Term 1

Topic Question: How did humans become more civilised?

Hello everyone and welcome back to a new year at school! I hope you have all had a wonderful summer and are ready for Years 5 and 6! 

This term we have some very exciting topics, read on to find out more!

English

We are starting our new year with a KS2 text (shared with Kingfisher!) called 'The Promise' by Nicola Davies. I won't give too much away but it will cover current issues involving our environment. 

We will then be moving on to our main text, which will take us all the way up to Christmas! Our History topic is Romans this term, therefore our main English text is linked with this. It is called 'The Roman Quests: Escape from Rome' by Caroline Lawrence. 

The year is AD 94. When the evil Emperor Domitian sends soldiers to seize his family's home in the middle of the night, twelve-year-old Juba must escape with his brother and sisters, and journey to distant Britannia on the edge of the known world.

His task: To avoid capture and death.
His quest: To find a safe haven in Britain.
His destiny: To save the children.

We are going to be writing very exciting pieces based on this book and I can't wait to start reading it to you!

Maths

Just as we usually do, we will be starting the year with Number and Place Value.

Year 5:

• read, write, order and compare numbers to at least 1 000 000 and determine the value of each digit
• count forwards or backwards in steps of powers of 10 for any given number up to 1 000 000
• interpret negative numbers in context, count forwards and backwards with positive and negative whole numbers, including through zero
• round any number up to 1 000 000 to the nearest 10, 100, 1000, 10 000 and 100 000 solve number problems and practical problems that involve all of the above
• read Roman numerals to 1000 (M) and recognise years written in Roman numerals

Year 6:

• read, write, order and compare numbers up to 10 000 000 and determine the value of each digit
• round any whole number to a required degree of accuracy
• use negative numbers in context, and calculate intervals across zero
• solve number and practical problems that involve all of the above

History

Our History topic this term is 'The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain.' This topic will take us to Christmas and will be very interesting. Here are a few of the areas we will be covering:

• Legacy of Romans – what do we owe them?
• Romulus and Remus
• Roman Empire
• Pompeii
• Roman Roads
• Rome governed
• Roman army and invasion
• Roman life
• The fall of the Roman Empire

Our Art and DT will also be Roman inspired and will include volcano painting, clay sculpting and mosaics. 

Geography

This term we will be looking at Locational Knowledge, which will follow on from our learning last year. 

- invasion routes to link with History.

- identifying the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night).

Check back here for photos of our learning throughout the term!