Living and Learning
This week in our Living and Learning topic, the children took part in the NSPCC assembly, which focused on the importance of speaking out and staying safe. They discussed what it means to use their voice when something worries them and learned that children have the right to be heard. We also explored different scenarios to help the children recognise when they might need support and who they can talk to. The children learned that Buddy is represented as a speech bubble, reminding us all that children have the right to speak out.
Here is a link for you to watch this with your child at home NSPCC Buddy
Topic – Geography
This half term, we are geographers who study the land (the physical features of the
Earth) and the people who live within it (the human features).
During the last few weeks, the children have been busy exploring the characteristics of different biomes from around the world. We’ve discovered that biomes are large areas of the Earth that share similar climates, plants and animals; we were amazed at just how different these environments can be.
Then, we focussed on the Amazon Rainforest and Dalby Forest, making comparisons between the two. We have also been learning about the various layers of the rainforest and what creatures make this area their home. We have learned about how important the rainforests of our planet are and what a vital resource they are to all of us on earth.
We’re really looking forward to diving deeper into this topic over the coming weeks. Next week, we will be finding out what resources come from Brazil. Are their any items in your kitchen that originate in Brazil (i.e. sugar, coffee)?
Help at home – ask your child about the various biomes. Can they remember the four main biomes and describe each one. What animals live there? What are the different layers of the rainforest?
Class Novel – The Last Bear by Hannah Gold
I hope you enjoyed reading a chapter of The Last Bear as part of this week’s homework.
In class we have been working on summarising the key information in the chapter we have read. We started by drawing a picture and then trying to summarise in one sentence.
If you would like to know more about The Last Bear or some of Hannah Gold’s other books you might want to watch some of her videos with your child on Authorfy. We’ve already watched a couple as part of our Book Club in class.
https://authorfy.com/masterclasses/hannah-gold/
Your child may also be interested to explore Bear Island (where the story is set.) In class we used Google Maps to see what we could see.
Please let me know if you are enjoying sharing this story together.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
This week we had a special delivery in Early Years the children were so excited to find what was inside the little cardboard box that arrived by post. Inside, there were 5 teeny, tiny caterpillars! They were so hard to see that we needed to use the magnifying glasses. We’ve been checking them everyday and they are getting bigger and bigger, just like the caterpillar in this weeks story The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be learning about life cycles. We’ll closely observe caterpillars to help us understand the four stages of a life cycle.
The weather has been perfect for some gardening outside too. We got our green fingers busy and planted some flowers and herbs in the garden. We talked about making sure that we watered the seeds so that they will grow.
We then finished the week with Forest school, we had such an amazing time with Sarah, we made butterflies and decorated them with flowers. We explored the slack line, the swing and all the exciting areas in forest school. We can’t wait to go again next week!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
This week we had a special delivery in Early Years the children were so excited to find what was inside the little cardboard box that arrived by post. Inside, there were 5 teeny, tiny caterpillars! They were so hard to see that we needed to use the magnifying glasses. We’ve been checking them everyday and they are getting bigger and bigger, just like the caterpillar in this weeks story The Hungry Caterpillar.
The weather has been perfect for some gardening outside too. We got our green fingers busy and planted some flowers and herbs in the garden. We talked about making sure that we watered the seeds so that they will grow.
We then finished the week with Forest school, we had such an amazing time with Sarah, we made butterflies and decorated them with flowers. We explored the slack line, the swing and all the exciting areas in forest school. We can’t wait to go again next week!
RE- Which books and stories are important?
This term in RE, we are focusing on why books and stories are important to us. We began by discussing special books we might have at home, such as photo albums, drawing books, notepads, and diaries, and what they mean to us personally. Many children recognised that having a special book is important, even though everyone’s book may be different. We talked about how each one carries its own value and deserves respect. The children then brought in their special books from home and created drawings of them. As a class, we shared and discussed why these books are meaningful, helping us understand the importance of stories and personal memories in our lives.
Living and Learning
I can assess my own risks
This week, we’ve been focussing on the importance of consent (permission) and safe/unsafe touch. We recognise that some appropriate touch can feel safe, comforting and gentle whereas unsafe touch can feel uncomfortable and hurtful. Year 6, as always, were very respectful during our Living and Learning session and recognised that often circumstances can dictate whether touch is safe or unsafe.
