We’re excited to introduce our new teaching team for Year 5.  Miss Spowage will be your teacher and Mrs Reinis and Mrs Britton will be our wonderful teaching assistants across Year 5. We can’t wait for a fun and fantastic year of learning and adventure together!

Key dates

Children in Zebra will have PE on a Monday. They will need full PE kit including a white t-shirt, black/navy bottoms and trainers. 

Zebras will have Forest School in Autumn 1, which will begin after September half-term. Forest school sessions will be spread out across the year, meaning that Zebras will have their forest school sessions in Summer 1. Zebras will be swimming in Spring 1.

This term is full of exciting learning opportunities as we explore new ideas, challenge ourselves and GROW across the curriculum.

📚 English

As readers and writers, we are diving into powerful texts such as Young, Gifted and Black by Jamia Wilson and Race to the Frozen North by Catherine Johnson. These books will help us understand the lives of significant historical figures and support us in writing a series of diary entries, using emotive language and detailed description. We will also explore The Lost Happy Endings by Carol Ann Duffy, using it as a springboard for writing our own imaginative traditional tales with clear narrative structure and rich vocabulary. Later in the term, we will study The Song of Hiawatha and The Moon, learning how to write both narrative poems and free verse, experimenting with rhythm, imagery and poetic techniques.

➕ Mathematics

As mathematicians, we are developing our confidence with place value, working with numbers up to 1,000,000 and understanding powers of ten. We’ll be refining our written methods for addition and subtraction, including multi-step word problems. In multiplication and division, we will deepen our understanding of factors, multiples, and prime numbers, while also beginning to use formal written methods for larger calculations. As the term progresses, we will explore fractions in greater depth-comparing, ordering and performing calculations with them using visual models and number lines.

🔭 Science

As scientists, we begin with the wonders of Earth and space, investigating the movement of planets, the Moon and the Sun, and exploring how this affects our experience of time. We will develop our use of scientific vocabulary to explain day and night, time zones and lunar phases. Later in the term, we will explore forces, learning how air resistance, water resistance and friction affect movement and how mechanisms such as pulleys and levers help us in everyday life.

🏺 History

As historians, we are investigating the Early Islamic Civilisation, focusing on Baghdad in AD 900 as a centre of learning and culture. We’ll learn about key achievements in science, medicine, maths and literature during this golden age and compare life in Islamic civilisations with modern developments in Britain.

🗺️ Geography

As geographers, we are studying mountains, learning about how they are formed and where they are located across the globe. We’ll use maps, atlases, and digital tools to explore mountain ranges and understand their physical and human features. We will also make links between geography and human life by exploring how people live, travel and survive in mountainous regions.

✝️ ☪️ Religious Education

In Religious Education, we begin by asking, What does it mean if God is holy and loving? as we explore Christian beliefs about the nature of God and how these beliefs affect how Christians live their lives. In the second half of the term, we will focus on Islam, exploring the question What does it mean for Muslims to follow God? and learning about the Five Pillars, prayer and key Islamic practices.

🎨 Art & Design Technology

As designers and artists, we are thinking creatively and practically. In DT, we will design and build our own electrical doodlers, learning about circuits, switches, and motors. In art, we will explore 3D sculpture and installation, using a variety of media to create an interactive piece that engages the viewer and communicates a clear theme.

🎼 Music

As musicians, we are learning to play tuned percussion instruments. We’ll explore melody and rhythm, practise reading musical notation and begin composing short musical pieces. Throughout the unit, we’ll listen to and evaluate different musical styles to inspire our own performance.

💻 Computing

As computer scientists, we are learning about IT systems and digital searching- understanding how technology helps us gather and organise information effectively and safely. We will also become filmmakers by planning, capturing and editing short videos, learning how to tell a story using multimedia tools.

🇫🇷 French

As linguists, we are developing our conversational French through topics such as The Date and Do You Have a Pet? We will revisit key phonics and pronunciation, while also building vocabulary and sentence structures to help us read, write and speak more confidently.

🏃 PE (Physical Education)

As athletes, we are building our fitness and fundamental movement skills. Through our multiskills sessions, we’ll focus on agility, coordination and balance, while fitness sessions will help improve our strength, stamina and endurance.

💬 PSHE 

As citizens, we are focusing on family and relationships, learning how to build positive, respectful friendships and communicate effectively. We’ll also explore health and wellbeing, developing our understanding of emotional health, physical care and strategies for staying safe and resilient.