Upper Key Stage 2

Upper Key Stage 2

Welcome to Upper Key Stage 2!

(Years 5 & 6)

Year 5 - Rowan Class Years 5 & 6 - Sycamore Class Year 6 - Oak Class

Summer Term 1 - Adventure & Explore!

A warm welcome back to school for an exciting 1st half of our Summer Term for our Upper Key Stage 2 Classes: Rowan, Sycamore and Oak. We are ready and raring to immerse ourselves in our learning this term. Our new school theme is 'Adventure & Explore!' which is driven through our Geography curriculum.

This theme is driven by our geography and history curriculum. In history, we are developing our understanding of the Mayan civilization in history and how this period compares to British history at that time. In geography, we are developing our location knowledge of continents and countries by studying South America. We will be studying the physical and human geography of Brazil, Mexico and the incredible Amazon Rainforest.

Our new class novel is the award-winning children’s book ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell. It is a fantastic read!

During our 'Adventure & Explore!' theme, we will learn the significance of Percy Fawcett, a British Explorer, and his mysterious disappearance in 1925. Our significant place will be the Amazon Rainforest. We will also learn that the Amazon Rainforest is a significant place on Planet Earth.

In our Art & Design lessons we will be developing our drawing and painting skills to create our own works of art in the style of the great artist, Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter.

As computer whiz kids, we will develop our programming skills. We will explore the concept of variables in programming through games in Scratch. We will find out what variables are and relate them to real-world examples of values that can be set and changed. Then we will use variables to create a simulation of a scoreboard and apply our knowledge of variables and design to improve our own games in Scratch.

As scientists, we will be working scientifically when investigating ‘Living Things and their Habitats.’ We will investigate and describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including microorganisms, plants and animals. We will give scientific reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.

This half-term, our ‘50 Things to do before leaving Thorpe’ are to ‘Build a Den’. We will consider how to survive the elements if we need to build a shelter whilst we ‘Adventure & Explore!’

We have so many wonderful learning experiences planned so please remember to look out for photographs on our ‘UKS2 Class Page’ where we will share our learning with you and please read our curriculum newsletter letter below for more information about our exciting learning!

As you can see, we will be incredibly busy in school!

Spring Term 2 - Planet Earth

A warm welcome back to school for an exciting 2nd half of our Spring Term for our Upper Key Stage 2 Classes: Rowan, Sycamore and Oak. We are ready and raring to immerse ourselves in our learning this term. Our new school theme is 'Planet Earth' which is driven through our Geography curriculum.

As geographers, we will learn about our planet focusing on Europe and South & North America. We will focus on physical geography; studying volcanoes and earthquakes whilst considering human geography and the impact natural disasters have on people. We will develop our map skills by using maps, atlases and globes as well as digital, satellite images.

During our ‘Planet Earth’ theme, we will learn the significance of Sir David Attenborough and his lifetime of discoveries. We will also learn that Yellowstone National Park, USA is a significant geological place on Planet Earth.

We absolutely love reading in UKS2 and cannot wait to dive into our new class novel, ‘Into the Volcano’ by the award-winning author Jess Butterworth. This story takes us on a journey of two children who come together through a tragic incident. They then embark on a wild adventure exploring the geographical wonders of a rainbow pool in the heart of Yellowstone National Park, America. We will also read non-fiction texts linked to our geography studies on volcanoes and earthquakes.

In our Art & Design lessons we will be developing our drawing and printing skills to create our own works of art in the style of the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, known simply as Hokusai. We will practise our printing and techniques based on the works of Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’ as inspiration.

As computer whiz kids, we will create vector drawings of the 'Great Wave' linked to our Art & Design & Geography studies. We will learn how to use different drawing tools to create images. We will recognise that images in vector drawings are created using shapes and lines, and each individual element in the drawing is called an object. We will layer objects and begin grouping and duplicating images.

As scientists, we will be working scientifically when investigating how light travels. We will investigate how objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye. We will explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes. We will investigate why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them.

