Check out the link below to our 'History' page where you will find all of the amazing learning we've been doing about Castles!

Here's what we'll be learning about across the curriculum this half term (Autumn Term 2):

TOPIC – Topic will be interweaved throughout the curriculum, forming the heart of our learning journey. We will be continuing to be learn about Castles, however this term we will adopting a more focused approach, through our enquiry question: 'Why were castles built?'

This question will be the basis of our learning journey. We will be learning about:

• The importance of castles as a symbol of battle, security and status
• The Norman Conquest and the events leading up to it
• Who William the Conqueror was and why he was so influential
• The Battle of Hastings in 1066 and its historical significance
• The Bayeux Tapestry
• The impact the Normans had on England

LITERACY - The key skills we will be concentrating on are accurate use of capital letters and full stops, expanded noun phrases, adverbs, tenses, conjunctions, spellings, handwriting and much more. We will also be learning about prefixes and suffixes. These skills will be taught through the following genres of writing:

• Poetry
• Setting description
• Story
• Persuasive text
• Biography

READING - We have 30-minute Guided Reading sessions every morning. Individual reading also takes place each week. We aim for at least two 1:1 reads each week; during busy times, however, it may only be one. This half term we will be studying:

• ‘Crackle! Spit!’ by Marie Thom
• ‘Who Lived in a Castle?’ (Non-fiction text)
• ‘George and the Dragon’ by Chris Wormell
• ‘Horrible Histories: Stormin’ Normans’ by Terry Deary
• ‘The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight’ by Helen Docherty

MATHS – This term, the children will be consolidating their knowledge of addition and subtraction, through concrete and abstract work. They will then move on to learning about and solving multiplication and division calculations. Also, they will be regularly practicing their timetables to increase confidence and ability. This half term, we will be focusing on our 5 times table.

RE – This half term, the children will continue to look at the topic ‘Signs and Symbols’ and will then be moving on to ‘Preparations’ in the lead up to the Christmas and Advent period.

SCIENCE – In Science, the children will be continuing to look at the unit ‘Everyday Materials’ in which they will explore the uses of a range of everyday materials through investigations and explorations. This will also be linked to our class topic (‘Castles’) through – for example - its exploration of how different materials can affect the suitability and effectiveness of castles and armour.