Using our science, PSHE and geography curriculums to help us, we will explore our ever-changing planet. Our pupils will discuss issues such as Fairtrade, climate change and global warming. Pupils will also explore geographical features from around the world, such as climates, rivers and mountains.
PSHE
During the autumn term, we have explored climate change and global warming. In PSHE, we have looked at our responsibility to look after the world we live in. We have also explored the impact that environmental and human factors can have, including a study of the ‘Turtles in Texas’.
In Year 6 during Autumn term, the children investigate environmental issues in the local area as well as sustainability, which include discussions and debates about climate change, carbon emissions and global warming. Take a look at some of our discussion slides and summaries of this topic.
In Nursery we talk about how to care for our planet. We litter pick and sort the litter into groups and then recycle it to make new things!
Geography
During our geography topic of climate and biomes, we discussed climate change heavily. We talked about why climate change is happening and what we can do to help with this. We looked at what both the human and physical contributors are doing and the dramatic effects this could have on our future. We particularly spoke about deforestation and why this happens. Another topic in Year 5 was all about rivers and how these can change based on geographical features and the weather.
Year 2 begin to look at Africa as a continent, before taking a closer look at Kenya. We learned about the difference between a National Park and a game reserve. We learned how the people of Kenya try to protect the ‘Big 5’ animals which are under threat. Our studies then took us into exploring the traditions and culture of the Maasai Mara tribe, including their clothing, traditions and dances! To deepen our understanding we compared life in rural and urban Kenya with our own lives in the UK. We finished our topic with a double page spread, showcasing all of the brilliant things we have learned!
Year 4 have learned about Greece through our European study. We started off by locating Greece on world maps and on maps of Europe. Through this unit we learned about Greece’s geography and how it is made up of a mainland peninsula and 6,000 islands, we have discussed how the mainland of Greece is very mountainous and how the ancient Greeks had to overcome issues with Greece’s geography in order to form a successful civilisation. We then completed our unit by comparing Greece and the UK, then producing a tourist brochure to encourage people to visit Greece.
In Year 4, we have also been learning about rivers, with the focus being on the River Nile. We have located major rivers around, looked at the features of rivers and discussed why rivers are essential to settlements. We have looked in depth at the River Nile & how the ancient Egyptians used this for trade & transportation. We also discussed the significance that the River Nile still has today.
In Nursery, we explore cold climates and find out about the people and animals that live there.
Georges Seurat Tour Eiffel
Our partner school showed us the famous artwork by Georges Seurat of the Eiffel Tower. We recreated our own versions of this landmark art work and shared our final products with them. After that, we shared the landmarks that are local to us and found out the French translations. It was fascinating to look at where the landmarks are on the world map in relation to our partner school and think about the landmarks which we recognise as being close to our homes.
Take a look at some examples of what we found!
English
In our English lessons, we have studied the text ‘Varmints’. This text explored the role and responsibility that humans have to look after the planet. We talked about what we can do to support our planet and created information texts outlining the life cycle of plants.
In Year 3, we have been looking at Fairtrade as part of our class text, The Cloud Tea Monkeys by Elspeth Graham and Mal Peet. We researched what Fairtrade is, how it started and how we know if a product in our shops is Fairtrade. We wrote informative paragraphs about the Fairtrade system. Take a look below: