Year 5

Welcome to Year 5

Mrs Fountain

Summer Term

I hope you have enjoyed the sunshine over the Easter holidays and have come back to school fully refreshed!  I am so proud of the class for their positive and enthusiastic return to school. It is wonderful to have the classroom buzzing with smiles and an eagerness to work and it is great to see the children reconnecting as a class. What a fun-packed term we are going to have!

RE

This term we will be covering the following topics: Easter, Pentecost, Work of the Apostles and Marriage and Holy Orders. The Catholic Life of the school is also interweaved within our lessons to ensure that it is instilled in the children. We will be having our class liturgies and we will be planning some of these ourselves. We will also enjoy our weekly Gospel assemblies and Mass.

English

Writing

We are exploring a range of genres this term, starting with characterising speech texts. This unit will focus on the layout of dialogue and how to develop the character through actions and emotions. We will look at examples of these texts before drafting our own. We will also be discovering how to write recounts and identifying their features.

Guided Reading.

We will also be studying Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. This is a thrilling adventure about a boy, Michael who goes on a trip of a life time with his parents – to sail around the world! Unfortunately, there is an accident and he is left stranded on an island to survive – but is he alone?

Reading

Every child has a reading book from our reading scheme. It is imperative that children read at home as it stimulates imagination and expands their understanding of the world. Children should read for 30 minutes each night and have their reading records signed. Children change their reading books when necessary and we ensure we hear them read at school and monitor their reading carefully on a one-to-one basis and during their guided reading sessions.

Spellings

We are following the robust Read Write Inc. Spelling scheme, which the children are finding engaging and fun! Once the children have been introduced to the weekly spelling pattern, they complete interactive and written activities to consolidate these and words that are more challenging to each individual are logged in their reading record to learn at home. Don’t forget to log into the Spelling Zone practice your week’s spellings - there are plenty of games to have a go on too!

Maths

Over the Summer Term, we will be completing the following units: Decimals and percentages, Geometry, Position and direction, and Measure. We will see how decimals and percentages are closely related, develop our skills in geometry by using protractors to measure angles and becoming confident at converting units of measure.

We have access to Maths Flex, which is used alongside the maths scheme, to build confidence and support our catch up programme, so children are able to apply their maths skills in a range of contexts and situations. Times Tables Rockstars and 22 Club are also being used to engage and motivate children to learn their times tables facts, which need to be practiced at home as much as possible.

Science

 ‘Living Things and their Habitats’

We will be discovering how flowering plants reproduce, the life cycles of insects, amphibians, mammals, and birds. You will also find out about the life of a significant naturalist, such as Sir David Attenborough.

We will also be covering ‘Animals including humans’. This topic will explore the changes that occur as humans develop to old age as well as comparing the gestation periods of different animals.

 ‘Earth and Space’

 After half term we will be exploring how we get day and night and the seasons, as well as finding out some interesting facts about the moon and its phases. You will also be finding out some awesome facts about the planets!

History

Our exciting history sessions this term will be discovering the Maya civilisation. We will be using a range of primary and secondary sources and artefacts to interpret the past, to discover why they were so successful and what their life would have been like. We will investigate what life would have been like for the rich and poor and how they worshiped. Finally, we will be discovering what could have led to the decline of the civilisation. To kick start our unit, we are going to Cadbury’s world to have a Maya workshop!

Geography

This term we will be exploring South America. Children will be discovering why tourists visit these places, and what the biomes and landscape is like. We will be exploring the trade and exports as well as taking a closer look at life in Rio de Janeiro.

MFL

We will be describing the seasons and weather, reading a French poem, and using this to help us write our own poem in French!  We will also be writing a descriptive paragraph about a scene on a beach.

Computing

Mr Reynolds, our computing specialist, will be teaching the children how to create their own computer game. They will be using ‘Game Creator’ through Purple Mash.

Art

In our art focus we will be exploring the work of Jean Michel Basquiart. Through his work, we will be experimenting with expressionism and developing our watercolour techniques. We will also be finding out about the Day of the Dead festival.

DT

In technology, we will be looking at creating a Day of the Dead stuffed toy. We will be carefully designing our ideas and learning how to use the running stitch and blanket stitch with more confidence, as well as experimenting with decorative stitches and sewing on buttons.

Music

We are continuing to learn how to play our violins with Mrs Hughes. We are learning to read music and create our own improvisations! We are looking forward to performing in the WETC Celebration Concert in the Victoria Hall, Hanley and looking forward to experiencing a live orchestra.  

As the weather is hopefully going to get warmer, could I remind you to make sure your child brings their own water bottle to school.

PE will continue to be taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so please ensure the children have a full PE kit in school. These can be taken home at the end of each term to wash.

Many thanks for your continued support this year. It is such a pleasure and a privilege to work with you and your amazing children.