Year 5
Curriculum Report to Parents and Carers of Silver and Ebony Class
- Spring Term 2010
Dear Parents / Carers,
Happy New Year! Welcome back to an exciting and busy second term. Here is an overview of the curriculum planned for this term and any additional targets that you and your child can work on together.
Maths
In Maths, areas of focus will be subtraction, multiplication and division, co-ordinates, using compass directions, angles, time, money and measurement. Please encourage and help your child at home by practising their times-tables and any addition or subtraction strategies that we have been learning in school. Children can also attain lots of excellent number skills through cooking, looking at timetables for trains and buses or when you are shopping! We will also be continuing our CAME lessons (Cognitive Acceleration in Mathematics Education), these will continue to help develop children's mathematical reasoning.
English
In English, we will be looking at recount texts. Children will explore a range of formal and informal recounts and will become familiar with their features. We will then be writing our own recount texts and will practise giving oral presentations. Children will also be studying a variety of myths, legends and fables from around the world; we will explore plot, language and characterisation; this study will help develop children’s skills of writing their own myth, legend or fable. We will also be writing our own instructions. Please also remind your child that they should be reading at home for at least 30 minutes everyday. Both our Maths and English lessons are following their respective strategies.
Our main topic this term is ' Water.' The children will be learning about how precious water is and how they can actively conserve it; we will study the domestic water cycle and will also be able to develop their map skills by studying water around the world. Children will also be given the opportunity to explore the effects of drought and flooding and will learn about the journey of a river – this will be complimented by a trip to the Thames flood barrier.
Science
Our Science topics this term are ' Gases around us ' and ' Changing State.' In the former we will learn that gases are material and can b e distinguished from solids and liquids by their properties. The topic ' Changing state ' will develop children's awareness of changes of state that can be reversed as well as developing their scientific investigation skills. Children will have the opportunity to plan and carry out investigations. This will develop their knowledge of fair testing, hypothesis testing and drawing their own conclusions.
Religious Education
Religious Education will involve studying pilgrimage and the Islamic faith. Children will be given the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of where and why people go on pilgrimage and what we can learn from Islamic beliefs, festivals and religious stories.
Art, Design and Technlogy
Our Art, Design and Technology topic is 'Containers'. We will be collecting and investigating a range of containers. Children will be encouraged to identify their materials, design, function and decoration. Children will be introduced to a variety of materials and encouraged to design and experiment with them to create their own containers.
ICT
In ICT the children will learn how to use spreadsheets; children will have the opportunity to change and input data into given spreadsheets as well as creating their own. Children will also have the opportunity to learn how to write instructions to control devices. Some children will have the opportunity to attend Arsenal Study Support Centre to use advanced software, allowing them to extend and enrich their ICT skills knowledge and understanding.
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Music
Every week Year 5 will continue to be taught music by Paul, our music teacher. The children will continue with the 'Soundstart' project.
French
Our French specialist teacher, Dawn, will also continue the work started last term.
Physical Education
Also continuing from last term will be our weekly cricket sessions with Mark, a professional cricket coach. This will happen on a Friday. Children are required to wear a t-shirt, shorts or tracksuit bottoms and trainers, please help your child to remember their P.E. kit. We are also very fortunate to have the opportunity to go swimming this year. Swimming will take place on Wednesday for Ebony class and Friday for Silver class. Children will need to bring a swimming costume or trunks and a towel, please make sure your child carries these in a bag. For safety reasons, children are reminded that jewellery must not be worn during PE or swimming and that long hair must be tied back or tucked in a swimming hat. Goggles are not permitted unless we have written permission from your GP.
Further Information
We expect children to be actively involved in their learning at home and encourage the children to engage in as much independent work as possible. This can involve extra research on topics of study using their local library, or if possible, the Internet. English and Maths homework will be set on a weekly basis. These are to be completed in the week or over the weekend and brought into school on Monday. We also expect the children to be reading every night. Please make sure your child has a quiet place in which to complete these activities.
Finally, please ensure that your child arrives at school on time as this really does make a positive start to their day. We look forward to having an exciting, enjoyable and educational term and welcome your support in any way to achieve this. Please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher if you have any queries about your child or their progress.
We look forward to seeing you at Parent's evening later on in the term.
Regards,
Anna Sutton
Silver Class Teacher
Emma Davey
Ebony Class Teacher
