Mereworth CP School: Medium Term Thematic Curriculum Plan

Mereworth CP School: Medium Term Thematic Curriculum Plan Term 1 2014

Teaching Team Julia Dickinson and Helen Hearn
Faith cannon and Rebecca Crease / Year Group
2
Theme Title / Investigating Spaceship Earth / Weeks in unit
6 weeks
Plus 1 for Global Awareness week at end of the Term
Week 1
Week 2 16th - Meet the Teacher 5.30
18th - Launch assembly Rugby World Cup
Week 3 23rd – Reading Workshop (Julia)
Week 42nd October Kittle Photos
Week 5 8th October National Poetry Day
Week 6 Assessment Week
16th Harvest Festival
Week 7 Global Awareness Week – Water (Year 2 Oceans)
21st Year 2 Assembly
Wk
No / Key Learning Objectives linked to NC POS
Key Success criteria / Key Questions & Activities / Resources
Foundation Subjects / Geography / To be able to share ideas about Earth using appropriate geographical vocabulary
To be able to ask and respond to relevant questions using maps, globes and photographs / Lesson 1: Earth view
KWHL to find out what pupils already know about Earth through discussion and drawing activity
Drag and drop activity on IWB
Pupils describe how the view of Earth makes them feel
Pupils make models of Earth
Key Questions:
What is Earth?
What do we know about it?
How does it make us feel?
Why do you think we call it ‘little blue planet’? / Activity sheets 1, 2 and 3
PowerPoint 1
Knowledge box 1
Selection of globes and world maps
Modelling clay, crayons, collage materials, video recorder (depending upon your chosen activities)
Eval / Success Criteria:
Use pupils’ drawings of Earth to establish what they already know
2 / To begin to understand what a map is and that different maps can show the same place in lots of different ways
To begin to use appropriate geographical vocabulary such as country and continent / Lesson 2: Mapping the world
Discuss making Earth as a 3D sphere into a flat 2D map. Demonstrate the problems by cutting up an inflatable globe or covering a ball with a sheet of paper
Pupils learn the Continent rap and label the continents by looking at their shape
In groups, pupils research a continent using an atlas and sort artefacts that they associate with that part of the world
Play online games
Compare continent sizes by tracing them on tracing paper
Key Questions:
What is a map?
How is the world mapped?
How can we view the 3D world in 2D?
What is a continent? / Activity sheets 4 and 5
PowerPoint 2
Inflatable globe
World atlases
Selection of different maps
Sheets of paper and small balls
Artefacts from around the world including everyday items
Eval / Success Criteria:
Peer assessment: pupils describe what a continent is and say the Continent rap to each other
Teacher assessment through talk as pupils discuss work
See if pupils can label the continents correctly
3 / To know that nearly all of our light and heat comes from the sun
To know that we get night and day because Earth is spinning on its axis
To recognise how night and day affects life on Earth / Lesson 3: Why do stars only come out at night?
Look at the visible light image of the Earth, discuss how this has been taken and where has the most/least light and why
Pupils model the Earth rotating around the sun using themselves and crêpe paper streamers
Look at webcams in different parts of the world and draw what children are doing
Pupils look at visible light image and identify large cities using a map. Discuss why some places have no light
Key Questions:
Why do we have night and day?
How does this affect our lives?
Why is it daytime in Australia when it’s night-time in the UK? / Activity sheet 6
PowerPoint 3
Knowledge box 2
Globes
Torches
Streamers of crêpe paper
Eval / Success Criteria:
Use pupils’ pictures showing what children might be doing in New York and Sydney when it’s midday in the UK
4 / To know what an ocean is
To be able to use maps and globes to locate and name oceans
To begin to understand how oceans are important to us / Lesson 4: Thank you ocean
Pupils listen to whale songs. Discuss where whales live, introduce the term ‘ocean’ and find them on a map
Watch Thank you ocean video
Pupils draw and paint oceans showing some of their uses
They write Thank you ocean poems and enter the words into Wordle
Listen to shells
Read ocean-related books or watch film clips
Key Questions:
What is an ocean?
Where are the oceans?
What are their names?
What might you find in an ocean?
Why do oceans matter? / Activity sheet 7
PowerPoint 4
Knowledge box 3
Google Earth
Storybooks
Shells, seaweed and images of the sea
Eval / Success Criteria:
Ask pupils to find the oceans on a map or globe
Use ‘assessment buddies’ to talk about why and how oceans are special
Use work produced, e.g. Thank you ocean poems
5 / To recognise how rivers are important to people and their everyday lives
To be able to describe a river using appropriate geographical vocabulary
To be able to name one major world river and one local river / Lesson 5: Rivers of life
Watch the opening to EastEnders and find River Thames on a map
Pupils discuss what they already know about rivers and consider why they are important
Talk about river safety and pupils’ experiences of visiting a river
Create a river using guttering
Watch BBC clips of waterfalls. Pupils write a report or record an interview about discovering a new waterfall
Match prompts with photos
Brainstorm river words and names
Key Questions:
What is a river?
