Welcome to Year 5

Contact: 

 5KC Mrs Cecil: karen.cecil@firstfederation.org.uk

5GG (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) Mrs Green: rebecca.green@firstfederation.org.uk

5GG (Thursday, Friday) Miss Goles: emma.goles@firstfederation.org.uk

We are more than happy to receive emails on the above links. Please bear in mind that we may not be able to respond until the following day due to teaching commitments. 

At times, you may prefer to arrange to speak to us over the phone.  You can do this via email, again using the addresses above, or by calling the school office and leaving a message.

Welcome 

Our main topic this term is Dynamic Dynasties

Our daily timetable  

Creative Curriculum- Although we don't have specific days for Creative Curriculum subjects we usually aim to follow a similar routine

Spelling:

Our weekly spelling lists follow the Spelling Shed scheme of work for Year 5. We have 2 main spelling groups. The children will be learning the same spelling pattern, but one group will have less spellings to learn.  We will also have a small group of children working on Year 3 and 4 spelling patterns. The spellings lists for the half term will be printed in a spelling booklet.  This booklet needs to be brought into school daily. Children will also be able to play games linked to their weekly spellings on their Spelling Shed account. 

Class Reading: 

Whole class reading sessions are aimed to work on reading comprehension skills which is a vital aspect of reading. We follow a scheme called Fred's Teaching which has lots of engaging texts, as well as reading texts that link to our topic. 

The children's reading books and reading record will need to be brought into school daily.  Please sign your child's diary when you hear them read, even if this is a 'home' book. 

Creative Curriculum

We use the Cornerstones Maestro Curriculum Model which is a sequenced curriculum rich in skills and knowledge. It ensures that all areas of the  National Curriculum are taught across the whole school, with a focus on the progression of the key skills and core knowledge. 

History: Dynamic Dynasties- This project teaches children about the history of ancient China, focusing primarily on the Shang Dynasty, and explores the lasting legacy of the first five Chinese dynasties, some of which can still be seen in the world today.

English: To link with our overriding topic of Dynamic Dynasties, our English focus is MULAN a traditional Chinese folk tale. We will also be studying 'The Bamboo and the turtle' for poetry; learning about Fu Hao for biographies and reading 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' for letter writing. 

Maths: Our Maths work follows the White Rose Maths syllabus. Our initial focus is consolidating the understanding of place value to 1 million. We then move on to addition and subtraction using formal methods. Times tables continue to be vital in Year 5 and the children will be able to access TT Rockstars in school and at home. 

Science: Forces and Mechanisms This project teaches children about the forces of gravity, air resistance, water resistance and friction, with children exploring their effects. They learn about mechanisms, their uses and how they allow a smaller effort to have a greater effect.

Geography: Investigating Our World This essential skills and knowledge project teaches children about locating map features using a range of methods. They learn about the Prime Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and worldwide time zones and study interconnected climate zones, vegetation belts and biomes. Children learn about human geography and capital cities worldwide before looking at the UK motorway network and settlements. They carry out an enquiry to identify local settlement types.

Art: Tints, Tones and Shades This project teaches children about colour theory by studying the colour wheel and exploring mixing tints, shades and tones. They learn about significant landscape artworks and features of landscapes before using this knowledge to create landscape paintings.

PSHE: JIGSAW-BEING ME IN MY WORLD In this project the children think and talk about the year ahead, goals they could set for themselves as well as the challenges they may face. They learn and talk about their rights and responsibilities as a member of their class, school, wider community and the country they live in. The children talk about their own behaviour and its impact on a group as well as choices, rewards, consequences and the feelings associated with each. They also talk about democracy, how it benefits the school and how they can contribute towards it.

RE: HOLI Holi is celebrated throughout India and beyond. Bonfires are lit on the first day of Holi to remind Hindus of the story of Holika and Prahlad. Coloured paint is thrown or squirted at friends, family and even strangers on the second day of the festival. This commemorates a story about the young Krishna and his beloved Radha.

Music-Melody and Harmony Within this project children will learn about melody and harmony through activities that develop listening and appraising, singing, instrument playing and composition skills. The main musical genres that the children will learn this half term will be orchestral and gospel. 

PE will be on a Wednesday

Useful links for maths

	TT Rockstars: There's no quick fix to mastering the tables and improving multiplication recall speeds - it takes regular practice and commitment from pupils, which is why we need to ensure they remain motivated.
	The URBrainy MTC online practice site will help students know how they can improve their times table knowledge, and the speed of their recall. 25 questions per test 6 seconds per question Guidance on where to spend time practising
	Hit the Button is an interactive maths game with quick fire questions on number bonds, times tables, doubling and halving, multiples, division facts and square numbers. The games, which are against the clock, challenge and develop mental maths skills. Regular use of Hit the Button can help students to sharpen their recall of vital number facts in a fun way and learning multiplication tables need not be boring.

Useful links for literacy