Humanities - Social Understanding
As part of our ‘Picture This’ thematic learning, pupils will research and learn about different historical ages using the stimuli of artistic portraits through time They will evaluate historical portraits and understand the concept of chronological order. Using art as a stimulus children will research and discuss the historical context of that time period.
The theme ‘Into the Unknown’, pupils will learn about different space missions and develop their critical thinking skills by contemplating the relative merits of different historical sources. They will go on to evaluate how they learn about the past and, using Tim Peake as an example, spend time thinking about the reasons why mankind wants to investigate the moon and space
RS this term focuses on the Old Testament stories of Joseph and Moses. These stories enable the children to reflect on the important message in each story, that in turn informs their own perspectives on life Key skills will include retelling and explaining these expressions of faith, and using key religious vocabulary with confidence The pupils are encouraged throughout to respond with sensitivity and tolerance towards the experiences and feelings of others, including those with a faith.
Language and Communication
The pupils will begin their English curriculum by looking at popular fiction stories, generating exciting vocabulary to describe characters and settings and using short film clips to write about their feelings and responses An extract of Mr Majeika by Humphrey Carpenter will be used to support character descriptions Linked to their ‘Paint me a Picture’topic, the pupils will study Mr and MrsAndrews byThomas Gainsborough and use this to create some drama and write a descriptive piece.The pupils will also explore the James Mayhew ‘Katie’series, with a focus on ‘Katie and the Starry Night’inspired by Vincent Van Gogh.
The pupils will then continue their study of poetry, looking at patterns on a page The pupils will look at a range of poems and explore their presentation skills while learning about calligrams - poems which have a visual image related to the words - before creating their own list poems and a calligram related to an animal of their choice.
After half-term,Year 2 will be jetting off to mystery lands as part of their fantasy story topic They will be writing stories containing fantastical characters and maybe some magic and will be reading a variety of stories to inspire them including ‘Leon and the Place Between’by Graham Baker-Smith and ‘TheTunnel’byAnthony Browne.
They will finish their Spring term English curriculum with a non-fiction topic of non-chronological report writing Using our ‘5 4 3 2 1’theme, the pupils will be reporting from rocket launches and sporting events
Pupils will continue to follow the Read, Write, Inc. ‘Spelling’and ‘Phonics’programmes, which are robust and fast-paced schemes to teach pupils to read and spell accurately through an understanding of phonics and spelling rules, underpinned by regular practice
In Modern Languages, pupils are beginning to be fascinated by the special letters in the Spanish and French alphabets and as we read stories linked into our thematic learning topics, time is also given to linking pronunciation with the written word, though listening and Speaking remain our focus in Modern Languages inYear 2 In French, the children will learn vocabulary to describe their families and the months of the year.They will develop their cultural knowledge as they learn to recognise and understand the significance of key landmarks in France Pupils will look at paintings by the French artist Robert Delaunay and revise colours in relation to the paintings In Spanish, pupils will learn about days of the week, animals and some food by exploring the famous story from Eric Carle “La oruga muy hambrienta”. We will also celebrate Carnival and Easter by getting to know some seasonal traditions.
Mathematical Understanding
During our first topic, multiplication and division, we will look at making equal groups by sharing and by grouping, dividing by 2, odd and even numbers, and dividing by 5 and 10
Next we will look at statistics: making tally charts, drawing and interpreting pictograms and block diagrams, before moving onto properties of shape which involves recognising, drawing and sorting 2D and 3D shapes, thinking about sides, vertices, faces, edges and lines of symmetry
Our final topic is Fractions. This will involve making equal parts, recognising and finding halves, quarters and thirds and three quarters, look at unit and non-unit fractions, equivalence
Physical Education and Well-being
In PE this term at Fitzwilliam the pupils will be taking part in fencing and gymnastics. In games lessons, boys and girls will be introduced to the fundamental principles of netball, including passing, moving, catching and working as a team After half term, they will be extending their understanding of what it means to compete through a variety of team games
In PSHEE this term, the children will reflect on ‘diversity and community’ Pupils will be able to describe some aspects of their identity, culture, beliefs and lifestyle and recognise some similarities and differences between themselves and others To consider the different places in their community; how they and others might use them, and who is available to help them and think about ways they can look after their school environment
Later in the term, pupils will learn about ‘financial capability’and understand that we can receive and spend money in many ways To learn about saving and looking after their money and why we might do so Children will also be introduced to the difference between wants and needs and begin to understand family spending and the impact of choices.They will also understand the purpose and role of charities.
As part of our e-safety curriculum, pupils will learn about ‘digital footprints’ and to consider what happens to photos, comments and information posted online They will also reflect on apps/games they purchase or that are free and to reflect on why they should always seek permission before downloading anything.