What are rivers like?
Why do people live and work near rivers?
How do rivers shape the landscape? / Activity sheets 8 and 9
PowerPoint 5
Photoset 1
BBC short video clips
Eval / Success Criteria:
Use pupil feedback at the start of the lesson and pupils’ discussion as the lesson develops for teacher assessment
Ask pupils to use self-assessment to say how well they thought they achieved one of the learning objectives and what they could do better
6 / To know some reasons why trees and other green plants are important to life on Earth
To know why some places and regions are better for growing trees and forests than others / Lesson 6: Green Earth
Introduction to the sun through an image, video clip and discussion
Pupils try to guess what leaves can do that we can’t with the help of a number of clues.
Discussion about how leaves use the sun’s energy
Discuss where big forests are found and why we need trees
Explore school grounds to find plants and trees.
Create pictorial maps showing a variety of plant life
Discussion about why trees are special and how tree numbers are diminishing
Key Questions:
Why and how are trees and other green plants special?
Which bits of the earth are green and why? / PowerPoint 6
Knowledge box 4
An empty box or container
A glass of water
An item of food
Digital cameras
Hand lenses
Leaves
Plan of school grounds
Eval / Success Criteria:
Ask pupils to explain the location of trees or suggested planting in the school grounds using their map
Use pupils’ written comments and talk about why trees matter
History
Neil Armstrong / 1 / Children grasp idea of evidence
Key Qs:
Has anyone ever been to the moon?
How do we know?
Children understand that
Armstrong et al were brave and grasp what sort of fears and worries he might have had
Children can create a narrative of
the journey to the Moon by
sequencing pictures and/or adding captions / Starter:
Develop children’s interest by limited exposure to picture and video images designed to elicit prior knowledge and to develop a desire to know more. Slow reveal of picture of man climbing down ladderonto the Moon, ask 'Does anyone know what is going on here?’
Main Activities:
Watch section of video covering history of/ motivation for space travel and Apollo 11 mission.
Talking partners to share ideas & children complete Writing in speech bubbles - why Neil went to the Moon. Share & discuss ideas
Sequence pictures and/or captions of major events - launch, in space, on the Moon, raising the flag, splashdown etc.
Differentiate by number given, method of recording & level of support required.
Plenary:
Sequence large visual on board & children come forward & order correctly, explaining reasoning.
Key Qs:
Why do you think Neil Armstrong is famous?
Why was the Moon landing so important / significant? / PowerPoint slide
Toslow reveal of man stepping onto Moon’s surface for the first time •
Video: Famous
People Series 1: Neil Armstrong
30 second video extract showing only the point where Neil Armstrong
steps onto the Moon,
Eval / Success Criteria:
All can say why Neil Armstrong is famous
Most can sequence the events of the Moon landing correctly
Some can explain the significance of the 1st Moon landing
History
Gustav Holst / 2 / To know about the life of the famous composer Gustav Holst
During T1 play the Planets when children arrive at start of the day.
To be continued focusing on The Planets Symphony in Music from Wk 3 / Starter:
Contextualise by explaining that we will be learning about the Planets Symphony by Holst (discuss vocabulary symphony, composer etc)
Main Activity:
Work through powerpoint about Holst’s life
Plenary:
Children share what they have learnt about his life to recap & check understanding. / Powerpoint
Eval / Success Criteria:
All can recall 1 fact about Holst’s life
Most can name the symphony & explain that it is about planets
Some can place Holst in the correct period in History (i.e. composed at start of WW1)
ICT / Rising Stars Scheme
We are astronauts – Programming on screen -
Basic logging on skills –
Natalie Fulton
PE / Each week focus will be 1 lesson Social LO (PSHE) 2nd Lesson Physical LO:
Scheme: FUNS for Everyone
Coordination – Floor movement patterns
Static Balance – One Leg / For whole unit:
1. Board to display LO & Success Criteria
2. 7 apparatus work stations
French / Taught by Rebecca Crease
Music & DT / Famous Composers – Holst The Planets Symphony (Focus on composer’s life see History)
Harvest Festival
To identify, create & play different types of Instruments (string, percussion & wood wind)
To know & understand specific music vocabulary (timbre & pitch)
3 / To know how a stringed instrument works / Starter:
Look at picture of Mars & listen to piece. Ask children what sound they hear most (strings)
Draw what the Music makes you feel
Explain how Holst wanted musician to play & model on a violin
Main Activity:
Create a tissue box banjo using different lengths & widths of elastic band
Plenary:
Children share instruments & play them & ask:
How do different types of bands change the sound leading to a discussion about pitch / Powerpoint
Tissue boxes & kitchen roll tube & elastic bands
Eval / Success Criteria:
All can name as stringed instrument
Most can explain how they length & width of an elastic band changes the sound
Some can use the correct musical vocabulary
4 / To know what timbre is / Starter:
Look at picture of Venus & listen to piece & ask children what they notice about the music compared to Mars last week (quieter)
Explain that the celesta (like a glockenspiel) makes the sound
Explain that certain sounds are associated with colours & ask them to say what sounds might go with what instruments using talking partners
Main activity:
Children sort a variety of percussion instruments into colours
Plenary:
Children share choices & explain why. Ask if othersagree / disagree with reasons / Power point
Coloured pens
Selection of percussion instruments
Eval / Success Criteria:
All can say how Mars and Venus are different
Most can sort explain what the timbre of the music is using a colour chart
Some can fully explain their ideas to others
5 / To know how a wood wind instrument works / Starter:
Explain Mercury was the messenger of the God Jupiter. He is winged & has been described like a butterfly flitting about.
