Year 5

Year 5 have made a mature start to Spring Term and the New Year - 2020 - and we are becoming much more independent with our learning.  We are continuing to learn many new and exciting things.

Maths

In maths, we have been learning about decimal numbers, fractions, percentages and angles and this will lead onto them investigating and exploring properties of shapes. We are now applying their knowledge when problem solving and trying to work with a systematic approach. We will continue to undertake mathematical investigations from time to time and have improved our ability to apply our mathematical skills. 

English

In English, we are currently reading and studying Goodnight Mr Tom which we are enjoying building on our literacy skills while we undertake varied tasks related to the book including writing in different styles and answering questions about the story. Next half term we are looking forward to learning about different types of persuasive writing including designing our own posters and advertisements.

Science

We are thoroughly enjoying our Science lessons – learning about different life cycles in different animals and plants and we will be undertaking research projects into famous naturalists and presenting the findings to our peers including creating our own PowerPoint presentations

All of year 5 will visit to Berrylands Nature reserve again to continue learning about the ecosystems and habitats. We will be returning there to see the changes through the seasons.

PE

In other areas of learning, we are developing our gymnastic skills and we have developed our basketball skills in outdoor PE including passing, shooting, dribbling and offensive and defensive moves. Throughout the year, we will continue to practice and develop skills in other sports such as Cricket, tennis, hockey, football and athletics.

It has been a great start to our second term in year 5 and we are looking forward to the rest of the year.

When asked about what they enjoy doing replies have included:
‘I have tried really hard and can now do a vault in gymnastics’
‘I am enjoying reading Goodnight Mr Tom – it’s a really good book’
‘I have found out lots of things I didn’t know about plants and animals’
‘I really enjoy making my own collage in art’

Year 5 Kandinsky

Year 5 Kandinsky have made a super start to the new academic year. We’ve already covered so much from Sikhism to the Vikings, sewing and photography.

In English we read How To Train Your Dragon which was very popular. We created new types of dragons, wrote character descriptions and dialogues. The book linked in well with our History topic which was about those famous, helmeted warriors, the Vikings. We found out where they came from and how they lived. We also made some superb Viking long boats which tested the talents of both the children and their families. Take a look at some of the amazing models we made!

In Computing we took photos with the ipads and then edited them using the Paint program. The results were really effective. Perhaps some of us will work in digital media one day!

We moved on to developing our progamming skills using  the Scratch programme and created some innovative, new activities for our characters.

Our recent science topic involved learning all about our solar system. We have learned a great deal about the planets, the Earth, sun and moon. Did you know that the sun is over a million times bigger than the Earth?

Our DT topic involved a trip to Pizza Express where we made our own pizzas. They were delicious! In class we wrote a recipe for soup which we then cooked in the staff room. The most popular variety was tomato with a touch of basil.

We really enjoy our PE lessons on the MUGA and have enjoyed learning about Tag Rugby this term.

Year 5 Warhol

Year 5 Warhol have made a positive, enthusiastic and hardworking start to this academic year and are showing a positive attitude to their learning.  Pupils are learning many new and exciting things.

When asked about what they enjoy doing replies have included: -

• ‘I have enjoyed finding out about Sikhism and I now know that we have lots of shared beliefs’
• ‘Problem solving in maths makes me think about what I have to do and not just do the calculation’
• ‘I like it when we poems and books altogether because I understand it more’
• ‘I am finding out lots about the past especially the Vikings and what they brought to Britain’
• ‘I have made my own tapestry and it looks really good’
• ‘Doing science investigations was really good – I didn’t think it would be so much fun’

Each school day is varied and we learn many new skills and gather interesting information. We are already showing good progress in the key skills we use every day. We are continuing our focus on spelling, learning spelling patterns and rules to make our writing even better and we are learning to write narratives with many more features such as embedded clauses, fronted adverbials and using figurative language.

In maths, we have been consolidating place value and applying our knowledge to problem solving and multi-step investigations. We have been applying the four rules of number and are moving on to fraction, decimal and percentage work where we will learn to convert between these. We are now using our mathematical skills to solve problems, which involve different concepts.

In English we have been read ‘How to train your Dragon’ and have undertaken varied tasks related to the book including writing in different styles and answering questions about the story. This book linked to our history topic on Vikings where we are learning about their settlement in Britain and how this changed the way of life.

We are also studying narrative poetry – in particular ‘The Highwayman’ by Alfred Noyes where we are developing understanding of figurative and literal language while producing writing in different genres including newspaper reports and character profiles

Science has been particularly enjoyable where we are learning about Changing State and we undertook practical experiments using different materials to identify the changes that occurred during dissolving, heating and cooling. We have learnt to report results in a systematic and scientific manner. We are now learning about the Earth, the Sun, the Moon and other planets so that we begin to understand how Earth is affected by the sun and the movement of the moon.

In other areas of learning, we have been developing our gymnastic skills and are expressing ourselves through dance - which has been very popular. We have also developed our ball skills in outdoor PE. Throughout the year, we will continue to practice and develop skills in other sports such as Cricket, Tennis and football.

Some of our class are attending Surbiton Hockey club to further develop their skills and we had 6 members of the class compete in the Kingston Schools Cross country event.

We are enjoying our rehearsals and getting to know the songs for ‘Young Voices’ at the O2 arena next term and are looking forward to learning the actions to accompany the songs for what is always a memorable and exciting event..

We also had a wonderful visit Pizza Express as part of our Food Technology and understanding of healthy foods and we learnt about aspects of food hygiene and preparation as well as making our own delicious Pizza that we were able to take home and share with our families.

It has been such a great start to the year and in class 5 Warhol, we are looking forward to our positive attitude continuing throughout the year and extending our learning to become more confident as we progress.

Year 5 Singh

In 5 Singh, we have had a fantastic start to this year’s learning. We are all very excited about the school year ahead of us.

In Maths this term, we have been consolidating our knowledge of number and have applied this to problems that have a real life context. As a class, we have learnt a range of strategies and methods to solve calculations for all of the four operations. We then developed our knowledge of fractions, learning how to find a fraction of an amount as well as adding and subtracting fractions by finding the lowest common multiple.

In English, we have been working on editing our work, looking to make improvements to the grammar, spelling and language that we use in our written work and referring to our working wall. We have paid particular focus on the use of figurative language and the role of the writer to paint a picture in the mind of the reader. We have created vivid descriptions using literary devices. We have used Alliteration, Metaphor, Simile and Personification. We have really enjoyed the challenge of using all of these techniques when describing both a character and a setting.

In the first half of the term, we learnt all about Sikhism and enjoyed discovering the views of the Sikh faith that we are all equal before God. We found it inspiring to learn how they showed this equality in their daily lives and in the way that they show respect to each other and God. DT has been a particular favourite of the class, as we visiting a Pizza Express to learn about how a Pizza is made to be both safe and delicious.

In PE, we thoroughly enjoyed Gymnastics, creating routines, whilst developing our core strength conditioning and stamina. Alongside these lessons, we have been developing our core skills and our understanding of identifying space in our Hockey lessons.

We are enjoying our rehearsals and getting to know the songs for ‘Young Voices’ at the O2 arena next term and are looking forward to learning the actions to accompany the songs. The actions have been incredibly energetic and complex.

And……. We love to read!