English/Maths
Year 6 have completed another set of SAT papers this week in preparation for their tests in May. It has been wonderful to see how much progress they have made since the Autumn term and it has shown which areas need increased focus over the next few months. The Year 5s have also completed a reading, maths and grammar assessment which they have gone through with Mrs J to see where they have made errors.
Science
In Science this week we investigated the different timezones around the world, and how they and day/night are created by the movement of the Earth around the Sun. The children represented this movement through a Scientific diagram, and then clearly explained what they diagram showed. They then created a daily timetable involving different countries around the world to show what is happening across the world at different times of day.
Topic
As part of our topic work this week, the children have begun investigating Native American tribes. They have studied where the 5 main tribes lived on a map of North America, and then researched the different cultures and traditions of the different tribes.
RE
In RE this week, the children were creating their own prayers linked to the teachings of Jesus in The Gospel of Matthew. Some of the prayers have already been used in whole school Worship.
PE
The children have continued developing their skills in Quick Sticks this week. They also played in teams in a small tournament. On Friday, they had a tennis lesson with Mr Creffield.

English

We have been doing some challenging writing in English this week. The children’s task was to rewrite a section from Phoenix, from the perspective of an Axxa (alien) instead of as the main human character, Lucky. We planned out our extract first, looking at ways in which we could create atmospheric shifts in our writing. The children then drafted, edited and redrafted their story independently.

Maths

We have continued algebra this week, focusing on linear number sequences. The children have solved a range of problems including finding missing terms in a sequence, creating their own number sequences, finding the nth term, and applying their learning to solving a range of challenges.

Science

In Science this week the children performed their persuasive speeches in small groups. The other members of their group listened to their speech and then gave them a strength, a weakness and a next step. Mrs J and I were very impressed with the scientific understanding that the children showed, and they were very convincing in persuading their peers that the Earth isn’t the centre of the Universe.

Topic

In Geography this week, the children were tasked to choose a physical or human feature of North America that interested them. We had a great range of features including the Statue of Liberty, Niagra Falls, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon. The children then worked in pairs to research their feature, and presented their findings through a non-chronological report. They had to make sure they were presenting facts not opinions, using a wide range of conjunctions, and structuring their report clearly.

RE

In RE this week, we have continued our theme of ‘What Would Jesus Do?’, the teachings of Jesus. The children were given a copy of The Lord’s Prayer, taken from the Authentic Youth Bible, which they analysed, interpreting the words and phrases into their own understanding.

PE

The children have continued developing their skills in Quick Sticks this week. They also discussed leadership and captaincy of a sports team. On Friday, they had a tennis lesson with Mr Creffield.

English

In English this week we have been writing a non-chronological report about Axxa – a species of alien from our class novel. We looked at a range of report texts and picked out their features, and then decided on subheadings for our own text. We then went through the planning process where we made brief notes under each subheading, drafted and then redrafted our reports. The finished result is fantastic and the children are demonstrating that they can securely write a range of different types of text.

Maths

We have begun a new unit of Algebra this week. We have been solving simple equations where the variables are given, and then moved onto working out missing values later in the week. We then applied our learning to solving some problems and explaining our reasoning for our solutions. We will continue algebra next week.

Science

In Science this week have been writing our persuasive argument about how we know that the Earth moves around the Sun. The children used their research of Copernicus and Galileo to support their arguments, along with diagrams clearly showing the movement of the Earth and other planets in relation to the Sun. Next week, the children will be performing their persuasive speeches for the class or group.

Topic

Geography this week has been based around the different climates in North America. We studied a climate map and began thinking about why cities are in certain places. We thought about reasons why people might choose to live in a place, and what potential challenges the climate could present. The children then presented their findings through a piece of extended writing.

RE

This week in RE, we have been looking at the stories Jesus told during The Sermon on The Mount, Matthew 5-7. They chose several different passages and recorded how they could apply the teachings of Jesus in their lives today.

PE

In PE this week, Class 5 have enjoyed tennis with Mr Creffield.

