Welcome to Eagle class! Our teacher is Mrs Thomas, who is really good at maths and sport (especially football), and is really keen to make the whole school as active as possible!     

• Our curriculum map - find out about our current topics
• Our latest school newsletter
• Meet our school councilors, Alfie and Destiny

Home learning ideas:

• All of the maths we’re doing this term is dependent on quick recall of tables facts, so it would be brilliant if you could work on this. Focus on one table at a time and try: 
  • Making-up rhymes to help remember number facts (“4 x 6 is 24, bears growl and lions roar!”) 
  • Looking for numbers in that table in the world around you - on doors, car number plates, in phone numbers or when you’re out shopping. 
  • Writing-out tables with finger paints, chalk or water-on-tarmac, or make them from playdoh. 
  • Chanting, singing, whispering... Say tables out loud together whenever you have the chance.
• Each week we are set spellings to learn. Click here for guidance on strategies you can use to support your child in learning these at home.  
• In history we are learning about the Ancient Greeks, which provides lots of opportunities for learning beyond the classroom - particularly linked to Greek Myths, which are full of amazing characters. There's lots of video and information to get you started available on BBC Bitesize here.
• There are lots of opportunities to investigate electricity at home - which items in our house use electricity? What do they use it for? What makes them safe to use - and make sure your children understand how dangerous mains power can be. There are also resources to support this topic on the BBC Bitesize site at www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zj44jxs

Our latest news:

• A group from Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed throwing themselves into a series of workshops linked to STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The project, organised by local charity STEMPOINT, has seen us working with scientists and engineers from companies like Airbus, GSK, Unilever and Thames Water. We have learnt how to use real world lab equipment, built boats, explored risk, carried out lots of tests and even designed fuel tanks for spacecraft (with a real rocket scientist!) It has been great fun to take part in these sessions, and it has also introduced us to lots of careers that we never knew existed.
 

 
• With great excitement, Years 5 and 6 ventured to Hogwarts at the Harry Potter Studios in Leavesden. We started off with a creative writing workshop, where some secrets and tricks of the trade were shared with us. Then, after entering through the magical Great Hall, we were able to talk to experts about props, costumes and makeup, fly on a Nimbus 2000, walk inside the Hogwarts Express and experience the effects that were used in the films. Diagon Alley, Gringotts Bank, the Dursley’s House and the Forbidden Forest were all there for us to explore.
 

 
• The whole of KS2 came together this term to perform Oliver!, and we were all incredibly proud of the show that we created. After weeks of rehearsals, practice, choreography and construction we were finally ready to perform on 16th and 17th July. Across three performances, we sold over 340 tickets, and were blown-away by the positive feedback, cheers, laughs and applause that we received. It was brilliant to be able to put on a show on this scale, and it could only take place as a result of a huge amount of time, energy and effort from the whole school community.
 

 
• Everyone in Year 5 and 6 thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Bikeability project, which took place in May. Led by instructors from the HCC Cycling team, we all completed Level 1 training, learning to ride safely and control our bikes on the playground. The vast majority of us then progressed onto Level 2, which saw us heading out and about on local roads. As the week went on, each group went on longer and more complex rides, exploring local roads, learning to recognise potential dangers and getting used to riding on roads with other traffic. By the end of the week, 82 children had completed the course, and we were all presented with certificates and badges as a reward for our hard work.
 

 
• On 13th June, a group of 32 intrepid Year 6s set-off on this year’s PGL expedition. We spent 3 days at the adventure sports centre at Marchant’s Hill, trying out a huge range of activities that we would never be able to experience at home. Over the weekend, we took part in climbing, abseiling, zip wire, buggy building, archery and a tunnel trail - and it was great to so many of us taking on challenges and overcoming fears to make the most of every session. We also discovered lots of hidden talents and abilities that we would love to be able to explore further, with some of us showing expert marksmanship with an archery bow, while others showed amazing climbing skills on Jacob’s Ladder.
 

We have been learning about... 

Science - This term, we have explored different forces and discovered how they work in opposition to one another. This has involved practical investigations to find out about gravity and air resistance, as well as buoyancy and water resistance. Following on from this, we found out all about Sir Isaac Newton’s life and how his work continues to impact our lives today. Finally, we learned about how levers and pulleys work, with an exciting demonstration of how pupils can be lifted with very little effort!

Geography - Our learning this term has centred on Brazil. We have explored the different landscapes, climate, living conditions and culture found in this huge South American country. To accompany this, we made our own carnival masks, thinking about pattern, colour choices and how to decorate in an eye-catching way. You can see examples of our amazing creations below. 

This term's topics

English - Our first unit of the term will focus on the Greek myth of Odysseus and his ten year struggle to get home after the end of the Trojan War. We will focus in particular on character and atmosphere, collecting descriptive language and exploring the way authors show fear, danger, love or tension through their choice of language and clever use of punctuation. After that, we will move on to explore discussion texts. We will look at the way conjunctions and adverbials are used to present, link and contrast information, and also identify organisational features like headings, subheadings and bullet points. We will then draw on all this understanding to write balanced discussions of our own.

Maths - We will start the term by investigating ‘order of operations’ (the rules that decide what order we should do calculations in), and will begin to explore the use of algebra to represent and solve problems. After that, we will move on to develop our knowledge of geometry, using protractors to measure and draw angles, as well as calculating missing angles in triangles and quadrilaterals. Later in the term, we will move on to coordinates, plotting, reflecting and translating shapes in all four quadrants. Throughout the term, Year 6 will continue with their weekly Booster sessions, looking to secure our understanding of key areas of maths, and we will all be practicing our arithmetic skills every day.

Science - We will continue to investigate electricity. We will extend our understanding of conductors, insulators and batteries, and then learn to draw circuit diagrams using standard symbols. We will also be carrying out lots of practical work, developing our ability to draw conclusions from results and learning about the work of famous scientists like Faraday and Maxwell.

Humanities - We will be exploring the world of Ancient Greece, learning about their Gods, wars, myths, clothes, theatre and governments. We will also be looking carefully at how this civilisation fits into the timeline of periods we already know about, and considering how Greek civilisation influenced those that followed (particularly the Romans), and how we still use Ancient Greek ideas (and words) today. We will also be exploring Greek Gods and myths, reading about the adventures of Zeus, Athene, Odysseus, Perseus and Heracles.

Take a look at our curriculum map for more information on our topics.