We worked through some examples and gave reasons why the touch was safe or unsafe and children were excellent at providing varying circumstances which can alter the risk, therefore assessing their own risks. We talked about how consent is crucial and how we might talk to someone if we’ve been touched in an unsafe way.
Finally, children know that there are people to talk to should they have any worries or concerns:
Science – Parts of a plant
In science, we’ve been learning about plants. We’ve been finding out about the different parts of a plant and what they are called. We now know the main parts are:
- roots
- stem
- leaves
- flower
We explored real plants and dissected them so we could take a closer look. We worked like real scientists by observing closely. We stayed safe by washing our hands after touching the plant parts.
Help at home by going on a walk to look for plants. Encourage your child to point out the roots, stem, leaves and flower.
Summer Learning Journey
After a well-deserved Easter break, the children have returned to school happy, healthy and well-rested. Here is a quick preview of Year 5 learning over the next five weeks!
Writing:
The children are currently working on how to punctuate speech correctly. This will lead nicely into writing our own short narratives with some character conversation. So far, we’ve look at punctuating speech with the reporting clause at the beginning, and at the end, of a sentence. Here’s some examples below:
“I really wish one of these paper planes would work properly,” Jack muttered.
Jack muttered, “I really wish one of these paper planes would work properly.”
Reading:
We’ve been reading a novel called The Explorer by Katherine Rundell – a story of four children lost in the Amazon Rainforest following a plane crash. So far, we’ve met Fred, Con, Lila and Max. We’ve realised that these characters (and the pilot) were the only ones on the six seater plane as it went down. In our reading lessons, we’ve been inferring more about our characters through the way they speak to each other and their actions. Fred is an older child who is inquisitive and looks after others. Con is witty and can come across as rude with her sarcastic tone. Lila is quiet and cares for her little brother, Max. Max is very young and doesn’t communicate much, but he is afraid of the situation they are in.
Maths:
We’ve started looking at calculating the volume of 3D shapes (cubes and cuboids). The volume is how much space a 3D shape occupies, in terms of it’s length, width and height. To calculate volume, we need to multiply:
length x width x height
Topic:
We are geographers this half term and we’ll be diving deeper into the Amazon Rainforest in South America. As we learn, we’ll look at similarities and differences of the Amazon compared to the UK.
Here are a few facts we’ve already learnt:
- Did you know the UK would fit inside Brazil approximately 35 times? (scale)
- There are 8 biomes that span across Earth.
- Tundra is the coldest biome
- A desert is hottest, driest biome.
- A tropical rainforest (like the Amazon) is the hottest, wettest biome.
- The UK falls within a temperate forest biome.
Science:
We are learning about chemistry this half term, looking at reversible and irreversible changes. So far, Year 5 have planned our experiment ready for next week; Which substances dissolve in water?
If our substance does dissolve, it is known as soluble and the outcome would be called a solution.
If our substance does not dissolve, it is known as insoluble and the outcome would be called a mixture.
Help at home:
Please talk with your child about our current learning.
- What are they particularly enjoying so far?
- Is there anything you can do at home together to support if they are struggling?
- How about an experiment of your own, or further reading about the Amazon Rainforest?
Philosophy Friday – Is it easier to be peaceful by yourself?
This half term our Christian Value is peace. We define peace as feeling calm and content.
In our Philosophy Friday sessions, we take the opportunity to think deeply about the world around us. Our reflection this week was about whether it is easier to feel peaceful by yourself.
Before we shared our reflections, I was very confident that I found it easier to be peaceful by myself but following much debate I was persuaded to think differently.
“When I feel angry I find it easier to find peace by myself but when I feel upset I prefer to be with a friend.” Bea
“Sometimes when I am playing out and I want to find peace I sit by a tree and watch the bees pollinate.” Jack
“If you feel peaceful you can make other people feel peaceful too.” Poppy
“On the one hand it can be easier to find peace when there is no-one to bother you but on the other hand you feel protected when you are together.” Arthur
Help at home: Discuss how you find peace by yourself and as a family.