The topic for this term is 'Victorian Britain'.

We explore what life was like for children (both rich and poor) during this era; what amazing inventions there were; and how travel and transport developed throughout this time.

We believe that it is important to learn about our History topic through a variety of tasks and experiences to embed key skills across the wider curriculum.  We want to engage learners in a practical and purposeful way so that children have fun learning opportunities that aid lifelong learning.  Some of the activities that we have completed this term include:

        * Making Victorian furniture in Design Technology;

        * Creating art inspired by William Morris;

        * Researching the Industrial Revolution;

        * Mapping out journeys to different seaside towns throughout the UK in Geography.

English

During our English lessons in the Autumn term, we look at the picture book Flotsam and use this to think about fantasy settings. We explore the possible story behind the pictures and the adventure that these intriguing images takes us on.

Our class text throughout the term is Street Child by Berlie Doherty which is centred around the main character, Jim Jarvis, and his life in Victorian London. To further our understanding of both Jim's story and life at the time, we also look at the sequel Far From Home to discover what could have happened to Jim's family. This story inspires our research and writing about Dr Barnardo and the impact that he had on the lives of pauper children in Victorian Britain as well as his legacy. 

Before we explore Far From Home, we predict what could have happened to Jim's family and write our own short stories based on these predictions and our own knowledge of Victorian Britain.