Summer Term 2024

Science

In Science this week, we have been looking at the 2 different ways plants reproduce; asexual and sexual reproduction. We had a look at a flowers reproductive system using a picture and labels and a real flower from the school groups. We then talked about the process of asexual reproduction and took some plant clippings of our own. We are going to observe these of the next couple of weeks to see how they grow and develop. Finally, we spoke about the different ways seeds are dispersed and when out into the woods to find evidence of this. 

Spring Term 2024

Day of the Dead- Sugar Skulls

As part of out Topic 'The Maya' this term, we have been looking at the Day of the Dead. We looked at what the festival is, why and where it is celebrated and how it is celebrated. We did some of our own research and looked into the different designs of sugar skulls and the link to Frida Kahlo. Using our research, we then created a double page spread in our sketch books; experimenting with pattern and colour and talking about the art and linked artists. Over the following 2 lessons, we then began designing and creating our own sugar skulls. Below are some picture of us hard at work and some of our final products.

PSHE- Recovery Position

In PSHE, we have been learning about how to keep our selves healthy. This week, this involved learning what the recovery position is, when it should be use and how to use it. Below are some photos of us in action.

World Book Day 2024

For World Book Day today, we had a wonderful morning celebrating our love of reading. First, we started by swapping with some of Year 1 to share our favourite books with them. It was so lovely to see how mature and responsible our Year 5s were and how much they really enjoyed talking about their books. They were also very impressed with how well the Year 1s could read!

We then spent the rest of our morning using the i-pads to create mini, interactive introductions to our books. We had to put ourselves into the shoes of a character in the book and tell the reader what to expect in the book. We then used the app Halo AR to create an interactive library, this allowed up to scan the front cover of all of our books and get an idea of the content. Finally, we chose one of the books we were most intrigued by and had some time to get comfortable and read! Below are some pictures of us throughout our World Book Day morning.

Maths- Percentage

In Maths this week, we are starting to look at percentages. We learnt that 'per-cent' translates to 'per 100'. This helped us to understand how to convert percentages to fractions and decimals and vice versa. On our first lesson, we had a go at showing our own percentages and our partner had to identify the percentage of the shape shaded and then convert to a fraction or decimal.

Topic- Sugar Skulls

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be looking at the 'Day of the Dead' in Topic. Today we have been learning about the importance of 'Day of the Dead' in Mexico and exploring different types of Sugar Skulls. We have started to create an 'experiment' page in our sketch books to explore every aspect of the Sugar Skulls. We have also been introduced to artist Frida Kahlo and discussed why she is so influential within Mexican art. 

Below are some picture of us in action with our experimental pages. 

Topic- Masks

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been looking at the importance of masks in the Mayan culture. We looked at who wore them and why and then designed our own masks. We had to think carefully about how we attached each part of the clay so ensure they wouldn't break in the kiln!

After they had been fired, we got to glaze our masks, thinking carefully about our colour choices. 

Topic- Sketching

In Topic this week, we have been looking at the different types of temples and pyramids in the ancient Maya Civilisation. We then had a go at sketching the El Castillo temple. We had to think carefully about the perspective of the temple and how things might look different if they are further distanced away. We persevered really well with this and below are a few examples of our final pieces.  

Literacy- Thriller Story

In Literacy, we have been learning about a Thriller Story. Our class text is called 'The Vanishing Jewels' and today, we had a go at putting ourselves in the shoes of the characters. As a group, we completed a 'hot seat' activity where 2 of us were news interviewers and the other 2 were main characters from the story. We then interviewed each other with our own questions. This activity helped us to understand the characters emotions and feelings better. We then wrote a short diary entry, as if we were one of the main characters. 

Topic- The Maya

In Topic this week, we explored some artefacts and objects about the Maya. We made predictions about what they were made from and what their uses were for the Maya. This lesson was an introduction lesson and we were learn more about the artefacts over the Spring Term. We then learnt where and when the Maya where a civilization and completed our own timelines. Finally, we compared some Maya history dates to some well known events both in British History and World History.

