Teacher: Mr Colin Doney

Teaching Assistant: Chifundo

In English lessons we're reading the book "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe. We are working on diary writing skills, and through this introducing paragraphs and the use of "cause and effect" in writing.

After half term we will work on report writing, which will build on the paragraphing, but also improve research and note-taking skills. All work will increase the class's ability to write well structured, interesting sentences that have a variety of starting forms such as gerunds, adverbials and prepostitions.

The focus in Maths is place value and number work. We are learning about the value of each digit in numbers up to 1000, how to manipulate them and then to put them in order and onto numberlines. We will continue to build addition and subtraction skills and add to our knowledge of multiplication and division.

There is a weekly times-tables test. The class are given 7 minutes to answer 20 times and divide questions on one table at a time. We start at 2x, moving to 10x then 5x. Once one test has been successfully completed (20/20), we move to the next. The children are always trying to beat their last target! The order is 2x, 10x, 5x, 4x, 8x, 3x, 6x, 9x, 7x, 11x and 12x. After Christmas the time limit drops to just 5 minutes!

We love doing Maths Investigations! There's never one correct answer and we have to work hard to find different ways of solving them!

Science this term focusses on Forces, particularly Springs and Magnets. We will investigate the strength of forces and how magnets attract and repel each other and various materials around us. We will use pushes, pulls and balanced forces.

This term we will look at Water Around Us, then move on to Vikings after half term.

In the water topic, we shall investigate the way water is used around Zomba, looking at how clean it is, what is in it and how fast it flows. We're hoping to visit the Mulunguzi river in various parts of the city and maybe get up to the top of the plateau to see the Mulunguzi Dam and some of the water that feeds into it.

We're using maps of the local area and atlases of the world to locate rivers and to discuss the features.

RE is a study of Hinduism.

In Art we're working with paints and sculpture to create mixed-media pieces showing life in a river. After half term the theme moves to ceramics and making pots.

In DT, we shall work with textiles, weaving and sewing like the VIkings did.

Coach Dan is focussing on football. We will continue to build swimming skills and confidence in the water.

Please note: swimming is now on Wednesday mornings with PE on Mondays.

Computing skills this term will include word processing and building typing skills. We will look at adding elements such as images to our work.

Before we get onto real keyboards, we're practicing in the classroom. This helps us to locate the "Home Keys" and to use both hands and a whole range of fingers to hit the keys. We'll be brilliant typists in no time!

Mrs K will begin to teaching the classes songs based on water, then move to some musical notation and composition.

Auntie Chifundo is continuing weekly Chichewa lessons. She's focussing on the book Operation Kalulu by Steve Chimombo. The children will learn this story by a local artist and focus on names and descriptions of animals.