This term we are exploring one of our Golden Threads, the theme of Power, and investigating the question: What makes the use of power good or bad? Big events in the world are driven by ‘power’ – whether it be an individual’s bravery, or the force of an army, or strength of conviction. Power can be a force for good, and can influence and shape the world for good. Or it can be abused and create destruction. Either way, power is a concept that needs to be explored and understood!
We love reading in Draconis, and we are currently reading Empire’s End: A Roman Story by Leila Rasheed, and thoroughly enjoying reading a range of non-fiction books on the Romans which have been helping us with our historical enquiries. Our Author Spotlight this half-term is on Aaron Becker. In our writing, Aaron Becker’s ‘Journey’ has inspired us to write fantastic narratives to go with his beautiful illustrations. The children were inspired by the main character’s strength and perseverance in the story, and the power creativity and individuality can have. The children had a fantastic understanding of Becker’s use of colour to convey emotions, and used this connection to create vivid pieces of writing to accompany the book.
In History we have been enquiring into the Roman Empire and its Impact on Britain, exploring some of the many ways the Romans changed Britain then and permanently. The children have loved taking a deep dive into the strength and perseverance of the Romans when expanding their empire, and exploring their long-standing influence on Britain that they have been able to recognise around them, including roads, towns and language. The children have also blown us away with their incredible enthusiasm to explore the Romans at home and create an expansive range of fantastic homework pieces, including crafted models of shields and the Colosseum, superb pieces of writing and Roman Numeral maths, and even a baked Roman honey cake for us all to try!
In DT we have also been exploring the strength, perseverance and influence of the Roman armies in the expansion of their empire, looking closely at their use of catapults. The children enjoyed comparing different types of catapults the Romans used, designing and making their own model, and firing their catapults in a mini battle!
In Science, we have looked at the power of the incredible digestive system and the vital role it plays in our daily lives, as well as food chains/webs and the importance of the balance of nature. The children demonstrated a fantastic understanding of the importance of protecting our ecosystems, and started the year off as super scientists conducting experiments investigating the journey food takes through our body and the effects of acid and sugar on our teeth. They even managed to make a bouncy egg with vinegar!
Finally, in PSHE we have thought about ‘Being Me in My World,’ and the power we have as individuals over those around us and our school community. We explored the value and importance of making sure our voices are heard, how we can do this in school, our rights and responsibilities in school, and how we can all ensure our school is a happy, safe and high-quality learning environment.
Please take a look at our Medium Term Curriculum Plan to see how all of our learning this term links to our Golden Thread of Power, and the key concepts of strength, perseverance and influence.
