The Explorer - Learning Objectives

The learning objectives for Year 5 students during the Summer Term focus on the core text 'The Explorer' by Katherine Rundell, with thematic links to the geography of rainforests. The unit aims to guide students through creating various written outcomes such as newspaper reports, setting descriptions, diaries, and letters. The reading materials include both the novel and non-fiction texts about rainforests, enriching the students' understanding and providing a well-rounded approach to the topic. The curriculum is designed to enhance students' spoken language, reading comprehension, and writing skills, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience.

In terms of spoken language, students are expected to articulate their opinions clearly, listen to others, and use Standard English in their discourse. The reading objectives encourage students to develop meaning-seeking strategies, understand idiomatic expressions, and appreciate figurative language. They will explore character development through dialogue and actions, and learn how authors 'show' rather than 'tell' to enhance narratives. Additionally, students will infer characters' feelings and motives and identify themes within the text. Writing objectives include using prior knowledge to establish success criteria for their work, balancing dialogue, action, and description, and ensuring appropriate paragraphing and language for the intended audience and purpose. Grammar and vocabulary objectives focus on the effective use of tense, topic sentences, commas, relative clauses, and modality to produce clear and purposeful writing.