Welcome to Falcon class! Our teacher is Mrs Draper, who has been at Bedwell ever since she started teaching. She is really good at art and English, and she says her favourite things are meeting with friends and walking her dog, Cody. She doesn’t like unkindness very much, and is scared of being late!

• Our curriculum map - find out about our current topics
• Our latest class newsletter
• Meet our school councilors, Jazzi and Dillan

Home learning ideas:

• All of the maths we’re doing this term is dependent on quick recall of tables facts, so it would be brilliant if you could work on this. Focus on one table at a time and try: 
  • Making-up rhymes to help remember number facts (“4 x 6 is 24, bears growl and lions roar!”) 
  • Looking for numbers in that table in the world around you - on doors, car number plates, in phone numbers or when you’re out shopping. 
  • Writing-out tables with finger paints, chalk or water-on-tarmac, or make them from playdoh. 
  • Chanting, singing, whispering... Say tables out loud together whenever you have the chance.
• Each week we are set spellings to learn. Click here for guidance on strategies you can use to support your child in learning these at home.  
• Keep an eye out for animals when you’re out and about, and think about how they’re suited to their environment - do their colours help them to stay hidden? How do they keep warm in winter?
•  There are absolutely loads of versions of Viking myths available to read and watch. Try starting with the BBC’s animated versions, here.
  

Our latest news:

• We were delighted by how many parents and carers joined us for our Stay and Calculate session earlier in the term. Each of our maths groups ran their own workshop, sharing some of the key maths that they’ve been working on this term. Mr Roberts’ group looked at fractions, finding equivalents and then using this skill to add, subtract and order. In Mrs Draper’s group, we focussed on written calculation strategies, showing our parents how we add and subtract quickly and accurately. Finally, in Mrs Thomas’ maths class the focus was on place value and number facts.
 

 
• In November, we visited the RAF Museum at Hendon, where we all had a great time exploring the planes and equipment used during the World War 2. This was a great way to cement everything we’ve learnt about in our Battle of Britain topic, exploring the lives of lesser known heroes and heroines like Joan Mortimer (who stayed at her RAF post even when bombs hit the building she was working in) and Ray Holmes (who rammed his plane into a German fighter that targeted Buckingham Palace!) During the day we saw lots of World War 2 aircraft, including Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancaster Bombers. 
 

 
• We also welcomed a visitor into school to support our topic, as you can see in the picture below. This was Ruby’s great grandad, who had been evacuated in the war. He spoke with great fondness about his experiences and had the most wonderful memories to share. We were captivated by the tales that he told, which brought to life all we had learnt about growing up during World War 2.
  
 

• Year 5/6 leapt at the chance to take part in the Young Voices project this year., singing at famous venues as part of a massive choir. Having learnt a collection of (pretty tricky) songs, they headed into London to take part in a huge performance at the O2 at the end of January. You can find out more about their adventure here. 
 

 
• We organised a Girls Football Festival for International Women’s Day, with every girl in Years 5 and 6 taking part. It was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm and enjoyment on display as we charged around the field!
  
 

 

We have been learning about... 

English - In English, we’ve explored a variety of texts, and most recently, Wisp: A Story of Hope, where the children experimented with different sentence structures, effective vocabulary and abstract nouns. Check out two great examples below: 

A hazel glow shimmered across the inky, night sky. Dark rays of moonlight morphed into bright golden beams, which danced all around. People’s arms waved in majestic union. The heartbeat of a song echoed through the glowing camp, the fence was out of view – and so was sadness. Idris smiled softly. Golden Wisps orbited their owners, pulsing bright to the beat of the music. Hope filled the night air, but not just hope. 

A promise. A promise of a dream. 

The people felt hopeful. They felt love. They felt free… 

by Dillan 

Many days came, and many nights passed. Idris was eager to find his Wisp, yet none were to be seen. Well not for Idris anyway. Rememberings flew, twirled and danced in the inky sky, while Idris tasted the pull of the moonlight. Together they watched the pulsing Wisp release a thousand memories from years ago. Glistening upon the sky, the Moon brightened, leaving everyone in wonder. Together they felt love. Together they felt at peace. Yet, best of all, Idris felt hope. 

by Elyse

History - As part of our WW2 topic, we have also learnt about the causes of WW2, the lives of evacuees and the reasons why the Battle of Britain is considered a turning point in the War. We have shared stories of what family members did during the War, and have tried to imagine what it would have been like to live during this period in history.

This term's topics

English - Our first unit of the term will focus on writing and presenting persuasive speeches, built around a fab book called Talking History, which is filled with great speeches from the last 150 years. We will explore the use of second person, rhetorical questions, hyperbole and modal verbs within persuasive writing, and will also develop our understanding of the difference between formal and informal English. After that, we will move on to non-chronological reports, using Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World as our core text. We will develop our use of layout features including bullet points, diagrams and subheadings to make our reports clear and easy to understand, as well as exploring the use of passive voice.

Maths - We will start the term by investigating ‘order of operations’ (the rules that decide what order we should do calculations in), and will begin to explore the use of algebra to represent and solve problems. After that, we will move on to develop our knowledge of geometry, using protractors to measure and draw angles, as well as calculating missing angles in triangles and quadrilaterals. Later in the term, we will move on to coordinates, plotting, reflecting and translating shapes in all four quadrants. Throughout the term, Year 6 will continue with their weekly Booster sessions, looking to secure our understanding of key areas of maths, and we will all be practicing our arithmetic skills every day.

Science - Our next topic focuses on evolution. We will be learning how living things have changed over time, adapting to suit their specific environment. We will investigate the evidence for the theory of evolution, looking at what fossils can tell us about the living things that lived on Earth millions of years ago. We will also be learning about the work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace.

Humanities - We will be investigating Viking and Anglo-Saxon Britain this term. After identifying who the Vikings were and where they came from, we will learn more about their raids on Britain and the battles which resulted in them dominating much of modern England. We will meet King Alfred the Great, find out why he is the only English king called ’the Great’ and discover how he made peace with the Viking invaders.

Take a look at our curriculum map for more information on our topics.