Bikeability - Years 5 & 6

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Food packaging

As part of their geography topic, Kestrels are looking at where their food comes from.  If anyone has any clean food packaging they are happy to bring into school, by Wednesday, we'd be grateful.  Many thanks.

This week in Wrens we started our new class book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. The children loved this book and we have had some very inventive descriptions of the caterpillar and ideas of where he could travel to on his adventures to satisfy his very big appetite!  Our own very hungry caterpillars are growing well and definitely cannot be described as tiny any more!

In science this week we were delighted to review the results of our planting experiment and spot which of our seeds have started to grow.  We discovered that seeds do not need soil or light to grow; although the seed growing in the dark cupboard looked a little strange!  However, we found out that seeds do need warmth and water to grow as the seed we kept in the fridge and the seed we did not water had not grown.

In maths this week we have started to explore number bonds to 10.  We discussed how 10 is a very significant number within the English counting system which is very handy as we have 10 fingers to help us! We also looked for patterns in the number system when counting bigger numbers beyond 10.

We have been making the most of the nice weather and taking our PE outside this term.  We have been exploring ball skills and this week we practised aiming, throwing and catching.  We learnt some key strategies to help us be successful including watching the ball, being in the ready position and when aiming pointing where we want the ball to go.  Maybe you could help your child to practise these skills at home.

In English this week, we have used the story of Rosie Revere Engineer to explore the example text. The main focus this week has been on the structure of the text and the language features that are included. It is important that we have looked into these, as this is what the children will be including in their own piece later on.

In maths, we have moved on to our unit of measurement. The children have enjoyed this so far, as it is a great topic to work practically. At the start of the week, the children learned about centimetres and have been measuring in centimetres, ensuring that they are doing this as accurately as possible. We then moved on to measuring in metres. The children very much enjoyed using the metre sticks to measure around the school! They measured different things, for example, the length of the corridor from our classroom to the hall and the height of the door. To end the week, they compared and ordered different lengths using their knowledge of centimetres and metres.

In geography this week, the children were identifying continents on a world map. They also located the UK and China using an atlas. Once they had done this, we began looking at some footage of China and spotting human and physical features. They also did this with some photos and organised them into those that had human features, physical features or both.

In computing this week, the children used what they have learnt so far on Scratch Junior to create an algorithm that would tell a joke. They really enjoyed this and liked having the opportunity to play their algorithm to the whole class and tell everybody a joke.

In RE this week, we looked at the story of David and Goliath. The children explored the meaning of this story for Jewish people and how it would affect how they live. For example, they discussed how Jewish people believe that God will always look after them and will always protect them.

Reading books will go out as usual next week. Due to the bank holiday the children didn't have their usual three reads and I would much rather they have their allocated time next week.

Timetable

Wednesday: Outdoor learning - please ensure your child brings appropriate clothing on this day

Wednesday: Swimming kits

Thursday: PE kits - please can those with longer hair have their hair tied up ready

This week in English, the children have been exploring the illustrations in our class text, The Journey, in much greater detail and discussing how the images help to tell the story. We focused particularly on the emotions of the family throughout different parts of the book, thinking carefully about how they may be feeling and why. To help deepen their understanding, the children acted out a variety of scenes  to immerse themselves in the characters’ experiences. They then used this understanding to write thoughtful descriptions of each scene, using a wide range of feelings vocabulary and ambitious language to explain the emotions shown in the illustrations.

In maths, we have begun our new topic of time. The children have been learning to read analogue clocks and tell the time to the nearest 5 minutes before progressing onto telling the time to the nearest minute. We have spent time discussing the role of the hour hand and minute hand, counting around the clock in fives and understanding key vocabulary such as “past” and “to”. This can be a particularly challenging concept for many children, especially as they are often more familiar with digital clocks on phones and tablets. Any extra opportunities to practise reading clocks at home would be extremely beneficial and will help to build confidence and fluency, particularly when reading times involving “minutes to”.

In science, we explored the properties of water and discussed how it can exist as a solid, liquid and gas. The children learned about how materials can change state when heated or cooled. To support this learning, the children carried out an investigation into different ways of melting chocolate, observing how heat changed it from a solid into a liquid. They really enjoyed making predictions, observing the changes carefully and discussing which methods were the most effective.

In art, the children continued developing their creative skills by transferring their chosen designs onto their open window templates using careful sketching techniques. They then selected either acrylic paints or watercolours to create their final pieces, thinking carefully about how different colours and painting styles could reflect the mood and atmosphere they wanted to create. Their artwork is looking fantastic and it has been wonderful to see the children applying their artistic skills with increasing confidence and creativity.

This week in Year 6, we have finalised all of our revision in preparation for next week’s SATs tests. The children have worked incredibly hard and I am so excited to see the confidence they have gained really flourish in the week ahead. I am sure they will all do fantastically well, continue to work hard, and make so much individual progress. We are very proud of the determination and resilience they have shown throughout this busy period.

Year 5 have continued working on their Anywhere Island project this week. They have been collecting ambitious and descriptive vocabulary in preparation for writing a detailed setting description all about the islands they have created and designed completely from scratch. It has been wonderful to see their creativity and imagination develop throughout the project.

In Geography this week, we explored the different types of energy produced around the UK. We took a closer look at the Port of Blyth in Northumberland and investigated how offshore and onshore wind turbines are being used to harness renewable energy. We also used six-figure grid references to help locate specific clues and identify the kinds of energy sources used within different areas.

This week also marked our first rehearsal for our production, Superstan. In just one afternoon, we managed to work through six scenes, which was fantastic considering the amount of performing, singing and line reciting involved. I am really excited to see how the production develops as we move through the next half term and I know the children are looking forward to continuing their hard work on it.

Please see below information within the community but independent of the school