Class 5

Welcome to Class 5

Miss O Grocott

Spring Term 2023

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the Spring Term. I certainly am! Please see below for details about what the children will be studying throughout the term.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to message me on Class Dojo.

Our Class Saint

Year 5's class saint is St Teresa of Calcutta. We celebrated her feast day (5th September) on Friday 9th September 2022. The children had a wonderful day learning about her life, participating in a collective worship and thinking about how she can inspire us. We sent cards to a local hospice to cheer up the residents and had a lovely reply. It was truly inspiring.

English

The children's first English unit this term is recounts. The children will be focusing on diary entries. They will explore a range of different diary entries considering the language and organisational features. They will use this learning to help them to write a diary entry as a character in our class novel: Who Let the Gods Out.

After, the children will engage in a poetry unit. We will explore three types of poems: haikus, kennings and tanka. The children will learn about each type and how to write them. The children will then write their own poems using these styles. I can't wait to read them!

Later in the term, the unit we will study is myths. This links perfectly with their history learning about Ancient Greece. The children will read and watch lots of different Greek myths. Some they will have heard before, and some new ones! At the end of the unit, children will be writing their own myth based on what they have learnt.

Guided Reading

In Guided Reading lessons, the children will be exploring a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. They will be developing their understanding from previous years focusing on the VIPERS skills.

• Vocabulary - To give/explain the meaning of words in context.
• Inference - To make inferences from the text and justify them using evidence from the text.
• Prediction - To predict what might happen from the details stated and implied.
• Explanation - To explain the author's choices including their choice of words and phrases.
• Retrieval - To retrieve and record key information/key details.
• Summarise - To summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph.

Year 5's first class novel is 'Who Let the Gods Out' by Maz Evans. This is a fantastically, funny book which links to the children's History unit: The Ancient Greeks.

Maths

These are the units that the children will learn about this term. Underneath the unit title is a list of objectives that the children will cover in that unit.

Multiplication and Division (2)

• Multiplying up to 4 digits by a 1- and 2-digit number, including by long multiplication
• Dividing up to 4 digits by a 1-digit number, including where there is a remainder
• Interpreting remainders in different ways
• Solving problems with multiplication and division

Fractions (3)

• Multiplying fractions and mixed numbers by whole numbers
• Finding fractions of amounts
• Finding the whole
• Using fractions as operators

Decimals and Percentages

• Writing decimals up to 3 decimal places
• Writing decimals as fractions and percentages
• Comparing and ordering decimals
• Rounding decimals to the nearest tenth and whole number

Measure - Perimeter and Area

• Finding the perimeter or rectangles, rectilinear shapes and polygons
• Finding the area of rectangles and compound shapes
• Estimating area

Graphs and Tables

• Drawing line graphs
• Reading and interpreting line graphs
• Reading and interpreting tables and two-way tables
• Interpreting timetables

RE

This term, the children's RE units are:

• Christmas: In this unit the children will hear about the story of Christmas from St. Matthew’s Gospel. They will explore the difficulties faced by Mary and Joseph and the tensions that arose in King Herod.
• Baptism: The unit explores the role of John the Baptist in the Baptism of Jesus and provides an opportunity for an in depth study of the signs, symbols and prayers associated with the Sacrament of Baptism.
• Parables & Sayings of Jesus: In this unit children gain a greater knowledge and understanding of the Parables of Jesus. They explore the concept of the Kingdom of God from the teachings of Jesus and ways in which Christians respond to this teaching today through their belonging to the Church.
• Lent: This unit involves the children in thinking about the concept of ‘temptation’ as they study the temptations of Jesus. Children will be given the opportunity to reflect on what nurtures and damages human relationships they will study some important texts from the New Testament about Christian living and will learn about the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a Sacrament of Healing and God’s forgiveness.
• Holy Week: In this unit children will gain a greater knowledge and understanding of the last week of Jesus’ life and how the Church celebrates this week through liturgy and prayer.

Please see the document below to find the prayers that the children will be exposed to throughout Year 5:

Science

In science, the children will begin by exploring changes and properties of materials. They will consider how to classify materials in different ways depending on their properties, such as conductivity, magnetism and solubility. They will also learn about reversible and irreversible changes, and ways to reverse reversible changes such as by filtering, sieving and evaporating. This unit will involve lots of opportunities for the children to work scientifically by planning, carrying out and evaluating their own investigations.

After, the children will be moving onto living things and their habitats. They will be exploring the life cycles of a range of animals and plants, including mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles.

PE

Up until February Half Term, the children will be attending swimming at Cheadle Leisure Centre. This will take place on Wednesday afternoons and the children will be accompanied by Mrs Morrison and Mrs Cooper. The children should come to school in their PE kit on Wednesdays and should bring their swimming kit with them.

History

History will be taught by Miss Dennis. The children's topic is Ancient Greece. They will be fascinated to learn how the Ancient Greece has impacted on our life today, from the Olympics, to the language, to buildings and most importantly democracy! Children will also learn about the different City States, such as Athens and Sparta, and the different rules they had. They will explore the different wars throughout the period between the City States themselves as well as with other Empires.

Geography

Geography will be taught by Miss Dennis. The children's unit for the Spring Term is Volcanoes and Earthquakes. The children will learn what the Earth is made up of, how volcanoes are made and how earthquakes occur. They will explore case studies of eruptions and earthquakes and consider the primary and secondary impacts that they have had on different countries. They will also consider how we can protect ourselves during an earthquake.

Computing

Computing will be taught by Mr Johnson. The children will begin this term by studying word processing. This is so important in today's digital world and the children will be learning how to input, edit and format text using word processing systems. After, they will explore databases and see how these are everywhere online - from online shopping, to YouTube, to Google! The children will have the opportunity to create their own database.

Art

In the Spring Term, the children will be studying the famous sculptor, Giacometti. They will explore his life and work, before experimenting with drawing portraits in his style. For their end of unit piece, the children will be sculpting a piece inspired by Giacometti's tall, slender figures.

DT

Miss Stanton will be teaching the children DT. This term, the children will begin with a focus on food. They will be exploring the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet and consider how to make certain meals healthier, before cooking their own healthy meal. After, the children will be exploring electrical systems to create their own electronic greeting card!

Spanish

This term, the children will continue to develop and build on their learning from Years 3 and 4. The children's first unit is called 'La Fecha' (the date). The children will learn how to say and write the date in Spanish, including their birthday! They will be developing a range of skills including speaking, listening, reading and writing. The children will then move on to explore the question, ¿Qué tiempo hace? which means, what's the weather like?

Music

Miss Gould will be teaching the children music. The children will be exploring the following questions: how does music improve our world? and how does music teach us about our community? The children will be exploring a range of genres including orchestral, pop, jazz  and reggae. They will be developing a range of musical skills, such as singing, playing instruments, improvising and composing.

Vehicle

In the Spring Term, our vehicle is about community planting. We will be learning a lot about our environment and why it is important to look after it, linking to our Catholic Social Teaching - Stewardship of God's Creation. Our end of unit outcome is to create an orchard on the school site. We can't wait to share it with you!