This year we have increased the amount of PE lesson time that children will receive – so your child will have 2 hour sessions of PE every week -one hour on Tuesday afternoon and one hour on Thursday afternoon. There will sometimes be additional opportunities to take part in interschool sporting fixtures on Wednesday afternoons. Please ensure that your child has a full PE kit in school (shorts, t-shirt, trainers, jogging bottoms) every week. PE kits should be brought in on Mondays and taken home for washing on Fridays.

We begin this term by studying the history of the Vikings! Who were the Vikings and what drove them to embark upon such extraordinary voyages of discovery over a thousand years ago? How did they come to our shores and what is the legacy that they have left behind?

In our Mantle of the Expert drama work we will become a team of archaeologists who discover an ancient Viking burial tomb - through careful archaeological investigation we will piece together the story of the invading warrior who was buried there. The team will be commissioned by the BBC to write a TV documentary describing the lives and adventures of this group of ancient warriors, colonisers, builders and engineers.

In literacy, we will be writing documentary scripts alongside a range of fiction and non-fiction genres which will be inspired by our Mantle of the Expert commission and our class novel, “The Riddle of the Runes” by Janina Ramirez a rip-roaring Viking adventure!

Alva and her close friend, the wolf Fenrir are alone in the Viking world, while a kidnapper is on the loose. Alva fights with her fears and follows her passion of becoming an investigator.

In Art this half term, the children will be learning about the artist Andy Warhol.  They will explore his style and techniques and learn about pattern making.  They will then design and make their own printing block

In Science with Mrs O’Grady this half term, the children will be studying Animals, including humans.  They are going to be finding out what things animals need to survive, the benefits of a balanced diet, the different types and functions of teeth, how the digestive system works and learning about food chains.  After the half term break, the children will be learning about living things and habitats. Children will be finding out how living things can be grouped, what all living things need and do and learning about the impact of environmental changes.

After half-term, we will switch to a Geography project on Llandudno and become a team working for the Welsh Tourist Board and Environment Agency. We will be learning all about the coastal town's human and physical geography and the impact of tourism on the environment. 

We will be learning French as our modern foreign language for the first half term of every term this year and studying music for the second half term.

READING HOMEWORK: Regular reading at home and discussions about their book is essential to enable your child to improve their reading fluency and comprehension.

For this term we have a 'Picnic Party' themed reading challenge. In class, we will be awarding points every time children read with an adult at home and working  towards a class picnic party reward event. 

We would want your child to be reading at home most evenings. (target 3x a week) Please ensure you sign your child’s book to show that they have read at home and talked about their book with you.

Reading record books will be handed in and checked every Monday. Mrs Chapman will be holding a ‘catch up’ lunchtime reading session on Tuesday lunchtimes for any child who has not had their book signed to say they have read to an adult.

Your child should be regularly practising their times tables at home by doing the TT Rocks games online. TTRocks gets to know your child and pitches the questions so that they are practising the right tables for them. GARAGE is the easiest game and the game that issues the most coins, which they can then spend in the virtual shop. If your child is in Year 4, they should begin to play the SOUNDCHECK game as this replicates the government Times tables test that all Year 4’s sit in May. Playing the SOUNDCHECK game at home will mean that the children won’t be too daunted when faced with it in the summer term. Mrs O’Grady would love the children to challenge her on the ROCKSLAM game too.

Mrs O’Grady will check each week that your child has been online to play the games. Children who have not been online will complete the paper TTRocks sheets during Wednesday lunch times.

Your child will be given spellings to learn every. They will practise the spellings in class each morning, and then take them home for a final practise over the weekend ready for a test on the following Monday.