Welcome to Class 11
We are a Year 5 class and our teachers are Miss Metcalfe and Mrs Carr. We enjoy working together to learn about the world around us. We are excited by new challenges and opportunities and aim to become more confident, independent and resilient learners.
Autumn
Our first topic answers the question: What Were the Wonders of the Shang Dynasty? In this topic we will gain an understanding of when and where the Shang Dynasty existed and how we know about it as well as learning about the technological advancements of Shang artisan. In our English lessons we will be making links with our reading and writing using extracts, short stories and longer novels including, ‘Where the Mountain Meets the Moon ‘by Grace Lin and ‘Coraline’ by Neil Gaiman. In our art lessons, we will look at the question: How does traditional Chinese art reflect the history, culture, and beliefs of its people? As part of this unit, we will be making a sculpture of a Chinese Dragon. Topics we will cover in science include: comparing and grouping everyday materials based on their properties and classifying everyday changes as either reversible or irreversible. We will be designing and making a functional, appealing moving carousel ride in Design and Technology and in Geography we will be comparing China’s diverse landscapes with that of the UK and look at how this shapes the lives and industries of its people.
Spring
Our first topic answers the question: How has the power and role of the British monarchy changed over the last one thousand years? This will allow the children to examine how the role of the monarch has changed from William I to the modern era. Our Independent Learning Project will be Geography based and will answer the question: H ow does our everyday shopping connect us to people around the world, and how can trade be made fairer? In this topic we will research information about Fair Trade and run a Fair Trade Tuck Sho . In our English lessons, we will learn about Structure Poetry: Haiku, Cinquain and Sonnet and write some of our own poetry based on the poems we have studied. We will be working to use mechanical systems to bring a storybook to life for a younger child in Design and Technology and in our Art lessons we will look at artists across history and how they use proportion, style, and distortion to reveal the identity of a person. In our Science lessons, we will be looking at how the movement of Earth and other planets shape our experience of time, seasons, and the cosmos and answering questions such as: How do unseen forces shape the way objects move and behave?
Summer
We will continue developing and improving our extended writing skills by transforming Narrative to Playscript using ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ by Onjali Q. Raúf. In Science we will be contemplating the question: How do different living things pass the torch of life to the next generation? And our Summer History Topic will be: Why did the Windrush generation come to Britain, and how did they help shape its future? Our Geography Unit for this term makes links with our history unit and contemplates how the geography, culture, and history of the Caribbean helps to shape daily life. In Art, the children will enjoy exploring and analysing the characteristics of Optical Art (Op Art) and the work of Bridget Riley and in their Design and Technology lessons, they will design and cook a nutritious, vibrant Caribbean street food dish that celebrates traditional flavours and appeals to a modern market.
Homework and Reading: In Year 5, children will get two pieces of homework each week: one maths, one English (usually grammar). It will be sent home every Friday and is due in the following Thursday. Homework should be brought back into class, rather than be uploaded to Class Dojo. We mark the homework together, as a class, every Friday.
We expect children to read a minimum of three times per week. Reading Diaries are provided free of charge. They should be returned along with homework every Thursday
Useful Information
- Please ensure your child’s name is inside all of their uniform including PE kit and shoes.
- Our PE lesson is on a Tuesday and children should come dressed in their PE kits on this day.
- We use Class Dojo to set homework, award team points and communicate with parents. Please ensure you are signed up to Class Dojo using the parent code provided. For more information please click here.
- For further information about the homework your child will be set please click here
- Teachers will update Class Dojo with details of your child’s PE day.
- Pupils should come to school appropriately dressed for P.E. in either school kit (red t-shirt, black shorts/leggings/trousers), or other suitable clothes including t-shirt, shorts or tracksuit bottoms that follow PE kit guidelines. Footwear can include plimsols, trainers or barefoot (depending on the suitability of the activity).
- All children must bring a water bottle from home and take it home at night to clean and refill- please ensure names are on all bottles.
- Pupils are asked to read at least 3 times a week at home and should submit their reading diary via Class Dojo.
