Year 5

Hello and welcome to the Year 5’s class pages. Our names are Miss McLeod (Pine Class) and Miss Iles (Maple Class) and Mrs Howells (Birch Class)

Important Information
Children will be dismissed from outside the reception area at 3.25pm daily.  

Year 5 have P.E. lessons on a Tuesday(outdoor) and Thursday (indoors), please ensure kit is in school ready for these lessons.  

Spelling tests for most children now take the form of a ‘dictation’ on Fridays, where the week’s spellings are incorporated into a short paragraph. This reiterates the importance of good spelling throughout a piece of writing, not just on a ‘test’. Any extra support you can give your children to learn these spellings, as well as encouraging good spelling at all times, will greatly benefit your children.

Homework will be set on Friday and is expected to be returned to school the following Friday. This will usually contain Mathletics and Spelling tasks as well as times tables practice. There may also be longer term homework projects. Your child will be expected to read at least three times a week.

What are we learning about this year?     

Below are the topics we will be learning about this year:

English

In English, we learn about Ancient Greek myths and focus on descriptive story writing skills.  We also write and study mystery stories, letters and diary entries that are linked to the topic of Ancient Greece.

Within our topic of World War Two, we will be studying the text of  ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’.

Later on, we will be inspired by a picture book by Anthony Browne and learn about stories from other cultures. We will learn from these great writers how to entertain our audience by developing our narrative description and structure. We are also looking forward to some persuasive writing where we can write about our opinions.

 

Maths

 We will be learning to:

  •          order and round numbers to 1, 000, 000
  •          use the formal written methods for all four rules of number, including long multiplication
  •          order fractions, find equivalent fractions and identify fractions within a sequence
  •          order and round decimals and complete a decimal sequence
  •          identify squared and cubed numbers, multiples and factors
  •          convert units of measurement and solve problems involving mass and time
  •          translate and reflect a 2D shape in the first quadrant.
  •          use negative numbers in context
  •          use a protractor to measure and draw angles accurately and identify angles around a given point
  •          add and subtract decimals and fractions
  •          use the formal written method of division, turning remainders into a fraction and a decimal
  •          find the area and perimeter of composite rectilinear shapes and irregular shapes
  •          convert units of length
  •          read and interpret line graphs, tables and timetables
  •          write percentages to two decimal places and convert fractions to percentages.
  •          calculate area and perimeter using a range of methods
  •          use place value for addition and subtraction of large numbers
  •          use the written method for multiplication
  •          use the written method for division
  •          convert mixed numbers to improper fractions
  •          multiply, add and subtract fractions
  •          solve problems involving percentages
  •          make links between fractions, decimals and percentages
  •          calculate volume
  •          use position and direction and understanding statistics

Humanities

Starting the year we learn about the Ancient Greeks, how they started the Olympics and their unique style of architecture. We study life for the Ancient Greeks, their beliefs and festivals and sources of entertainment.

Our History topic is World War II. The ever-popular topic comprises of learning about how the war started; its effect on Britain’s people, our economy and relationships between the countries involved. The outcomes we produce will be inspired by looking at primary and secondary evidence and of course, a trip to the steam museum!

Later on our Geography topic, the world on our doorstep, introduces us to the world of fair trade food. We look at where these foods come from and the benefits of buying them. We also learn about how chocolate is produced, from bean to bar!

At the end of the year our Geography topic, Land of Contrasts, looks at the vibrant country of India and Indian culture including food, clothing and traditions. During the topic, we discuss the similarities and differences between India and the United Kingdom as well as looking closely at geographical trends across the country such as landscapes and climate.

Before that our History topic links directly with our Geography topic and focuses on one of the most famous freedom fighters in history and nationalist leader, Gandhi. We learn about how Gandhi campaigned to free India from British rule, recognising the significance of the Salt March and the influence that his faith had on his pursuit of freedom.

 

Science

We begin the year by looking at Life Cycles. Within this unit we look at the differing life cycles of plants and animals as well as learning about the parts of a flower. We then move on to Keeping Healthy whereby we investigate the ideals of a healthy diet and lifestyle. We also look at the heart and carry out a heart rate investigation!

 We are also going to be looking at Changing States. Within this unit we will look at the properties of materials, different types of insulators and conductors and the water cycle. Furthermore, we will be carrying out investigations on separating materials, evaporation and dissolving.

Later on, we are going to be looking at Magnets, Earth Moon and Space. We investigate how magnetism is used throughout nature by creating our own compasses. We discuss how day and night is caused by the rotation of the earth and have a closer look the phases of the moon and our solar system.

 

How can I help my child at home?

Listening to your child read at home as often as possible continues to be essential to their progress.  Children are to borrow books from the class library or from the school library.  Please continue to practise spellings and times tables on a weekly basis.  Please also see the website links at the top left-hand corner of this page.