Hawthorn Class
Welcome to Hawthorn Class (Y5/6)
The class teacher is
Miss Taplin
&
the teaching assistant is
Miss Walters.
Our curriculum theme this term is:
DISCOVER
Our enquiry question for autumn 2025 is,
"What do all the ancient civilisations have in common?"
The main subject we will be focusing on during our project is history. The children will learn about four of the earliest civilisations in the world; ancient Sumer, ancient Egypt, the Indus Valley and the Shang Dynasty.
They will study the ancient Sumerian and ancient Egyptian civilisation in depth, to discover how crucial factors like water sources and farming helped them to develop and thrive. They will find out about important inventions and the growth of cities. They will also study the lives of different people in society, including the roles of kings and pharaohs. The children will reflect on their learning by identifying the similarities and differences between the two civilisations, before studying the Indus Valley civilisation and Shang Dynasty independently.
They will explore the Shang Dynasty which was the first recorded dynasty in Ancient China famous for its powerful kings, bronze work, early writing system, and religious practices. They will then explore sources of evidence about the location of the Indus Valley, cities and trade, and note the reasons why historians know less about the Indus Valley than other ancient civilisations.
The children will then compare all four civilisations, before learning about the causes and consequences of each civilisation’s decline. They will also consider whether or not these civilisations left a lasting legacy.
They will consider the following questions:
- What is a civilisation?
- How did the first civilisations emerge?
- What kinds of features make a civilisation?
- What similarities do we notice between them?
- What differences can we find between ancient civilisations?
- How are these features still important in our world today?
Black History Month
The children will learn about the existence of the Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs (Kingdom of Kush) with a focus on its existence as a powerful African civilization that rivalled and sometimes surpassed Ancient Egypt, highlighting its contributions to trade, culture, and governance. They will explore the kingdom's history, key figures, and its interactions with other civilizations. They will explore the following questions:
Who were the black pharaohs that became the 25th Dynasty of Egypt?
What did they accomplish and what is their legacy?
We will be reading the following texts: Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carrol, The Time-Slip Scarab by Pie Corbett, The Egyptian Cinderella by Pie Corbett, Weslandia by Paul Fleischman, The Willow Pattern Story by Allan Drummond and Tales of Ancient Worlds by Neon Squid.
Throughout our project, we will explore concepts such as belonging, community, beliefs, change and class.
The school treasures we are focusing on are peace and courage.
Our United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) this term is – Sustainable cities and communities (11): Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Enhancement subjects
Science: Properties and changes of materials
RE: Christians and how to live: What would Jesus do? (UC Gospel); Why do Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah (UC Incarnation)
PSHCE: Me and My Relationships; DAaRT
Computing: Creating media: Stop motion animation; Computer systems and networks: Search engines (Y5)
Music: Composition notation (Ancient Egypt)
Art and design: Ancient Egyptian scrolls (making paper)
Design & Technology: Mechanical systems: Automata toys (cams)
PE: Paceball, Hockey, Gymnastics
MFL: Spanish
P.E. is on a Wednesday and Friday this term. Children should come to school wearing their PE kit on these days.
Class visits this term:
TBC
Other important dates:
Harvest Festival TBC
Hawthorn Class Assembly Friday 21st November 2025 (9:15am)
There will be information, updates and photos posted on Class Dojo as well as individual messages so please check your app regularly. Please message me if you have any questions.
Miss Taplin