Welcome to Year 5!

18 March 2022

Vanquishing Vikings

Year 5 have had a fantastic start to our new Vikings and Anglo-Saxons topic. We began by exploring virtual Viking museums, finding out about historical artefacts and different sources of information. The British Museum have done an amazing job at piecing together pieces that have been uncovered over many years. 

We then discovered how and why the Vikings invaded Britain, what brought them here and why they stayed for so long. We now know how some towns, cities and counties were given the names that we use today, and how our United Kingdom came to be. 

In English we have been exploring a weird but wonderful picture book called The Viewer by Shaun Tan. We were so inspired by the fantastic illustrations in the book, that we decided to amalgamate our English with our topic. The story is focused on a child who finds a viewing machine at the city dump, he takes the machine home and looks at the disks which appear to show different civilisations since life began. The book is missing a disk which represents the Viking era, so we designed and painted our own. They look absolutely amazing on display in the classroom! 

This week has been exceptionally busy in year 5 with the addition of Bikeability for Hazel class. We are so lucky to have the expertise in cycle safety that Mr Gapper provides, and we look forward to hearing about the children's success by the end of the week. They have learnt about the highway code and how to stay safe whilst riding on the road, an important life skill for children to develop as they grow older and become more independent. Many thanks to our parent helpers that have kindly given their time to support the children and Mr Gapper this week. Sycamore look forward to their turn next week. 

Thank you to Mr Gapper for organising and running Bikeability.

3 March 2022

STEM Week in 5

As part of our whole school STEM week project on the history of flight, Year 5 have been learning about Leonardo da Vinci's explorations into flight. This inspirational polymath is well known for his contributions to art during the renaissance period, particularly his creation of the Mona Lisa. However, da Vinci was also an engineer, scientist and theorist with a fascination with flight. 

We have combined his theories with Darwin's discoveries about evolution, inspiring our research into wings of all shapes and sizes. We used a variety of sketching pencils to create observational drawings of wings, then used these drawings to design a pair of animal wings to form a glider. We then create cardboard gliders with fantastic wings! Some children used feathers to make bird wings, some were inspired by insect wings, some  even created wings similar to bats and sugar gliders. It was great fun! We also really enjoyed testing the flight of each glider and measuring the distance travelled.

We also had a great time celebrating World Book Day this week, inspired by STEM- we were so impressed with all the children’s costumes!

11 February 2022

The Indus Valley

We can’t believe it’s already come back around to half term. Where has the time gone? Although it’s only been a five week term, Year 5 have worked extremely hard to reach some very impressive outcomes.

Diving into the deep history of an ancient civilisation

The children in Sycamore and Hazel have been really enjoying our new topic: The Indus Valley. Children were introduced to the term, ‘Cradle of civilisation’ and have since built a strong understanding of the key aspects and characteristics that a civilisation encompasses. We have used our studies of the Indus Valley to springboard our learning into the modern era and have introduced the children to the incredible life of Malala Yousafzai. Year 5 have learned all about the life of Malala and have shown their maturity and empathy when discussing the events which have taken place in her life. One of our outcomes for this topic has been an annotated timeline (above) which has successfully showcased the children’s successful learning.

Mining for excellence

This term in our English lessons, Year 5 have started reading a new and thought-provoking book: Town is by the Sea. Offering a wide-range of cross-curricular learning opportunities, this short picture book has thrown the children’s learning headfirst into the world of coal mining. Focusing on a small mining village on the East Coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, it delves into the life of a boy whose family depends on the local coal mine, and whose father works day in and day out deep below the sea, cast in the darkness of the mining industry, all for the purpose of helping his family survive. Throughout the term, Year 5 have become ‘inference experts’, analysing the pictures and text to build conclusions and make careful predictions. These skills will only better ensure the ongoing development of the children’s comprehension and reading skills moving forward. 

Mr Wilson and Mrs Londors are very proud of all the children in Year 5. It has been a full-on half term, but we have continued to enjoy every minute of it. Well done, team!

