Year 5
Mackesy Class & Rauf Class
Useful Information
PE
Academy lunches
Please see our Academy Lunches page for more information.
Letters
Please see the Letters Home page for copies of important letters that have been sent home.
Academy Curriculum Overviews
What Year 5 have been up to this term...
Term 4 Update 2022/23
What an amazing yet busy term we have had! Year 5 have continued to build on their excellent start to the year, showing great commitment towards their learning: working hard, trying their best and facing new challenges in a positive manner – reflecting all our 9 Habits. Well done, Year 5!
As much of our work is stored online through the Showbie app, your child will be able to share their work with you at home so please do have a look as we are sure they will be keen to share their achievements. However, we ask that this is a view only activity and that no amendments are made to their work during this time as we use this to inform our teaching and target support.
English
Skellig by David Almond. This book tells the story of Michael, who moves to a new house where he discovers a mysterious creature living in the crumbling garage and his struggle to move him to safety without revealing his secret. We all really enjoyed this book, although at times it became very eerie as we imagined the creature! Using Skellig as a stimulus, we wrote setting and character descriptions, focusing on creating suspense through use of detailed description, combined with short sentences for impact and onomatopoeia, among other skills. Towards the end of the unit, we shifted to non-fiction writing in the form of a diary entry, recounting the day that Michael revealed his secret about the mysterious creature to his new friend, Mina. We explored the structure of a diary entry and the shapes to help guide our writing, focusing on a key event, character’s feelings, internal thought and impersonal tone. To show off the writing skills secured during this unit, we wrote a diary entry in the role of Mina. Why not have a look at our work on Showbie and see which skills you can spot?
Maths
Despite spending a lot of time on fractions in Term 3, we started Term 4 by adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions before moving on to our next unit of Decimals, Fractions and Percentages. After securing a basic understanding of percentages and revisiting place value of decimals, we have been learning how to express percentages as fractions out of 100, initially, before trying to simplify these, as well as in decimal form. Another skill we have been developing is adding and subtracting decimals using compliments to 1. Why not have a look at our work on Showbie as we are sure that you’ll be impressed with how well we did?
Science
Our science topic has been forces and we have really enjoyed the opportunity to explore these sessions in more practical ways, conducting lots of investigations exploring friction, air resistance and water resistance. Through these practical tasks, we have not only developed our subject knowledge but also our scientific skills of making predictions, recording results, fair testing and drawing conclusions. Additionally, we have used force meters and considered the difference between mass and weight, as well as discussing what life might be like without gravity. Finally, we have explored how levers, pulleys and gears can reduce the amount of force needed to move an object. Throughout the unit, we have completed quizzes and a POP task to show our progress.
Theme for the Term
This Term’s Theme is Our Sustainable World. We started the term off learning about International Women’s Day? We looked at the American artist, Faith Ringgold, who has broken the bias in art to become well-respected in her field before using her work as inspiration for our own pieces of art. Our masterpieces focused on a simple repeated flower design, using bold shapes, that we created using oil pastels, showing strong consideration for complementary colours to create the desired effect. Why not have a look on our Showbie to see what you think?
Our thematic learning has been predominantly centred around ‘Our Sustainable Word’ which is already a topic close to many of our hearts as we strive to make a difference to the sustainability of the world in which we live. At the heart of this topic has been our learning about Global Goals which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Across the academy we have all had a different goal to focus on and in Year 5 we have been developing our knowledge and understanding of Global Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. In addition to this research, our history learning focused on the History of Toilets, which we all found extremely interesting but there were also some disgusting facts revealed! Why not ask us what they were? Alternatively, have a look at our Showbie to see how we decided to present our findings! Throughout this topic, we came up with numerous ideas for an ‘Active Change Maker’ event that we could run to raise money for the ‘Toilet Twinning’ initiative that we wanted to support as they fund toilets and clean water supplies in poorer communities where they will improve the lives and health of so many families. To raise funds, we hosted a non-school uniform day for the whole school and accepted donations! Thank you for all your support – we felt so good knowing that we have made a difference to some people’s lives in a small but hugely impactful way.
