Year 5- Woodpeckers Class
Hello and welcome to Woodpeckers Class!
English
For World Book Day this term, we spent a whole week focusing on our whole-school book, 'Leaf' by Sandra Dieckmann. The children were so engaged with this text and worked really hard exploring the themes of loneliness, family and belonging. The children then planned, wrote, edited and published a 
'missing chapter' where they demonstrated their ability to create narratives and use dialogue to advance action. The work was fantastic! The children especially enjoyed sharing their work with the Early Years classes on Friday afternoon. It was so wonderful to see the children sharing and taking pride in their writing. We are now moving on to our new text: Way Home by Libby Hathorn. This book explores themes of homelessness and belonging and we are excited to see what the children come up with.
Maths
In Maths, we have been looking at using negative numbers in different contexts. We have been exploring the use of thermometers and how we can measure negative temperatures. The children have been working really hard and we are looking forward to seeing their progress!
Science
I
n Science, we have been exploring life cycles. Our first lesson was a great practical activity where the children were asked to dissect flowers in order to understand the reproductive parts necessary for a plants' life cycle.
Next, we looked at the life cycle of mammals. The children used a combination of books and technology to research the life cycle of their chosen mammal. It has been really interesting to compare the life cycles of living things. We will be looking at the life cycle of birds, insects and amphibians next!
Geography
Why do our oceans matter?
This term, the children are exploring the impact we have on our world's oceans. We have looked at the many ways in which our oceans can be used and the positive and negative consequences of this. The children have been getting to grips with using a map and atlas in a more sophisticated way in order to plot import and export routes across the globe.
DT
Linking with our last Science topic of space, the children spent last term designing and creating pop-up books. They experimented with different mechanisms such as sliders and rotators. They carefully considered the audience of their books and worked incredibly hard to produce some very creative and imaginative work.
History
Last term, our history focus was 'The Tudors'. This was a truly brilliant unit where the children really engaged with the history of this fascinating time period. We looked at Henry VIII and his six wives, the reign of Elizabeth I and what life was like for the people living in this time.
Our trip to Hampton Court Palace was fantastic! The children (and staff) had a great time exploring the castle and immersing themselves in the Tudor world!
Key dates
- PE days are Monday and Wednesday
- Trip to Hampton Court Palace - Thursday 5th February
Homework
Reading
Please make sure you are reading with your child as much as possible. Reading with an adult is so crucial and can make such a difference. Your child has been given a yellow reading record which is due in every Friday. They can use this to record independent reading, as well as reading with an adult.
Spelling
Your child will be given 10 spellings to practise each week. They will be handed out on Friday with a spelling test to take place on the following Friday.
Maths
Timestable practise is so important as it supports children's understanding in all of their maths lessons. Children are encouraged to use TTRockStars to practise this skill.