Welcome to year 5!

• Some important reminders:

  • PE is on a Monday. Children should bring their swimming kit to school.
  • Football with Arj is on a Friday lunchtime. Please bring football kits to school to change into.
  • Children should bring their reading book to school each day and should have it signed by an adult at least three times each week.
  • Homework is given on a Friday and should be returned by the following Wednesday, our spelling tests take place Wednesday afternoon. 
  • Please remember to bring a water bottle to school each day. 

Autumn 1

This half term the children will be learning about the Roman Invasion of Britain and will be reading a book with a Roman theme, called 'The Queen of Darkness' as their class reading book.  This book will be used to inspire their writing in English.  In English they will be writing a narrative set in Roman Britain.  Also in English, they will be learning about alliteration, the rule of three and using speech.  In Maths, the children will learn about Roman Numerals, place value, adding and subtracting with numbers with more than 4 digits and rounding of numbers.  In Art, the children will study the work of LS Lowry and produce their own version of his work using oil pastels.  In RE, the children will complete a Christianity unit, which looks as God as holy and loving.  In Science, the children will be learning about the properties of materials and conducting experiments about these.  In PE, the children will complete a dance unit and in Computing, the children will code using a program called Scratch.  

Segedunum Roman Fort and Museum 

The children had a great day when we visited Segedunum Roman Fort and Museum at Wallsend. The aim of the visit was to allow the children to learn more about the Roman invasion of Britain, which they had been learning about in their history lessons. In the morning the children explored the grounds of the fort, looking at the remains left behind. They learned about the layout of the fort and the purpose of different rooms, they also visited Hadrian’s Wall where they pretended to be Roman enemies. They had the chance to climb the Roman tower which was 35 meters high so they had could have a bird's eye view of the remains of the original Roman fort. In the afternoon, they learned about what a Roman solider would wear, their teacher Miss Richardson was dressed a solider. After that, they took part in 3 different activities; they took part in combat training with a commanding officer, they had the opportunity to look at Roman artefacts including a Roman dagger and spear and then they learned about Roman jobs in the fort. The children really enjoyed the visit, and it brought the unit of work to life for them.

Autumn 2

This half term the children will be reading the novel 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and this will inspire their own narrative, which will include tension.  They will also write a non-chronological report about their very own magical beast. In Maths, the children will learn about and use multiples, factors, prime numbers and square numbers.  They will multiply and divide by 10, 100 and 1000.  They will compare and order fractions, convert improper fractions into proper fractions and vice versa and they will add and subtract using fractions.  In Science, the children will be learning about forces.  They will investigate friction, air resistance and water resistance.  In DT, the children will investigate mechanical systems and use pulleys and gears to create a machine that can pick an object up.  In RE, the children will consider what it is like to be a Muslim in Britain today and learn about the 5 Pillars of Islam, the festival of Eid-Ul-Adha and the pilgrimage to Mecca.  In Computing, the children will use a range of music programs to create and edit musical compositions.  In Geography, the children will learn about the countries of North America, the human and physical features of these countries and the capital cities of these countries.  In PE, the children will  be doing gymnastics, the children will be practising rolls and forming different shapes.  In PSHE, the children will consider what racism is and why it is important to be different.

Coals to Goals

This term year 5 went on a visit to the Beacon of Light, for a heritage day. They began the day learning about the history of coal mining in Sunderland and the lives of the miners, they handled davy lamps and jowl sticks. They then completed a quiz about it. Before lunch, they went in the Stadium of Light and into the player’s dressing rooms for a tour. They learned about the history of Sunderland AFC and their famous FA cup win in 1973. After lunch, the children took part in a P.E lesson where they played team games. Then they learned about the history of the Sunderland badge and strips over the years, they tried on some Sunderland football shirts and designed their own badge. We had a great day and the children thoroughly enjoyed learning the history of their town.

Spring 1

This half term the children will be reading the book 'Harry Miller's Run' which is about an old man inspiring a young boy to take part in the Great North Run, this will then inspire the children to write their own narrative. In addition, they will be writing a persuasive letter to persuade a local venue to host a David Almond exhibition. In maths, the children will learn to multiply and divide 4 digit numbers. Also, they will learn to multiply fractions and write decimals as fractions. In science, the children will be learning about reproduction. They will investigate the life cycles of different animals and compare them. In history, we will be learning about Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and their struggle for the kingdom in England. In art, we will be focusing on Van Gogh, we will be using a range of methods to recreate some of his most famous paintings. In RE, the children will consider why Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, they will learn about the true meaning of Christmas and how lives can be transformed by Jesus. In computing, the children will be designing an app, they will be learning how to add text, images and hyperlinks. In PSHE, the children will be considering their dreams and goals for the future and looking at ways to achieve them. In PE, we will be going swimming at Southmoor Academy.

