Year 5
year5@allsaints-harwich.essex.sch.uk
Welcome to Year 5!
We have had a busy year so far and as we enter our final term, there is still lots of exciting learning to look forward to.
Maths
In Maths, we will be focusing on shape, position and direction, decimals, negative numbers, converting units before ending the term learning about volume.
English
In English, we will continue to cover a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, including letter writing, play scripts, balanced arguments and myths and legends. Our class reader will be 'Holes' and this will form a basis for most of our comprehension.
Science
Within Science, we will be answering the question:
- How do living things change throughout their life?
During this unit, we will be finding out about the different ways plants reproduce. We will have the opportunity to dissect a flower in order to identify the different parts and take some cuttings in order to grow new plants. We will also be comparing the life cycles of different types of animals. As we move to the second half of the summer term, we will focus more closely on humans and look at some of the changes that occur during
RE
In RE, we will be focusing on two big questions:
- How do Hindus make sense of the world?
- What can be done to reduce racism? Can religion help?
In our first unit, we will be looking at what Hindus believe it is to live a good life. We will be learning more about their belief in reincarnation and how this belief might change attitudes towards other beings and animals. We will also be looking in more detail at the life and work of some great Hindu figures such as Mahatma Gandhi.
After half term, we consider in more depth what racism is and consider why it is unfair and unjust. During the unit, we explore beliefs, identities, values and commitments in religion and worldviews in ways that challenge and confront racism. We will look at the 'Golden Rule' and consider why these rules are found in so many religions and whether following the 'Golden Rule' can reduce racism.
Geography
In Geography, we will be answering the following question:
- Why do oceans matter?
In order to answer this question, we will first consider how we use our oceans. We will learn about the Great Barrier Reef before finding out about the impact humans have on coral reefs and oceans. Towards the end of the unit, we will gather our own data by finding out about the types of litter polluting our local beaches.
History
In History, we will be answering the following question:
- What did the Greeks ever do for us?
We will be learning all about the Greeks during our History lessons. We will find out who the Greeks were and place them on a timeline. We will also be learning all about the Greek gods and the different beliefs the Greeks had. We will learn about the differences between Athens and Sparta before focusing in more depth on how Athenian democracy worked.
Art
During our Art lessons, we will be looking at portraits using mixed media. We will begin by creating a poem portrait before moving on to create self-portraits. There will be opportunities to experiment with materials and techniques in order to see the different effects that can be created.
D&T
In our D&T lessons, we will be building bridges. We will learn about different types of bridges and find out how we can improve the strength of our creations. There will be the opportunity to build a spaghetti truss bridge, before we will be designing and building our own bridge and competing to build the strongest design.
Computing
In our Computing sessions, we will be using Scratch to program music. We will be aiming to plan and program a soundtrack to match a section of a story. We will also be creation a stop motion animation.
Music
During our Music lessons, the learning is focused around Dancing In The Street. As well as learning to sing, play, improvise and compose with this song, we will listen to and appraise other similar songs such as 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' and 'You Are My Sunshine'.
Spanish
Within our Spanish lessons, we will be covering the topics: Las Olimpiadas where we will learn the history of the ancient Olympic games. We will learn how to say different Olympic sports begin to create more complex and interesting sentences.
After half term, our topic will be Habitats where we will be learning about plants and animals that live and grow in each habitat.
PSHE
In our PSHE lessons, we will be covering the topics: Relationships and Changing Me.
During the first half term, we will be be exploring how to maintain healthy friendships and different techniques for when there is conflict with our friends. We will also be exploring the idea of grief and different strategies to help cope with grief.
After half term, we will be discussing body image and self esteem before learning about changes that occur during puberty.
PE and forest schools
PE and forest school days will continue to be every Wednesday and we ask that pupils come into school in their PE kit on these days please.
Swimming will begin on Thursday 8th June. Please look out for letters providing more information about this.
Homework
Weekly spelling patterns or words are sent home on a Monday via Marvellous Me. We work on these words and spelling patterns throughout the week, but practising at home can help to embed these spellings, ensuring the children consistently use them within their writing.
Mathletics homework is set on a Friday each week and should be completed for the following Friday. All children who complete this earn an extra break on a Friday afternoon. If it has not been completed, this time is an opportunity where we can support children in completing the work.
We also ask that reading is completed five times a week for at least five minutes and recorded in their reading records. Children may wish to read to themselves, but we ask that their reading records are still signed by an adult. They do not need to only read the book they are currently reading at school, but instead could choose to read anything that they are interested in.
Mrs Sheppard, Miss Gorton, Miss Poole & Mrs Ford
Our class reader:
