Year 5
Dear Parents and Carers,
Let us start by thanking you for the lovely Christmas gifts and cards we received at the end of last term and by wishing you all a happy new year! I hope that you have all had a fun-packed holiday and even enjoyed the snow!
I also hope that the children are all well rested as we have an extremely busy half term ahead:
Topic:
This term we are linking with Year 6 again and our Topic focuses on the rainforest as we ask ‘Why Do We Need The Rainforest?’ We will be discovering the biodiversity of these places, researching the layers; finding out about the sustainability of the forests with the never ending threat of de-forestation and climate change. We plan for the children to ultimately make a stand for the rainforests and write to a rainforest charity pledging support.
· We will locate the rainforests of the world and explore why they are there.
· We will explore the different layers of the rainforest and attempt to build our own ‘Shoe-box Rainforest’
· We will look at animals in the rainforest and work out why some are endangered.
· We will find out what ‘de-forestation’ is and how it is affecting the world’s rainforests; we will ask: what can we do to help?
URGENT SHOE BOX APPEAL:
In order to create our ‘Shoe-box Rainforests’ we need to appeal for shoe boxes from home please. If you have one (or more than one) kicking around after Christmas or January sales shopping please could you send it in ASAP (before 15.1.18) so we can get creating!
RE
In RE we will be continuing our work at looking at beliefs and discussing scared places, times and journeys focusing particularly on our views towards life after death and comparing this with a number of religions.
English
This term we will be working from the book ‘The Wolf Wilder’ by Katherine Rundell.
It is a fantastic book set 100 years ago in pre-revolution Russia.
We will be using it as a stimulus to support our learning of both reading and writing skills. It will draw in even the most reluctant reader and inspire creative and thoughtful writing.
Maths
This half term, we will start by measuring and calculating perimeter and area. We will then look at written methods for calculating multiplication and division, the children will be working with all multiplication and division tables up to 12, so please make sure you help them practise.
As we did last half term, we intend to look at the application of maths through problem solving and developing each child’s ability to reason as these skills are essential to nurture and encourage progress and deeper understanding.
Science
In science this half term we intend to investigate life cycles, focusing on plants. We will also find out about famous activists such as Jane Goodall, study animals of the rainforest and develop our own life cycle for own creature from our investigations and a documentary programme based on what we have found out.
PE will be twice a week. Our 1st PE session will be on a Monday morning when we will swimming. Our second session will be on a Tuesday morning, when we will be joined by Mr Sharkey from Evolve who will help deliver a programme of fitness training.
French
We will focus on family vocabulary this half term, talking mostly about siblings via the relative pronoun ‘qui’ (who).
HOME LEARNING: We will set homework each week and it will reflect the learning completed during that school week.
· Wednesday: Mrs Leach will send Maths homework, to be completed for the following Monday
· Friday: Spelling homework, to learn for a test the following Friday.
· Topic project: One other piece of homework, chosen from the sheet sent home. Due in for the home-learning gallery on Wednesday 7th Feb 2018
Finally if you have any artefacts or expertise in our area of learning this half term, please let me know or bring it in to share with the class. Likewise if you have any queries or wish to discuss any issues regarding your child’s
learning, please do not hesitate to contact either of us through the school office or at: sandy.leach@benrhydding.bradford.sch.uk peter.timms@benrhydding.bradford.sch.uk
Warmest regards, Peter Timms, Sandy Leach, Tracey Simpson and Helen Jacques