English

Reading 

A narrative mentor text this term is The Ghost of Gosswater by Lucy Strange. "The Lake District, 1899 The Earl is dead and cruel Cousin Clarence has inherited everything. Twelve-year-old Lady Agatha Asquith is cast out of Gosswater Hall to live in a tiny, tumbledown cottage with a stranger who claims to be her father. Aggie is determined to discover her real identity, but she is not alone on her quest for the truth. On the last day of the year, when the clock strikes midnight, a mysterious girl of light creeps through the crack in time; she will not rest until the dark, terrible secrets of the past have been revealed ... "

The weekly reading homework will be allocated reading, usually posted in Google Classroom. The students will record on paper the things that they notice while reading (under specific headings). These sheets will be used in the following week's reading lessons dealing with specific reading strategies (analysing the plot and setting, characters, vocabulary, figurative language and theme).

There will be a strong focus on writing extended responses to a range of texts (The Ghost of Gosswater, personal books brought from home, books borrowed from the school and class libraries) and drawing on specific evidence to demonstrate a good understanding of what has been read. 

Writing

The main focus will be learning how to structure narrative plots and how to develop characters. Students will be writing a range of stories. In our daily writers' workshops, specific skills will be taught and then students will apply these skills in their writing. They will set themselves writing goals for improvement in their writing developed from prompts and their own story ideas.

Speaking & Listening

Students have weekly opportunities to effectively use speaking and listening strategies in class, group and partner discussions. There will be spoken presentations in our Science inquiry unit.