YEAR 5/6 ‘DAVID WALLIAMS CLASS’
TERM 2
VICTORIANS
(A Victorian Childhood)
As this is such a rich topic, we are continuing our Victorians theme this term – the topic coverage therefore remains
largely the same.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FANTASTIC EFFORT WHICH WAS PUT INTO EACH AND EVERY
PROJECT LAST TERM! THE STANDARD OF WORK WAS EXCEPTIONAL AND MUCH APPRECIATED BY
PUPILS, STAFF, PARENTS AND VISITORS.
The children learned so much from engaging in their projects so fully and it was indeed a pleasure to share their
knowledge with the class and to see how much their peers learned from them.
Thank you again.
(Look out for a different project to be set for our new topic in January!)
This topic will be delivered as part of a creative curriculum covering key skills within History, Art and Literacy in
particular:
HISTORY:
The Victorians
Through this unit the children will learn about Queen Victoria, her reign and some of the characteristic features of the
period. They will then look more specifically at Victorian childhood, the lives of poor children in Victorian Britain and
the jobs they had to perform. They will learn about the laws and changes that were put into place to protect working
children and particularly about the roles that Dr. Barnardo and Lord Shaftesbury played in these changes. They will
compare modern and Victorian schooling and will learn about what Victorian children did during their leisure time
including the toys they played with, and the games they played.
We will also be looking at how the Victorian’s celebrated Christmas and the influence they had in the way we celebrate
Christmas today – specifically how the wealth and technologies generated by the industrial revolution of the Victorian
era changed the face of Christmas forever.
ART:
Decoupage
The children will learn about the Victorian technique of decoupage and use this technique to create a piece of artwork.
William Morris
They will also explore the work of William Morris and the arts and crafts movement and create wallpaper patterns in the
style of Morris.
LITERACY
Stories with Historical Settings: Street Child
We will be studying the modern classic, Street Child by Berlie Doherty. This is a fictional account of the experiences of
Jim Jarvis, a young orphan who escapes the workhouse in 1860's London and survives brutal treatment and desperate
circumstances until he is taken in by Dr. Barnardo, founder of a school for the city's "ragged" children. As we explore the
novel, the children will discuss challenging themes including cruelty, injustice, resilience and humanity. It will also
enable the children to develop an understanding of issues such as poverty and child labour.
Aims of this sequence:





To empathise with a character and explore possible reasons for his actions and consider decisions he might make
To explore narrative plot, settings, characters and draw inferences to aid understanding
To write texts based on fictional experiences
To write recounts from a character’s point of view
To write in a chosen form for a selected audience
SCIENCE: Light
This term the children will complete their work on ‘electricity’ and begin work on ‘light’. They will identify sources of
light and revise facts that light travels in straight lines and opaque objects form shadows. They will understand that to
see, light needs to enter the eye. They will also investigate light reflection and refraction as they discover that white light
is made of many colours and investigate the speed of light.
MATHS
This term we will be concentrating on the following mathematical knowledge and skills:
 Multiplication and Division
 Fractions
 Subtraction using decimals
 3D shapes
RE: Christianity & Christmas
The children will be learning about the Bible and its importance to Christians. They will see what can be learned about
faith from Old Testament examples and they will compare the New and Old Testaments. They will also read and
understand the different accounts of the Nativity in the gospels.
HOMEWORK
Your child’s Homework Diary is regularly updated throughout the week and all homework tasks should be entered
into their diaries. Please support them by checking regularly to ensure that all homework is completed on time. Feel
free to use the diaries as a means of communication with school – diaries will be checked every Friday.
Both year groups:
Spelling: Words set and tested on Tuesdays. Spelling books with sentences due in on a Tuesday.
Reading: Reading tasks on the current literacy text may be set from time to time. Children will be required to read a set
number of pages/chapters in readiness for the next lesson. This must be completed in order for all pupils to be able to
fully engage in the lesson and not fall behind.
MyMaths: Homework set weekly, every Thursday, due to be completed by the following Tuesday morning
Year 5’s only: Fridays
Guided Reading:
Guided reading tasks will be set every Friday and must be completed in readiness for the following Friday’s session.
Year 6’s only: Fridays
English Comprehension:
Each child will be expected to complete one comprehension paper per week. These will be on a range of reading genres
and will require deeper understanding and inference in some cases. Some parental support may be required in the initial
stages.
YEAR 5/6 ‘DAVID WALLIAMS CLASS’
TERM 1
VICTORIANS
(A Victorian Childhood)
Upcoming Events:
 25th September: Macmillan coffee afternoon.
 9th October: Preston Manor & Hove Museum visit.
 19th October: Victorian School Day
This topic will be delivered as part of a creative curriculum covering key skills within History, Art and Literacy in
particular:
HISTORY:
The Victorians
Through this unit the children will learn about Queen Victoria, her reign and some of the characteristic features of the
period. They will then look more specifically at Victorian childhood, the lives of poor children in Victorian Britain and
the jobs they had to perform. They will learn about the laws and changes that were put into place to protect working
children and particularly about the roles that Dr. Barnardo and Lord Shaftesbury played in these changes. They will
compare modern and Victorian schooling and will take part in a Victorian School Day (date to be confirmed). They will
learn about what Victorian children did during their leisure time including the toys they played with, and the games they
played.