Additional Information
Homework: The expectation is that children read for 10-15 minutes every night (at least 5 times a week). This should be the same book so that they can complete the associated AR quiz they have finished it, which really helps us as teachers monitor their progress with reading more closely. Your child will already know their AR level that was assessed at the beginning of this academic year.
Spellings: Apologies for any issues around the spellings towards the end of this term and we thank you for supporting the children in their efforts to learn their weekly spellings. Spellings will be given weekly and will be posted on Showbie. These will follow the spelling rule being focused on in the SPAG lesson for the week. These will be uploaded and tested on Tuesdays in both class. Spelling Shed tasks are also set for each set of spellings so should be completed weekly on the App. There are usually 3 games lasting about 5 minutes each.
Maths: In Year 5, the expectation is that children will know their times tables and should continue to build on their pace and accuracy using Sumdog, Hit the Button or other methods that suit them. They can access Sumdog to practise other maths skills too and should be accessed at home at least 5 times per week for 10-15 minutes.
Polite Reminders and Additional Information
-
Please can we remind you that your child should bring their iPad in charged to 100% every day as they often need to fully utilise this to access their learning throughout the day.
-
PE (PPA) day for Year 5 next term is a Monday. Please make sure that your child comes to school in their school PE kit on these days and with their swimming kit.
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Rauf class will continue to be taught by Mrs Johnson on Tuesdays, similarly to this term.
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On Tuesday afternoons, from 11.30am, Mackesy class will be taught by Mrs Goddard!
We would like to thank you for your continued support so far this year and look forward to a great year ahead. If you have any questions or want to talk to us then please feel free to catch us on ‘Muga Monday’ or via the office email (info@marksburyroad.org).
Mrs Thomas and Miss Jones 😊
Term 3 Update 2022/23
What an amazing yet busy term we have had! Year 5 have continued to build on their excellent start to the year, showing great commitment towards their learning: working hard, trying their best and facing new challenges in a positive manner – reflecting all our 9 Habits. Well done, Year 5!
As much of our work is stored online through the Showbie app, your child will be able to share their work with you at home so please do have a look as we are sure they will be keen to share their achievements. However, we ask that this is a view only activity and that no amendments are made to their work during this time as we use this to inform our teaching and target support.
We have had a wonderful term and it has been topped off with an amazing Young Voices concert! All the children worked so hard learning all of the songs and it was definitely worth it. We all had a great time, and we are so proud of them!
English
In English, Year 5 have been studying the text, Viking Boy by Tony Bradman and we have been researching and learning about the Vikings in other subjects too. We have worked towards creating an independent piece of writing based on a conquering tale. The children have worked really hard on creating a tale that uses a wide range of writing techniques such as, fronted adverbials, appropriate punctuation (including exclamation marks and speech), alliteration and different ways to grasp the reader through sentence structures.
Towards the end of our writing unit, we looked at non-chronological reports about the Vikings and as we are now experts on the Vikings, we created a non-chronological report about the Anglo-Saxons for Mackesy class and the Sikhs for Rauf class. Why not have a look at our work on showbie?
Maths
At the start of this term, maths sessions focussed on multiplication and division. We have worked hard on multiplication moving from 1 digit up to 4 digits! Towards the end of term, we have started our next maths unit which is fractions, which we will continue into next term. As a year group, we are working hard on our times table knowledge and knowing these completely. Once we know our times tables, this really helps us in our maths learning.
Science
In Science, our topic this term has been all about a ‘healthy me’. This has included learning about how water and nutrients are transported around the body, we have looked at early ideas about our diet and how these have changed over time, the impact of exercise on the body and also the impact drugs and alcohol have on the body. We now have a lot of knowledge on our bodies and how to keep them healthy, why not ask us what we know?