Forest School is a superb way for our pupils to learn holistically through play and exploring, following their own curiosity Pupils learn to connect with their environment, manage risks and use their initiative to solve problems and cooperate with others whilst developing their resilience, creativity, confidence and independence skills.This term they will be learning about making art out of nature and frames using sticks and knotting skills.As the season changes the pupils will think about life cycles of frogs, birds and plants The pupils will also look at nest building and then have an egg hunt Pupils will continue to build on their existing knowledge of tools, some new tools will be introduced and learning about primitive fire lighting, having a go with fire plough and bow drill
Creative and PerformingArts
In Plan Learn Do Review pupils have the opportunity to lead and direct their own learning. Over a four week cycle the pupils will Plan what they want to do which may be digitally via a video, or using pictures, words and labels The pupils then spend a session to Learn something that will contribute to the successful Do session Perhaps colour mixing, cutting cardboard, threading a needle, or finding out what a rocket really looks like In the third week, it is Do day; on this day the pupils execute their Plan You may be asked to bring in some specific resources to help on this day such as a cardboard box or some small cakes for decoration Often the pupils link their project to the theme but it is up to them Then it is the final session which is the pupils’Review, this is where they reflect on how their project went, this may be a discussion, a video or a written statement This helps inform the pupils next Do based on what they may want to learn next This term we will also on occasions switch the Learn and Plan sessions so they learn a skill that they can then Plan to use.
In Create Design and Engineering, as part of Paint me a Picture topic, the pupils will develop their colour mixing and matching skills whilst creating their own portrait, working on making good skin tone colours and shading They will have more opportunity to practise their artistic skills during 5 4 3 2 1 as they use coloured pencils and techniques such as stippling, hatching, scribbling and blending to draw space and planet pictures.An important part of their learning will be taking the opportunity to evaluate and review the work that they create
In Music lessons, pupils will refine their performance techniques to prepare for their musical production Children will work on vocal technique, diction and communication, as well as expression and projection After half term, we will continue with our instrumental learning on the recorder and our music reading skills
Scientific Understanding
As part of our Paint me a Picture topic, the pupils will be using their scientific skills, making predictions and recording observations as they create salt crystal pictures.They will undertake a chromatography experiment, using felt tip pens, which will enable them to evaluate an experiment and begin to use their scientific knowledge to explain what they found During 5 4 3 2 1, pupils will further develop their prediction and experimental skills as they test how far different vehicles will travel During this topic, the pupils will also work on their coding skills using a variety of apps to make their own code to direct a rocket around the Earth.
The Inner Wheel
With the Google apps at the heart of digital curation our pupils use Google Classroom to complete work digitally and hand in work that is produced in a variety of ways We have identified 7 main apps, our EverGreen apps, that help to showcase our pupils’learning An animation, movie or annotated piece of work provides richer feedback for the teacher and ultimately helps to make greater progress.
Explain Everything www.explaineverything.com
Green Screen www.doink.com
Stop Motion www.cateater.com
Strip Design www.vividapps.com/Strip Designer/ Notability www.gingerlabs.com
Book Creator www.bookcreator.com
Puppet Pals www.polishedplay.com
The Outer Wheel
We have a number of apps that we use consistently throughout our curriculum that lend themselves to our creative approach We avoid apps that are specific to a particular outcome, preferring content free apps that can help to enhance our pupils work and understanding. Some examples are: Minecraft, iMovie, KeyNote, Pages and Padlet.
Coding
Another aspect of our digital curriculum is the coding/programming skills that are embedded in all subjects or taught discretely inYears 5 and 6. We have identified a progression of apps that help to develop our pupils ability to code The apps provide variety and challenge and help to develop the computation skills that are crucial learning in our digital work
We combine the coding experiences with physical output Using Spheros, BBC Micro:Bits and Ozobots provides visual outcomes that bring our code to life As our pupils develop further they transition on to written code
ThinkingToolkit
Alongside and underpinning our curriculum we ensure that our pupils are developing as active learners and active thinkers Throughout each subject area pupils are encouraged to use their range of thinking tools and reflect on when and how they are using them Pupils are encouraged to reflect on how their thinking tools underpin all aspects of their learning and not just in the more obvious ways. How are they creative in maths? How do they enquire in English? How are they critical in Music? How do they think computationally in PE?
Inclusion
This curriculum map outlines the core curriculum for each year group each term but at the heart of our wheel is the individual learner Each subject area has a progression of skills which enables staff to stretch or support individuals as and when they need a little help, a bit of a push or a just a different way in Within our classrooms through planning, teacher knowledge and interactions work is differentiated to suit the needs of each individual