Year 5

ENGLISH

Using the book, ‘Beowulf’, as our inspiration, we will explore narratives, learning about how characters and settings can be described and developed.  We will write letters between key characters and write our own beast-themed stories.  We will use the Anglo Saxons book to help us to research the era and write persuasive battle speeches.  Finally, we will explore poetic devices in the form of Kennings and look further into Beowulf as an epic poem, comparing it with others, such as Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’.

 

MATHS

This half term, our learning will focus on written methods involved in Multiplication and Division, as well as learning about fractions, decimals and percentages.

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SCIENCE

This half term, we will be learning about the Materials and their Properties.  We will plan and carry out a range of investigations to explore the strength and hardness of materials, how transparent or magnetic materials are, as well as which materials are the most effective heat and electrical conductors.

 

HISTORY

We will learn about Britain at the time of the Anglo-Saxon invasions and how Britain changed over time, locating events on a timeline and develop our understanding of chronology through linking the era to other known periods in history.  We will investigate the lives of the Anglo-Saxons, using a range of historical evidence.  We will also start to explore the impact of other invasions on Anglo-Saxon Britain.

 

GEOGRAPHY

Linked to our reading and history, we will learn about the different groups who became the ‘Anglo-Saxons’, where they came from and which geographical factors contributed to their invasion.  We will explore the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and how they relate to our modern-day counties.  We will also use maps to identify the location of evidence of archaeological finds and explore the geographical reasons why sites were chosen as suitable settlements.

 

RE

This term we are learning about Christianity, focusing on what it means if God is holy and loving.  We will explore ideas such as, if God exists, what would God be like?, what do Christians believe God is like?, what evidence is there to show that God is holy and loving, and can non-religious people live by similar guidelines to Christians?

 

PE

Children will have two PE sessions each week – please make sure your child wears their PE kit in school every Monday and Tuesday.  If they wish, your child may wear leggings or jogging trousers to wear instead of shorts for outdoor PE.  For safety reasons, all watches and jewellery must be removed for PE lessons. If your child wears earrings, they must be able to remove them independently or cover them with medical tape.  Please send medical tape in with your child if needed.  Alternatively, it may be easier to leave earrings at home on PE days.

This term we will be learning some of the skills and moves needed for Cardio Circuits and taking part in Gymnastics.

 

COMPUTING

The children will continue to learn about online safety through our computing lessons.  In addition, we will be learning about computer systems and searches using the Digital Learning Cornwall resources.

 

MUSIC

This term we will be learning about composing and chords through the Charanga Model Music Curriculum.

 

DT

In DT, we will be investigating and analysing the different types of breads made during the Anglo-Saxon period as well as exploring some of the many varieties of bread produced today.  We will look at the different types of grains used to make flour and have a go at grinding the grains, before designing and creating our own Anglo-Saxon bread.

 

 PSHE

During this half term, the children will be learning about different aspects of life using LifeWise PSHE.  We will start by exploring how to deal with adversity and how our choices can help.  We will also learn about how the words we choose to use can impact on others, and why responsibility and inspiration are important in our lives.

 

HOME LEARNING

In year 5, children still need to read lots! All children are expected to read at home most nights for 15 – 20 minutes either to themselves or with an adult. This could be their school Accelerated Reader book, listening to a story read by someone else or sharing a favourite book. All are equally valuable. Talking about what they have read is also vital to help develop comprehension skills. This is particularly beneficial to the children when completing their Accelerated Reader quizzes.  All children have a reading record book in which parents, carers or the children themselves can record what they have read or make any comments.

In addition, children all have access to Times Tables Rockstars. Please encourage your child to practise their times tables regularly – five or ten minutes a day is likely to be more beneficial than an hour once a week.