Sing a Song o’ Sunderland

On Tuesday 30th January the year 5 children went to the Holy Trinity church to perform. Over the past month they have been taking part in regular workshops with Marty and Ash, where they have wrote their own sea shanties. They wrote 3 different sea shanties all about the city of Sunderland. They have been practicing and adding in harmonies to their songs. They gave a fantastic performance and should be extremely proud of themselves.

Spring 2

This half term the children will be reading ‘Song of the Dolphin Boy’ by Elizabeth Laird and will be writing a narrative from the viewpoint of one of the characters. They will use parenthesis, metaphors, relative clauses and use different degrees of formality in their writing. In Maths, the children will be looking at decimals and percentages, they will learn to order and compare them and they will know the equivalent fractions. The children will be learning how to calculate area and perimeter. In science, the children will be learning about space. They will explore the life of an astronaut. In Geography, the children will be learning all about rivers. In DT, the children will be creating a popup book. In RE, we will be learning all about Judaism. In computing, the children will be learning about 3D Design. The children will use the Tinkercad website. In PSHE, the children will be learning about the ways to keep healthy. In PE, we will be doing volleyball; they will be learning the rules of the game. They will be learning how to carry out different types of shots including the dig shot.

 In our geography lessons we have been learning about rivers, so we went and visited Harehope Quarry. We walked across the countryside looking at the formations of the quarry and discussing why it was there, and what a quarry actually was. We then saw a dry waterfall with limestone foundations and even some fossilised coral. Once we made it down to the river we were able to get involved with measuring the width, depth and current of the river. We learnt how to use callipers to measure some river bed pebbles as well. Once we had measured this part of the river in the upper course we walked back to where we started and compared the information with the river we could see in the lower course. The river was  much faster, wider and straighter down in the lower course, it surprised us how fast the river was . It was a brilliant day exploring and investigating rivers in the sunshine.

Summer 1

This term in English, the children will be reading novel ‘The 1000 Year Old Boy’ and this will inspire their writing.  They will write a narrative which shows changes in time and a balanced discussion text. In Maths, the children will be learning about perimeter and area, they will learn how to calculate this for a variety of shapes and how to estimate. The children will be learning how to classify and estimate angles. In Science, the children will be continuing to learn about Earth and space; they will be creating a model of the solar system and will learn why and how we have day and night. In computing, the children will be completing a unit called data handling, they will be learning how to use Microsoft excel. In art, the children will be looking at sculptures this term. We will be basing our final pieces from the work of Peter Thorpe’s space paintings and Anna Borgman and Candy Lenk’s asteroid sculptures. In history, the children will be completing a local history unit. They will learn about the Victoria Hall disaster. In RE, the children will be completing a unit about Christianity and will consider how Christians lead their lives. In PE, the children will be learning the rules and skills needed to play Kwik Cricket. In PSHE, the children will think about their own personal characteristics. They will learn about keeping save when being online and their responsibilities when playing an online game. 

 Space Day

In Year 5 we have been learning all about space in our science lessons. To celebrate the end of our topic we had a space day. The children got dressed up in different outfits and we had a day full of fun filled activities. The children all created their very own rockets, they planned and designed them before using the materials to make them. Later in the day, we were able to launch the rockets out on the field. The children loved doing this! We all tried some space food and looked what its like to eat a meal in space. We ended the day with some space yoga and mindful colouring. We all had a great day and so much fun!

Summer 2

This term in English, the children will be reading novel ‘The Jamie Drake Equation’ and this will inspire their writing.  They will also write a explanation texts linked to rockets. In Maths, the children will be learning about decimals, how to add subtract, multiply and divide.  In Science, the children will be learning about the human life cycle and the changes which happen through our lives. In computing, the children will be learning about emails and the cloud, how they function and work.  In design and technology. the children will be looking how to work safely and will be making toasties. In geography, the children will be looking at developed and developing countries and the difference between the two.  In RE, the children will be completing a unit about Humanism and will consider how humanists lead their lives. In PE, the children will be doing athletics.