Why is fire so dangerous? (Spring 2)
English
Our topic for English this half-term was The Great Fire of London. As an introduction to the topic, we built a campfire in the forest school, observing it closely and generating descriptive language. Following this, we thought about what it might have been like in 1666 when the Great Fire happened. We turned our ideas into poetry, using personification to describe the fire.
Our learning in history helped us to write non-fiction reports about what happened. We looked at different examples of non-fiction writing and existing texts about the Great Fire to help us with our own writing.
We learnt about Samuel Pepys, and wrote our own diaries, recounting what we would have experienced if we were alive at the time of the fire. We used what we learnt in our poetry and non-fiction units to help with our diary writing.
Maths
In maths, we learnt about fractions, time, shape, multiplication and division, length, and addition and subtraction. We looked at word problems in different contexts and how we should solve them using different operations and the most efficient methods that we could use. We measured length practically using rulers and looked at how arrays can be used to represent multiplication and division. We handled 2D and 3D shapes and investigated their properties.
Art
As part of our Fire of London topic, we looked at paintings from the past and closely observed the colours we found. We practised sketching flames by looking at the lines and shapes in different images. We used recyclable materials to create 3D sculptures of flames, finishing them with poster paint.
History
Our history was closely liked with our literacy learning this half-term - The Great Fire of London. We investigated what happened, looking at different sources of evidence and using books and the internet to research the main events. We created timelines to sequence the events and compared the changes in fire-fighting over time. We also compared Nelson’s most significant fire - at The Imperial Ballroom 1976 - to what happened over 300 years ago in London. An eye-witness to the ballroom fire, Mr Wilkinson, came to our school to teach us more about it and it was a great opportunity to ask him questions about his experiences.
Geography
In geography, we looked at the characteristics of the U.K countries and capital cities. We used atlases, digital maps, videos and internet research to develop our knowledge of the four countries and their capitals. We selected landmarks to research in further detail and made information books to showcase our learning.
We were very lucky to be visited by Steven to help us build our own London landmarks using Lego. He showed us how to build Tower Bridge, The Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. We worked together as a team and joined our buildings to create our own cities.
R.E
Our topic in R.E this half-term was prayer in Islam. We thought about the different routines that we have, both at home and in school and the rules that we follow. We looked at the declaration of Shahada and the 5 pillars of Islam. We talked about how people show commitment and obedience in their lives and linked this to respect for others. We thought about how Muslims pray and how this shows their obedience and commitment to God. Finally, we discussed what really matters to us and how it is important to make time for the people and things that matter in life.