Science

In Science this week, we have been looking at the properties of materials. We looked at 10 different objects with a range of materials and tested 3 different properties; magnetism, transparency and whether the material was an electrical conductor or not. We talked about why different objects might need different properties, for example, a raincoat must be made from a waterproof material in order to do its job properly. 

Below are some pictures of us testing each material and recording our answers in a table.

Autumn Term 2023

Layer Marney Tower Trip

Year 5 had a fantastic time at Layer Marney Tower where they learnt all about how The Egyptians once lived. We 

completed lots of different workshops and activities throughout the day to enrich the children’s learning.

This ranged from observing real-life objects and artefacts for pupils to handle linked to Egyptian life, looking at daily life objects from the era, wheat grinding to make their own flour, making their own hieroglyph wheel to write and translate messages and even a drama activity to show the different Egyptian Gods.

The children had a brilliant time and they all behaved perfectly!

Design and Technology

Over a series of Topic lesson, we have been designing and creating a wooden maze aimed at ancient Egyptian children!

We were given a design problem and specification so we knew what our product had to include. It took a lot of time to plan to ensure our final product would meet the requirements of the design specification.

After some planning and designing time, we made a prototype to check everything would work as should and if not, adaptations were made to our initial design sketch. We then had to careful measure and cut our wood, we had to be sure it as accurate otherwise of pyramid net would not fit!

Below are some pictures of us in action and our final products!

Science

After testing the levels of air resistance with different materials last week, this week we looked at water resistance. We discussed whether we think water creates more resistance on moving object or air and we decided water. We came up with this conclusion by linking to our own knowledge; when we walk through air, we can barely feel the resistance but when we walk through water, we can feel the water pushing against us. We then went on to investigate how different shapes create different amounts of resistance when moving through the water.

 Below are some pictures of our investigation in action.

This week in Science, we learned all about air resistance. We understood that air resistance is a force and occurs when air moves past an object, creating friction and slows the object down. Our mission assignment this week was to test different materials and how much air resistance was created. We did this in the form of parachutes. We had to predict, test and then analyse our results. Freddie even noticed that the left over material looked like a Death Mask!

Below are some pictures of our parachutes being tested. 

This week in Science, we have been learning about the different moon phases and why they occur. We then had a go at drawing a moon phase using charcoal and chalk. We had to think about at the techniques we were using in order to show shadow and illumination on the moon.

As part of our ‘Earth and Space’ topic in science, we had a go at making the planets in our Solar System. Each table had a different planet to create and we used paper mache to create the shape and structure. We then had to look closely at the different colours and shades in our planet. As a group, we had to decide on 5 colours that we were going to use and created a colour palette. We create a ‘swatch patch’ in our art books to show which colours we used for each planet. We were not allowed to deviate from this palette but could mix our chosen colours to create different shades and tones. We had to think carefully about different brush techniques we could use to show different techniques.

Maths

To consolidate our learning from Chapter 2- Addition and Subtraction, today we played a game of 'noughts and crosses'. In pairs, Partner A had to roll the dice 5 times to get a 5-digit number, then Partner B had to roll it another 5 times to get another 5-digit number. We then had to add or subtract these numbers and our partner had to check our answers. If we got it correct, we got to place a nought or cross on the grid. The first to get 3 in a row was the winner!

In Maths this week, we have been looking at place value. We have been using the place-value counters and charts to help us to represent different numbers up to 1 000 000! We also played a game to see who could create the greatest or smallest 6-digit number. We worked in partners and each person had to take it in turns to roll the dice/pick a card. We then had to think carefully about where we placed this digit on the place-value chart; once it was placed, we couldn't move it! This game helped us to think about which columns had a greater value and where the greater digits would be best placed. 

R.E

Is believing in God reasonable?

This week in RE, we looked at Humanism. We had lots of discussions and watched some videos from the Humanist website to help us sum up what defines a Humanist. Below are some of our class ideas. 

We started our first Year 5 RE lesson by discussing what 'philosophical' means and what philosophical questions might look like. We worked together to create a mind map of our thoughts. We decided that philosophical questions often have a deeper meaning and we many not know the answer. Below are some examples of our work from this lesson.

