English

Summer Term

Playscripts 

This term we have been exploring and creating our own playscripts. At the beginning of the topic we explored different playscripts and even had a go acting them out using tone and expression. Then we identified the key features of a playscript in order for us to write our own.

During the gathering content phase, we watched a video clip called Dum Spiro. We thought about the characters, events and the settings in the story and discussed what we liked and disliked about the clip. Finally, we started writing our own playscript based on the clip Dum Spiro

Spring Term

Novel as a Theme

Texts- The Iron Man

During the topic we became immersed in the story The Iron Man. We did a lot of work on vocabulary and created a blackout poem where we picked out the vocabulary that best described the Iron Man. Some of the words we picked out were: taller than a house, head shaped like a dustbin and enormous iron right foot. We then further explored the text by becoming reporters. We wrote questions that we later asked the Iron Man.

Throughout the topic we did some short burst writes. We wrote about the characters feelings, thoughts and made inferences about the character and the settings. We even created some instructions explaining how we could trap the Iron Man! At the end of the topic we wrote our own version of the Iron Man. We changed the characters and the way that the Iron Man was captured.  

Poem on a Theme

We created poems based on the work that we had done about The Iron Man. At the end of the topic we performed our poetry in class using expression and tone. 

Novel as a Theme

Texts- Stig of the Dump and Stone Age Boy 

We focused on book talk and exloring the different texts. We looked at images from the texts and made connections with these books. Some of us said that the images reminded us of the Croods because the family live inside a cave.

During the topic we explored what the characters were thinking, feeling and saying throughout the text. We use talk 4 write to help us remember the story. Once we were familiar with the story we adapted the story to make it our own then wrote our own story based on the Stone Age Boy.

Discussion- For and Against

During our history we were looking at the stone age. Before looking at the arguments for and against living in the Stone Age, we explored different discussion texts. During the writing phase we debated whether we would like to live in the Stone Age or not. Here are some of the arguments that the children made:

Some of the class argued that it would be good to live in the Stone Age because life was simpler. People didn’t have to worry about work, social media or money. Whereas other children in the class decided that they wouldn’t like to live in the Stone Age because it was hard work. Every day they had to go out hunting for food and couldn’t just pop to the shops.

Autumn 2

Letter Writing

This week we have been exploring the text The Night Gardner. We explored some pictures from the text and looked at what we could see, what it reminded us of and what we would like to know about the text. We then become William and thought about what he was thinking, feeling and saying when he followed the night gardener into the dark, creepy park. Throughout the topic we have explored interesting vocabulary within the text.

Instructions

We have been exploring instructions alongside our DT topic where we will be cooking a healthy pasta dish. We have been exploring effective verbs and noun phrases to make our instructions even more exciting. Whilst we were preparing our pasta dish, we made sure to remember the steps that we had taken to help us write our instructions. The key skills we included were imperative verbs, subordinate clauses and noun phrases.

Folktales- The Greenling

This half term we have been exploring texts linked to nature. We have done lots of work exploring The Green Children and The Greenling. Throughout the topic we have incorporated lots of drama techniques to help us understand the characters in greater detail. We then raised questions whilst still in role. The vocabulary that we have been looking at has been quite challenging at times so we have done lots of work looking at the meaning of words including: cottars, barleycorn and scaythe.

Last week, we innovated our own story based on the two texts that we've been exploring. We made sure that we included the key skills that we have been working on in our grammar sessions. These skills that we have been working on are: subordinate clauses using a wide range of subordinate clauses including- until, before and although, inverted commas and using paragraphs. 

Poems

We will now be moving onto writing a poem based on The Green Children.

greenling(1).jpg

Autumn 1

Folktale- The Tin Forest 

This term the text that we have been looking at is The Tin Forest. During our reading phase we explored different folktales and explored the features of a folktale. We then moved onto exploring the vocabulary.  Some of the words that we explored were windswept, sifting and sorting, burning and burying, tropical and exotic. We then explored the characters through freeze frames and hot seating. 

During the writing phase we ensured that the key skills that we have been working on in our grammar and spelling sessions were implemented in our writing. We have been looking at determiners a/an, inverted commas and prepositions.

Fables- The Hare and the Tortoise 

During our second English topic we focused on fables. In class we looked at a range of fables including The Lion and the Mouse, The Hare and the Tortoise and The Penguin and the Ostriche. We explored the vocabulary within the text and completed a semantic map and zone of relevance grid to expore the words further. 

During the writing phase we ensured that the key skills that we have been working on in our grammar and spelling sessions were implemented in our writing. We have been looking at inverted commas, creating complex sentences using conjunctions and including suffixes.