ART:
Decoupage
The children will learn about the Victorian technique of decoupage and use this technique to create a piece of artwork.
William Morris
They will also explore the work of William Morris and the arts and crafts movement and create wallpaper patterns in the
style of Morris.
LITERACY
Stories with Historical Settings: Street Child
We will be studying the modern classic, Street Child by Berlie Doherty. This is a fictional account of the experiences of
Jim Jarvis, a young orphan who escapes the workhouse in 1860's London and survives brutal treatment and desperate
circumstances until he is taken in by Dr. Barnardo, founder of a school for the city's "ragged" children. As we explore the
novel, the children will discuss challenging themes including cruelty, injustice, resilience and humanity. It will also
enable the children to develop an understanding of issues such as poverty and child labour.
Aims of this sequence:





To empathise with a character and explore possible reasons for his actions and consider decisions he might make
To explore narrative plot, settings, characters and draw inferences to aid understanding
To write texts based on fictional experiences
To write recounts from a character’s point of view
To write in a chosen form for a selected audience
SCIENCE: Electricity
This term the children will begin with revision of simple circuits and then have lots of hand-on experience with symbols,
diagrams and incomplete circuits. They will engage in two enquiries about the length of wire in a circuit and the use of
cells.
MATHS
This term we will be concentrating on the following mathematical knowledge and skills:
 Addition & place value
 Addition & number: multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100; column addition
 Addition & subtraction: money; finding change; column subtraction (by decomposition)
 Shape & measure: 2D & 3D shapes, nets; angles
 Multiplication & division: fractions
RE: Judaism
The children will be learning about the use and symbolism of the Menorah, the festivals of Rosh Hashanah, Yom
Kippur, Hanukkah and Pesach. Through these they will learn key religious words and phrases associated with Judaism,
they will make clear links between religious beliefs and practices and will be able to ask questions about belonging and
commitment.
HOMEWORK
Your child’s Homework Diary is regularly updated throughout the week and all homework tasks should be entered
into their diaries. Please support them by checking regularly to ensure that all homework is completed on time. Feel
free to use the diaries as a means of communication with school – diaries will be checked every Friday.
Both year groups:
Spelling: Words set and tested on Tuesdays. Spelling books with sentences due in on a Tuesday.
Reading: Reading tasks on the current literacy text may be set from time to time. Children will be required to read a set
number of pages/chapters in readiness for the next lesson. This must be completed in order for all pupils to be able to
fully engage in the lesson and not fall behind.
MyMaths: Homework set weekly, every Thursday, due to be completed by the following Tuesday morning
Year 5’s only: Fridays
Guided Reading:
Guided reading tasks will be set every Friday and must be completed in readiness for the following Friday’s session.
Year 6’s only: Fridays
English Comprehension:
Each child will be expected to complete one comprehension paper per week. These will be on a range of reading genres
and will require deeper understanding and inference in some cases. Some parental support may be required in the initial
stages.
PROJECT
To consolidate our topic learning, the children will be required to work on a topic-related project at home, which will be
due in on Monday 12th October. This ‘learning outside the classroom’ has proven very popular with the children in the
past. It is a good introduction to the more independent learning they will be expected to engage in at Secondary school.
Traditionally the children (and parents!) have been excited and engaged and look forward to presenting their (usually
very high standard) projects to the class. The children will have autonomy over the way in which they choose to present
their project, e.g., they may choose to create an artefact, a model, a piece of art, a written response, a display etc. Their
projects should be a response to one of the following areas. Included are question prompts – they may use these as a
basis for their research and as stimulus for their project but they are a guide only and answers to all of these are not
expected.
Starting from questions.
Below are many questions which could be used as the starting point for children's enquiries into different aspects of life
in the Victorian period.
Society
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Why was Britain called 'The Workshop of the World" in Victorian times?
How did the lives of rich and poor Victorians differ?
What were working conditions like in the town and country?
What were factory working conditions like in Victorian times?
How did working conditions change for women and children?
Daily Life
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How did Victorians dress?
What foods did Victorians eat?
What games and toys did Victorian children have?
What sort of entertainment did rich people enjoy?
What were Victorians houses like?
What was the role of women in Victorian society?
Education
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After 1870 all children, from 5 to 13 had to go to school. What effect did this have on their lives?
How did rich children’s education differ from poor children's?
How did Victorian schools differ from modern schools?
What lessons did Victorian children have?
Transport
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What were canals and railways used for in Victorian Britain?
How did the growth of the railways affect ordinary people's lives?
Why was London's underground railway built?
How did the bicycle develop in the 19th century?
When were the first iron ships made?
Who made the first motor cars?
Inventions and discoveries
Who invented:
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The Steam Engine?
The Great Western?
The phonograph?
The typewriter?
The motor car?
The electric lightbulb?
The telephone?
The photographic camera?
The telegraph?
Who:
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
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discovered X-Rays?
first used radium to treat cancer?
first used chloroform in operations?
first used antiseptic in operations?
How did these affect ordinary people's lives in Victorian Britain?
What other discoveries were made in Victorian times?
I very much look forward to seeing their responses to their chosen aspect of Victorian life. Remember, all projects will
be due in on Monday 12th October, 2015.