Half Term Topics
There are six overarching themes that all Year groups will explore at the same time, allowing the whole school community to investigate collaboratively and share what has been discovered through assemblies, class partnerships and open classrooms.
Each topic begins with an image and a hook to stimulate lines of enquiry. Children will be encouraged to ask questions, express likes and dislikes and draw conclusions about a range of issues that are linked to this theme. These issues and lines of inquiry will be revisited during their time at Cherry Tree in new and varied contexts to allow for changing views and the development of ideas from our children as they mature
The first theme is ‘Who are we?’ This takes place in the first term of the school year to enable children to focus on new beginnings and develop the values of confidence and friendship that will carry them through the rest of the school year. Exploring the local area builds a sense of belonging and familiarity which helps the children to be able to make comparisons with contrasting localities and people, at a later stage. Children will share the wealth of cultures within the Cherry Tree Family and welcome visitors from the local community. Learning about historic events and people that have shaped our local environment over time, leads to discussion about future ambitions and goals.
In the second half of the Autumn Term we investigate ‘Where are we in place and time?’ This is a history-based theme. Across the school, children will explore different periods of History and learn about where key figures and events fit into a chronological timeline. Children will have the opportunity to delve into the lives of these influential characters that have inspired generations, or those who have quietly affected change throughout their lifetime. Links will be made to other curricular subjects to ensure the children can identify the cause and effect of cultural, political and social change in context.
Curiosity and intrigue will be stimulated in Spring 1 through exploring ‘How does the world work?’ Science is all about asking questions and discovering the answers through practical and exciting investigations. The children will have the opportunity to look at how science and technology has changed over time and discuss those individuals who have made notable scientific discoveries. The children will learn to take notice of the world around them and record observations of change over time. We will make full use of our extensive school grounds and use all of the amazing resources on our doorstep to help the children experiment and draw conclusions from their findings.
In the second half of the Spring term, our children will get creative. The focus is ‘how can we express ourselves?’ and the topics on offer will allow the children to study how we communicate in a variety of ways. The lines of inquiry will facilitate the development of art, design, drama and musical skills, alongside discovering the inspiration and stories behind some of the most well known and celebrated artists and designers throughout history. Confidence will be built through performing collaboratively to an audience and artistic talents can be celebrated together.
Summer Term 1 is called ‘how do we organise ourselves around the world?’ Children will use maps, globes, photographs, videos and many other sources of information to learn about a contrasting locality to the environment they live in. This is an opportunity for the children to discover more about the huge variety in physical landscapes, climates and human settlements around the world. We will evaluate patterns of behaviour and how humans interact with the planet in different settings. Children will make comparisons and connections within the world in which we live.
Our final term is entitled ‘how do we share the planet?’ We end the school year almost back where we started, with the children. This theme allows the children to reflect on current environmental issues and how they impact on their lives. We continue to promote the values of respect and responsibility by debating what actions can be taken to preserve and protect the world alongside learning about those individuals who have strived to bring about change and inspired others to do the same. The children will get involved in local projects and get creative in cross curricular subjects.