English

In English this week we have been writing a newspaper article about the events that have happened on the planet of Phoenix. We started the week with some drama, considering the mood of the scene and the emotions the characters could have been feeling. We then drafted our newspaper articles, thinking carefully about which presentational devices we could use the guide the reader. We then redrafted our articles with improvements in place.

Maths

This week in Maths we have been revising position and direction. We have been finding coordinates of given points, in the first quadrant and then across 4 quadrants, and we have also been reflecting and translating shapes across 4 quadrants. Some children applied their learning to solving some challenging problems.

Science

In Science this week we found out about the findings of Copernicus and Galileo. We decided which was the best scientist and justified our choices. We then researched further into the findings of our chosen scientist, in preparation for writing a persuasive argument to convince people that the findings accurate in the next session.

Computing

We began exploring databases this week using 2investigate on Purple Mash. We did a quick survey of popular websites used by members of the class, what they were used for, how and how often they were accessed, and the duration of each visit. Everyone then had a go at inputting the data onto the website and looking at the ways in which it could be grouped and organised. We will continue this next week.

RE

Following on from analysing the parable of Matthew 7:24-27 last week, the class wrote their own understanding of the parable. They also considered what Jesus’ message was from this parable.

PE

In PE this week, Class 5 enjoyed Quick Sticks with Mrs J and tennis with Mr Creffield.

English

In English this week, we continued our new novel study ‘Phoenix’. We analysed the first two chapters of the story, and then we drafted a letter from the main character to his father. We discussed the features of a letter and made sure we used these in our writing. We then redrafted our letters with improvements in place, and made sure our writing sounded like a letter rather than a story.

We have also focussed on using accurate punctuation and cursive, joined handwriting this week.

Maths

This week in maths, we have consolidated our learning on percentages. We have completed a range of problem solving activities and investigations, and have done some ‘backwards’ number problems, e.g. if 7 is 20% of a number, what was the starting number? The children have done brilliantly with this and have been using fantastic reasoning to show their working out and prove how their answers are accurate.

Science

We began our new Science topic this week, ‘Earth and Space’. Firstly the children shared what they already knew, and then thought of key questions they would like to find out the answers to over the topic. We then found out about why people used to believe that they Earth was flat, and how it has been proved to be spherical. We also investigated the relative sizes of the Sun, Earth and moon, and then children represented these sizes on a smaller scale using compasses.

French

In French this week, we have begun using a website called ‘Duolingo’. Each child has a profile and is given a variety of tasks to complete, including translating between English and French, and practising pronunciation of French words.

R.E

This week in R.E, we continued our theme of the Gospel, What Would Jesus Do? The children worked in groups to analyse Matthew 7:24-27, the parable of the wise man and the foolish man.

P.E

In PE this week, the children continued to develop their skills in Quicksticks. The focus this week was on ball control. They have also had another Tennis session with Mr Creffield.

Welcome back! I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.  Class 5 have had a great start to 2018 and we are looking forward to another fun and challenging term.  In case the Spring term newsletter didn’t make it home. I have attached a copy here which gives an overview of what will be learning this term.  Class 5 Spring Curriculum Letter

English

In English, we launched our new novel ‘Phoenix’ by SF Said.  The children explored images relating to the story and made predictions about what the story could be about.  We then began exploring the first two chapters in more detail, and retrieving and inferring information about the story.

Maths

In maths this week we have been exploring equivalences between fractions, decimals and percentages, and began finding percentages of numbers and solving problems using this skill.  The children made a great start with this and we will continue consolidating these skills next week.

R.E

In R.E, Mrs J introduced our new R.E topic, ‘The Gospel, what would Jesus do?’ (WWJD?).  The children considered situations and scenarios and decided how they would deal it and then what Jesus would do.

P.E

Class 5 began a new Quicksticks unit this week with Mrs J.  The children practised their passing skills in pairs and small groups.  They also began tennis with Mr Creffield which will be every Friday until half term.