Welcome back Class 5! I hope you are prepared for another busy and exciting term!
Our topics for the first term are focused around the Vikings and Space.
Literacy
In Literacy this half term, we are reading a Viking mystery, “Riddle of the Runes” by Janina Ramirez. We will be transported to the fictional Viking village of ‘Kilsgard’ to follow the adverntures of Alva, a fearless young detective and shield maiden as she unravels a series of thrilling mysteries with her Uncle Magnus. Our written work will be based around our class text, and we will be practicing key grammar skills and extending our vocabulary, as well as writing our Viking mystery tales where our heroes and heroines hunt for the truth and treasure! We will be continue to delve into the Viking age with “Viking Longship” by Mick Manning and Brita Granström and “Vikings in 30 seconds” by Philip Steele, non-fiction texts which will help us find out more about Viking longships. Read our persuasive texts to find out why you should come on a holiday on our Viking longships!
In the second half of the term we will be thinking about Space! Frank Cottrell Boyce will transport us out of this world in his tale “Cosmic” as Liam competes with a group of adults for the chance to go into space. Is Liam the best boy for the job? Read our letters to find out more about Liam’s adventures as he keeps him family at home up to date! From small steps to giant leaps, “A Galaxy of Her Own” by Libby Jackson, a leading UK expert in human space flight, tells fifty stories of inspirational women who have been fundamental to the story of humans in space, from scientists to astronauts to some surprising roles in between. Our newspaper reports will tell you everything you need to know about these inspirational individuals!
Maths
In Maths, we are excited to continue our mastery approach to our lessons, developing our reasoning and problem solving skills and gaining a deeper understanding of key mathematical concepts. We will be developing our understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages, as well as finding out how to calculate volume. We will constantly be revisiting our times tables we have already learnt, becoming more confident with recalling our times table facts, as they are vital to so many different areas of Maths.
Science
In Science, we will be looking at materials. Through a range of exciting experiments, we will explore reversible changes, including, evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving.
After half term, we will be exploring Space! We will recap some key knowledge about the seasons and weather before moving on to find out about the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the Sun in the solar system, the movement of the Moon relative to the Earth and the Earth’s rotation through a range of practical activities to help us develop our understanding.
History and Geography
In History this half term, we will be investigating the question “How did Viking invasions affect Britain?” In order to answer this question we will begin by placing the relevant time periods on a timeline, considering when they happened in relation to other time periods we have studied. We are keen to become inquisitive historians, making relevant historical enquiries and considering a range of primary and secondary sources to find out about who the Vikings were, where they came from and why they invaded Britain. Following on from this we will consider what life was like in Viking Britain, their defeat at the hands of Alfred the Great and the impact this had on Britain.
In Geography, we will be investigating the question “Where do things come from and how do they end up in my house?” We will start by looking at what our climate like and what we can produce in our country before considering the products we import from other countries such as coffee beans, textiles and gold. We are very fortunate to also find out about the important work of GSK and their exports. We will be improving our geographical skills, developing our mapwork skills, and increasing our knowledge of human geography.
French
This half term, we will continue to develop our French vocabulary, learning the French for different types of food. We will find out about traditional French dishes and compare French and English foods. To progress in our conversational French, we will be looking at how to express opinions about the foods we like and dislike. second half of the term, we will put our new knowledge into use in a real life context by role playing a French café!
Art and DT
In Art, we will be focusing on our painting and sculpture skills. Our painting work will link to our science and literacy, consisting of space themed artwork inspired by Peter Thorpe. Our art is going to be out of this world! For sculpture, we will be creating Saxon helmets using papier mache techniques; inspired by artist Juanita Humphris, linked to our history work. We will be ready for battle at the end of this unit!
In DT, we will have the opportunity to create our own electronic greetings card, following the design process; research, design, create and evaluate. We will use two different methods to do this: a flat paper project, LEDS, and a button battery and then Crumble CAD design. As part of our evaluation, we will consider which method we preferred and why.
RE
This term in RE we will be considering the role of holy books within religions, focusing particularly on Hinduism. We will look at the purpose and content of holy books and how holy books are used, before focusing on Hinduism and how the story of Rama and Sita may affect the way Hindus act. In the second half of the term, we will move on to looking at the importance of rituals. We will recall some rituals I have learnt about, including Holy Communion and Pesach, before learning about some new rituals such as Salat and Puja, comparing and contrasting the different religions’ rituals.
PE
Our PE day this half term will be a Friday. To ensure that everyone can take part in PE lessons, it is important that children have their PE kit, sports trainers and a water bottle. On a Thursday, we are lucky enough to go swimming. Please ensure that children come to school with their swimwear and a towel.
