Junior Class 2

Welcome to Class 2

We are one part of our closely linked Federation team and as our school motto says, we believe ‘Every Piece Matters’ and that we should all ‘Aim High, Be resilient and Take Care of Each Other’. Creating a happy, supportive, team environment is our top priority as this is the foundation for enabling children to challenge themselves and ‘Aim High’ across all areas of the curriculum.

Welcome back everyone! We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas break and are looking forward to the term ahead. It certainly is going to be a busy but fun-filled term!

Curriculum

Very excitingly this term, we will be learning about The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain. We will be learning all about their contributions to society in Britain and what evidence there is still today. As part of this topic, we are hoping to visit RAMM (the museum in Exeter) where children will also get to see part of the Roman wall which will link nicely to our work on primary and secondary sources of evidence. As well as the Roman Empire, we will be learning about lots of other topics across the curriculum: electricity and sound in Science; mixed media mosaics including the work of Gaude, Morris and Klee in Art; developing our electronics skills in DT; following the Devon Agreed Syllabus in Religion and World Views (RWV); exploring musical structures and the impact of music on our feelings in Music; developing our understanding of computer systems and networks and creating media in Computing. The second half of the term we will also be linking our cross-curricular topics to our Geography topic ‘Extreme Earth’. This is a fantastic topic involving learning about volcanoes, mountains and earthquakes which will also link nicely to The Romans and the Pompeii disaster.

In Class 2, some children may continue to follow the reading scheme Read Write Inc. in order to support and develop their reading skills while others will take part in whole class reading in which we all read the same text but then the children work on various areas of their comprehension at a level to suit their individual needs. To ensure we develop reading skills across all the areas we use VIPERS, in our whole class reading, which stands for the following:

V=Vocabulary

I=Infer

P=Predict

E = Explain

R = Retrieve

S = Summarise

Reading is such an important skill to continue consistently practising throughout years 3-6 and underpins all areas of the National Curriculum. It enables children to develop their confidence and understanding of a range of topics and the world around them through the constant exposure to new vocabulary. In addition to the wide range of texts we will be studying in class, it is so valuable to continue to support children with their reading at home. We ask that children read at least 5 times a week at home. Please can you record this in their reading records and at the end of each week these will be checked and the children will receive their points.

In Maths, we will be building on our learning of the 4 operations as well as fractions, decimals and percentages. Homework tasks will be set linked to these areas so it is really important that these are completed on time as they help to check children’s understanding and ensure they are making good progress. Continued, regular practice of the times tables will have a positive impact on the children’s confidence with the above topics this term so please work on these each week at home. Hit the Button is a great online game to support your child with their number bonds and times tables. They will also have a login to TT Rock Stars in their reading records. Year 4 children will be taking the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) in the summer term which requires them to answer each question within 6 seconds (any table up to 12 x 12). The Soundcheck section on TT Rock Stars is very similar to the format of the tables check and is a great way to prepare for the MTC.

Routines

In Class 2, we use Dojo points as our reward system. Children can earn points for an array of qualities such as showing kindness to others, listening attentively or for producing a fantastic piece of work. We also have a raffle ticket system for acts of kindness and the children are able to nominate each other to receive a raffle ticket.

Homework has been reviewed and we will continue with Mathletics or Doodle Maths (year 3) and Reading Buddies.  However, it remains essential for children to regularly practise the times tables and read 5 times a week to an adult at home. Please record your child’s 5 reads in their record and then they will receive their reward of extra raffle tickets and add their reading to the class chart.

The children will need their PE kits on a Wednesdays (all term) and Friday (after half term) but it is helpful if they have them in all week if we wish to make a timetable change due to the forecast. Mrs Bailey will continue to deliver French lessons on Wednesdays. The first half term is also Wild Tribe – please can the children have long sleeves and trousers, waterproofs, wellies, hats and gloves.
Wednesday pm- French and PE, Friday am – Wild Tribe, Friday pm – PE

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. If your message concerns homework or is not urgent, you can contact me via the messenger on Class Dojo. If it is urgent e.g. relating to attendance, please contact the school office.

Thank you for your continued support,

Miss Frayn (Class Teacher) and Mrs Hazell (Teaching Assistant)