Theme 3: A voyage of discovery (4 weeks)
Literacy
Year 5/6
Art & Design
 Letters/informal and formal  Note writing – to prepare
for longer pieces of writing
(linked to Darwn’s letters)
and notes about species
 Recount – of
 Discussion – for and against
voyages/discoveries
the theory of evolution
 Explanation - how or why
 Reading journals – read
adaptation/natural
selection/evolution happens some of Darwin’s entries
aboard The Beagle.
or how adaptation can lead
to evolution
Grammar objectives:
 Use a wide range of
conjunctions
to create
compound and
complex sentences
 Using a range of
effective punctuation.
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Leonardo Da Vinci study of biology/zoology
Drawing images of main stages of Darwin’s
theory of evolution
Build an ‘evolution’ totem pole
T-shirt printing using heat transfer paper
illustrating steps in evolution
Computing

Research key dates and events in the life of
Charles Darwin, collecting information, images
and links

Add points to a Google Earth map to tell
people about the voyages and discoveries of
Charles Darwin
Record a virtual tour of Darwin’s discoveries.
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Design & Technology
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Geography
Not a focus for this term
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Numeracy
Multiplicative reasoning
 perform mental calculations,
including with mixed operations
and large numbers
 identify common factors, common
multiples and prime numbers
 multiply one-digit numbers with
up to two decimal places by
whole numbers
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solve problems involving the
calculation of percentages [for
example, of measures, and such
as 15% of 360] and the use
of percentages for comparison
calculate and interpret the mean
as an average
Geometric reasoning
draw 2-D shapes using given
dimensions and angles
recognise, describe and build
simple 3-D shapes, including
making nets
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compare and classify geometric
shapes based on their
properties and sizes and find
unknown angles in any triangles,
quadrilaterals, and regular
polygons
illustrate and name parts of
circles, including radius, diameter
and circumference and know that
the diameter is twice the radius
Study area and perimeter
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Modern
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Science
History
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Studying and comparing similarities and
differences between various organisms,
including human beings, and exploring
relationships between variation in different
characteristics
Handling data and using graphical presentation
of evidence gathered
Studying primate and human developments
over time
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Not a focus for this theme
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Music
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Animal vocabulary and learning the parts of the
body, while learning a song or two on the way!
Language detective activity – using bilingual
dictionaries
Compare Christmas celebrations in the UK and
Australia and write postcards from Australia to
our friends in France
Physical
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Languages
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Education
Year 6 are focussing on tennis and badminton,
as well as gymnastics
Year 5 are focussing on invasion games (including
netball, football and hockey) and dance
Use the voyage of the HMS Beagle (Darwin’s
ship) and Darwin’s recounts of the voyage as a
springboard from which to find out about:
Latitude, longitude, equator,
northern/southern hemispheres, tropics of
cancer/Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic,
Thailand climate zones, biomes, vegetation
belt, volcanoes.
Programme music (depicts a
scene or tells a story through
musical narrative)
Experiment with sounds to paint
the musical picture
Develop skills for soundscapes
and compose own class music
based on imaginary voyage
Religious
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Education
Building a greater understanding of peace.
Designing and making a creative piece of
work to encourage peace and a peaceful
world.
Reflecting on and exploring how values make
a community happier.
Devising a personal code for living.