Class+5+This+Term

**Spring Term 2012** Our theme this term is called ** "A Spaceman Came Travelling" ** through which we shall investigate what it would be like for someone from another planet to visit our planet.

** Oracy **
== We are going to have a Duty Free shop in our role play area, where the children will develop their confidence in speaking and listening activities. They will be encouraged to act out the role of shopkeeper and customer, developing dialogues in Welsh and English. This will be developed into a ticket office later in the term and then hopefully into a rocket pad. We will practise dialogues in English and Welsh and take on different roles. == ==

== ==If you have empty chocolate boxes, comics, magazines, empty perfume/ after shave bottles, old jewellery etc that you no longer want, please can you donate them to our 'Duty Free Shop.' Also any old travel tickets and passports would also be very useful.==

= Reading = = Regular reading both at home and school is vital. Children will be be developing their comprehension skills this term, so please encourage your child to talk about what they have read. Ask them questions about the stories to find out if they have understood what they have been reading. Their understanding will improve if they read with intonation. Encourage them to stop at full stops, pause at commas and to change their voices etc. = = = =Writing=
 * In class we will be sharing stories about different ways of travelling and looking at non- fiction books and texts from the internet about Space Travel and famous people. If you have any books your child wishes to share with the class, please send them in! **

We will continue building on handwriting skills eg. correct grip, clear and correct joined letter formation and correct use of lines.
==Children will be required to write for a variety of purposes eg. letters, stories, lists etc. They will be encouraged to use punctuation marks correctly in order to make sense of what they have written. We will use a variety of stimuli for writing including poems, stories and video clips. == = Spelling = = Children will be given lists of words to learn every fortnight in order to improve their spelling skills. Encourage them to apply their spelling skills when doing their homework rather than just learning to spell words for a spelling test. Encourage the children to look for patterns in spelling. = = We shall also be practising phonic skills within the class which will help your child build up and decode the spelling of more difficult words. =

=__** Mathematical Development **__= = A great deal of importance is attached to the children achieving and understanding mathematical concepts and skills in an interesting and enjoyable way. There will be a strong emphasis on the development of mental maths and giving opportunities for the children to use and apply their mathematical knowledge in real life situations eg. shopping activities. = = We will be covering a wide range of topics as well as number work over the course of the term, including: = > **Analogue and Digital clocks- o'clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to** > __**Knowledge, Understanding of the World **__ We will be practising drawing maps of different journeys, both real and imaginary to help the Spaceman travel about, g raphing favourite way of travelling and discussing reasons why people travel. We hope to v isit Trevethick’s tunnel and draw a map showing the journey and to look at aerial photographs. We will investigate artefacts from the History box and sequence stories from the past about the Mongolfier Brothers and Richard Trevethick. We will also find out about Welsh links to space explorers. We will compare different senses and why we need them. We will look at the roles of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth and discuss the reasons for Day and Night.
 * =** Time- Calendars - days of the week, months of the year **=
 * **Weight - use of correct vocabulary linked to Weight. Introduction to standard units eg. kilograms, grams. Comparisons of weight eg. heavier / lighter.**
 * ** Capacity - use of correct vocabulary linked to Capacity. Introduction to standard units eg. litres, millilitres. Comparisons of weight eg. heavier / lighter. **

= Welsh Language Development = = I will continue to use Welsh as often as possible throughout every day in all subjects and encourage the children to ask for things they need in Welsh. We use dialogues, books, songs and puppets to help the children learn Welsh vocabulary and new sentence patterns linked to our topic in a fun way. This term we will learn vocabulary related to vehicles and travelling. =

__//Physical Development// __

 * We will be working on Gymnastic Skills this term, developing good body tension and shape as if they are travelling in Space and on different planets. The children will be asked to link simple movements to create sequences. They will be encouraged to improve their __ own __ performances . **

=__**ICT**__= =**The children will be using the computers in our class and the computer suite every day. ICT is used as a means of supporting all areas of the curriculum. The children will be ecouraged to communicate ideas and information in a variety of forms using computer software to enhance their learning. Developing their keyboard skills using the program '2Type' will be a priority this term. These skills can also be practised at home using Purple Mash .**= =**Link available on School website Home Page- Login**= The username is: class5@iro The password is: class5 **Creative Development** ** The children will experiment using construction kits and junk material, m ake paper aircraft and create space aliens with moving parts. ** **We will be singing Space related action songs and Welsh songs in readiness for our St David's Day Eisteddfod. We will devise dance routines about travelling to/from the moon.**

=HOME-TASK = Please create a **space outfit** for your child and other children in the class to use during role-play activities and to wear when we have a “space” party later in the term. The outfit can be as basic or elaborate as you want! It would be nice to have a variety of outfits ** eg. Astronauts, rockets, aliens, planets, stars, sun and moon. **  = = =Thank you for your support=