Summer Term 2 - Eco-Schools

In Year 5, we are focusing on the topic of ‘Biodiversity’.

Biodiversity is the variety of life that can be found on our planet including plants, insects, animals and even micro-organisms. We will be learning what biodiversity is and how it benefits nature; how the human population can threaten the biodiversity of different areas and finding out how we can help and encourage biodiversity locally and globally. This will lead into our Year 5 project which will involve making our own solitary bee houses and bug hotels to site around our nature areas in the school grounds. We will be spending lots of time outside and being at one with nature. This will include a ‘wild afternoon tea’ for us and our insects friends.

How can you help?

Please send in to school from Monday 14^th June any of the following items for us to re-purpose: Hollow empty stems such as reed, bamboo, bramble or hollow canes to provide the space for the bees to lay their eggs in. Sticks, straw, pine cones, small plastic plant pots or pieces of plastic drainpipes, offcuts of wood.

5A has a new flying friend! This beautiful butterfly emerged out of its chrysalis this afternoon. We will keep you updated on the others as we go through the week. 

Summer Term 1 - Bustling Brazil

After an exciting topic launch, we are thoroughly enjoying our new topic about South America, with a focus on Brazil. Within our geography work we will continue to use our mapping skills to locate South American countries (focusing on Brazil), the equator and discuss climate zones, as well as the biomes in Brazil. We will be looking at the Amazon Rainforest in detail - finding out about the different habitats – and discussing the impact of deforestation and linking this with our English work. We will also compare the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Leeds. In DT, we will be using our sewing skills to make carnival masks… it’s going to be lots of fun.

Spring 2 - Smashing Saxons

During Spring 2, our work is based around a history theme - Britain’s settlements of the Anglo-Saxons and Scots. We will be finding out who the Anglo-Saxons and Scots were, and where their place was in history. We will compare life in Anglo-Saxon and Scot settlements to life in Ancient Greece.

We will be using primary and secondary sources to investigate where the Anglo-Saxons came from and why they came to England.

We will also be using artefacts and historical enquiry to look at the discoveries at Sutton Hoo, an ancient burial mound in Suffolk and link this to our English work on explanation texts.

In art, we will be making Anglo-Saxon inspired jewellery and also improving our skills in using clay to create our own Anglo-Saxon crosses.

In computing, we will use Scratch to create our own Anglo-Saxon themed games.

Within our science work, we will  continue to learn about properties and changes of materials.

 During the whole term, we will really focus on developing our group working skills during our PSHE, PE and RE work.  

What a fun-filled half term we have ahead of us.

SPRING 1 - Our Active Planet – Earthquakes

During Spring 1, Year 5 will be studying earthquakes in detail to develop our geographical skills. We will be researching what an earthquake is and what causes them. We will be using our map reading skills to find out where earthquakes occur; developing our understanding of grid references and co-ordinates. We will also be looking at the impact of an earthquake and what you should do to stay safe during an earthquake. This geography work will be strongly linked to our English focus on non-chronological reports. In computing, year 5 will be using Inkscape to look at geometry in art. In music, we will create our own earthquake themed compositions and in Art, we will be sketching using the street artists Joe Hill, Manfred Stader and Eduardo Rolero as inspiration. In science, we will be learning about properties and changes of materials.

AUTUMN TERM

We have had a fantastic start to year 5 and it has been great to see everyone again. We have had a busy Autumn term so far.

Please visit the curriculum pages that show the amazing things we have been doing this term especially in history and DT.

Groovy Greeks

Our topic in the Autumn term is ‘Groovy Greeks’, where we study Greek life and their

 achievements and their influence on the western world.

Through our History, English, computing, PE and music lessons, children will look at everyday life; they will research who the gods were that the Greeks used to worship, Greek architecture, the theatre and the Arts, famous Greeks and the Olympics. In computing we will be learning how to use Sketchup to design our own Greek influenced buildings, as well as reinforcing our word processing skills and creating research files about Greek Food. Within our science work we will be looking at forces in Autumn 1 and then exploring 'Earth and Space' within Autumn 2.

It will all be a lot of fun!

PE days for both year 5 classes are Wednesday. 5H are also Thursday and 5A are Friday. They will need to come to school in their PE kit. PE will be outside as much as possible so please dress appropriately.

Heidi - I enjoy English because I am very passionate when writing. I  feel like I have a massive imagination.

Aaron - I loved writing about the Greeks masks and I was surprised how good it was!

Evie S - I loved going outside to use water colours on our geography maps.

Ollie P - I have found learning about the Greeks fascinating

Jake - I loved learning about the Greeks and Hercules linked to our English work.

Seth D - I have liked learning about the Olympics in our history lessons.

Alana - I loved the art because we did some awesome Greek pots painting. On the pots there were pictures of people that tell us about the different Greek stories.

Evie J - I loved doing the draft writing about the 13th Labour of Hercules. It was so much fun.

Lexie - I really liked the English about Hercules because we made up a 13th labour and called it the Tree of Prosperity

Elizabeth - I loved writing and making up a 13th labour of Hercules about the Tree of Prosperity.

Erin - I loved writing about the Tree of Prosperity in English and how Hercules was able to get to the golden apple.

Ethan - I enjoyed the story writing.

Seth O - Making up the story about the Tree of Prosperity was enjoyable.

Some other cool things we have had fun learning about this term:

PE

Sofia - I loved the Netball playing in teams, passing balls and catching the balls.

Lucas - We had to make quick decisions in Netball to get the ball to the hoop.

Eddie - ... PE is fun and it keeps me fit.

Mia - Playing netball was a lot of fun.

Kingsley - learning new skills in netball was fun.

Ben - I enjoyed exercising and playing sports.

Computing

Lexie - I really liked it in computing when we made a Greek food menu. Mine was called Greekalishious.

Sofia - I loved creating Greek menus. I changed the fonts and added pictures.

Laila - .... I loved the computing. I learnt how to change the colour of the fonts and the text types.

Ashley - I really enjoyed computing when we created our own Greek menus.

Logan - In science, we got to learn about forces. We learnt how planes move through the air.