English

In English, year 5 started with the story “Who Let the Gods Out?”, which connected nicely with our history topic on Greek Gods. The children explored the introduction, gathered new vocabulary, and wrote imaginative setting descriptions of the demon’s prison, focusing on fronted adverbials. They retrieved compelling descriptions of the demon, both before and after his transformation, and created a missing person wanted poster.

To enhance their understanding, we created freeze frames to visually recap the prisoner’s escape. Using DADWAVERS sentence openers, the children then rewrote this thrilling narrative.

Next, we dove into “The Snow Sister”. The children were tasked with predicting the story by analysing the blurb and front cover. They summarised the first chapter, practised punctuating direct and reported speech, and wrote a police report detailing the incident involving Pearl and the carriage.

Maths

We continued our journey with addition and subtraction, exploring various techniques to tackle different questions. The children have also engaged with data, learning how to read and plot information on a variety of graphs.

Additionally, we introduced the concepts of angles and turns, and the children became proficient in using a protractor to draw specified angles. They also practised drawing shapes accurately with given line lengths and angles.

To help us understand numbers better, we looked into finding multiples and factors, using fun factor spiders to visualise this process, and identifying common factors. We also explored square numbers, which sparked some interesting discussions!

Lastly, we used a place value grid to multiply and divide by 10, 100, and 1000, applying this knowledge to work with multiples of these numbers. 

Science

We continued our topic on forces, diving into the concept of friction. The children designed a fair test investigation to explore different surfaces and discover which could create the most friction for a toy car. We also looked at levers and pulleys, linking our findings perfectly with our design technology project.

Next, we delved into air resistance with another fair test investigation focused on paper airplanes. The children thoughtfully considered which variables to keep constant during their experiments.

Finally, we kicked off our materials topic, exploring states of matter. The students learned about solutions, the process of dissolving, and investigated which materials are soluble or insoluble in water. They even examined the saturation point of salt in water, gaining a real understanding of this concept.

Geography

In our geography lessons, we’ve continued our exploration of earthquakes. We’ve focused on understanding where and why earthquakes occur, particularly in New Zealand. A significant part of our studies involved the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch; we examined how it affected both the people and the infrastructure of the city.

To visualise the impact of earthquakes, the children plotted a line graph showing that higher magnitude earthquakes lead to more fatalities. However, we also discussed other factors that contribute to the destructiveness of these events. A key point of our research was the reasons behind the devastation often seen in poorer countries, such as Haiti.

It’s been an enlightening topic, and the children have shown great engagement and curiosity about how geography affects people’s lives, especially in the wake of natural disasters.

History

we continued our Trojan War study, diving into the events during the siege of Troy and exploring how these influenced the eventual triumph of the Greeks. The children have discovered how the Greek Gods played significant roles in the conflict, examining why different Gods supported each side of the war.

Our studies then shifted to a detailed exploration of the written, archaeological, and visual evidence surrounding the Trojan Horse and the reality of the Trojan War itself. This engaging research led the children to create their own responses to the intriguing question: was the Trojan War truth, a myth, or a legend? 

RE

In our recent Religious Education lessons, the children explored the rich traditions of Islam. We took a closer look at the life of the Prophet Mohammed and the significant events of the Night of Power, a time when Muslims believe the Qur’an was revealed. This event is incredibly special and connects to the holy month of Ramadan, a time for reflection and fasting. We also discussed how Muslims show deep respect for the Qur’an, considering it the word of God. 

Design Technology

This term in Design and Technology, the children have been having a fantastic time learning about pop-up books! They’ve been designing and creating their very own pop-up stories inspired by classic nursery rhymes. Throughout the process, they’ve been experimenting with levers, sliders, and v-fold pop-ups. It’s been wonderful to see them think critically about their page layouts and tackle problems when things don’t quite fit or work as planned.

Music

This half term the children have been hard at work learning the lyrics to the chosen Christmas Carols for our KS2 Carol Service and sang beautifully to their audience of parents and carers at St. Catherines Church.

We warmed our voices and faces then listened to the introduction to know when to begin singing on pitch and in time, with good singing posture.

The children then sang at our whole school Christingle Service St. Catherine’s Church.

In our keyboard sessions we have played middle C, D and E. Finally, we were set a challenge and looked at the piece Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

PE

Year 5 over the last two half-terms have been practicing and refining their swimming skills. The cohort has been split into three smaller groups depending on their confidence and skillset within the water.

Amanda’s group have been learning the basics of swimming and gaining confidence using noodles and armbands, they have been practising the two main strokes and water safety.

Aimee’s group have been starting to come away from noodles and armbands to push themselves into becoming more independent in the pool. This group have practised the two main strokes, water safety and swimming on their backs.

Mr Coates’ group in the main pool have been pushing for their Level 3 skills with swimming for stamina (pushing for 25 metres), the children have really learnt a lot over the last few months including water safety

Spanish

The children have been having great fun continuing learning how to answer the question, “Do you have a pet?” They’ve been exploring even more names of animals and practising how to say the name of their own pets. We’ve also introduced the conjunction ‘but’, which helps them express which animals they do or do not have. To showcase their skills, the children used picture clues to write about the pets that various people own.

PSHCE

Recently, the children have been exploring the importance of understanding and respecting people’s differences. They’ve discussed what it means to be a kind person and how to have kind conversations with one another. We emphasised treating everyone with respect, regardless of their unique traits and backgrounds. By encouraging open dialogue, the children are learning to appreciate diversity and foster positivity in their interactions.