English

In English, Year 5 began with the exciting story “Who Let the Gods Out?”, which linked perfectly to our history topic on the Greek Gods. The children explored the opening chapters, discovered new vocabulary, and wrote imaginative setting descriptions of the demon’s prison, using fronted adverbials to add impact. They examined vivid descriptions of the demon before and after his transformation and even designed a dramatic missing person wanted poster.

To deepen their understanding, the class created freeze frames to bring the prisoner’s escape to life. Finally, using DADWAVERS sentence openers, the children rewrote this thrilling narrative with their own creative twist.

Maths

In Maths, Year 5 continued developing their skills in addition and subtraction, exploring different strategies to solve a range of problems.

Later in the term, we introduced angles and turns, and the children became confident in using a protractor to measure and draw specific angles. They practised constructing shapes accurately, using given line lengths and angles.

To deepen their understanding of number, the class investigated multiples and factors, using fun ‘factor spiders’ to visualise relationships and identify common factors. They also explored square numbers, which led to some fascinating discussions!

Finally, we used a place value grid to multiply and divide by 10, 100, and 1,000, applying this knowledge to work with multiples of these numbers in different contexts.

Science

In Science, Year 5 continued their exploration of forces by investigating friction. We then moved on to levers and pulleys, linking our findings perfectly with our Design Technology project and learning how these simple machines make work easier.

Next, the class explored air resistance through another fair test using paper airplanes. They carefully considered which variables to keep constant and which to change, strengthening their understanding of scientific enquiry.

Finally, we began our new topic on materials and states of matter. The children learned about solutions and the process of dissolving, investigating which materials are soluble or insoluble in water. Throughout these investigations, the children developed their ability to predict, observe, and explain results, as well as work collaboratively like real scientists!

Geography

In Geography, Year 5 explored the fascinating world of earthquakes. The children learned what an earthquake is, investigated its causes, and compared the Richter and Mercalli scales to understand how magnitude and impact are measured. They mapped the world’s major earthquake zones and discovered why places like New Zealand experience frequent earthquakes while others do not. Using historical data, they observed and recorded earthquake patterns in New Zealand over the past 200 years, drawing thoughtful conclusions.

The class also examined the effects of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and evaluated how earthquake magnitude relates to human casualties, learning why the most powerful earthquakes do not always cause the most destruction. Finally, they compared the 2010 Haiti and Chile earthquakes to understand how factors such as location, infrastructure, and preparedness influence outcomes. This topic encouraged critical thinking, data analysis, and map skills, while sparking curiosity about the link between earthquakes and volcanoes in tectonic zones.

RE

In Religious Education, Year 5 explored the rich traditions of Islam. The children learned about the life of the Prophet Mohammed and the significance of the Night of Power, the moment Muslims believe the Qur’an was revealed. They discovered how this event connects to the holy month of Ramadan, a time of reflection, prayer, and fasting. We also discussed the deep respect Muslims show for the Qur’an, considering it the word of God, and explored how these beliefs influence daily life and worship. This topic encouraged thoughtful discussion and helped the children appreciate the importance of faith and tradition in different cultures.

DT

In Design and Technology, Year 5 have had a fantastic time exploring the art of pop-up books. Inspired by classic nursery rhymes, the children designed and created their own imaginative pop-up stories. Along the way, they experimented with mechanisms such as levers, sliders, and v-folds, learning how these components bring pages to life. It was wonderful to see them think critically about page layouts, solve problems when things didn’t work as planned, and refine their designs. This project encouraged creativity, resilience, and precision—key skills for budding designers!

Spanish

The children have been 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.

P.E.

We continued with our adaption of an invasion game this half term. We created our own invasion type game. We needed a plan of action! Beginning with asking ourselves lots of questions. We needed to sort the grouping, roles, options, scoring, equipment, rules and put this all into action and play our newly created game.  

Music 

This half term in music, 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 at St. Catherine’s Church.