Birch Class 2024 - 2025

WELCOME TO BIRCH

Mrs Savage is the class teacher

Mrs Feast is our teaching assistant, with Mrs Metcalf on a Friday

Miss Daniels teaches on a Wednesday and Mrs Turner on a Monday afternoon

Mr Parrish teaches PE on a Thursday morning

In Birch class, the children begin to develop their independence as they grow academically, socially and personally. The children grow in wisdom by building on their previous knowledge through our exciting topics and areas of learning. There will be many opportunities for them to shine through assemblies, worships, practical learning opportunities, trips and experiences over the course of the year. Our current topic is...

Our key question, ‘Why do we remember? will see us find out about the local history of the school, church and Vale Royal Abbey. We will be exploring how historians find out about the past and become history detectives ourselves. The children will be learning about significant people, places and events including Remembrance, Guy Fawkes and the Great Fire of London. In geography we will be recapping last years learning using ariel maps to locate where we are and then zoom out to look at England, the British Isles and and UK. Linked to this, our computing topic of coding with the roamer will help us navigate to the capital cities in the UK and explore the surrounding seas. Computing will also look into internet safety and using the ipad with a growing independence in the classroom.

In art, the children will be exploring sketching and drawing skills and looking into the official war artist, Sir Muirhead Bone, who is buried at St Mary’s church. Our design and technology project will also link to Remembrance as the children will be making poppies. These will both link to our ‘One Unselfish Act’ for the term.

In music, we will be exploring the orchestra through listening and music appreciation. Most of the term will however will be focusing on our singing and performance skills as part of the Christmas production!

Our religious education focus will be on special books and the Bible. The children will find out about the books the Bible is made up of and take part in retelling, drama and art to learn more about the stories. Special books from other religions will also be explored. In the second half term the children will be learning about the Christmas story.

PSHE will see us learning more about British values through electing school councillors and developing our classroom rules. Alongside this, the children will be exploring relasionships and feelings through our No Outsiders texts.

English and Maths

In English lessons we are focusing on writing with a growing independence, adding noun phrases and interesting vocabulary. We will be writing character and setting descriptions, poetry and short narratives. The children will be applying their phonics skills to support spelling and begin to use cursive writing to develop their writing style and flow.

Maths will focus on securing knowledge and understanding of place value and number, moving onto addition and subtraction. There will be a focus on the children applying their understanding to a range of problem solving activities.

Reading continues plays a fundamental part in all areas of the curriculum. We have our reading display ready to be filled with the many, high quality texts we will be immersed in this term. We will be reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books including poetry, within our English, guided reading and topic sessions, as well as our end of the day class read. We have a spotlight author who has been chosen for their high-quality texts. We will have to opportunity to listen to, read and learn more about these fantastic authors.

Our Spotlight author is Rob Biddulph. Having this literacy-rich environment will encourage a positive culture of reading within our class and promote the children's enjoyment of reading.

Homework

Homework will be set each Friday and will be due in the following Thursday. Please ensure the children's homework books are returned on a Thursday so they can be marked and the children's new homework added. Homework will consist of a personalised spelling list in their books and a link to their maths tasks on Education City. Please also encourage your child to access the Numbots programme, which really helps to support their basic skills in addition and subtraction.

Please ensure your child reads at home at least 4 times per week. In Birch, we expect the children to be reading aloud to someone at home and for this to be recorded in their Home – School contact books.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Mrs Savage

Below is an example timetable. Please note this is subject to change. Autumn Term 1 PE is on a Thursday and Friday