Year 5 Blog
Spring 2
What an amazing end to the spring term! The children have all produced fantastic learning and have thoroughly enjoyed the topics.
We were lucky enough to have a visit from Patricia and Rachel for our Caribbean topic. The children learnt all about Jamaican culture and were even able to taste some traditional Caribbean delicacies! In geography, we carried on this learning and we looked at a Caribbean island called Montserrat whilst comparing it to the human and physical features of Yorkshire. This topic also inspired our DT as we learnt how to make Jamaican Coco bread which tasted delicious.
In English, we read Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo and used this as a base for writing our own journey story based on someone who ends up stranded on a desert island. We also wrote a non-chronological report based on a fictional island. The children loved having the opportunity to be creative and imagine their own island.
In maths, we have been learning all about fractions which the children well and truly tackled! Our main focus was improper fractions, mixed number fractions and learning how to add, subtract and multiply these.
In other areas of the curriculum we have learnt about forgiveness in RE, databases in computing and also mental health in PSHE.
Well done everyone for a super half term and hope you all have a relaxing break ready for summer term!
Spring 1
What a fabulous start to the Spring term! It has flown by!
The children have thoroughly enjoyed the topics this term and loved investigating the interesting (and sometimes gruesome) world of crime and punishment. In our history lessons, we have looked closely at different periods of time including: Anglo-Saxons, Tudors, Victorians and Modern Day Britain!
We linked this history unit to our writing and wrote a letter based on accusing someone of witchcraft. To begin our writing, we held a court trial where the children looked at all the evidence and decided whether she was guilty or not! We also used our new knowledge to write a balanced argument about the Victorians
‘When it came to crime and punishment were the Victorians Vile or Victorious?’
In science, we have been learning about materials and their properties and building on our prior knowledge. We carried out a number of investigations including: sorting properties of materials, testing soluble and insoluble materials and also creating irreversible changes using milk, baking powder and vinegar!
In RE, we have been learning about codes for living and looking closely at different religions and their codes for living. We learnt that they all share a similar code for living and that is peace. In computing, we have learnt about cryptography and various codes such as Morse code, Semaphore and Ceaser Cipher. Can you remember what each one was?
In PSHE, we have been studying the affects of smoking drugs and also looked at the different influences we may come across in life.
Finally, well done to Jade class for their class assembly – it was fantastic!
Autumn 2
Wow! What a jam-packed half-term we have had!
The half -term started with an earthquake that struck Guiseley during play time. The children went around school with their notebooks to collect information about this disaster. They also interviewed Mrs Buckton who was a witness at the scene, and was devastated by all the damage it had caused. The children have been busy writing their newspaper reports based on this disaster and they have been learning all about earthquakes during their geography lessons.
In science, they have been learning all about forces and they have carried out a number of investigations. They have tested different materials for friction, tested parachutes for air resistance and even created their own levers. We were also lucky enough to take part in the Otley Science festival where we observed a range of wacky experiments that boggled our minds!
In maths, the children have been learning about different ways to represent data and how to interpret data to answer questions. They have also been learning about prime numbers, squared and cubed numbers. Can you remember all the prime numbers up to 50?
For computing, they have been learning about blogs and have had the opportunity to plan and write their own based on their own interests.
We have also had assessment week this half-term, so well done to all the children as they were all so resilient!
Take a look at our poems, inspired by "A visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore.
Art Week
The children learned about the artist Dan Fenelon during Art Week. Dan uses various materials (paint, pastels, charcoal, pencil, ink) to create 2D and 3D art. His work is inspired by the artwork and patterns found in ancient Mayan temples. The children used paint and oil pastels to create their own version of Dan's artwork entitled "Bird". They practised using a technique called "scraffito". Scraffito is where thick layers of different coloured oil pastels are build up and then a sharp tool is used to scratch patterns into the surface, revealing the colours hidden below. We think you will agree, their finished artwork looks amazing!
The autumn term has been busy! In Science, the children learned about Earth and Space. They visited a Planetarium in the school hall, and created their own sundial investigations to study how the sun appears to move across the sky during the day! In History, the children have been learning all about the Ancient Maya and in English they have been writing an Ancient Maya-based adventure story centered upon on the amazing Jaguar Stones trilogy by J&P Voelkel. In maths, they have been solving tricky problem solving and reasoning questions by learning to show it, draw it, prove it and explain their answers to a question. In Art, the children used block printing to create their own Mayan hieroglyphics.
To view previous year's information and pictures, please click here.