ENglish

In English this half term we will be be reading and working on the novel ‘Stormbreaker’ by Anthony Horowitz. They will follow the adventures of a British teenager as he tries to stop a deranged millionaire from inflicting a biological virus on English school children through computers. During our English lessons this term, we will be using a range of Reading and writing techniques such as narratives, notes for class discussion and debate, Written comparisons, writing in role – diary entries and letters.

Reading 

In guided reading we will be reading ‘Coraline’ by Neil Gaiman. We will be focusing on children’s understanding of the texts.  This will include learning new vocabulary and understanding its meaning, which will then support them to use it correctly in their writing.  We will also retrieve and record information to improve their performance and comprehension skills. 

It is important that your child also reads at home everyday. Please listen to your child read and ask them questions about their current book.  We encourage children to read a wide range of books. 

All Year 5 children have access to Bug Club, where they have been allocated a range of reading books. Please speak to me if your child does not have regular access to suitable reading material at home.  

Maths

This term in Maths our topics will be Volume and Roman Numerals.  Children will look at the volume of specific shapes such as rectangular boxes.  They will learn the difference between capacity and volume. In addition, children will convert between different metric units and then between metric and imperial units. Then, they will be solving increasingly challenging word problems related to volume.  Furthermore, children will apply knowledge of Roman numerals to real-life scenarios.

Computing

In computing this term Year 5 will be focusing on creating their own interactive computer game on ‘Purple Mash’.  Children will follow a step to step tutorial videos to create a complex game and share with the class.

Science

In science, Year 5 will be learning Physics.  Our topic this half term will be ‘Materials’. Children will demonstrate their knowledge of different properties of materials and classify materials according to these properties. In addition, children will state why an object is made from a certain material and will suggest other materials that would also be suitable. They will use their curiosity to ask questions and investigate the properties of various materials including which materials are good thermal insulators and electrical conductors. Also, children will use reference materials to research the advantages and disadvantages of different materials. Furthermore, children will then apply what they have learnt about properties of materials to design a guinea pig cage. Children will also draw conclusions from their investigations, and present their conclusions in a variety of ways including written and oral presentations.

Topic

Year 5 will be studying ‘North America’ in Geography this term.  They will find and locate key geographical features on the map of the USA, they will also understand the key location and features of settlements in USA.  In addition, children will understand the distribution of population across the USA and factors that affect this pattern.  Furthermore, children will become aware of the impact physical features may have on the population distribution and understand the impact of the environment on humans, particularly drought and floods.  Lastly, children will be comparing major cities of USA and United Kingdom.

P.E

P.E. will be on Mondays and Tuesdays. Please ensure that your child comes to school wearing their P:E kit on these days.