Reading
Our Class Text and Comprehension
In term 5 and 6, our reading comprehension lessons will be based upon our class text, “Goodnight Mr Tom” by Michelle Magorian. The story is set just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Willie Beech, a thin, withdrawn eight-year-old boy, is evacuated from London. He is placed with a gruff widower called Tom Oakley, who has been a recluse since the death of his wife and child 40 years earlier. Tom is horrified by the abuse Willie has experienced. With quiet authority, patience and sensitivity, Tom takes care of Willie and a bond develops between them. Gradually, Willie’s physical and emotional scars begin to heal.
To find out more about this text, view our Goodnight Mister Tom Novel Knowledge Organiser.
For further information about the reading skills we will focus upon this term, please view “Churchill’s Sequential Reading Curriculum”
Independent Reading
In class, we will continue to use the Accelerated Reader program. For further information about this, please view a Parent’s Guide to Accelerated Reader. (https://help.renlearn.co.uk/AR/ARParentGuide) If you need your child’s AR password, please contact me (Mrs Saunders).
Writing
Over the course of the spring term, we will be writing and creating a persuasive wartime poster, a historical narrative incorporating flashbacks, a nonet poem and a non-chronological report.
Firstly, we will create a persuasive wartime poster. Creating persuasive posters gives children the opportunity to write concisely and to select precise vocabulary. After analysing a range of First and Second World War posters, we will write a poster for the War Office, choosing a key aspect of the war effort, such as recruitment, the “Make Do and Mend” campaign or blackout rules. We will assess our posters after writing to ensure they have used persuasive vocabulary and impactful images.
We will also write a historical narrative incorporating flashbacks. Writing a historical narrative with flashbacks allows the children to manipulate the time and settings of a story. We will aim to link paragraphs with cohesive devices and contrast the settings, characters and atmosphere of the present with those of the past. Integrating dialogue will bring the characters to life and move the plot forwards. A variety of verb forms and punctuation will add clarity and emphasis. Also, we will proofread the text to check their spelling and punctuation.
In addition, we will use our historical knowledge of the First or Second World Wars to wrote a nonet. Creating nonets encourages children to use dictionaries and thesauri as they look for specific vocabulary to fit the syllable count. Including figurative language, particularly imagery, helps them focus on their senses as they create new and interesting descriptions. Children could assess the effectiveness of their poems, make edits and improvements, then perform them using appropriate intonation, volume and movement.
Furthermore, we will write a non-chronological report about World War Two. Writing non-chronological reports enables children to use a range of layout devices, such as subheadings, bullet points and tables. We will choose one of the areas of study from our topic lessons to research in more detail before planning and writing our own non-chronological reports.
Grammar,Punctuation and Spelling
Punctuation
This term, we will learn to use bullet points where appropriate; revise the use of the apostrophe; make decisions about punctuation, sometimes including dash, semi-colon and colon; and discuss, highlight and analyse the range of punctuation in texts.
Grammar
This term, we will revise word class, including pronouns, prepositions and determiners; strengthen and improve verbs in writing; write formal and informal sentences, selecting conjunctions and cohesive devices to suit level of formality; and compare sentences in the simple past with the perfect past verb form.
Spellings
During our spelling lessons in term 5, we will investigate prefixes, suffixes, root words and their meanings; learn about words with the “s” sound spelt “sc”; we will also learn about words ending in “ant,” “ance.” “ancy,” “ent,” “ence” and “ency”; and we will practise and check any problematic homophones from Y5-6 Spelling Appendix.
In term 6, we will use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words; and know when and when not to use an apostrophe for possession in given examples.
For an overview of our weekly breakdown of our spellings, please view our Term 5 and Term 6 Homework Grid.
In addition to these weekly spelling rules, we will continue to learn and spell words from the Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling list. For an overview of these spellings, please view the Spelling word list for Year 5 and Year 6