Designing our own Spacecrafts
Balmoral created their own spacecrafts thinking about the materials they used, would they survive in space? Children looked through the spacecraft windows exploring what they would see on their journey into space. We had an interesting discussion about who would see aliens in space, are they real?
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to school; we hope you had a great summer break. We are so excited about the topics we have to explore this term. We are looking forward to taking a journey through space, exploring the sun, the moon, the planets and stars at the centre of our Solar System. We will research the eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The classroom is set for our own space adventure.
In English, we will dive into creative writing, focusing on our descriptive writing through the stories we share and using our imagination to create characters. We will start by exploring mnemonics- fun and memorable ways to help us remember important information. This will be useful to remember how to order the planets and help us spell tricky words. We will also delve into free verse poetry, revisiting concepts like alliteration, onomatopoeia, and rhyme. One topic I know the children will enjoy is transforming their poems into a Gravity Rap, using computers to record and edit our performances.
In Maths, the focus will be on building strong number skills, including place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We will also explore the topic of geometry, and fractions. In the Balmoral class we will use number games to help our learning and make it fun for us all.
In Religious Education (RE) – we will explore what it means to be a Muslim in Britain today, looking at the practices, traditions, and beliefs of the Muslim community. We will learn about how Hindus express their faith within their families and the wider community in Britain, exploring the importance of faith in everyday life. One thing I know is a favourite of the Balmoral class is exploring the different foods and craft ideas.
In Science, we will explore the topic of the solar system. We will use a variety of books, websites, and video clips, we will learn about the differences between gas and rocky planets. We will develop our teamwork, working in groups to conduct investigations and discover fascinating facts about the planets’ sizes, scales, and orbits. We will become scientists and complete experiments to understand day and night, using torches and models. We will explore the moon, find out the myth that it isn’t made of cheese! Writing our own leaflets to share our knowledge with other people within school.
In Humanities, we will look at aerial photographs from space, can we see features such as countries, continents, volcanoes, and rivers. We will learn and study the lives and contributions of Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton, focusing on how their discoveries have shaped science.
In Art and DT , we will create our own solar system mobiles, sequencing the planets in the correct order using our mnemonics. We will also learn about the phases of the moon through painting and using biscuits, which I know the children will love! Becoming the Balmoral Astronauts, we will become engineers, designing our own spacecraft.
In Physical Education (PE)– firm favourite of Balmoral, we will learn the rules and skills of Boccia. We will practice propelling the ball towards a target and learn key skills in attacking and defending, communication and teamwork. The competition is on!
We’re looking forward to a term filled with discovery and creativity. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Here’s to a fantastic term ahead!
Warm regards,
Balmoral Class