Autumn 1
As the new school year begins, we are very much looking forward to getting to know our new Year 5’s and exploring some new topics with them!
In our English lessons, we are thinking about our heroes. We have already looked at a video called “Pip”, about a dog who is training to be a seeing eye dog. We used this video to remind ourselves of expanded noun phrases and fronted adverbials. We are also looking forward to using the book "Stories For Boys Who Dare To Be Different", in which we will find out about different men throughout history who have achieved great things.
In Maths, we have already recapped the place value number skills required to order and compare numbers to 100,000. Following our work on rounding numbers, we will be able to use estimating to check whether our addition and subtraction calculations using column method are correct or not. As the term continues, we look forward to recapping our knowledge of addition and subtraction and applying our understanding of the inverse to solve missing number calculations.
In Science, we are considering the impact of different forces on the world around us. Throughout this unit we will conduct a variety of experiments into gravity, air resistance and water resistance and evaluate the fairness of these tests. Take a look at one of the pulleys we made to explore the concept of mechanisms.
During Spanish we are recapping introductions before considering how we introduce our own family as well as other people's family members. This builds on our work in previous year groups. In RE we are considering the concept of 'Wisdom' and what this means to those within the Christian and Islamic religions. Don't be surprised if you are asked for your own words of wisdom at home!
Autumn 2
This half term we have looked at Hidden Figures and discussed the themes of racism, overcoming obstacles and injustice. We have considered many real individuals who have worked to reduce the discrimination faced by people due to their race, such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. Our teachers have been very impressed with the maturity we have shown, particularly when looking at famous speeches such as "I have a dream".
In Maths, we have worked hard to improve our understanding of fractions. We are gaining confidence in using numberlines, pictures and multiplication methods to find equivalent fractions as well as convert between mixed and improper fractions.
Our DT project this half term has been focused on making Anglo-Saxon carts using wood. We have had to be exceptionally resilient when making the chassis, using cardboard reinforcers to help make it sturdy. Look back soon for some photos!
Spring 1
We have looked at a firm favourite book this half term called "Kensuke's Kingdom" written by Michael Morpurgo. This is a story about a boy (also called Michael) who sets off around the world on a boat called Peggy Sue, along with his mum, dad and dog called Stella. We took inspiration from a storm in the book to write Renga poems, counting the syllables carefully and trying to include a range of figurative language such as similes and metaphors.
In Geography we have built on our knowledge of biomes and worked together to answer the question "Is there a link between a country's biome and what it produces?". We've had to carry out some in depth research into agriculture grown in different countries through exploring food packaging as well as use different maps showing rating of things such as average wealth and oil use to help us.
In our DT work, we worked in teams to design a fajita recipe. We conducted some research into spices to help us decide which ones we wanted to include and considered the cost of our overall fajita. We then developed our cutting, slicing, grating and peeling skills to create them fajitas. They were very tasty and the smell made the rest of the school's stomachs rumble!
This term we had a whole week of swimming every afternoon. Many of us developed our confidence in the water, using a pool noodle to help us swim a width of the pool. Some of us improved our different strokes and worked on moving through the water using only our legs or only our arms. While it was tiring, the teachers noticed lots of progress!
Spring 2
This half term, our work has linked to the text "The Wolves of Currumpaw" which is set in New Mexico, North America. We have used our understanding of causal conjunctions and formal language to write a letter to the main character, asking him to help us capture Lobo.
We have also been working hard to make dreamcatchers and God's Eyes, using our resilience and weaving skills. Although they can be tricky at times to make, we can try and try again as many times as needed until we are happy. Tying knots has been a skill that has come in handy.
In maths, we have worked hard to develop our written methods for multiplication and division. We have considered when to round remainders up or down, depending on the context. Knowing our times tables accurately has been imperative for our success.
Our PE days are-