Successful Seals

Welcome to the Successful Seals!

Welcome back to the new school term. We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas holiday and New Year. It is great to see the children entering their new topic with such enthusiasm! 

Our current whole class aims: We have noticed the children are really finding timestables tricky to recall quickly. We ask all families / carers to support the children in using timestable rockstars at home, the impact on their learning will be noticed! Children are currently completing multiplication and division in maths, using timestables is crucial in this learning. 

Reading:  Please support your child in reading three times a week at home. Although it is great that children read independently, a discussion around the book and vocabulary will help your child progress. Great readers often make great writers! Thank you for your parental support. 

We use a range of methods to teach reading, including guided, whole class and independent reading. 

We love reading in Year 5/6. We are 'Reading to Red' to achieve a sticker at the end of every week, but we must read at least three times, although the more times, the better! 

We are developing shared reading strategies.

We are focusing on the following strategies (try these at home too!) 

• making pictures in our heads
• listening to someone read 
• asking questions when we don't understand (clarify)
• summarising (first, next, then)
• predicting using the text
• inferring using the text 

We are becoming more confident every day!

Maths

We are currently focusing on fractions. This requires the children to use all of their multiplication and division facts. It is crucial that the children are fluent in these.

English

Our current focus: Chronological Report

Last half term, the children made me incredibly proud with their beautiful descriptive narratives. This half term, we are starting with a non-fiction text, all about the Titanic. The children will be completing some research  all about the Titanic and the disaster that struck the famous boat. Using their information, they will then compile this into a chronological report. Later on in the term, the children will be using our class story (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) to complete a fantasy narrative, including the idea of a portal (just like Narnia!).

Topic:

After such a fabulous topic last half term, the children are moving onto our new science based topic: Frozen Kingdom. 

The children will be the new David Attenborough of Belper and by February will know everything they need to know to be a Polar Explorer, including facts on The Arctic and Antarctic.

A typically cold topic for a cold January!

Science:

We are currently learning all about living things and their habitats.  

PE

We have PE on a Wednesday with Mr Smith. Please ensure you have your PE kit in every day. Also ensure any long hair can be placed up in a bobble / hair band, as well as earrings being removed. Children cannot place tape over their earrings. 

This year, we will be running the daily mile. Please ensure children have appropriate footwear in school every day.