RE
We have continued to develop our knowledge of the Sikh religion this term and in particular we have looked at art and literature. We have explored the Guru Granth Shaib and it’s teachings in more depth, we have looked at different Sikh stories and also learnt about the architecture of the Golden Temple. We also had a R.E special lesson this term and learnt about the Maghi Festival!
Theme for the Term
This term’s theme is ‘Culture and Heritage’ and this included a Safeguarding week at the start of term. The children have been looking at creating a culture of safety around them which has included, looking into friendships and being able to recognise habits that can have a positive and negative effect on our lifestyle. Also, continuing with our Viking theme, we have looked into the arrival and invasion of the Vikings to Britain and how we can still see Viking influences today, why not ask us about some of the Viking influences?
History
In History we have been looking at the Anglo-Saxons, this has included some information about their lifestyle and some influences that they have on Britain today. This has then moved on to the Viking invasion of Britain and learning about who the Vikings were, this also included learning that some common facts we know on the Vikings are not actually true! Why not ask us about this?
Geography
Geography learning has focussed on us exploring maps and being able to read them. We have looked at how maps looked during the Vikings and how they have changed today. We can now read 4 figure and 6 figure grid references, why not ask us to show you?
Additional Information
Homework: The expectation is that children read for 10-15 minutes every night (at least 5 times a week). This should be the same book so that they can complete the associated AR quiz they have finished it, which really helps us as teachers monitor their progress with reading more closely. Your child will already know their AR level that was assessed at the beginning of this academic year.
Spellings: Apologies for any issues around the spellings towards the end of this term and we thank you for supporting the children in their efforts to learn their weekly spellings. From Term 3, spellings will be given weekly and will be posted on Showbie. These will follow the spelling rule being focused on in the SPAG lesson for the week. These will be uploaded and tested on Tuesdays in both class. Spelling Shed tasks are also set for each set of spellings so should be completed weekly on the App. There are usually 3 games lasting about 5 minutes each.
Maths: In Year 5, the expectation is that children will know their times tables and should continue to build on their pace and accuracy using Sumdog, Hit the Button or other methods that suit them. They can access Sumdog to practise other maths skills too and should be accessed at home at least 5 times per week for 10-15 minutes.
Upcoming Events
Polite Reminders and Additional Information
-
Please can we remind you that your child should bring their iPad in charged to 100% every day as they often need to fully utilise this to access their learning throughout the day.
-
PE (PPA) day for Year 5 this term is a Thursday. Please make sure that your child comes to school in their school PE kit on these days.
-
Rauf class will continue to be taught by Mrs Johnson on Tuesdays, similarly to this term.
-
On Tuesday afternoons, from 11.30am, Mackesy class will be taught by Mrs Goddard!
We would like to thank you for your continued support so far this year and look forward to a great year ahead. If you have any questions or want to talk to us then please feel free to catch us on ‘Muga Monday’ or via the office email (info@marksburyroad.org).
Mrs Thomas and Miss Jones 😊
Term 1 Update 2022/23
Welcome to a new school year. Year 5 have got off to a brilliant start and are embracing the new challenges of the Year 5 curriculum, showing many of our 9 habits but particularly patience and self-control. As much of our work is stored online through the Showbie app, your child will be able to share their work with you at home so please do have a look as we are sure they will be keen to share their achievements. However, we ask that this is a view only activity and that no amendments are made to their work during this time.
English
In English, Year 5 have started to explore our Read Aloud text, The Boy at the Back of the Class, which we are using in our writing lessons to explore characters as well as the journey of refugees. We have been working on developing our knowledge of similes, onomatopoeia, different sentence structures and fronted adverbials to write our own journey narratives. We have also been exploring the poem, ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou and the themes of bullying, as well as experimenting with questions, rhyming and metaphors. We have also been writing some of our own poems based on a similar theme.
