English:

This week children have analysed the features of explanation texts and written their own explanation texts based on our novel Phoenix.  They have also completed reading assessments which we will be going through with them in class before the end of term.

Maths:

In Maths, children have been finding the volume of cubes, cuboids and highly-complex 3D shapes composed of several cubes/cuboids.  It has been wonderful to see the children’s progress during this unit of work and seeing them apply previous learning on  area and perimeter.  They have also completed assessments, which we have started to look through and will continue to work through some of the questions next week.

Science:

In Science this week, we carried out a simulation to show the phases of the Moon using children’s written plans from last week. Children then completed an independent piece of writing to explain to other children how to carry out the simulation, which reinforced our work in English on explanation texts.

Geography:

Children completed their analysis and research of capital cities in North America.  Next week we will start to make comparisons between specific areas in the UK and North America.

RE:

In RE this week, we started a new unit on Salvation. We discussed why the resurrection is so important to Christians and used an artwork freeze to revise the ‘big story.’

PE:

We have continued our gymnastics work using the apparatus and also made the most of the sunshine to do one PE session on ball skills outside.

We hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Johnson, Mrs Foster and Mrs J

English

This week we have revisited diary writing. Children have created some excellent diary entries in role as Lucky from our novel Phoenix.  Children’s main focus was to infer to the reader the different emotions that Lucky was going through, by using carefully-chosen vocabulary and punctuation to enhance their writing. We will finish the diary entries on Monday, before starting a new unit on poetry.

Maths

At the start of the week children solved problems involving time, which included using bus/train timetables and converting between different units of times to answer word problems. We have now started a new unit on area and perimeter, involving rectilinear (compound) shapes. Next week we will focus on both area and perimeter, including using formulae to find the area of triangles.

Geography

In Geography this week, children were finding the capital cities of the North American countries.  They recorded their information in a table and many extended their task by adding extra information such as population, the language spoken or famous landmarks. They will continue this next week before choosing one of the capital cities to research in further detail.

Art

On World Book Day, children designed their own front covers for our novel Phoenix. They produced some beautiful work which will be displayed alongside some of their English work.

PE

We started a new unit on gymnastics this week and had a fantastic first session using the wall apparatus, the ropes and other floor equipment. The children’s perseverance and pride in their achievements was wonderful to observe and we are looking forward to seeing their skills and confidence increase over the coming weeks.

Homework

Because of the snow closure, homework will be given out on Monday and due in on Friday 9th.

Year 6 SATs Booster

In SATs Booster this week, we focused on grammar and explored the different types of noun: proper, common, abstract and collective, as well as looking at singular and plural. We also revised different word classes including determiners. Next week’s after-school booster session will be maths-based.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Mrs Johnson and Mrs Foster

English

This week we have revisited persuasive writing. Children have produced some fantastic writing aimed at persuading others to want to become or dress as an Axxa, using evidence from our class novel Phoenix. They have drafted, edited and redrafted their extended writing and each group then chose the strongest argument to present to the class in a bid to persuade them. Well done Class 5!

Maths

In Maths this week we have focused on converting different units of measure. Children have solved a wide range of problems, including converting between different metric units to measure length, mass and capacity, as well as converting from metric to imperial units and vice versa. Year 5s’ half-term homework will reinforce this week’s activities on converting measures.

Geography

Children have continued researching Native American tribes. They looked at a range of aspects including religion, dwellings, hunting and food, to develop their understanding of how external factors affected the tribes’ lifestyles.  They have produced an extended piece of writing on 2 of the tribes that they researched.

RE

In RE this week, the children worked in groups to create mood boards of how Christians and some non-Christians have taken the teachings of Jesus and been able to apply them to their own lives e.g. through charity work and how they conduct themselves.

PE

The children have had their final week of Quick Sticks and been able to apply the skills they have learnt to a mini tournament.  They have also had their final week of tennis with Mr Creffield and will be starting gymnastics after half-term.  Please can children have their PE kit in school every day, to allow for any changes to our normal PE times

Year 6 SATs Booster

I will be starting Year 6 SATs Booster every Monday from 26^th February onwards from 3:15 to 4:30 and I hope that your child will be able to attend. After half-term, I will arrange a parent meeting to provide information on the SATs in May.

Homework is due back on Wednesday 28^th February.

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.