Trotts Hill Primary School and Nursery
Welcome to Year 5
In English, we learn how to be persuasive (sorry parents – it could lead to more pocket money!) and extend our writing skills by exploring legends. In Maths, we work towards securing standard methods of calculating, however we also make decisions about when it is more efficient to make informal jottings. Applying mathematical knowledge in problem solving contexts is a regular feature in lessons.
We encourage home learning to be completed weekly. Times table and, spelling practice as well as reading are compulsory. Regular reading is vital as it helps us to learn new vocabulary and notice how many different ways there are to construct a sentence. Keep reading together at home, as well as independently.
In Year 5, we take pride in putting in 100 percent effort. We celebrate the ‘have a go’ attitude. Someone once said, “If you haven’t failed, you haven’t tried.” We value the efforts all parents give to the development of their children.
We used the clues in a statements about cities and towns in North America to work out which graph and photograph illustrated its climate. We then considered which place we would most or least like to live and why.
Year 5 engineers took part in a Knex STEM challenge to design a bridge with moving parts and then were given an hour to build it. The children demonstrated resilience, perseverance and determination. Congratulations to William and Amelia whose bridge will go forward to the county competition. Many thanks to Emma Richardson, a Trotts Hill governor, who delivered the workshop.
Today, Year 5 marked the Queen's Platinum Jubilee by dressing in red, white and blue and researching some significant events of her 70 year reign. In art, inspiration was taken from Georgia O'Keefe to paint flowers in keeping with the royal celebrations.
We have been observing the lifecycle of ladybirds. Meanwhile, we have spotted eggs, larvae and pupae on the trees in the school grounds. In English, we are comparing the lifecycles of dragon flies and ladybirds.
We have practising patch and point balances and rolling transitions. Today, we transferred our skills to the equipment and composed group sequences.
We looked at how some plants can reproduce without the need for a male or female sex cell. We wrote a leaflet encouraging this as a way to save money while getting more new plants.
In DT, Year 5 have been designing and building animal automata: a moving animal model. The brief was two create a moving animal through the use of axels and cams to raise awareness of endangered species. Year 5 enjoyed using tools including saws and glue guns to create their projects. We then evaluated our success and discussed how issues were resolved and what we would do differently if we had to do it again.
As part of our Earth Day activities, we used natural materials to create pictures. We didn't pick anything but used what had landed on the floor.
For Arts Week, Year 5 performed two dances to an audience of parents. In the classroom, we participated in a 'Dance of the Day'. In a drama workshop, Mr Driver encouraged us to use our senses when conveying a story. This was useful when writing our mystery and suspense stories.
After carrying out research about a selected mountain or mountain range, we presented our knowledge in the form of a leaflet aimed at tourists.
Year 5 have been very active this week. In maths, we raced to grab fractions on the playground, and, to support Red Nose Day, we undertook some physical challenges in the hall.
We investigated halves, quarters, thirds and sixths using strips of paper. We identified which fractions were equivalent. Using our strips, we generated a variety of number sentences.
After discussing that weight is a measure of gravitational pull, we used force meters to measure the weight of mystery masses. Part of the task was to select the most appropriate instrument. When the masses were revealed, it was discovered that 1 N = 100g.
In the yoga session, we learned about the importance of belly breathing rather than shallow breathing. We used this breathing technique when seated and created balances. We made sure that we pulled our belly button in an up in order to protect the back. We practised meditative sequences.
For home learning, the children were tasked with researching a planet. They had to cite their sources of information and avoid plagiarism by writing facts in their own words. There were some excellent PowerPoint presentations which showed off technical skills that are out of this world.
In PE, the children learnt about positioning when defending, in the midfield or as a forward in hockey. They honed the skills and then applied them in match play.
Year 5 are currently studying the work of David Hockney in their art lessons. This week we looked at a colour wheel and talked about the way he uses contrasting colours in his painting. We then chose from a selection of Hockney's landscapes and tried to re-create them using poster paints.
Year 5 had a fantastic time at the STEM Discovery Centre at Airbus in Stevenage. The children learnt many facts about the planets. They viewed the testing site for the Mars Rover and learnt about all the considerations the engineers had to make when building the different prototypes. They made moon boxes to help understand about the phases of the moon and enjoyed learning about electricity, forces and other scientific ideas in the activity room.
