Focus Grammar

Hot Seating

Focus Narrative:

Cultural Stories

Key Text/Stimulus:

The Twits by Roald Dahl

Writing Outcome:

Overview

In this unit, children explore the humorous world of The Twits by Roald Dahl and discover how characters can be brought to life through their actions, thoughts and mischievous behaviour. They will examine the tricks Mr and Mrs Twit play on one another before planning and writing their own original prank that fits the characters' personalities.

Writing Task

Invent a brand-new prank that either Mr Twit plays on Mrs Twit or Mrs Twit plays on Mr Twit. Write a funny story describing how the prank is planned, carried out and how the other Twit reacts.

Writing Focus

Write a sequence of events with a clear beginning, middle and end, using time words (e.g. First, Next, Suddenly, Finally) to organise ideas. Describe the prank and the characters using expanded noun phrases (e.g. a revolting, wriggly worm sandwich) and choose precise verbs (e.g. crept, sneaked, shrieked, laughed) to show actions. Join ideas using conjunctions (e.g. and, but, because, when) and use exclamation marks, capital letters and full stops accurately to help create a funny, engaging story.

• Sentences using capital letter and full stop.
• Capital letters for proper nouns and pronoun I
• Exclamation and question mark recap
• Using ‘and’ to join words and phrases

Context Link

Encourage children to draw on their learning about materials and their properties when creating a new prank for The Twits. Model and promote descriptive vocabulary to describe materials accurately, using words such as sticky, slippery, rough, smooth, stretchy, rigid, fluffy, brittle, soft and hard. Children can use expanded noun phrases and precise adjectives to make their pranks more vivid and believable, for example, a sticky, gooey blob of glue or a rough, scratchy woollen blanket.

Focus Non-Narrative:
Recounts: Diary EntryKey Text/Stimulus:The Twits by Roald Dahl

Writing Outcome:

Overview

In this unit, children explore The Twits by Roald Dahl and learn how diary entries allow a writer to recount events and share personal thoughts and feelings. They will consider what it would be like to spend a day with Mr and Mrs Twit before writing in role about the strange, funny and disgusting experiences they have had.

Writing Task

Imagine you have spent the day with Mr and Mrs Twit. Write a diary entry describing what happened, how you felt during the day and what you thought about the Twits and their revolting behaviour.

Writing Focus

Write in the first person and organise ideas in the order they happened, using time words (e.g. First, Later, After that, Finally). Include thoughts and feelings throughout the diary entry and describe people and events using expanded noun phrases (e.g. the filthy, smelly beard) and strong verbs (e.g. gasped, shivered, groaned). Join ideas using conjunctions (e.g. and, but, because, when) and use capital letters, full stops and exclamation marks accurately to make the writing clear and engaging.

Cross-curriculum support genres:

Labels, lists & captions

Senses Poems

Pathway: Stick Transformation Project

Artists use their creative skills to re-see and re-imagine the world. Explore how you can transform a familiar object into new and fun forms.

Disciplines:

Making, Drawing, Sketchbooks

Medium:

Twigs, Construction Materials, Paper, Wool, Drawing Materials

Artists:

Chris Kenny

Context Link

Encourage children to apply their understanding of materials and their properties by exploring how a simple stick can be transformed into something new. Discuss the natural properties of wood, such as its texture, strength, rigidity and shape, and consider how adding or combining other materials can change its appearance or purpose. Use vocabulary such as natural, man-made, rough, smooth, flexible, rigid, join, attach and transform as children explain and evaluate their creative choices.

How do artists use everyday materials to create new artwork?Artists use their imagination and hands to look at ordinary objects—like sticks—in new ways. By changing how something looks or what it’s used for, artists can transform materials into something creative, fun, or meaningful.    

Why do artists use sketchbooks when they are designing or making art?Sketchbooks help artists plan, test, and reflect on their ideas. In this project, sketchbooks are used to explore ideas for transforming a stick—like drawing clothes for a stick person or planning a treehouse.

Transform – To change the way something looks or what it is used for.

Sculpture – A piece of art that you can touch and see from all sides—it has shape and form.

Imagination – The ability to think of new ideas or pictures in your mind.

What do Christians believe Jesus  the most important commandments were?Love God, and love your neighbour.  

What is a parable?Christians believe that Jesus then gave examples of stories (parables) and acted in a way to help people around him understand how important these commandments are.  

Pathway: Locomotion🔗

Focus: Running, Jumping & Dodging (Lessons 1-6)

The unit will use pupils’ prior knowledge of how to run and jump, developing pupils' motor competence linked to dodging and jumping. In this unit pupils will be challenged to use and apply dodging skills in games and jump in combination rather than just in isolation. Pupils will also be able to use their prior learning from ball skills and team games to be able to successfully apply their initial jumping and dodging skills in this unit. Foundations are then laid for subsequent units on ball skills as pupils will already have a strong understanding of the movement skills required.

Newcastle United Foundation:

Multi-Skills

Big Question: How can we sort materials like real detectives?

Science Enquiry Focus: Identifying, classifying and grouping

Outline: A box of mixed-up evidence has arrived at The Investigation Bureau. Children work in teams to sort the objects and materials using their own criteria, explain their thinking, and then search the classroom for more examples to add to their evidence collection.

What to Wonder? I wonder if everyone will sort the objects in the same way. I wonder what the difference is between an object and the material it is made from. I wonder why some objects are made from different materials, and what other materials we can find around our school.

Case 1 – The Mystery of the Leaking Lunchbox
Big Question: Which material is best for the job? Scientific Enquiry Focus: Comparative and Fair Testing)

The Detectives have discovered that the suspect left behind a mysterious lunchbox that leaked everywhere. To identify who it belongs to, they must test a range of everyday materials to discover which would make the best waterproof container. Children carry out a fair test, comparing materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic, metal and fabric while keeping the amount of water and test time the same. Their evidence helps eliminate suspects and provides the first clue in the investigation.

Case 2 – The Twisted Tool MysteryBig Question: Which materials can change shape and which stay the same?Scientific Enquiry Focus: Identifying, Classifying and Grouping

A strange tool found at the crime scene has been bent out of shape. The detectives need to work out which material it was made from by investigating how different materials respond to squashing, bending, twisting and stretching. Children test a range of everyday materials, group them according to their properties and identify which materials can and cannot be changed easily. Their findings reveal which suspect could have owned the damaged tool.

Case 3 – The Crumpled Clue ChallengeBig Question: What happens when we repeatedly change the shape of different materials? Scientific Enquiry Focus: Observing Over Time

The detectives discover a mysterious note that has been repeatedly folded, scrunched and straightened. They investigate how different materials change over time when they are repeatedly bent, twisted or squashed. Across several cycles, children carefully observe and record what happens to materials such as paper, cardboard, aluminium foil and plastic. The pattern of damage matches evidence from the crime scene, revealing an important clue that points the detectives towards the next suspect.

What materials are commonly used to make everyday objects?Common materials include wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper, and cardboard. These materials are used to make many of the things we see and use every day. Each one has special properties that make it useful for different jobs. We can name and recognise these materials in our homes and school.

Material – What something is made from (like wood, metal, or plastic).
Property – A word that describes what a material is like (e.g. strong, bendy, waterproof).
Suitable – Good or right for a particular job or purpose.Compare – To look at how materials are the same or different.Change – To make something different in shape (e.g. by bending, stretching, or twisting).

Online Safety

What happens when I post online?🔗

Discussing what information is safe to share online.

Computing systems and networks:

What is a computer?🔗

Exploring what a computer is by identifying different inputs and outputs and understanding how computers process information.