Autumn Term in Class 4
During the Autumn Term, our learning in Class 4 will centre around the ancient Maya civilisation. This exciting history-based topic will start with a bang with our nail-biting adventure book ‘The Curse of the Maya’. This text - along with the picture book ‘Rain Player’ - will inspire our writing this term. We can't wait to get stuck into it!
We have lots of exciting learning happening in Class 4 this term. Take a look at our Autumn topic web and our curriculum below to find out more:
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Autumn Term in Class 4 2026 | [pdf 144KB] |
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Cycle A Year 5 and 6 Long Term Plan (updated September 2026) | [pdf 709KB] |
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Our Class Books
The Curse of the Maya
This gripping adventure follows twin twelve- year - olds (Verity and Ethan) who travel to Guatemala with their father - an archaeologist - who is tasked to uncover an ancient Maya city. While there, a discovery is made: a curse that could have caused the end of the Maya civilisation…
Will they work together and uncover the truth?
Rain Player
This wonderfully illustrated picture book tells the tale of a boy who must defeat the Rain God (Chac) in an epic game of pok-a-tok to save his people from disaster. It will inspire our own story writing after half term and spark our interest in ancient Maya traditions.
Oh Maya Gods!
This exciting laugh-out-loud tale can be found in our Topic Book Trunk this term. As well as it providing lots of laughs, it will also bring the Maya world to life.
What will we be learning about in Class 4?
We are Readers
Daily whole class reading will take place focusing on key reading skills. As well as our class books, we will study a range of fiction and non-fiction texts linked to our Maya topic so that children are exposed to a broad reading diet.
We are Writers
Using our class books and history and geography learning as our inspiration, we will be developing our skills as writers by:
- Writing a news report to inform locals about a missing security guard.
- Writing an advert to persuade people to find the father.
- Writing poetry inspired by the Amazon River and Rainforest.
- Writing a narrative based on the Rain Player picture book.
- Writing a discussion: Are the Maya really ancient history?
Active English
GPaS (Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling) will be covered through our Active English programme and linked into our daily English lessons.
Active Spelling
Spelling rules and the Statutory spellings for Years 5 and 6 will be covered daily through our Active Spelling sessions. The only spellings sent home will be the statutory Year 5/6 word list which children are expected to be able to spell by the end of Year 6 and use independently in their writing. Children will be tested on these words at the end of each full term and sent home with updated lists with their personalised target spellings.
We are Mathematicians
Maths will be taught from the White Rose programmes of study. This term both Year 5 and Year 6 will be developing their understanding of place value, the four rules (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and fractions.
We are Scientisits
Science will be taught from our White Rose Science programmes of study. This term we will be learning all about ‘Evolution and Inheritance’.
We are Geographers and Historians
History and geography will centre all around the ancient Maya civilisation. We will locate where they came from, learn about their ancient traditions and compare how their life differed from ours in the modern day.
We are Artists
In art, children will be designing and making their own clay pottery. In D&T, children will sample food from Mexico and design and make their own savoury Mexican burritos.
Computing
Children will improve their core skills in Excel and Publisher before they begin their ‘Systems and Searching’ unit of work.
RE
We will be exploring the LAS units: ‘How do people express their beliefs through worship and caring for others?’ and ‘What do people believe about caring for the world and others?’
Music
Mrs Braithwaite will be teaching us music. Our first unit from Music Express will be ‘Celebrations’.
PE
PE this term will be outdoors. We will be developing our skills in basketball and hockey.
PSHE
In PSHE we will be focusing on the SCARF units:
- Me and My Relationships
- Valuing Differences
Spanish
After our exciting ‘Spanish Day’ to kick off the year, we will learn Spanish phonics to help with our pronunciation. After half term, we will study the unit ‘Do you have a pet?’
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Cycle A Year 5 and 6 Long Term Plan (updated September 2026) | [pdf 709KB] |
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|
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Autumn Term in Class 4 2026 | [pdf 144KB] |
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Reading in Class 4
We are so fortunate to have a wealth of brilliant books in our classroom. Take a look at our classroom reading environment - a place where we can relax, choose from a range of exciting genres, share stories with friends and recommend our favourites.