YEAR 5

In literacy, we have been exploring non-chronological reports. The children have been investigating the key features of this writing style and focusing on important grammatical elements such as relative clauses and using IPSACE to help structure their fronted adverbials. They have really enjoyed identifying examples in texts and applying these techniques to their own writing.

This week in maths, our focus has been on squared and cubed numbers. The children took part in a practical investigation to find and create as many squared and cubed numbers as they could. Using blocks was a fantastic way to help them visualise what a cubed number looks like in real life.

Towards the end of last term, we finally had some sunshine, which meant the children could take their handmade sundials outside. I hope they enjoyed finishing these off over the half term and testing how well they worked!

This term we are continuing our exploration of space, with our current focus on gravity. The children have learnt about the work of scientist Isaac Newton and carried out their own experiment to test whether the mass of an object affects the strength of gravity acting on it.

During PSHE week, we focused on the topic of bullying and explored the important idea of being an upstander—someone who stands up for others rather than staying silent. Some children took part in a short drama to show how people can sometimes become bystanders and fail to help those being bullied. Each child then created their own Upstander Pledge, describing the ways they will take action to support others and stand up against bullying in the future.

Lastly, to celebrate Children in Need, we explored some Pudsey-themed maths problems to highlight the importance of this special charity day. The children also took part in creative activities, including decorating Pudsey banners and completing Pudsey puzzles.