Welcome to Year 5!  

We have two classes in Year 5:  

In 5CA, the children are taught by Mrs Collins and Miss Arnott. In 5B, the children are taught by Miss Bath. 

We will be supported in our learning by our Learning Support Assistants who are: Mrs Scott and Mrs Bennett (HLTA). 

MATHS  

Our focus during the first half term is developing our understanding of multiplication and division. As well as this, we will also be developing and introducing new concepts within our 2nd fraction unit of the year.  

During the second half of the Spring term, the children will be learning about: decimals, percentages, perimeter, area and statistics.   

Twice a week we will complete a Terrific Times Tables quiz to help our quick recall of our times tables and children will also continue to use their Timetable Rockstar logins to practise their tables at home. Weekly ‘My Maths’ homework will also consolidate learning which has taken place in school.  
  
ENGLISH    

From January, we will be starting our Sci-Fi writing based upon the fictional text ‘Zathura’ by Chris Van Allsburg. During this unit children will focus on the features of story writing fundamental to entertaining the reader, with a particular interest in setting and character description.   

The second half of the spring term will focus on writing to inform and persuade.  

The children will base their work on the treats facing our rivers.   

Spelling patterns taught over the week will be incorporated into writing as will sentence structures which are provided as home learning tasks.  

READING  

We explicitly teach reading for half an hour a day on top of our English lessons. During this time, we look at an exciting range of texts, these are a combination of fiction and non-fiction and will continue to develop our children's love of reading.  

At home, children should read for a minimum of 20 minutes each day. They should fill in their reading records once they have finished a text. This could take the form of a book review which should include reference to some of the VIPERS skills taught in class. Reading Records will be checked by class teachers once children have completed a review of their finished book and submitted their record to an adult.  

HISTORY  

We will be continuing our History topic on the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. During this unit we will be looking at many aspects of what life was like during this time, comparing it to present day and looking to see the impact of Anglo-Saxons and Vikings on our lives today.  

SCIENCE  

During the Spring Term, we will learning all about the Earth and Space. We will be looking at the movements of planets and moons in our solar system. As well as this, we will be looking at how the moon changes over time and why we have day and night.  As part of this science topic, on Tuesday March 4th we will be visiting the STEM Discovery Centre in Stevenage. During the trip, the children will participate in a variety of hands-on experiences, have a tour of the centre and watch an amazing show.  

PE  

Both classes will have PE on Tuesday and Wednesday. Children are to come into school wearing their full PE kit. 5B will continue swimming, with the final lesson being on the 22nd January. 5CA will begin swimming the week commencing 27th January. All information regarding this has been sent through the office. Please note that no earrings can be worn whilst swimming. 

Earrings will need to be either removed or covered. If they are unable to be removed, the children should provide a form of covering which they are responsible for applying independently. 

In PE we will be taking part in a number of different sports and activities, these include: badminton, Dance, Netball and swimming.   

Music 

The music unit this half term will be ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. The children will study the song and listen to and appraise a variety of hip-hop tunes, as well as learning to play an instrumental accompaniment. 

RE 

The children will be learning about key religious figures and leaders within Christianity, Islam and Humanism. 

PSHE  

This term the focus for PSHE will be on ‘Relationships’ where children will be learning about feelings and emotions linked to compromise and working collaboratively. They will also be revisiting their work on what to do in emergency situations.    

Art 

The children will be studying the work of Peter Thorpe and planning their own drawing compositions in his style. Children will be encouraged to use specific vocabulary relating to the subject when analysing and appreciating various pieces of art. 

HOMEWORK