Previous learning in the Ash Tree Class

Welcome Back!

This term, we are focusing on settling back into school life - learning about our emotions and finding ways to control and regulate them. 

Our topic is Magnificent Mayans!

The Mayans are Mesoamerican civilizations developed by its people called the Maya. It is known for its advanced and beautiful writing system, culture, arts, math, calendar, and astronomical system.

The Mayan civilization has deeply captured our interests and imaginations. Generations of curious explorers have dived headfirst into the deep jungles of Central America and discovered buried cities, remarkable pyramids, spiritual mysteries, and astronomical and mathematical wonders that caused the world's fascination with this ancient culture to grow.

They left behind intricate architecture, unique cuisine, and languages that have had a tremendous impact on our modern world. Yet, the deeper we dive into the Mayan universe, the more obscure our vision of it becomes. After years of research and excavations, historians are still unable to tell us who these people really were, where they came from, and how their great empire collapsed. However, the little that we have learned reveals that the Mayans were an impressive, sophisticated and awesome civilization.

With this in mind - we are going to be delving into Mayan art, culture and legends - writing some of our own on the way. We will learn how America has changed since explorers and settlers made their homes there and find out about the calendar and writing system that they invented.

This term, our topic is Stone Age to Iron Age. In this exciting topic, we will be learning all about prehistoric eras and the way that historians found evidence of these eras. From cave paintings to fossilized creatures, bog bodies to Stone henge, the mysteries of the past will be brought to life in our learning. We will be writing our own historical stories, information leaflets, and poetry. We will be making clay jewelry in art, designing modern cave paintings and designing and making a scaled model of Stonehenge. In maths, we are focusing on time, units of measure and recapping on fractions. In science, years 3 and 4 will be learning about nutrition and the digestive system and years 5 and 6 will be learning about the effects of living a healthy lifestyle have on our body and the circulation system. Keep looking at our gallery for pictures of our learning! Weekly spellings can also be found on this page.

Last term, our topic was 'Frozen Kingdom'.

Welcome to the planet’s coldest lands, which are incredibly beautiful, yet often deadly. This half term, we are learning about polar regions using non-fiction books. We’ll learn technical vocabulary so we can write information texts and create web pages using our texts.

Using globes and maps, we’ll identify the polar regions, comparing the Arctic and Antarctic. We’ll also think about how we can protect the polar environment. Then, we’ll investigate the tragic story of the RMS Titanic, and find out about the people on board. We’ll download images of polar features and save our information in digital folders. When we’re more familiar with the polar regions, we’ll write exciting stories, poems and diary entries from the perspective of brave explorers. Researching our favourite polar animals will be fun, and we’ll create artwork inspired by the Inuit people creating amazing effects using paints and dyes.

If you have any resources / knowledge / expertise in this area - we would love to share your contributions!

For homework, you will have a piece of maths work alongside a choice of activities that you can choose from the provided list.

We would like homework to be handed in on Wednesday – one chosen activity should be handed in each week.

Spellings will be handed out each Monday and you should be reading and learning your times tables (using TT Rockstars) every day.

A siren sounds and a Spitfire zooms overhead! It’s 1939 and Britain is at war!

WW2 - Urban and Rural

Over this term, we have learnt about the historical events of World War II - the lives of children during the war and how life was different in the city and countryside.

In literacy, we have written letters, diaries and newspaper reports. In our topic lessons, we have looked at different types of maps, and physical and human features of the country and city - comparing the two. In art,we have practiced skills enabling us to draw city-scapes in 1 and 2 point perspective. We have designed and made our own Anderson shelter models and have used different media types to create WWII remembrance pictures with a mix of greyscale and red. We have also looked at the work of different artists to help inspire our own artwork.

To end an absolutely brilliant term, we visited Eden Camp - bringing our topic to life. On our return, we hosted a sing-song and reenactment of 'Albert and the Lion' for parents.

In the final term, we compared different elements of the world.

To start us off, we  learnt about mountains...

Mighty mountains rise above the morning mists, imposing and eternal. 
During this half term, we went up in the world, looking closely at a hill, upland area or moor, and noticing how the weather change. We used a range of maps, information books and websites to write a report of our findings. We found out where the highest mountains were, learnt how to use a compass and made 3-D mountain models.

