Kestrels Class - Autumn Term Learning

Our topic for this opening term of the new school year is ‘The Age of Great Expectations’, based on a study of the Victorians. During their learning journey pupils will be drawing timelines, reading stories and using a range of sources to find out about life during the Victorian Age. They will have the opportunity to choose an area of extended study for a homework project and we are going to visit Preston Manor, where they will have first hand experience of what it was like to be a servant in a Victorian household. Our focus in Literacy is going to be Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and this marvellous story and film will give rise to a variety of writing activities.

We will have some lessons preparing for the Shakespeare4Kidz Theatre Company performance of Macbeth in Worthing during November and our studies will be further developed through dance, as we take the witches as the spark for our creativity. Our History learning journey will also include some study of local history, especially Regency and Victorian Brighton. To inspire our observational sketching and use of colour, we have selected the work of William Morris from this period as particularly interesting and accessible and we will develop this further into printing techniques.

In Design and Technology we are going to investigate different types of biscuits, principally healthy biscuits. Then we will plan and make our own healthy biscuits and evaluate their success. This work will be blocked either side of a weekend in the first half of the term. More about this later.

Islam is the focus for our learning in RE and pupils will be exploring the history, traditions and beliefs of this important world religion. Pupils will have the chance to select the way in which they will record and display their learning.

In PE, swimming starts on the second Tuesday of the term for six weeks for Year 6; a letter will follow. Gymnastics will be on a Friday afternoon. Outdoor PE kits will not be needed until after half term.

In Science we will be doing lots of practical work to learn about forces, mainly gravity and electricity and thereby learning about scientific processes and methods as well. We will also look at how we see things.

Homework for the week will be set on a Friday and should be handed in the following Thursday. There are several special events planned for this term and further details will be in newsletters or class letters so please be sure to read these.

We have already started the term with energy and enthusiasm and are very excited about all the fabulous learning experiences to come as the term progresses. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to come and see me for a chat, although after school is the best time.