The River Nile and the Ancient Egyptians
ENGLISH
This term, we will begin both our Reading and Writing with our next class book, 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.
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 session taught once a 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.
Grammar objectives will be taught within our writing sessions.
MATHS
Maths is taught daily. Key concepts this term will include:
SCIENCE
This term, the children will be learning about Forces. These lessons will be blocked together over a few weeks.
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 the spring 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.
RE
In RE, we will be working from the Gloucestershire agreed syllabus with the topics:
What does it mean for Christians to believe that God is Holy and loving?
Creation and Science: conflicting or complementary?
FRENCH
In French, we will be looking at the topic of hobbies, learning how to speak and record linked vocabulary in French.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)
PE will take place on a Tuesday and Thursday in 5W, and Wednesday and Thursday in 5J. We will have one Commando Joe session on a Thursday, 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 set homework each Friday which will consist of a maths and literacy-based activity.
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.
Miss Ward and Mr Jones