This half-term, our ‘50 Things to do before leaving Thorpe’ are to ‘Campaign for change’. We will consider Planet Earth and the positive and negative impact we can have on our planet. The school value we will be focusing on is ‘Community’. We will look at our school community and consider our global communities when studying geography and the impact of volcanoes and earthquakes on communities.

As you can see, we will be incredibly busy in school!

Highlights from this half term - Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Curriculum Newsletters - Cycle B 2023-2024

January 2024 Year 6 SATs Parent Information meeting

SATs Parents Information Evening Jan 24

Spring Term 1 - Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

A warm welcome back to school for an exciting 1st half of our Spring Term for our Upper Key Stage 2 Classes: Rowan, Sycamore and Oak. We are ready and raring to immerse ourselves in our learning this term. Our new school theme is 'Healthy Body, Healthy Mind' which is driven through our Physical Education (PE) & Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum.

In our UKS2 classes, we will be learning how to keep our bodies ‘healthy’ by leading an active lifestyle and taking care of our personal hygiene. We will also learn how to keep our ‘minds’ healthy by looking after our well-being such as having time away from the digital world and screens, being outside in nature and finding time for hobbies and personal interests as well as being with family and friends.

We absolutely love reading in UKS2 and cannot wait to dive into our new class novel, 'The Boy at the Back of the class' by the award-winning author, Onjali Q Raúf. This is the story about how one ordinary nine-year-old child and three classmates are full of empathy for Ahmet, a new student that comes to their school as a refugee from Syria. Through their sensitivity, curiosity, ingenuity, bravery and innocent niceness, they make a massive impact on Ahmet’s life, friends, class, school, community and wider world.

It is an inspiring read that will help us to think about the power of kindness which works beautifully with our school values of ‘Resilience, Respect’ and ‘Care’.

In our Art & Design lessons we will be developing our drawing and painting skills to create our own works of art in the style of the American artist, Keith Haring with a focus on ‘People in Action’. We will develop our drawing, painting and also our digital photography skills. We will mix secondary and tertiary colours and use thick/bold lines and bright colours, similar to his style of Pop-Art. We will also explore complementary colours on the colour wheel and use them in our Keith Haring inspired artwork. We will take photos of each other in positions such as the Keith Haring figures and then draw and paint them.

As computer whiz kids, we will develop our skills of capturing, editing, and manipulating video to create our very own short fitness videos!

As scientists, we will learn about and explore the circulatory system. We will explore the lungs, heart, arteries and veins. We will build a model heart out of play-doh and carry out investigations about heart rate and pulse.

This half-term, our ‘50 Things to do before leaving Thorpe’ are to contribute to an Art Exhibition so we will be inviting parents in to view our artwork. We are also going to perform a random act of kindness so wait and see!

As you can see, we will be incredibly busy - So… Let’s get healthy!

Autumn Term 2 - Boom, Bang & Bash!

A warm welcome back to school for an exciting 2nd half of our Autumn Term for our Upper Key Stage 2 Classes: Rowan, Sycamore and Oak. We are ready and raring to immerse ourselves in our learning this term. Our new school theme is 'Boom, Bang & Bash!' which is driven through our history study about World War 2 and how this was a significant turning point in British History.

We absolutely love reading in UKS2 and cannot wait to dive into our new class novel, 'Letters from the Lighthouse' by the award-winning author, Emma Carroll. Reading this novel, we will experience the fears and excitement of World War 2 evacuation through the character of a young British girl, Olive. It is a gripping read full of twists and surprises!

In our Design Technology lessons we will be developing our textiles skills. We will be practising our sewing skills and different types of stitching in order to make some wartime bunting. We will keep calm and carry on whilst we ‘make do and mend’.

As historians, we will learn about British history and World War 2. We will consider how the war changed Britain and the effect it had on the lives of British families including children. We will learn why and where children were evacuated to during the Blitz.

