Welcome to Year 5

1
Welcome to Year 5

• Class 5 Mr Hancock
• Class 6 Mrs Morrish, Mrs Dowling

2
English

• Some of the topics we will be focusing on this
  term are
• Film Narrative After watching The Piano by
  Aidan Gibbons, the children will explore
  approaches made by the film maker to create
  moods, pace and viewpoint. The children will
  develop their understanding of how colour, light,
  sound and camera angles have been used to tell
  the narrative. They will use drama strategies to
  explore characters in depth.
• Instructions The children will identify the key
  features of instructional texts. They will
  evaluate sets of instructions (for purpose,
  organisation and layout, clarity and usefulness.
  Finally, children will write an instructional
  text using appropriate form and features.
• Traditional stories, fables, myths and legends
  Children will compare and contrast the features
  of myths and legends. They will perform a version
  of Theseus and the Minotaur, orally. They will
  then plan and write their own myths and legends
  at the end of this unit.
• Poetry (Poetic Style) Children hear, read, and
  respond to a range of poems from a range of
  contrasting writers.

3

• How can you help your child at home?
• Read with your child as often as possible,
  discussing the book and making predictions about
  what will happen next. Encourage your child to
  read aloud to you, as well as hearing you read to
  them.
• The whole school has adopted a national approach
  to spelling (Support for Spelling). Please
  encourage your child to learn their weekly
  spellings.
• When your child is writing at home, please
  encourage them to write as descriptively as
  possible where appropriate to punctuate
  correctly and to use paragraphs to organise their
  writing. Their handwriting should be cursive and
  in black or blue ink pen.
• Please also encourage them to read their work and
  edit where possible.
• Try to get your child to talk about their school
  day or about anything else that interests them.
  Speaking and listening are key skills that can
  help to widen their vocabulary and understanding.

4
Maths

• Working mathematically
• By the end of year 5, children will apply their
  mathematical experiences to explore ideas and
  raise relevant questions, constructing complex
  explanations and reasoned arguments. They will be
  able to solve a wide variety of complex problems
  which require sustained concentration and demand
  efficient written and mental methods of
  calculations. These will include problems
  relating to fractions, scaling (times as many),
  converting between units of measure and employ
  all four operations (, -, x, ).
• The termly Curriculum Plan will provide you with
  more information about each area and what your
  child will be learning.
• We will also be providing an outline of that
  weeks homework tasks on the school website.

5

• How can you help your child at home?
• Learn and rehearse times tables facts from 1 12
  times tables. Extend your child by recognising
  the related division facts.
• Help your children to learn and use time, using
  both analogue and digital clocks.
• Children need to read scales accurately. They can
  practise these skills when cooking at home.
  Encourage your child to measure accurately when
  completing craft activities. Extend your child by
  converting these measurements into different
  units e.g. centimetres in metres or millimetres
  and millilitres into litres.
• When children bring home maths homework involving
  written strategies, encourage them to model and
  explain the method and complete examples to
  extend and consolidate their own understanding.

6
Ancient Greeks

• The first term is spent studying the Ancient
  Greeks.
• We start by learning about the location, terrain
  and climate of ancient Greece and by discussing
  what we know, and what we would like to know.
• We look at examples of primary and secondary
  evidence and draw conclusions from these about
  the Ancient Greeks.
• We compare Athens and Sparta.
• We spend time looking at Greek wars and warfare.
• We look at what life was like for Ancient Greek
  children.
• We also learn about some of the famous Ancient
  Greek battles and how they were fought.
• We will be learning that modern events may have
  connections with the past.
• We will be organising a Year 5 Ancient Greek Day
  in school this term. Your child will need to wear
  an appropriate costume and be given a Greek name
  for the day! More details will follow.

7
Anglo-Saxons.
Earthquakes.
8
Science

• During the year we cover 4 different topics.

• All Living Things Including Humans
• To understand how to classify living and
  non-living things.
• To begin to understand that animals can also be
  classified.
• Know that in the life cycles of plants and
  animals there are distinct processes and stages.
• Children begin to understand how reproduction
  is important to the survival of the species.
• Children relate their knowledge and
  understanding of science to their personal
  health, growth and development.

9

• Properties of materials
• compare and group together everyday materials on
  the basis of their properties.
• know that some materials will dissolve in liquid
  to form a solution.
• use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to
  decide how mixtures might be separated.
• give reasons, based on evidence from comparative
  and fair tests, for the particular uses of
  everyday materials, including metals, wood and
  plastic
• demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes
  of state are reversible changes
• discover that some changes result in the
  formation of new materials, and that this kind of
  change is not usually reversible.

10

• Earth, Sun and Moon
• Recognise that the Earth, Sun and Moon are
  spherical.
• Explain in terms of the rotation of the Earth why
  shadows change and the Sun appears to move across
  the sky during the course of the day
• Recognise that it is daylight in the part of the
  Earth facing the Sun.
• Understand that the Moon orbits the Earth
• Understand that the changes in the appearance of
  the Moon over a period of 28 days arise from the
  Moon orbiting the Earth once every 28 days

• Forces.
• Understand that unsupported objects fall towards
  the Earth because of the force of gravity acting
  between the Earth and the falling object
• Identify the effects of air resistance, water
  resistance and friction, that act between moving
  surfaces
• Recognise that some mechanisms, including levers,
  pulleys and gears, allow a smaller force to have
  a greater effect.

11
Design Technology

• Throughout the year we investigate three main
  topics. These are
• Cooking The children will be investigating a
  range of foods linked to a curriculum topic and
  evaluate them to see which they like best. The
  children then design and make their own product.
• Frame structure we link this to our Science
  topic Properties of materials and the children
  investigate different materials used to create a
  sound structure. They then design and make their
  own structure.
• Moving Parts This will be linked to a
  curriculum topic where the children will
  investigate how to operate cams to make an object
  move.

12
Year 5 Weekly Routine

• Homework will be handed out on a Friday and is
  due back in school the following Tuesday.
• If the children lose their homework, spare copies
  are available at school, on the Year 5 notice
  board outside Class 6. It is also often available
  on the school website.
• Spellings are tested on a Thursday and a new
  spelling set is given out the same day to learn
  for the following week.
• We also have a weekly multiplication test, that
  also tests the related division facts.
• Outdoor PE will be on a Tuesday afternoon (class
  5) and Friday afternoon (class 6). Our indoor PE
  will be on a Tuesday afternoon for class 6 and a
  Friday afternoon for class 5.

13
General Information

• We have advised the children to a bring a full
  bottle of water to school with them each day.
• Children also have access to the drinks fountain
  at break and lunch times.
• Finally, please can you ensure that your child
  has the right equipment with them in school each
  day, including their school reading book and
  their PE kit on the appropriate days.

14
If you have any issues or concerns about your
child, please come and speak to us as class
teachers so that we can deal with any concerns.