As we begin Spring A after a busy Autumn, Year 5 have settled back into school life brilliantly and are showing lots of enthusiasm for their new areas of learning.

 

In maths, we have jumped straight into continuing lots of fractions work. Our main focus has been on adding and subtracting proper fractions, improper fractions and mixed numbers with different denominators, using our times table knowledge to help us find common denominators. The children have been working hard to explain their thinking clearly and are becoming much more confident when tackling tricky fraction problems. Next, we will look at multiplying fractions by integers!

 

In English, we have been exploring tension and suspense through the short film Alma. The children have really enjoyed exploring a different genre and thinking carefully about how suspense can be created in our writing through micro-expressions and short, snappy sentences. They have had great fun re-telling the story and using adventurous vocabulary to build tension in their writing.

 

In science, we have continued our topic on the universe. This term, we have been learning about what makes night and day, as well as exploring the reasons for the different seasons. The children have asked some fantastic questions and are developing a strong understanding of how the Earth’s movement affects what we experience throughout the year. To help bring this learning to life, we made paper models of the Earth, Sun and Moon to demonstrate the rotation and orbit of the Earth around the Sun and the Moon around the Earth. This practical activity really helped the children to visualise these concepts and deepen their understanding.

 

In computing, we have begun exploring video editing. The children have been learning about a range of different filming techniques, including talking head shots, close-ups, panning shots, and low, normal and high camera angles. We practised filming our partners using these techniques to see the different effects they create, particularly how they can impact sound quality. Soon, the children will be writing their own scripts and filming and editing their own videos based on a topic of their choice, which they are very excited about.

 

In geography, we have begun our learning about North America. We have discussed the location of this continent using longitude and latitude and have started to explore the wide range of climates found across North America. We talked about how countries that are closer to the equator (Venezuela, Guyana) are warmer, as the Earth is warmest at the equator, whereas those that are in the arctic circle (Canada, Greenland) are much, much colder!

 

In music, we have been exploring the genre of South African Pop. The children have been having lots of fun composing their own melodies on the glockenspiels. Next, we will move on to playing and composing harmonies in pairs, working together to layer sounds.

 

Finally, in French, we have been learning the French alphabet through a rather catchy song. The children particularly enjoyed testing their partners by spelling out their names using the French alphabet and listening carefully to check for accuracy.

 

We are very much looking forward to all the exciting learning still to come this term!