21 January 2022

Rolling on the Rivers

Well Year 5 have certainly thrown themselves into the deep since our return after Christmas! Continuing with our 'Go with the Flow' topic that we began in the autumn term, the children have really developed their knowledge and understanding of rivers. We were hugely impressed by the learning behaviours demonstrated by the children on their first day back, when we set them a research challenge in pairs. We gave each pair a river to research, a chrome book and an atlas, then they took the day to find out as much as they could and create an A3 spread all about it. The final outcomes were so beautiful and bursting with information, they're now standing proudly on the wall. 

The children have set to work on some clay river landscapes over the last two weeks, the standard of which are so high that all the adults that have seen them have been blown away. Learning to use clay tools and work carefully with this tricky material, the children sculpted to add features to the landscapes. They thought carefully about the source of their river, adding meanders, oxbow lakes, tributaries and channels. 

We are currently working on non-chronological reports in English, designing and writing about our own mythical river beasts. The children have developed a passion for publishing their work in Year 5, so we can't wait to see the outcome of this awesome project!

In maths we are spending the whole half term working on fractions. We began we a good recap of the work covered in Year four and we now move on to mixed and improper fractions, converting one to the other and sequencing them. We would like to remind the children to work on their times tables as much as possible at home, which will really support their in-class learning. 

21 December 2021

Rosh Hashanah - A Sweet New Year

It's Interfaith Week and Year 5 have been learning all about the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hashanah. We were so lucky to have the help of Mr Aronberg on Monday, who came in to tell us about his family's traditions during this celebration. The children asked fantastic questions and were keen to understand more about this special time.

Pomegranates are typically eaten and kept in the home during Rosh Hashanah. They are said to have exactly 613 seeds, symbolising the 613 commandments of the Torah. The children made pomegranate boxes and filled their 'fruit' with facts about this Jewish celebration. We then discovered that many of the children hadn't tried pomegranates or even seen this special fruit before, so we had a look inside the fruit and enjoyed trying its delicious seeds! The children also enjoyed trying some slices of apple dipped in honey, as sweet treats feature heavily in celebrations during Rosh Hashanah. This is because the celebration is the beginning of New Year in the Jewish calendar; sweet treats are thought to welcome the New Year in, in a sweet way.  

Aside from Interfaith Week, the children have been learning all about the migration of salmon when writing an explanation text in English. We loved the children's reactions when watching these incredible fish leap out of the river to make their way upstream! We have all (us adults included!) learnt new facts and language, such as 'anadromous' and 'smoltification', and we are so impressed by the work that the children have produced and look forward to seeing their writing published and illustrated.

We can't believe it's already the end of our first term together in Year 5. The children have worked incredibly hard and we're so proud of all of them. We wish you all a safe and merry Christmas and look forward to a great New Year together. 

3 December 2021

Our Natural World in Year Five

Last week in Year Five, we began our new topic called Go with The Flow. It is a geography based topic heavily based on rivers around the world.

We kicked off this topic by making boats and learning about the water cycle. We all enjoyed a fun investigation into the water cycle, by recreating this natural phenomenon in a sandwich bag! The children were fascinated to learn that the water available on and in the Earth today is the same water that has been available since time began. You may see our water cycle bags stuck to the windows in our classrooms. 

Our science topic is currently life cycles, which began this week with the life cycle of plants. The children thoroughly enjoyed dissecting lilies, finding each of the male and female organs of the plant and labelling them. 

In English, the children have been exploring explanation texts, finding the features and understanding how to write their own. This week, we will be learning about the migration of salmon from rivers and lakes to the sea. The children will be writing explanation texts based on this.

12 November 2021

Earth and Space

Just when you think the learning in Year 5 couldn’t get any more exciting, a new topic convinces you otherwise! Following on from our Natural Disasters topic, the children have become fully immersed in our enriched topic of Earth and Space. A combination of science and geography, this new area of learning has already offered a wide array of adventurous and hands-on lessons, allowing the children in Hazel and Sycamore to build a confident understanding of quite a complex unit of study. Simply put, it has definitely been a productive and fun-filled first few weeks back from half term!

A new edible outlook on the moon:

To help children better understand the relationship between our planet and the moon, Year 5 used oreos to represent the different phases of Earth’s celestial sidekick. Children discussed the importance of the moon and its orbit, and how its movements affect our daily environment down on Earth. Children now have an understanding of how the sun, Earth and moon work simultaneously to provide us with our day and night, the changing seasons, and our annual weather patterns.

