Year 5 Spring Term
The River Nile and the Ancient Egyptians
ENGLISH
This term, we have begun our English work using The Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris. Following this, we will be reading and writing about The Midnight Fox by Betsy Byars. We will be learning to put forward both sides of an argument when writing discussion texts and we will be developing our inference skills as we learn about Tom and his family at the farm.
After half term, our writing will include recounts inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, using knowledge learned from The Story of Tutankhamun by Patricia Cleeveland-Peck and The Legend of Tutankhamun by Sally Jane Morgan. We will also be reading Varmints by Helen Ward and writing a persuasive letter on the issues in the book.
HOME READING
Please continue to support your child’s reading by ensuring that they read at least 5 times per week and bring their reading record in daily. Please sign their reading record on a weekly basis. Thank you.
SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
Spelling is continuing to be taught through ‘No Nonsense’ Spelling. There will be a discrete spelling sessions during the week. Children will continue to ‘collect’ spellings from their own writing which they continue to misspell to form a personalised spelling list, as well as spelling patterns with rare grapheme/phoneme correspondence, e.g. bruise, yacht, words ending in ‘-ably’ and ‘-ibly’, homophones, ‘ei/ie’ words and proofreading practice.
The grammar taught within our writing lessons will focus on creating cohesion between sentences and paragraphs, and using adverbs to indicate shades of possibility (e.g. perhaps, maybe, possibly).
MATHS
Maths is taught daily. Key concepts this term will include:
SCIENCE
This term, the children will be learning about Forces. We will look specifically at gravity, air resistance, water resistance and friction. These lessons will be taught once each week.
FOUNDATION SUBJECTS
Through our investigation into the River Nile and Ancient Egypt, the children will be making links across geography learning about the location of Egypt and why the Nile is of such importance. We will build on this knowledge in history, learning about the Ancient Egyptian civilisation, how they lived, what they believed and when they lived. The children will also spend time looking at the pharaoh Tutankhamun and will make shadufs with levers and pulleys in Design Technology.
During this term, we will also be teaching units of music and printing and drawing within art.
COMPUTING
The children will learn how to create short videos, exposing them to skills including capturing images, video editing and video manipulation. We will also be continuing to consider the importance of E-Safety through units on ‘Managing Online Information’ and ‘Privacy and Security’.
RE
In RE, we will be learning about two different religions and answering the following questions;
How can Brahman be in everywhere and in everything? (Hinduism)
How significant is it for Christians to believe God intended Jesus to die? (Christianity with links to Easter)
FRENCH
In French, we will be continuing our unit ‘En Classe’ based on objects in the classroom, learning how to speak and record linked vocabulary in French. After half term, we will be covering the unit ‘Au Salon de Thé’, focusing on ordering and consuming different foods in French.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)
PE will take place on a Tuesday and Wednesday FOR BOTH CLASSES. We will have one Commando Joe session on a Wednesday, focusing on team-building, planning, resilience, communication to solve ‘missions’. Our second timetabled PE slot will be football skills. As BOTH of these sessions will take place on the field, please ensure your child comes to school in appropriate PE kit with layers and a spare change of outdoor shoes. They will get muddy!
HOMEWORK
To promote fast and accurate recall, it is important that children regularly practise their times tables and Times Tables Rockstars will enable them to do this at home. It is also important that your child continues to read at home at least 5 times a week. We will also continue to set homework each Thursday which will consist of a maths and literacy-based activity, to be handed in the following Tuesday.
If you have any questions or would like to speak to a member of the Year 5 team, please come and see us at the end of the day or email the school office.
Mrs Rigby and Mr Wilson