Year 5 – Mr. Jones

This term our topic is ‘Fires, Plagues and Fireworks’, which is a History based topic concentrating on life and events in Stuart times. We should have great fun with this topic- there’s so much to learn and enjoy.

English – This term we will be studying different forms of poetry as well as focusing on particular poets, such as Pie Corbett. We will have a ‘Poem of the week’ for each week of the Autumn Term. Non fictional texts will be considering recounts and instructional texts, so we will be inventing new games for PE and writing instructions to play them. Sentence level work will include work relating to direct and reported speech, punctuation, idiomatic phrases, similes, metaphors and verb tenses. We will be linking some of our creative writing work to our topic – writing diary entries and accounts of events such as the Great Fire of London and the Gunpowder Plot. In addition to such activities, each day there will be a skills session to develop handwriting, spelling and reading skills (guided reading group and silent reading). Emphasis will be placed on neat presentation for all written work.

How you can help: Encourage your child to learn their weekly spellings and to read a wide range of material.

Mathematics – Number work will continue to develop children’s understanding of the place value of the digit within numbers as well as work on the four number operations, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. Shape, data and measure work will be based upon recognizing 2D shapes, creating and reading bar graphs, recognizing symmetry as well as the different measurements for length and weight. Children will be taught to use different mathematical strategies through problem solving, mental maths and planned thinking skills activities. There will be lots of maths games and puzzles to encourage pupil skills in mental arithmetic.

How you can help: Play some maths games with your child and practice the times tables with them!

Science – The first half of the term we will be discovering how sounds are made and how they travel. We will also investigate pitch by making our own musical instruments. We will also be looking at light – different ways of producing light, such as candles, bulbs etc. We will look at electricity and safety issues. Later on in the term we will be learning about gases, proving air exists and investigating how much air is in soil and in bottles of pop. We should have lots of fun!

How you can help: Encourage your child to research the above areas – Light, sound and gases!

History – We will be learning about life in Stuart times. There will be some revision of Tudor monarchs…setting the scene for the topic. Pupils will be learning about events which happened during this era: as the title suggests, The Gunpowder Plot, The Plague, The Fire of London etc. We will learn about the Stuart Monarchs and Oliver Cromwell. Along with this, there will be a general study of living conditions, housing, social factors etc. It will be extremely interesting.

How you can help: The class will enjoy researching the Stuarts – simply continue this at home!

Geography – Our main Geography topic will be studied in the Spring Term. However, this term our geographical studies will focus on world geography, becoming familiar with the different continents and places around the world. Pupils will consider where places are and what is happening there! We will be using an atlas, getting used to finding our way around a map. We will link to our topic by looking at the exploration that took place during Tudor and Stuart times and the trade routes that were in operation then.

How you can help: There will occasionally be some research homework or something to find out over the weekend. Using an atlas at home would also help.

Art – We will be looking at portraits, creating self portraits of others. This will involve consideration of drawing features etc. Linking with our topic, we will look at portraits of the Stuarts and the type of portraits that were produced at the time. Our topic will lead us into a study of colour and texture, as we produce images of fireworks. We will look at colour mixing and creating different effects using different media. There will also be opportunity to study some famous paintings from Stuart times, such as the painting of the Great Fire of London by an unknown artist. We will look at photographs of the same area of London today.

How you can help: Discussing the above at home or completing further research would be great!

RE – This term we will be studying the story of Joseph and his coat of many colours. We will also be learning about the significance of prayer in our lives. As part of this we will study Taize prayer. Before Christmas, we will develop the children’s understanding of Advent and Christingle, looking at the symbol of light in our celebrations. This term we will also spend time considering the beliefs of others.

PE – This term we will be working on gymnastic skills by looking at action and direction. Pupils will work individually as well as in pairs or small groups to improve their gymnastic ability. Control and coordination will form the basis of these lessons. We will also be looking at developing rugby skills. Pupils will work on their passing and retrieving skills, control of the ball and the ability to look ahead and run into space – should be fun! (PE: Wednesdays and Fridays).

DT – We will be designing and making a mini- house! Basically we will be looking at structures, linked to our topic, looking at homes in Tudor/Stuart times and how they were made. We will also be studying how houses have developed over time and the process that is involved in building a house today.

IT – We will continue to develop knowledge of the different functions of a word processing package and spreadsheets. We will be using copy and paste to create a repeated pattern on a graphics program and using the internet to research information. As a class we will use ICT Alive series of lessons, to promote confidence and competence in using the computer. There will be opportunities to ‘film’ using a DVD/Video recorder and use the digital camera.

Reminders:

Homework - Please bring in by Tuesday, along with the blue homework diary.

Reading books – Your child will be given a day when their reading book has to be in school.

PE kits – These need to be in school on Wednesdays and Fridays please!