PSHE

Being Me in My World

In PSHE this term, we are looking at the puzzle piece 'Being Me in My World'.  The puzzle piece talks about the different rights and responsibilities we have as citizens and how these might differ for a refugee. This week we have been looking at rules and responsibilities. As a group, we were given 3 random objects and we had to create a game using these. We had a set of rules we had to follow; all of the group had to be included, there had to be a way to win and we only had 10 minutes to create this game. We had to think carefully about our communication skills and team work. We then demonstrated the game to the class and spoke about why it was so important o include rules it our game. It meant everyone had a fair chance and everyone knew the expectations of the game.

Topic

Pyramids and Pharaohs

This week in Topic, we have learnt all about different Ancient Egyptian Gods. We learnt that the Egyptians believed that every God and Goddess were responsible for different aspects of life. We discussed lots of different Gods and their responsibilities, we then chose which one stood out to use and why. We then put our art skills to the test to sketch a God and the add colour using oil pastels. We thought hard about the most fitting colours and how we could blend the oil pastels to add more texture. see some of our hard work below.

In Topic this term, we are learning all about the Ancient Egyptians. So far, we have learned a bit about the geography of Egypt: where it is on the map, which seas surround Egypt and we have located some of the most important features and towns in Egypt. This week, we have learned all about hieroglyphics. Each table had a different information card about hieroglyphics, who used them, why the were used and when they were used. We had a task to share this information with the rest of class, but we had to act it out. This meant we really had to think about the information we were reading so that we could chose the best actions. Below are some freeze frames of our groups work.

Literacy

The Journey to the Afterlife

In Literacy, we have been learning about explanation texts. We have read an explanation text called ‘The Journey to the Afterlife’ which explains what the ancient Egyptians believed they needed to do for their loved ones once they died so that they can reach the afterlife safely. We split up into groups and we created a freeze frame for each paragraph of the text to help us understand the process they went through.

Summer Term 2023

Literacy

In Literacy, we have been learning about discussion texts. We are learning about the purpose, features and potential audiences for discussion texts. Our class text is titled 'School Uniforms- Good or Bad?' and we have pulled this apart to help us understand the structure of a discussion text. As a class, we created a new discussion text titled 'Zoos- The Positives and The Negatives' to show both the good and bad sides of commercial zoos. This week, we are starting to plan our own discussion texts which will be based around the pros and cons of renewable energy. To help us remember different types of energy and the advantages and disadvantages, we had a game of Top Trumps! Each card had a different type of energy source- renewable and non-renewable- and we had to make notes about each source. The children had great fun and there were some friendly competitions to be had!

Topic

What Are We Doing to Our Planet?

Bee Garden

In Topic, we have been learning about the importance of bees and how we can help to save them. Over the past couple of weeks, we have worked hard to plan our ideal bee garden, de-weed the garden bed and plant lots of different flowers to help attract the bees. We have also have the opportunity to create little bee baths to help bees to reenergise while they are pollinating.

We received a lovely donation of bee-friendly flowers from Morrisons and some of the children even brought in some of their own seeds to plant, which was kind and helpful, and the other children were very appreciative. Please see a selection of photos of our hard work below:

Endangered Animal Sketching

In Topic today, we have been looking at endangered animals. We looked at why and how animals become endangered and found there were 2 main reasons; natural causes and human causes. During the lesson, we also talked about how we can help to save endangered animals. We also spotted that Paddington Bear is an Andean (or spectacled) bear and that these bears are actually endangered too. We had a quick practice at some of our sketching techniques and then chose an endangered animal to sketch. Below are some examples.

Deforestation Debate

In Topic this term, we have been learning all about the impact that we have on our planet; both positive and negative. In today's lesson, we were looking into what deforestation is and the purpose of deforestation. We found that there were both pros and cons about deforestation and split the room into 2 sides; 'for' and 'against' deforestation. We worked in teams to discuss points 'for' or 'against' and then put our debating skills to the test. As a class, we went over the rules of debating and were very quiet and sensible to ensure all points were heard. Logan was a great example of a chairperson and helped to keep everything in control. Below are some pictures of our debate in action.