.  In DT, we will be making books and designing leaflets about conservation issues.  We will also be baking blueberry muffins. In Music, Lilac Class will be listening to music about the sea and nature, creating our own group compositions using the same musical ideas.  We will listen to Debussy’s ‘La Mer’, Britten’s ‘Sea Interludes’ and Vaughan Williams’s ‘The Lark Ascending’ for inspiration and stimulus.

In RE this term, Lilac Class are learning about Islam.  Our ‘Big Question’ is What do Muslims believe about the way they should live their lives and why?  We will be finding out about the Five Pillars of Islam and the part the Mosque plays in the Muslim community.  We will also be learning about how and why Muslim people show that the Qur’an is important to them.   PE will still be on Tuesdays and Thursdays and this term Lilac Class will be involved in improving and developing their field sports and athletic skills.

Homework will be set on a Thursday and needs to be completed in the Homework Book by the following Thursday. You will also find it on the Lilac Class Blog at the beginning of the week.  The spellings that the children will be given to learn will also be covered in class time.  The children will be given weekly My Maths and Purple Mash activities.  I would also like them to practice their tables by working through Times Tables Rock Stars. 

Please can you ensure that an adult at home hears your child read at least three times a week and that the reading record is signed and dated.  Reading records need to come into school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to be signed and checked by my TA, Miss Swannell.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any worries, concerns or questions via the Lilac Class email. 

Kind regards,

Dr Charles