Focus Grammar

Hot Seating

Focus Narrative:

Brothers Grimm

Key Text/Stimulus:

Hansel and Gretel

Writing Outcome:

Overview

In this unit, children will explore the traditional tale Hansel and Gretel, focusing on its characters, settings and sequence of events. They will use the story as inspiration to develop their own version of the tale, using familiar story patterns and imaginative detail.

Writing Task

Write your own version of Hansel and Gretel. Children will change elements of the original story, such as the characters, the setting or the tempting house, while keeping the basic structure of the traditional tale.

Writing Focus

Children will write a clear sequence of events using sentences that are correctly punctuated with capital letters and full stops. They will use expanded noun phrases to describe characters and settings, carefully chosen verbs to describe actions, and conjunctions such as and, but, because, when and if to add detail and join ideas. Children will also begin to use different sentence types and maintain the past tense throughout their narrative.

Compound sentences 🔗

• Joining with 'but'
• Joining with 'or'
• Co-ordination three ways (2 verbs in compound sentence) 

Focus Non-Narrative:
Non Chronological Reports

Key Text/Stimulus:

Neil Armstrong

Writing Outcome:

Overview

In this unit, children will explore the features of non-chronological reports and how they are used to present factual information clearly. They will learn how reports are organised into sections, use headings to guide the reader and include relevant facts and subject-specific vocabulary.

Writing Task

Write a non-chronological report about Neil Armstrong. Children will organise their information into clear sections, using headings to group facts about his life, his work as an astronaut and the first Moon landing.

Writing Focus

Children will write clear factual sentences in the present and past tense, using capital letters and full stops accurately. They will use headings to organise information, expanded noun phrases to add detail, and conjunctions such as and, but, because and so to develop ideas. Children will also use subject-specific vocabulary linked to space and exploration and include interesting facts to inform the reader.

Cross-curriculum support genres:

Labels, lists & captions

Diary

Pathway: Explore & Draw🔗

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:

Drawing, Sketchbooks, Collage

Medium:

Graphite, Handwriting Pen, Watercolour / Brusho, Wax Resist

Artists:

Rosie James, Alice Fox

How do artists find inspiration in the world around them?Artists explore places like gardens, playgrounds, and classrooms, looking carefully at objects like leaves or twigs. By collecting and observing, they find new ideas for drawings and art.

Why is it important to look closely when drawing from real objects?Careful looking helps artists notice shapes, textures, and patterns they might not see at first. This helps them draw more accurately and make their artwork more detailed and interesting.

Observation – Looking very closely at something to notice its details.

Composition – How different parts of an artwork are arranged on the page.

Wax Resist – A technique where wax is used to block paint or ink from sticking to the paper.

Jigsaw RE🔗

Why do Christians believe God gave Jesus to the world?

(Northumberland Agreed Syllabus - Unit 1.3 Why does Christmas matter to Christians?)

What is the Trinity?Trinity: complete relationship between God (the Father), Jesus (his son) and the Holy Spirit. They exist separately and together as one

Why do Christians God gave the gift of his son to humanity?In order to save them from sin and open up a pathway back to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus

Trinity – The Christian belief that God is three in one: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus – Christians believe he is God’s son, given to help people and bring them closer to God.

Resurrection – The Christian belief that Jesus came back to life after dying, showing God’s power and love.

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National Curriculum:

the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements

Content:

Sir Francis Drake

Neil Armstrong

The Brothers Grimm (linked to English)

Context Link

Working as Time Agents for the Time Institute, children will investigate Neil Armstrong and the first Moon landing, gathering evidence about who he was, what happened during the Apollo 11 mission and why the event was significant. Their work will culminate in a presentation to the Time Council, where they will share their findings in a variety of ways. Children might speak about what they have discovered, talk through pictures they have drawn, use a simple timeline, share written reports, or create visual displays to help explain their findings.

Who is Neil Armstrong and why is he remembered?Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He is remembered for his bravery and for making history during the Apollo 11 mission. His famous words were, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong’s journey showed what humans could achieve in space exploration.

Who was Sir Francis Drake and why is he remembered?Sir Francis Drake was an English explorer and sea captain who lived in the 1500s during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. He is remembered for being the first Englishman to sail all the way around the world. Drake also helped defend England against the Spanish Armada. His bravery and sea voyages made him a famous figure in British history.

How are Neil Armstrong and Sir Francis Drake similar and different, and what does this tell us about life in different periods?Neil Armstrong and Sir Francis Drake were both brave explorers who made history by travelling to new and unknown places—Drake sailed around the world by ship in the 1500s, and Armstrong flew to the Moon in a rocket in 1969. Armstrong used modern technology, space suits, and radio communication, while Drake relied on wooden ships, maps, and the wind. In Drake’s time, journeys took months or years and messages were sent by letter, but Armstrong’s mission was planned with computers and shared on live television.

Explorer – A person who travels to new or unknown places to learn more about them.

Astronaut – A person trained to travel and work in space, like Neil Armstrong.

Expedition – A journey with a purpose, often to explore or discover something new.

Bravery – Showing courage and not being afraid to try something difficult or dangerous.

Achievement – Something important that someone has done through effort and determination.

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Pathway: Locomotion🔗

Focus: Running, Jumping & Dodging (Lessons 7-12)

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:

Modified Team Games

Big Question: Can you build a boat that floats and carries cargo?

Science Enquiry Focus: Comparative and fair testing

Outline: Introduce Sir Francis Drake’s voyages and challenge children to become shipbuilders for his fleet. Using foil, card, plastic and other simple materials, children design and build a small boat. Float each boat on water and gradually add identical pieces of ‘cargo’ to discover how much it can carry before it sinks.

What to Wonder? Encourage children to wonder why some boats float better than others, whether the material or shape makes a difference, how much cargo a boat can carry and what they could change to make their ship stronger and more successful.

Big Question: Can We Grow a Potato in Winter?

Scientific Enquiry Focus: Comparative testing and observing over time

Sir Francis Drake is sometimes said to have brought potatoes to England following his voyages. Children plant sprouting potatoes in clear containers, placing one indoors and one outdoors. Over several weeks, they observe and compare the growth of roots and shoots, record changes through drawings and measurements, and investigate how the different winter conditions affect how well the potatoes grow. 

National Curriculum:

Working Scientifically  

Online Safety

How do I keep my things safe online?🔗

Learning how to keep personal and private information secure.

Programming 1

Algorithms and debugging🔗

Exploring algorithms and debugging through unplugged activities and online programming games.

Oak Academy

Singing together: how singing helps us work together

Performing/singing/evaluations