The children were very excited for our first dance lesson in Year 5 and at the prospect of having it indoors instead of outside. All the class participated in a solo freestyle inside the 'circle of confidence'. Mr Sapsed introduced some new dance steps to the sounds of Little Mix. It was amazing how quickly they could pick up the fast-paced choreography.
We enjoyed a maths and science activity day. After playing with different materials and seeing how they move by pushing, throwing and blowing, we discussed questions we could investigate about what might affect the movement of a material cut into the shape of a fish. Each group composed their own question - some children tested different materials the fish was made of, others investigated the force of the flapping while some used different objects to flap the fish. We used cross-curricular maths and science skills to record our results
There was a bath bomb factory in Year 5 this week. After learning about chemical reactions, we investigated how to make the best bath bomb. Each group chose a question. Some children were interested in whether the colour affected the fizz, while others tested the type of acid, the brand of bicarbonate of soda or the amount of each ingredient
We have been exploring the origins of democracy through role play. After discussing that our MPs are selected after a national vote, we went back in time to consider the reasons in favour and against the building of the Parthenon in Athens after the defeat of the Persians. After the discussion, we voted. Pericles won the argument and it was agreed that a magnificent temple would be built.
We discussed how light has significance in several religions. Then, we read the the story behind the Jewish celebration of Hannukah and looked at the Menorah. We learned about the game played by children using a dreidel.
Having tasted scones made to a basic recipe in our last DT lesson, we added extra ingredients to make our own scones. Apples and raisins were a popular choice, several groups added glacé cherries to their basic mixture and one group added cheese and garlic. We weighed, measured, cut, chopped, grated, squeezed, mixed, kneaded and rolled but best of all - we ate! We all agreed our scones were better than the basic recipe.
After exploring a ready made data base, we worked in groups to create our own databases about Ancient Greek gods and goddesses.
We started by using Cuisenaire rods to represent stories and then used letters and symbols to describe the rods. We drew story sketches and then composed our own scenarios. In the following maths lessons, we used bar models to represent the problems.
Year 5 investigated the speed of dissolving. Each group composed their own question for investigation such as
Does the colour of the solute affect the speed of dissovling?
Does the type of solvent affect the speed of dissolving?
The solute used was Skittle. The children observed or measured the size of the Skittles as they dissolved.
Hopefully, all parents understood why we had drawn all over our fingers today. We were learning how to hold a bow and the markings on our hands helped us to position our fingers correctly - it's not as easy as it looks! In addition, we were instructed how to use the correct posture when playing.
Year 5 put in a show of stamina and strength during the Trotts Hill Fun Run with some children running more than 6 laps of the school. Others took a more relaxed pace but the aim of the game - to raise funds - was a shared purpose. Well done to all for the huge effort and whole class participation.
We cheered the school up no end with our bright display of yellow to raise money for the Young Minds mental health charity. In the classroom, we celebrated what we are, what we have and what we can. We participated in 'rainbow breathing' designed to energise us for the challenges of the day ahead.
After studying the artist Kara Walker, we designed and made our own tiles for printing.
On a beautiful day, Year 5 visited the River Lee. The staff at the centre were very impressed by our knowledge of how a meander is formed and we were able to consolidate our learning by seeing the features first hand. We made field sketches of the river and the lake. In the afternoon, we were issued with binoculars and were able zoom in on cormorants, Canada geese and other birds.
This week, we have been rounding. Some children found using a part-whole model whole model before drawing a number line very useful in order to identify the multiple before. Others progressed to writing their own problems.
We were given a number of clues in order to find out a mystery number. First, we tested different numbers randomly but realised that this would take too long. We then looked more closely at the clues and realised that the solution had to be a multiple of 7. We used our knowledge of multiples to find which number would satisfy all the statements in the clues. Some of us used counters or a number square, while others drew the problem.
We learned about how a the course of a river changes from source to mouth. After a sorting and labelling activity, we made our own models and labelled the different features. Unfortunately, there was a flood in some river basins and the features were washed away!