Mighty metals are everywhere! From earrings to rockets, metals have shaped the world we live in today.

This half term, we’re going to become fantastic physicists, exploring the world of forces, metals and materials. At a playground, we’ll explore the forces that help us to slide and swing. Then, we’ll bring toys from home to investigate how they work. We’ll look closely at levers and explore how they help us to lift heavy objects. In maths, we’ll have fun investigating where we need to sit to make a seesaw balance. To learn more about forces, we’ll make spinners, play with parachutes and make magnetic games. We’ll also investigate iron, think about why some metals rust and discover the properties of different metals. Using pots, pans and other metal objects, we’ll compose a metal musical extravaganza and use our artistic skills to create embossed patterns and pictures.

At the end of the ILP, we’ll invite you to see what we’ve learned. We’ll also answer tricky quiz questions and make fantastic metal jewellery.

Help your child prepare for their project

Metals and magnets are everywhere! Why not do a hunt around the house to see how metal is used? You could also make fridge magnets using a flat magnet, glue and modelling clay or recycled materials. Alternatively, you could build models using blocks or recycled materials and investigate the force needed to knock them over!

It’s time to take a walk on the wild side!

This half term, we’ll study some amazing animals in our classroom and discover how they move, what they feel like and what they eat. We’ll also program a toy to move across a grid – will it be caught by a predator? We’ll learn about the different parts of a plant and how some plants are predators! From our investigations about the human skeleton, we’ll find out how muscle make the bones move. We’ll investigate food chains and learn about how animals find their food. Using the internet, we’ll research the majestic peregrine falcon and discover where crocodiles live. After our research, we’ll create an exciting aquatic animation.

At the end of the ILP, we’ll show you a range of animal fact presentations, make animal collages and learn about the interesting (and disgusting) world of parasites!

Help your child prepare for their project

Predators can be found in deserts, jungles, oceans or even in your own back garden! Why not go for a walk and see which animals and plants you can identify? You could also visit a zoo, thinking about which animals are predators and which animals might be their prey. Alternatively, put bird food in the garden to see if you can attract any visitors!

In the Rocks, Relics and Rumbles project, your child will learn about the different layers of the Earth, including plate tectonics and their potential effects on the Earth's surface. They will investigate different types of rock to learn about their uses and properties. They will also investigate soil and fossils, including learning about the work of Mary Anning. They will have the opportunity to use maps to learn about the lines of latitude and longitude and a compass to learn about the cardinal and intercardinal points. They will also learn about volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis and the long and short-term consequences that these can have.

Hop on the bus and take a trip downtown, where the lights are bright, and every street has a story to tell.

This half term, we’ll visit our local town to look at important buildings. We’ll photograph urban art including graffiti, murals and statues. At school, we’ll write an information leaflet about our town. Using digital mapping tools, we’ll identify the streets and buildings that we saw. We’ll investigate cities around the world and find out how they’ve changed over time. We’ll have questions for you about where you work or places you often visit, and we’ll present the data we have collected. As part of our design work, we’ll build a model urban landscape, create dramatic light effects and find out how light is used to keep people safe at night.

At the end of the ILP, we’ll create a sign for our town, thinking about imaginative wording and appealing colours. We’ll invite you to an installation featuring our signs, discuss where they’ll be displayed and why.

Help your child prepare for their project

Take a trip to the city! Why not photograph interesting buildings and make a scrapbook? You could also research urban artists and add your favourite images to your scrapbook. Alternatively, you could visit a churchyard to go gargoyle spotting! Take photographs and try to recreate them at home using modelling materials.

In the Emperors and Empires project, your child will learn about the growth and decline of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. They will discover the absolute power of the Roman emperors and study the hierarchies of Roman society and the Roman army. They will study the first invasions of Britain in 55 and 54 BC and the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43. They will learn about Boudicca’s rebellion, Hadrian’s Wall and the Romanisation of Britain, including how Christianity came to Britain and investigate the legacy of Roman Britain in their local area.