Update on ‘Life’ in Y5
This week has seen the launch of our new Big Topic, ‘Life’.
It’s an exciting week for us as it comes with a great (very informative) class assembly and a trip to Leeds Museum on Friday morning. We started our topic with an incredible journey from the beginning of Earth, 4.6 billion years ago, to this very day.
As a class, we created a giant timeline in our classroom and then wrote some fantastic, detailed recounts on it.
We’ll be using our ‘Life’ knowledge in English over the next few weeks to write informative texts on various animals: old, new and some just plain old fictitious. Help at home by looking through animal information books, magazines and websites for some vocabulary the children could learn and use in their own writing.
In Maths, we’re focussing on fractions, percentages and decimals. We need to know the relationship between these three areas of Maths and be able to fully understand what they mean and how to use them. At home, help by drawing images of fractions and then identify the equivalent percentage and decimal.
Phonics mornings
This week, we’ll be holding our second of three phonics sessions.
The children are now beginning to learn long vowel phonemes and digraphs (two letters making one sound, like ‘sh’ and ‘th’) and to read and write sentences and longer words.
We expect all parents / carers to come along and see how much the children have learnt and find out ways you can support your child at home.
Maths learning in Reception
In our maths learning this week, we’ll learn about shape and pattern.
We’ll look at shape and pattern around us and in particular shape and pattern found in nature. We’ll look at snowflakes and ice and the patterns and shapes found in tree trunks, sticks and branches.
Number and calculating is built upon patterns; for example, recognising sequences of numbers or the shape of five on a dice with spots, without counting each dot.
As well as noticing shapes and patterns, children need to talk about them in order to develop the language needed to describe the shapes and patterns they see.
The following is a list of vocabulary the children will experience in Reception:
shape, flat, curved, straight, round, solid, corner, sort, cube, cuboid, cylinder, pyramid, sphere, cone, circle, triangle, square, rectangle, size, bigger, larger, smaller, pattern, repeating pattern, match.
A Science experiment
Here are some photos from when we tested different materials to see if they would be a good material to make an umbrella from. We found out that wood and plastic would keep us dry. However, we agreed that a wooden umbrella would be quite heavy to hold above your head! The class worked as scientists by making sure they treated each material the same by dropping 50 drops of water on them all. They recorded all their findings and analysed them afterwards. Mrs Maqbool and I were really impressed! Well done!
This Week
Maths
For the past two weeks in maths, we’ve been looking at multiplication. We reviewed our multiplication tables last week and this week we’ve been applying our learning using the grid method.
Why not challenge your child to solve a similar question to this one?
Next week, we start to look at fractions of shapes.
English
Our English this week has tied in with our class spellings – contractions. Contractions are two words that have been put together to form one word. They’re punctuated with an apostrophe to indicate missing letters. We’ve been using contractions in letters and dialogues.
Why not ask your child to count the number of contractions that are in this post?
Next week, we start our learning on report writing which will link with our big topic, Life.
What’s the matter?
In this science mini topic we’ve looked at rocks, soils and fossils. We’ve been digging up the front playground, applying acid to rocks and investigating different types of fossils. Why not ask your child about how fossils are formed?
This week, by Jennifer and Ethan
This week, Jennifer and Ethan have spent some time reflecting on our learning over the last week.
English
This term in English we have been planning and writing news articles about the three little pigs but this time the wolf is innocent. We have already done the main news and the background. This a piece from Bailey’s writing:
At approximately 15:17, Bradley and Albert Pig were left no option but to run to their sister’s house. Mr A.Wolf, who claimed he wanted to invite them to his house welcoming party, said the attack on Wheat Dale Farm was accidental.
Maths
In maths we have been focusing on drawing and calculating angles – including missing interior angles. We have also learnt about symmetry and circles!
Here are some examples of our learning (drawing angles and finding the total of the interior angles of a shape):
Next week, we will be starting our new topic: Life!
What’s the ‘solution’ to our problem?
Last week, Y5 explored which solvents (substances) would create a solution when added to a solvent (water).
If you can’t see any of the particles from the solvent (salt, sugar, rice, sultanas etc…), it has created a solution. If the particles of the solvent sink to the bottom, this is called a residue and a solution has not been created.
Can you get the solvent back once it has been mixed into the solute (water), even if it made a solution?
We sieved and filtered our variables to find out whether we got any back.
The rice and sultanas could be separated from the water and some things were trapped by the filter but lots of our tests still haven’t separated. We’re now leaving them to evaporate to see if anything is left in the cup once the water has all gone.
Loving our library!
This afternoon, as we do every Monday, we went to the library to change our books. We really enjoy this experience and are making a conscious effort to raise the profile of reading in our class. It’s great that we have this facility in school and Year 6 are certainly making the most of it – everyone seems to be enjoying reading their books!
It would be great if you could help at home by:
- reading with your child
- asking questions about what you have read (e.g. How does the character feel? What might happen next? What did the character say when…?)
- encouraging your child to read for pleasure
- asking questions about reading in general (e.g. Do you like the book? Who is your favourite author? What makes this book different to a fiction/non-fiction book? Is there a particular genre you enjoy/don’t enjoy reading?)
- raising the profile of reading at home – Do you read? If so, could you and your child spend time reading your own books at the same time?
We know you help lots at home and it really shows in the learning we do at school. Thank you for your continued support.
Staying safe online
This week, an important letter is being sent home from Mrs Weekes. Please take the time to read this to help make sure your child is safe online.
We strongly recommend you have a happy and healthy discussion about how to behave online. Try this idea.
Tuck shop returns
Tuck shop will be back this Tuesday.
Eighty four portions per week have already been prepaid for this term but there is still chance to buy fruit on the day for 20p per portion.
Is your child in Year 3 and therefore goes swimming on a Tuesday afternoon? Some children buy a portion of fruit from the tuck shop and keep it for their healthy snack after swimming.