We also composed songs about the water cycle.

After the holidays, grab your wetsuit! We’re going on a deep sea adventure.
This half term, we plan to visit an aquarium to gain an insight into the ocean world. We’ll sketch different creatures and create clay sculptures of our favourite.

Writing poems inspired by our favourite sea creatures will help us to develop a rich vocabulary. Using maps, globes and atlases, we’ll identify the world’s oceans and seas.

Diving back into the 1800s, we’ll learn all about the HMS Challenger.

We’ll research Jacques Cousteau and write biographies about his exciting explorations. As a challenge, we’ll create model submarines using recycled materials and program an onscreen submarine.

After locating the Great Barrier Reef on a map, we’ll learn about the risks it faces. Learning about sustainability and creating a workshop to educate others.

This term, our topic is Tribal Tales.

Let’s travel back to prehistoric times!

Through our research, we’ll learn about the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. What were people’s daily lives like and what epic battles did they fight? 

In literacy, we will be writing about the Stone Age, reading books about cave people and writing our own historical stories. In maths, we are going to be learning about multiplication and division. In art and design, we’ll look closely at cave paintings and create our own as well as try our hand at weaving and making clay pots in a typical Bronze Age fashion. In science, we will be learning about rocks and evolution - all topped off with the Christmas performance and other festive activities! I can't wait! Join us on our journey back in time.

Last term, we started the year by learning all about India. Thinking about the geography of the country, climate, population and culture. We wrote stories in the style of traditional Indian folk tales, tasted spices at the Shalimar restaurant and made our own model Ganesh from clay. In RE, we focused on Hindu beliefs and festivals. In addition to all the exciting topic work, we learnt about states of matter and materials in science - experimenting and investigating reversible and irreversible changes. We also made a fantastic start with the music partnership and playing the clarinet!

We have also started to learn the exciting new songs for the Young Voices concert.

Last term, our topic was Playlist. We learnt all about composers from the past and present day, composing our own music using digital composing software and playing different instruments. We wrote biographies, lyrics, poems and reports in literacy; in science, we found out  about light and sound; and researched, designed and made our own headphones to protect our ears from loud noises. In DT and in history, we discovered facts about the Vikings. All this mixed in with the May market, wells dressings and of course the SATs tests made for an interesting and exciting term!

Happy New Year! We hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas break and are ready for the exciting learning that we have planned for you during the Spring term.

Our topic is Road Trip USA and Mexico!

Buckle up - Sunglasses on! We are going on a road trip across the good old US of A.

Flying from London Gatwick and landing at the JFK airport, New York: It's time to explore the sights and sounds of the Big Apple.We will be using our map skills to navigate our way across some of the USA's favourite land marks; writing diary entries as we learn about the history and culture of the states that we visit. We will be finding out about the Native Iroquois tribes and their myths and legends, writing some of our own myths along the way. 

Next stop - Mexico, where we will be finding out about celebrations and festivals, the Mayan civilisation and ancient landmarks using our mapping skills. Once we have gained all of this knowledge, we will be using our skills to write a persuasive article for a travel brochure. 

In maths, we will be learning about fractions. In RE, we will be looking at art and faith. In science, we will be learning about living things and their environments.

Check back and see what we have been learning about.

In the second Autumn term, our topic was Scrumdiddlyumtious! We journeyed into a world of fantastic fruits, venerable vegetables and tantalizing treats. We found out where food comes from and how it is produced; we followed and wrote recipes; we learnt how to keep our bodies fit and healthy and worked up an appetite by reading and writing delicious stories!

In the Autumn, we travelled back 5000 years to the dusty realms of Ancient Egypt, cruising along the Nile, entering a world of mysteries and curses, mummies and kings. We found out about life on the river's fertile banks and discovering Egypt and it's fascinating culture.

We learnt about the process of mummification and explored the tombs of ancient kings. We wrote reports, stories and fact files.

In maths, we learnt about place value, addition and subtraction.

In science, we focused our learning on Earth and space, learning about the solar system and lunar cycles.  

In RE, we learnt about the People of God and Places of Worship which was enriched with a visit to the Derby Open Centre.