Our Spring 2 Journey

This half term our big question is "I wonder if Keighley has ever had a great fire?' and our learning unit will have a History focus. We will be exploring questions such as why did the fire spread so fast? How did the fire start? What was the impact of the fire? How did the fire stop? What happened after the fire? Who was Samuel Pepys and why is he a significant person in history? Why is it important to learn about the fire and how does it compare to the fire of Dalton Mill in Keighley? Our key text is:

View our curriculum web:

spring 2 half termly curriculum web.pdf

View our homework web:

spring 2 homework web.pdf

English, History and Art

In English, we have been enjoying learning about what happened during the The Great Fire of London and linked our History learning. We began with a 'Let's Say', thinking about what we would do if were at Pudding Lane during 1666. A maid was trapped inside a burning building and we had to rescue her! We even saw King Charles II on horseback throwing bags of money at us to encourage us to stay and help. We are enjoying learning about Thomas Farriner and the events that unfolded. We learnt how the fire spread due to dry weather, strong winds and tightly packed wooden houses with thatched roofs. We have explored the impact and damage caused by the fire and how St. Paul's Cathedral was destroyed. We compared London of the past to London today and also learnt about how the people tried to contain the fire, using leather buckets, fire squirts and hooks. It was fascinating to learn about the development of the fire brigade. We have also researched Samuel Pepys as a significant person from history and how his diary provided the evidence historians used for The Great Fire of London. He recorded so many key events and buried his cheese and wine because they were so precious to him! We practised writing with quills like Samuel Peps, used the Shelton Code and enjoyed our cheese and 'wine' afternoon tea.

We have also enjoyed drama and re-enacted key events from The Great Fire of London. It was even more special because it was World Book Day! We also created our own houses on Pudding Lane, using collage to represent the burning buildings. We have learnt to use imperative verbs and created fire safety posters. At the moment, we're excited about writing our diary entries as the cat that Samuel Pepys saw being rescued from a chimney!

We will be learning about the key architects who helped rebuild London and will compare the impact to the burning of Dalton Mill in Keighley, baking bread in DT and so much more. Watch this space!

Maths

In maths we have been learning about fractions and how a fraction represents part of a whole or set. We have been learning to identify 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 in everyday contexts and we have used bar models, fraction strips and diagrams to help us with our understanding.

We have also been learning about shape. We have recapped Year 1 learning and then moved on to describing the properties of shape.

Science

In science, we have linked our learning to The Great Fire of London and explored the uses of everyday materials, within Chemistry. We have been identifying a range of materials and then exploring their properties. We tested different materials to see if we could change the shape by bending, twisting, squashing and stretching. We will be choosing materials to make our bird feeders from recycled materials, thinking about how they are fit for purpose. Watch out for the update!

Testing materials

Our key scientist is Jon Dunlop and we learnt how he thought of the pneumatic tyre when he was watching his son ride his bike!

RE

In RE this half term, we have been exploring our big question, 'I wonder why Easter matters to Christians?' We have been ordering the Easter story, learnt about the significance of Palm Sunday; when Jesus entered Jerusalem, Good Friday; when Jesus died, and the celebrations of Easter Sunday when Jesus was resurrected. Christians believe Jesus sacrificed himself and is a saviour. We have been thinking about the symbols of Easter and how they represent new life and hope.

We are so excited to sing the Easter songs we love and of course we're looking forward to chocolate Easter eggs!

Riddlesden St Mary

Riddlesden St Mary's
Primary School & Nursery