What will we be studying during this half-term?

In English, we've started the new year by reading and studying several fantastic snow-inspired poems. We especially loved Snowflakes by Linda A. Copp and Snow and Snow by Ted Hughes. We've been thinking about how poets create images in the readers' minds and have discovered that they choose their verbs and adjectives carefully, that they use rhyme and repetition sparingly but that they use lots of figurative language. We've enjoyed experimenting with figurative language and imagery ourselves and have written our own snowy poems.  We'll move on to reading some of 1001 Arabian Nights and will write letters in role as well as a magical story.

In maths, we've finished our work on measures and are moving on to ratio, algebra and then decimals. We'll also be continuing to recap what we've already learnt and we'll be continuing to practise our arithmetic skills.

In science, we'll be studying light and reflection. We'll be finding out what a light source is, what it means if something is luminous, how light travels, how shadows change, how our eyes function to help us see and how reflections work.

In history, we're studying a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – the Islamic Golden Age with a focus on Baghdad in AD900. We'll be finding out what the city of Baghdad was like in AD900 - who it was built for, how it was structured and why it was important. We'll use a variety of sources throughout our lessons to find out about everyday life, the House of Wisdom, key scholars and their developments and finally, the fall of the city. When we use sources, we'll be developing our understanding of their reliability and whether they may be affected by bias.

In art, we're studying art and artists this half-term. We'll be learning how to analyse a painting and we'll use drama to find meaning. Next, we'll be making use of these skills to interpret an abstract piece of art before thinking about how art can portray messages or tell stories. Finally, we'll be considering different starting points for creative outcomes.

Our Christian value this half-term is respect.

You could investigate the story of Moses and the burning bush in chapters 3 and 4 of Exodus - how is respect shown in this story? At home, you could talk about respect. At school, we have been learning that even though you may not agree with someone, you can still show respect. You could think about how your words and actions demonstrate respect...