Year 5 Autumn Term 1
In English, we will be sharing the short animation ‘The Wishgranter’ during the first three weeks, which will allow the children to investigate the themes of friendship and problem-solving as they settle into Year 5. The children will be taught the key features of explanation texts and will have the opportunity to create their own explanation text based on the story.
We will then begin to study the picture book ‘Fox’ by Margaret Wild. As part of their learning, Year 5 pupils will explore a range of issues and dilemmas expressed in the story and this will give the children the opportunity to reflect on the themes of friendship, loyalty, betrayal, loss and hope. Using this text, the children will be given the opportunity to explore, interpret and respond to a picture book; study the language and writing style of an author; explore ways in which illustrations can deepen and enrich the meaning of a text and develop their use of inference by exploring the actions, choices and motivations of characters.
In Maths, we will use our Power Maths scheme of work to develop our understanding of Place Value, and Addition and Subtraction. During our first unit, Year 5 pupils will be able to: read and record Roman numerals up to 1000; read, write and compare numbers up to 1 million; identify 10, 100, 1000, 10,000 and 100,000 more or less; partition numbers up to 1,000,000; round to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000. During our second unit, children will be able to use a range of mental strategies to add and subtract; add and subtract whole numbers with more than four digits; round to check answers; identify and use the inverse; solve multi-step addition and subtraction problems and find missing numbers.
In Science, the children will learn about a variety of forces including gravity, air resistance, water resistance and friction. They will explore how simple mechanisms can be used to make work easier; observe and explain how gravity causes an unsupported object to fall towards the Earth. The children will then research the relative effects of the gravitational pull on other planets and will carry out a range of activities to identify the effects of friction, air resistance, and water resistance on objects. They will then consider ways of reducing water resistance through streamlining. Children will be working scientifically to measure force using force meters and will use their results to form conclusions.
In RE, Year 5 will be studying Hinduism and will be investigating ‘What can we learn from some aspects of the Hindu religion?’ This unit will introduce pupils to some of the key concepts of Hinduism. We will study the Hindu belief in a Supreme Being (God) and how this belief is conveyed through practices and worship; make links between Hindu festivals and those of their own religious or family celebrations. We will then consider Hindu practices and festivals in India and in the UK, identifying how they are similar and different.
In History, we will be beginning our study of Ancient Egypt. Pupils will travel back 5000 years to the dusty realms of Ancient Egypt. Cruising along the Nile to enter a world of mysteries and curses, mummies and kings. Unravel the secrets of the ancient tombs, using historical sources and artefacts. They will research to find out about powerful pharaohs and gods. Pupils will learn about how to prepare the body of Pharaoh ready for its journey to the afterlife.
In Art, children will develop their understanding of the visual elements of art and design including; the seven elements of line, tone, texture, colour, space, shape and form. The skills will build on the children’s understanding of colour theory and developing drawing and painting techniques.
In Computing, our first unit is Computing Systems and Networks: Search engines. During this unit the children will be learning what a search engine is, suggesting several search engines to use and explain how to use them to find websites and information. Suggest that things online aren’t always true and recognise what to check for. Explain why keywords are important and what TASK stands for, using these strategies to search effectively. Recognise the terms ‘copyright’ and ‘fair use’ and combine text and images in a poster. Make parallels between book searching and internet searching, explaining the role of web crawlers and recognising that results are rated to decide rank. Online Safety lessons will also be taught every term, our first one being about online protection. Learning how applications can access personal information and how to alter permissions to limit the sharing of information with others online.
In French lessons, we will be developing the children’s reading, listening, speaking and writing skills. We will begin by consolidating the learning from Year 4 and will begin by studying a children’s story, we will then be developing sentences about family members. We will be using Kapow French for our learning in class this year although all children are able to practise their learning at home using the online resource Linguascope.
In PSHE, we will be studying the unit ‘Being me in my world’. Over this unit of work, each class will develop our learning charter linking to the rights and responsibilities we have as members of Millbrook Junior School. We will explore facing new challenges positively and know how to set personal goals. The children will be able to understand their rights and responsibilities as a British citizen and a member of their school. They will be able to empathise with people in this country whose lives are different to their own. The children will learn how making choices about their own behaviour leads to rewards and consequences, and how these make us feel.
In P.E, the children will be learning about tag rugby. During the term, the children will need to develop their passing and catching skills, movement off the ball and how they communicate with others. They will also learn how tactics are used within rugby. They will be demonstrating these abilities when working as part of a team as they complete a variety of activities each week.
In their second PE lesson, the children will be developing a multitude of skills that can be transferred across a variety of sports. They will focus on hand-eye coordination, agility, pace, stamina and aim. The children will be completing a variety of activities each week and will then create their own activity to promote one of the learnt skills.