What we are doing this week in Lilac Class for the week beginning 6.5.24

For Maths this week in Lilac Class, we will be estimating angles using our knowledge of acute, obtuse and reflex angles.  We will then move onto measuring angles and drawing lines and angles accurately using a protractor.  Lilac class will then be calculating angles around a point and on a straight line, recapping on prior learning that a full turn is 360 degrees and half a turn is 180 degrees.

In English this week in Lilac Class, we are drafting a newspaper article about the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.  We will be using our planning drawn from a range of information texts including actual newspaper articles written just after the Titanic sank.  We will be referring to features of a newspaper report – Headline, Byline, Lead, Body, Picture and Caption and Tail. 

For our Guided Reading text, Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill this week, we are reading pages 19-24. In Lilac Class we are developing our knowledge of key terminology, for example, ‘cross-bracing’, ‘pack ice’, ‘bow’ and ‘jib boom’ referring to the glossary and by also using our word detective skills.  Our inference questions will ask how might the Weddell Sea present problems for the expedition and what could have made the progress laborious? 

For Time and Place in Lilac Class, we are learning about the features of a river and will be finding out about the journey of the River Severn.  Lilac Class will be answering such questions as the following:  ‘What is a young river?’, ‘How does erosion cause meanders?’ and ‘What is a tributary?’  For Science in Lilac Class, we are finding out that plants can also reproduce artificially.  We will learn that it is possible to clone plants and Dr Charles will take a cutting from a geranium plant from her garden to grow a new geranium plant in the classroom.  We will also be growing beans in our classroom and observing what happens over the next few weeks! 

For RE in Lilac Class, we are learning about what Muslims believe about Allah.  Our key questions will be the following:  What is Tawhid? What are some of the 99 names for Allah and what do these mean? We will also learn about why Shahadah (the First Pillar of Islam) is important to Muslims.  We will find out what the Shahadah is and what it says. We will also be exploring why the first words that a Muslim baby hears are the Shahadah and be answering the question ‘What would you whisper to a newborn baby or shout from a tower?’ 

For Design and the Arts, we are sketching our school garden and will be using this as a basis for painting using the techniques of the artist Annie Soudain.  In ICT, we are learning about Vector Drawing and will experiment with the shape and line tools.  This week we are creating a vector drawing by combining shapes.  Lilac Class will also be practising songs for the Tunbridge Wells Singing Festival that will take place at the Assembly Halls on Monday 10^th June. 

Please see attached information about 50 recommended reads to help you decide the books that you could choose for your child to read.  On Thursday 9^th May Year 4 and 5 will be attending the Tunbridge Wells Literature Festival.  This will involve a workshop by Liz Pichan the author of the Tom Gates books. Many children from Lilac Class already have their name down for a book written by the author to be purchased and signed.   I have also attached the lyrics for our individual item that Years 5 and 6 will be singing entitled ‘To the Sky’ by Carl Strommen.