English
We will begin the term by concluding our study of the exciting adventure story called 'Stormbreaker' by Anthony Horowitz. The children seem to be really enjoying this book and I am impressed with how many details they can recall and confidently discuss. As we read to the end of the novel, we will: continue to develop our VIPERS comprehension skills; write in role as a characters in the book; and compare the book with the film version of the story.
We will then use Pie Corbett resources and ideas to explore and write an adventure story called Adventure At Sandy Cove before moving on to explore a classic narrative poem called The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, which will involve considering the historical context of the poem in addition to exploring the themes of love, loyalty, sacrifice and betrayal - stirring stuff! We will also examine how the poet manipulates his reader to feel sympathy for some characters and antipathy towards those we would usually depend on to provide protection and to maintain law and order!
Spelling
The children will continue to receive a new spelling list each Monday and will be tested on these spellings on the following Friday.
There will be opportunities to practise these spellings in school throughout the week but you can also find a collection of these lists for this half term below so that you can support your child's learning at home.
Reading
Fluency in reading is hugely important for so many reasons, from the ability to independently research things of interest to the joy of 'getting lost' in a brilliant story.
In addition to the reading practice at school, there is an expectation that children in Year 5 read for 15 minutes each day at home.
All children have access to Bug Club (please contact school if you need a reminder of your child's login details) which has lots of amazing fiction and non-fiction books at your child's reading level and we also provide a Home Reader book each week which is changed every Friday.
In addition, we visit the school library each Wednesday afternoon to give the children the opportunity to choose a book to read either in school or at home. Children are welcome to borrow their chosen book for longer than one week if additional time is needed.
Maths
Our main Maths topics for this term include:
- To use mental and formal written methods written methods to multiply and divide.
- To read and interpret information presented in tables and line graphs.
- To write improper fractions and mixed numbers and to convert between the two.
- To find equivalent fractions.
- To compare and order fractions by converting to a common denominator.
Science
Our second Science topic is Separating Mixtures and will include the study of:
- The meaning of various terms including: soluble, insoluble, solution and mixture.
- An investigation into how magnets, sieves and colanders can be used to separate mixtures.
- An investigation into which materials are soluble and insoluble.
- When and how to use evaporation and filtration.
- Working as a group to write and make a presentation about evaporation.
Key stage One have just started their Space topic this half term and we are looking forward to sharing the knowledge we acquired since September, together with our Tim Peake biographies, with them.
PE
Our PE days will continue to be on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
On Wednesdays, the PE lessons will be led by the Maple team and will involve Health Realted Exercise and on Thursdays, our professional coaches from EdStart will lead gymnastics lessons.
For PE lessons, your child will need: either a school logo PE shirt or a plain white or pale blue t shirt (no football shirts, please), black or royal blue shorts or plain black or navy leggings and pumps or trainers.
A plain black or navy tracksuit will be useful in colder weather.
Please ensure PE bags and items of kit are clearly labelled with your child's name.
For safety, long hair should be tied back and earrings either removed or taped over (tape is provided by school; please provide your child's hair bobble).
RE
As we approach Christmas, we will study the nativity story written in the gospels of Luke and Matthew in the New Testament of The Bible and will compare and contrast these as we search for similarities and differences. We will explore the purpose and messages given by both versions of the nativity story and question why there are more accounts of the death of Jesus than his birth.
SEAL
We will study Me and My Relationships this term, which includes:
- Exploring negotiation and compromise.
- Examining the key qualities of friendship.
- Investigating how to respond to a wide range of feelings in others.
- Identifying what makes a relationship unhealthy.
- Identifying risk factors in given situations.
Cross-Curricular Topic
We will begin the half term by concluding our first Topic, How Were The Wonders Of Ancient Egypt Rediscovered?, by investigating some of the pantheon of gods and goddesses worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians and also how the key to understanding hieroglyphics was provided by the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.
We will then move on to study another of my favourite topics which involves studying what life was like for children growing up during the Industrial Revolution.
We will focus on investigating:
- Who Queen Victoria was and how her reign was a time of great change.
- What the Industrial Revolution involved and why people moved from the countryside to the growing towns and cities.
- The many jobs undertaken by children and what their working conditions were like.
- The many differences in the lives of children from rich and poor backgrounds.
- How the Victorians changed and celebrated Christmas, and how many of our tradtions originated in Victorian times.
We are looking forward to our trip to Quarry Bank Mill which will immerse the children into what life was like for the children who worked there, and make them very appreciative ogf the fact that they are growing up in 2022!
Home Learning Challenges
The first set of Home Learning Challenges are due to be returned to school by Monday 28th November.
The standard of the last year's Autumn HLCs was absolutely amazing so we are really looking forward to seeing what the children have been learning and working on at home!