A lasting impact:

Meeting the children’s budding interest in asteroids and comets, Year 5 decided to investigate how the weight, speed and size of an object can affect the overall diameter of its impact crater. After discussing historical extra-terrestrial collisions with Earth, children took their learning into their own hands and carried out an investigation to build conclusions as to whether it’s an object’s diameter or an object’s weight that dictates the overall size of its impact crater. 

Mr Wilson and Mrs Londors are very proud of all the children in Year 5. It has been a full-on couple weeks back from half term, but we have definitely hit the ground running!

22 October 2021

Victorious Volcanoes

Year 5 have had a fantastic start to the year with our Natural Disasters topic. We have explored a wealth of natural disasters, how these are caused, their environmental and human impacts and what can be done to prevent them. 

We have made links between this and our learning about changes and properties of materials in science, including the making of life rafts from waterproof, buoyant and strong materials. During our science lessons we have also had lots of opportunity to work in groups, being collaborative team players.

Our English lessons have been strongly linked to our topic this half term, initially writing newspaper reports about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, then moving on to writing narratives based on the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004. The children have developed their writing stamina and worked hard to include high level description in their work, which we are really proud of.

To end our topic with a blast, the children exploded their volcanoes that they'd made from papier mache. To show the detail inside a volcano, the children created their models as a cross section, detailing the inner workings in their topic books. It was wonderful to see the children's reactions to their explosions, a real moment of awe and wonder.

We wish you all a wonderful and restful half term. After working so hard, you truly deserve it!

1st October 2021

Thriving in Five! 

Wow! What a busy few weeks we’ve had to begin our Year 5 journey! From writing newspaper reports on the devastating events of Hurricane Katrina, to investigating the relationships between various of solutes and solvents, to analysing the poem, ‘Refugee’ by Brian Bilston, and discussing the topic of refugees and human displacement; the children have really hit the ground running with their learning.  

Artistic Chaos

In line with our Natural Disasters topic and our recent focus on volcanoes, the children used different techniques of paint strokes to design their own volcanic scene. Highlighting the randomness of nature, children created their own volcanic eruption based on the works of English artist, Nick Rowland.  

A Wave of Brilliance

In English, Year 5 are currently writing narratives based on scenes from the film, The Impossible – a film based on real-life events which took place on Boxing Day, 2004, during the Indian Ocean Tsunami which wreaked havoc upon the popular tourist island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Children have learned about the events which took place on that fateful day and have created comic strips to better explain the progression and impact of tsunamis. Over the next two weeks, Hazel and Sycamore Class will continue to write our first-person narratives, diving ever deeper into our topic of Natural Disasters.  

Mr Wilson and Mrs Londors are so proud of each and every member of Year 5. With the resilience, determination and love for learning that the children have shown so far, we are sure that there will be lots of excitement moving forward.  Keep up the hard work everyone! 

17 September

Starting the Year with a Bang!

Year 5 have had a fantastic start to the year; we are so proud of them all. Throwing themselves thoroughly into our Natural Disasters topic, the children have proven themselves to be investigators, enquirers, historians and geographers. All of the children have been wowed by the facts and details of volcanic eruptions around the world; we look forward to reading the newspaper reports that they are planning to write based on the recent natural disaster in Louisiana. 

Separating Materials

This term's science is all about materials and their properties. We all enjoyed some outdoor learning as a year group in the willow dome last week, mixing materials and then exploring ways to separate them again. We discovered that different processes are required to separate certain materials: evaporating, sieving and filtering. We look forward to combining our science with our topic this term, as we plan to create our own volcanoes and erupt them with the help of chemistry!

Suspicious Activity in the Library

We have been working hard in our English lessons to learn all about the features of newspaper reports, particularly the use of direct and reported speech. After assembly on Tuesday, one of the Year 5 children discovered a mysterious crime scene in the school library and we were all excited to find out what had happened! Where did the jam on the knife come from? Who did the tie belong to? Have the police been to school? And where is Mr Carter? We spent a long time disseminating the evidence and piecing it back together to solve the crime. Well done, Year 5, you make a fantastic detective team!