Learning  »  Class Pages  »  Archive 2014/15  »  Year 5

Hi and welcome to Year 5. We have got lots going on this year throughout the curriculum and have started fantastically! Below are our main focuses with regards topics over the year which we intend to learn about and share with you (particularly in our World War Two class assembly, as well as Ancient Greek's class assembly!):

Autumn 1 - Children in World War 2 and Life Process and Living Things;
Autumn 2 - Children in World War 2 and Earth and Space;
Spring 1 - Ancient Greece and Life Process and Living Things;
Spring 2 - Settlements and Properties and changes of materials!
Summer 1 - Rivers and Changes of State!
Summer 2 - Current News/Children's Choice!

Please see below some of our learning focuses, but please come and see us if you have any questions about our learning and wish to find out more!

English

Autumn 1

This half term we have focussed on novels from familiar authors, and we looked at Michelle Magorian with her text 'Goodnight Mr Tom', linking it with our World War 2 topic. We have edited text and magpied certain ideas from her, including her use of alliteration, metaphor, simile, personification and excellent vocabulary. Come and see our own adapted stories to see our great use of these things.

Also, we have re-read and acted out some traditional tales, but adapted them for an adult reader as opposed to a child reader. Here are some freeze frames we created of us acting out our adapted versions in groups, where we focussed on expression, as well as use of dialect, so as to influence our writing.

Drama

Also in English, we've been learning about various fiction, including traditional tales, which we've acted out our own adapted versions and shown freeze frames (as you can see in the attached images!). Similarly, we've learnt to write our own cinquain poems (some of which are also attached for your pleasure), where we concentrated on including as much simile, metaphor, personification and alliteration as we could! With regards non fiction, we've written our own reports, including reports on planets, as well as newspaper reports on topics of our choices......I tell you, we just don't stop in Year 5! We've recently been acting out a battle called 'Battle of Marathon'. It was a battle that has got meaningful history, with the character Pheidippides, who ran a long way from Marathon in Greece, to Athens, in order to warn them of the Persians attacking. Unfortunately, due to the distance travelled, he died as he delivered the message. His legacy is remembered today in what we call the marathon (he saved Athens!). We've attached some freeze frames of this too....what do you think?!

Maths

We have been learning various new strategies to add, subtract, multiply and divide, ensuring we can apply these to problems. Additionally, we continue to learn about time (along with reading and interpreting timetables), shape, area, perimeter, fractions, decimals, percentages and many more!

Topics

Autumn - World War Two

This term we have focussed on the lives of people during World War 2, including the soldiers, women and children. We have loved everything about it so far, especially our trip to Murton Park, where we were all dressed as evacuees and experienced life at the 'Home Front'.

Here are some more photos of the day:

Anderson Shelters

Within DT, we have designed, made and evaluated our own Anderson Shelters. Here are the amazing outcomes of good planning!

Year 5's Greek Day!

Last Friday, Year 5 enjoyed a wonderful curriculum day. We were able to branch out in our learning and experience what it may have been like to transcribe and write in the Greek alphabet; eat Greek food and compete in Gem groups to win our very own Greek Olympics!

Science

Life Processes and Living Things

In Auutumn 1, we have been learning all about life cycles and plants. We have enjoyed growing our own pea plants and conducted various investigations in small groups of the effect certain things have on the germination of a plant. One group investigated whether the amount of light affects the germination of a plant; a second group investigated whether the temperature affects the germination of a plant; a third the position of the seed; and a fourth the amount of water. We discovered some interesting results and one group even found that a slug/snail ate their seed, which was frustrating, but good learning of what actually happens to seeds sometimes! We've also enjoyed learning about photosynthesis, as well as lots of other interesting facts, like the similarities between plants and animals and the differences in reproduction/seed dispersal of plants.

Earth and Space

We have learnt lots about space this Autumn 2 term, where we have conducted investigations into the distances of planets (which can be seen in the photos below), as well as produced our own planet powerpoints. We discussed the order of the planets using a pneumonic (My, very easy method just speeds up naming planets). We discussed Pluto being classed as a dwarf planet, but that it is still considered and even being researched to this day! We have also learnt various facts about the moon, including the phases, as well as it's purpose. We've loved it.....come and ask us some questions, we'd love to tell you more!

Other

French

In French we have started to learn various different words, then translate them into English. Below are some pictures of us working in groups to order numbers to ten in French......do you think all groups got it right?!

Cooking

Within our World War 2 Topic, we designed and made some carrot biscuits to represent the cooking of that era (with the ration restrictions in mind!). We were very careful on the ingredients we used and measured them perfectly to ensure that we didn't overuse the rations we were given!). Here are just some of the photographs from the sessions:

Physical Education

In PE this half term we have been doing Athletics and Gymnastics. Our focus in Gymnastics in particular was 'Bridges', where we developed routines involving many shapes, travelling forms and balances. Below our some pictures of us performing and practising these shapes and routines, they've been excellent!

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