Listen to the extract & ask
What instruments can you hear?
Show picture of wood wind instruments & explain how they work
Main Activity:
Individually children make an oboe out of a straw & demonstrate how to blow across top of straw & change pitch
Using 5 straws of different lengths taped together children make pan pipes
Plenary:
How id you make the sound higher / lower (pitch)?
Demonstrate on a recorder how covering the holes changes the pitch too / Power point
Straws
tape
Eval / Success Criteria:
All can name a wood wind instrument
Most can make pan pipes
Some can explain why the sound is different depending on the length of the straw
6 / Harvest Festival Performance Preparation
R.E Christianity - Creation / 1 / What do we mean by ‘creation’?
Cross Curricular Links:
Literacy -Speaking and Listening
PHSE – good to be me
Geography / Talk about the inspiration, purpose, imagination, design, carefulexecution of something the children have created themselvesrecently (e.g. in DT, Art & Design, Music). Discuss howthe verb ‘to create’ is more than simply ‘making’ – e.g. itimplies careful deliberation, imagination to see the possibilities,experimentation, creativity and perseverance to ‘get it right’.
Discuss the feelings we have when we our ‘creation’ disappoints ordelights us.
Show pictures of an animal, a plant (e.g. an oaktree or a sunflower) or a natural substance (e.g. water or flint) andtalk about how it is remarkably adapted to or has properties thatare essential for or helpful to life on earth.
Tell the children that some people believe that the natural worldis so amazing that a creator God must have ‘made’ it. There aremany ancient stories, from different parts of the world, expressing this idea. Some people may consider stories like theseto be literally true. Other people find that these stories havesomething important to say (though they may not consider them tobe literally true) whilst at the same time believing in scientifictheories of the origins of the universe and evolution. For these people it is a case of ‘both’ rather than ‘either or’. Otherpeople do not believe that there is any kind of God at the origin ofthings. Whatever we think about this, we can consider questions that no one has the completeanswer to.
Eval / Success Criteria:
reflect on the meaning of the verb ‘to create’;
understand that ‘creation’ in a religious context relates to ideas about a ‘creator’ God;
understand that ‘religious’ and ‘scientific’ theories about how the world began are not necessarilymutually exclusive.
2 / What do Jews and Christians
believe about how the worldbegan?
Cross Curricular Links:
Literacy / Remind children of the story of creation as found in Hebrew and
Christian Bibles (Genesis chap 1 v1 – chap 2 v3)

animated version of story.
Talk about the beliefs that are expressed in the story and, again,about the different ways in which stories like this may beunderstood (e.g. not necessarily literally so that the ‘days’ in thestory might be interpreted as ‘ages’ rather than days consistingof 24 hours).
Ask the children to write their own version of the story in a fewkey words/phrases as a ‘comic strip’ in only 3 sections (beginning, middle and end).They will need to think carefully about what they think is mostimportant for each section. Discuss each other’s ideas andreasons for choices.
Eval / Success Criteria:
interpret key beliefs expressed in theJewish/Christian story of creation;
apply their understanding of the story to their own ‘concentrated’ versions;
3 / What do Hindus believe abouthow the world began?
Cross Curricular Links:
PSHE / Read and discuss story of birth of Brahma. Discuss role of Brahma within 'Trimurti' - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. (There are 3 aspects to ‘God’ in the Hindu tradition: Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver or sustainer, Shiva is the destroyer. All life is subject to this cycle.)
Identify sounds, actions and movements in the story. Ask thechildren to work in small groups with musical instruments to recreatethe story in sound and movement. Evaluate interpretationsof different groups. / Story of birth of Brahma
Eval / Success Criteria:
express ideas about Brahma, the creating aspect of ‘God’ in the Hindu tradition, in sound and movement
4 / What similarities/differences are there between these 2 stories?
Cross Curricular Links:
Literacy: Compare and contrast stories from different cultures on similar themes / Analyse the 2 stories in terms of:
What was there in the beginning? Nothing? Something? Whathappens? What causes things to happen? What is the result?
Children could make a Venn diagram to show similarities anddifferences between the 2 stories e.g. both stories begin withdarkness and water; both stories refer to ‘spirit’ or ‘breathing’(these words come from the same root); in both stories a ‘word’ isspoken,; in both stories darkness gives way to light; in both storiessky and earth are formed.