Westall

Welcome to the Autumn term 2019

Over the next half term Westall Class will be following a unit of work on a theme that focuses on ‘Myths, Legends and Beliefs’.

This unit of work is part of the International Primary Curriculum. This new curriculum sets out very clearly what children will learn – the learning goals – in three different areas:

• The subjects of the curriculum. The learning goals for each of these subjects are at least as challenging as anything taught in the UK curriculum. In many cases, the learning goals are more challenging.
• Personal development – the characteristics which will help children become more responsible, independent learners.
• International understanding – which will help children develop both a sense of the independence of their own country and culture and the interdependence between countries and cultures.

Each unit of work is based around specific targets derived from the learning goals for one or more of the subjects.

During this unit we will be focusing on History, Music, Art, Society and International.

In History, we’ll be finding out:

• About societies that are well-known for their myths and legends
• About myths and legends from our host country
• About major events in the past

In Music, we’ll be finding out:

• About music that has been inspired by myths and legends
• How to compose a piece of music to accompany a myth or legend

In Art, we’ll be finding out:

• How different artists have been influenced by myths and legends
• About the art of Ancient Egypt
• How to turn characters from myths and legends into comic book superheroes
• How to produce our own piece of art to represent a story we have written

In Society, we’ll be finding out:

• About traditions, celebrations and religious festivals which have been influenced by myths and legends
• How the behaviour of individuals and groups can be influenced by the moral messages of myths, legends and other stories
• How global brands use myths and legends to persuade people to buy their products

In International, we’ll be finding out:

• How stories from around the world are both the same and different
• How myths and legends have affected large areas of the world
• About the stories from the home countries of children in the class

All of the work we are going to do has been specially written to help your child reach the learning goals. Children will be reading, researching, writing, illustrating, working on their own and working in groups. We will be checking to see how well your child has learned through particular activities and asking children to explain their work, perhaps to you.

We already know the interest you take in your child’s work. If you can, please discuss with your child the work they have done as the term progresses and let them teach you.

If your child has some work to research, please help them, but without actually doing the work. If you have the chance to further their interest in the ideas of this theme please take it, but your enthusiasm and interest is most important.

By the end of the unit, we hope your child has achieved all of the learning targets. We hope they have had an enjoyable time in the classroom. And we hope you have enjoyed seeing your child work with enthusiasm. If you have any comments or questions about your child’s learning, please get in touch.

In addition to the learning goals being taught through this unit the children will be taught Science, Computing, PE, Religious Education through the Herts RE Scheme of Work and Music on a weekly rotation.

Please encourage your child to use Purple Mash, Doodle Maths, Doodle English and Doodle Spelling at home as this will help to consolidate their learning in school as the year progresses.  It is recommended that your child spends about 15 minutes on the Doodle Apps to help secure key learning and accelerate their progress.

P.E.

This year, P.E. will take place on Thursday and Friday afternoons. As a result, it is important that your child has their outdoor trainers with them at all times. Otherwise, children will take part in their usual school PE kit, which consists of a sky blue polo top with a school badge, plain royal blue shorts, royal blue track suit and trainers. PE kits should be kept in school all week in case of timetable changes and will be sent home fortnightly to be washed.  For health and safety reasons earrings and watches should be removed for all P.E lessons and long hair must be tied up.

Homework

Children will receive homework twice per week.

Reading                                                   Every night (15 minutes – please comment on your child’s reading record)

Curriculum activities                              Given out on Wednesday                       Returned on Monday

Spelling & times tables                          Given out on Friday                                Returned on Wednesday

By the end of the unit, we aim for your child to achieve their learning targets. We hope they have an enjoyable time in the classroom and that you have enjoyed seeing your child work with enthusiasm. If you have any comments or questions about your child’s learning, please get in touch.

Kind regards,

Mr Pilsworth

Westall Class Teacher - Key Stage Two Leader