Welcome to the Spring Term 2017

What will we be learning?

Our main topic this term is the period of history during the reign of the Tudor monarchs. 

Safer Internet Day 7th February 2017 - Your child’s online safety education this term

This term your child’s class will be studying a unit of work based on Play Like Share, an animated series about online safety produced by Thinkuknow.

Thinkuknow is an award-winning education programme from the National Crime Agency’s child protection command, CEOP. It aims to keep children safe from abuse, both online and off.

Thinkuknow education resources are age-appropriate, non-scaremongering, and give children the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to stay safe online. They are used by over three and a half million children across the UK each year.

About Play Like Share

Play Like Share follows the adventures of Alfie, Ellie and Sam as they form a band and enter their school’s Battle of the Bands contest, taking on the mean but ‘cool’ Popcorn Wizards as they go. The three friends learn that while the internet can help, they need to use it wisely and safely.

The aim of the films is to help 8-10 year olds learn how to stay safe online. In particular, the films and activities teach them to spot the early signs of manipulative, pressurising and threatening behaviour by people they might meet online, and develops their confidence to respond safely and get help.

How you can get involved

You can watch a short trailer and all three brief episodes of Play Like Share at www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/playlikeshare

It is a great idea for you to watch each episode with your child after they have viewed it in class (to avoid spoiling any surprises!) and to have conversations with them about the subjects covered. To help you do so, I attach the Play Like Share Parents and Carers Helpsheet, with:

• Ideas for starting conversations about online safety with your child
• Links to more advice and support on how to keep your child safe online
• Information about how to get help if you are worried about your child

You will also find plenty of advice and support about keeping your child safe online at the Thinkuknow Parents and Carers Website: www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like further information or if you have any concerns about your child and online safety

The Tudors

We will be looking at some significant events and individuals, including Tudor monarchs, and at the everyday lives of men, women and children of that time.   This includes what life was like for everyday people living during this time, such as  houses, clothes, food and entertainment. This links to a more indepth study of medieval theatre and the life and works of William Shakespeare.

We shall also be focussing on the history of Britain in relation to its European counterparts, in particular the Spanish Armada, as well as investigating the effects (positive and negative) of Tudor exploration.

Our literacy, geography, art and design learning will all link with this topic.

Useful Tudor Websites

http://www.ngkids.co.uk/history/Tudor-Facts#

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/henry_viii/

http://www.hrp.org.uk/palace-kids/discover/all-about-the-tudors/

COMMEMORATION SERVICE & TUDOR LIVING HISTORY DAY
Friday 27th January 2017

Katharine of Aragon, King Henry VIII's first wife, was buried at Peterborough Cathedral in January 1536. Year 6 children have been invited to join a living history day to mark this event and find out more about life in Tudor times.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Children will  understand that Peterborough Cathedral is the resting place of Katharine of Aragon. They will also learn about everyday life in Tudor times.

They will do this by:

• Participating in the commemoration service
• Learning about Tudor food and drink
• Meeting a Tudor monk OR Barber Surgeon
• Learning the trade of a Royal Armourer
• Creating a Tudor craft
• Learning courtly behaviour and dancing

The children all participated fully, dressing in Tudor style costumes, and even having a Tudor insprired packed lunch.

Tudor Costume ideas

Girls: Plain light coloured t-shirt, long preferably plain skirt, waistcoat, apron preferably white, flat shoes. The coif for their head can be made with a triangle of white material tied around the head to hide the hair.      

Boys: A large plain t-shirt with a belt or cord around the waist, plain waistcoat, plain dark trousers such as track suit trousers tucked into long socks.

If you have any questions about costumes please feel free to ask.

http://www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/home/katharine-of-aragon.aspx

An authentic Tudor lunch 
The Tudors did not have plastic bags or aluminium foil. Why not wrap your food in greaseproof paper and tie with string instead. 
Here are a few ideas:

• A piece of English cheese - Lancashire or Cheshire cheeses are still made very closely to the way they would have been in Tudor times. 
• Meat: ham, chicken or pork pie
• Pasty or cheese and onion quiche
• Hardboiled egg
• A portion of bread: (Wholemeal for poor Tudors, White if you are a rich Tudor!)
• Fresh fruit: apples, pears or plums - Rich Tudors didn’t eat fresh fruit as they thought it was bad for you! They did eat dried fruit especially when cooked in a pie or tart. 
• Dried fruit: raisins, dates or figs
• A honey and raisin cereal bar
• Gingerbread, apple pie or shortbread
• Non-alcoholic ale: apple juice or traditional (non-fizzy) lemonade - Water was unsafe to drink in Tudor times as there was no filtration system!    

 ​​

Science

In Science, we shall be learning about "Evolution and Inheritance" before moving on to the topic of "Electricity".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/z2pfb9q

Activities to support learning can be found in the science area of Educationcity. 

Tag Rugby

P.E, for the first half of the Spring Term, will take place on a Monday afternoon, when we will be joined by a sports coach to learn the rules and skills of playing Tag Rugby. After Half Term, P.E will be on a Friday afternoon.

Mrs Brown will continue to teach Spanish.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primarylanguages/spanish/

Tudor Homework

To support our Tudor learning, the home-work is to:

Research Henry VIII

Choose one of his wife’s lives to explore in more detail

Present your research in the form of your choice, so that it can be displayed in the school hall.

Computing

Year 6 will learn about spreadsheets during their Computing lessons, and continue their knowledge of coding, using Scratch, to create animated scenes and stories. An online version of Scratch can be found below. 

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/

Our Maths Targets this term include:

• Identify the value of each digit in numbers given to three decimal places and multiply numbers by 10, 100 and 1000 giving answers up to 3 decimal places.
• Solve problems involving the calculation of percentages
• Recognise that shapes with the same areas can have different perimeters and vice versa.
• Recognise when it is possible to use formulae for area and volume of shapes.
• Calculate the area of parallelograms and triangles.
• Calculate, estimate and compare volume of cubes and cuboids using standard units,
• Use simple formulae
• Generate and describe linear number sequences
• Express missing number problems algebraically.
• Illustrate and name parts of circles
• nterpret and construct pie charts and line graphs and use these to solve problems.
• Calculate the mean as an average.

Booster Afternoon

Every Thursday afternoon will now be taken up with additional activites to support with the End of key Stage Two Assessment tests. Children will be placed in smaller groups in order to have focussed teaching in areas of reading, grammar and mathematics. 

Please do call in to see us if you have any suggestions or concerns. 

Thank you for all your support.