As scientists, we will learn about and explore forces. We will explore the force of gravity acting between the Earth and falling objects. We will identify the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction that act between moving surfaces. We will recognise that some mechanisms including levers and pulleys allow a smaller force to have a greater effect.

As computer whiz kids in our Computing ‘Creating Media’ unit, we will create our own web page using Google Sites. We consider our online safety to be very important and will consider how to stay safe online during our learning.

This half-term, our ‘50 Things to do before leaving Thorpe’ are to write to a member of parliament; teach someone a new skill and to learn to swim.

We have so many wonderful learning experiences planned from our textiles making wartime bunting, our World War 2 dance in PE, our evacuee day, our VE celebration day as well as learning songs from World War 2 and how they were used to lift the nation's spirits during difficult wartimes.

Remember to look out for photographs on our ‘UKS2 Class Page’ where we will share our learning with you and please read our curriculum newsletter letter below for more information about our exciting learning!

As you can see, we will be incredibly busy!

Autumn Term 1 - Divide & Conquer!

Welcome back to school for an exciting 1st half of our Autumn term in our Upper Key Stage 2 Phase (UKS2). We have loved welcoming all children and families back after the summer break; it has been lovely to see everyone and school has a wonderful energy again! We are ready and raring to dive back into school life and our learning this academic year.

We are extremely excited to immerse ourselves into our new school theme ‘Divide & Conquer!’ where we will be immersed in our history, exploring how the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings fought for the Kingdom of England. We will study Viking raids and invasions, the resistance by Alfred the Great as well as Edward the Confessor and his death in 1066.

As geographers, we will develop our location knowledge by locating countries, using maps to focus on Europe, concentrating on their environmental regions, physical & human characteristics. We will develop our ‘place knowledge’ by understanding geographical similarities and differences of a region in the European countries of Scandinavia. We will practise our geographical skills by Using maps, atlases, globes to locate countries and describe features studied.

We absolutely love reading in UKS2 and cannot wait to dive into our new class novel, ‘Viking Boy’ by the award-winning author, Tony Bradman. It is an action-packed blend of historical adventure and fantasy for readers which is steeped in Viking history and legend. This exciting story follows our main character, Gunnar, as he encounters the Valkyries, journeys across the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard and enters the sacred Halls of Valhalla to seek his father and exact revenge on the men who killed him.

‘Viking Boy’ is a truly gripping read. We have other Tony Bradman books in our reading areas this half term as we put our spotlight on him as our chosen author. The children fondly remember previously reading ‘Winter of Wolves’ by Tony Bradman.

In Computing, we will be exploring computing systems and how information is transferred between systems and devices. We will look at the inputs, outputs and processes of systems used in the real world and we will discover how search engines help us to explore the World Wide Web by selecting and ranking results.

Keeping safe online is something that we take very seriously at Thorpe continually learn about. This half term we will be focusing on how and why people should keep their software and Apps up to date as well as exploring ways in which some online content targets people to gain money or information illegally (e.g. scams and phishing).

In Design Technology for our ‘Divide & Conquer!’ theme, we will be young chefs where we will design and make tasty flat-breads to accompany a hearty Viking stew fit for a Viking Chieftain! We can’t wait for the wafts of fresh bread around school and obviously, we can’t wait to taste them too with our vegetable stew!

As young artists and craft-makers, we will study the craft makers of the historical time period of Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. We will explore the Viking and Anglo-Saxon style to create our own intricate designs in sketchbooks ready to use clay to make brooches, buckles and amulets using a variety of techniques.

Our '50 Things to do before leaving Thorpe' for this half term are: learn to say hello in 5 languages; cook and eat a meal and also write to a member of parliament. Watch this space!

We have lots of fun activities and experiences to look forward to - remember to look out for photographs on our ‘UKS2 Class Page’ where we will share our learning with you and please read our curriculum newsletter letter below for more information about our exciting learning!

We cannot wait to immerse ourselves this half term and learn lots of new and exciting things! So…let’s ‘Divide & Conquer!’