Maths
Maths sessions have been focused on securing our understanding of place value, reading and writing numbers to 1,000,000, identifying the value of each digit in the number. We have also been developing our addition and subtraction skills by practising our formal written methods for these operations, as well as developing our mental calculating skills. Alongside this, we have been exploring rounding to the nearest 10, 100, 1000 and 10,000. We have also been using our rounding skills to estimate and inverse operations to check calculations.
Science
In Science, we have been learning about the reproduction of plants and dissected a lily to label to identify the main parts, whilst identifying whether they are male or female. We have learnt about the different life cycles of insects, mammals (placental, monotreme and marsupial), birds and amphibians. Whilst learning about these life cycles, we have developed our understanding of complete and incomplete metamorphosis and gestation. Why not ask us to tell you what we have learnt?
RE
We have begun to think about the main beliefs of Sikhism through discussions and video clips. We have also been learning about Guru Nanak and his significance to the Sikh religion, as well as Sikh’s belief in reincarnation. Why not ask us what we have found out?
Theme for the Term
This term’s theme is ‘Who am I and who am I becoming?’ During this theme, Year 5 have been exploring themselves as individuals and how we belong, as well as the importance of embracing and celebrating difference.
As part of our Heritage Week, we have also been celebrating Black History month. We have been learning about Carter G Woodson, Rosa Parks and Norman Samuels, as well as the Bristol Bus Boycott. The children have enjoyed sharing their knowledge and exploring how individuals can enact change. As part of this week, we have also been focusing on ‘Remembrance’, particularly the role of the Land Girls, which the children have also enjoyed.
History
In History we have been exploring different early civilisations and how these may have shaped Britain today. We have been building on our knowledge of Romans and linking Roman settlements and migration to migration that we may see happening today. We also learnt about different charities and organisations OASIS has in different countries around the world and what they do to help the communities there.
Geography
Geography learning has focussed on us exploring Europe and looking into different time zones and how they work. Whilst focussing on Europe, we have been researching the country of Belgium and making comparisons between Belgium and what we know about England. Why not ask us to tell you some facts about Belgium?
Additional Information
Homework: The expectation is that children read for 10-15 minutes every night (at least 5 times a week). This should be the same book so that they can complete the associated AR quiz they have finished it, which really helps us as teachers monitor their progress with reading more closely. Your child will already know their AR level that was assessed at the beginning of this academic year.
Spellings: From Term 2, spellings will be given weekly and are posted on Showbie. These will follow the spelling rule being focused on in the SPAG lesson for the week. These will be uploaded and tested on Mondays for Mackesy class and Tuesdays for Rauf class. Spelling Shed tasks are also set for each set of spellings so should be completed weekly on the App. There are usually 3 games lasting about 5 minutes each.
Maths: In Year 5, the expectation is that children will know their times tables and should continue to build on their pace and accuracy using Sumdog, Hit the Button or other methods that suit them. They can access Sumdog to practise other maths skills too and should be accessed at home at least 5 times per week for 10-15 minutes.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday 9th November 2022 – KS2 cinema trip (more details to follow).
Monday 6th February 2023 – Young Voices concert trip. You should have already committed to your child’s place and any audience tickets for this via the email links sent out earlier this term. We will let you know when payment goes live on MCAS and provide further, more detail information nearer the time.
Tuesday 7th February 2023 – Soft start to the day for children who have attended the Young Voices concert. (more details will follow)
Polite Reminders and Additional Information
-
Please can we remind you that your child should bring their iPad in charged to 100% every day as they often need to fully utilise this to access their learning throughout the day.
-
PE (PPA) day for Year 5 until Christmas is a Thursday. Please make sure that your child comes to school in their school PE kit on these days.
-
Currently, Rauf class are taught by Mrs Rixon on a Tuesday but from Autumn 2, Mrs Johnson will be teaching the class on this day.
-
On Monday mornings, until 11.30am, Mackesy class are taught by Mr Squire, who also covers their PPA time on Thursdays.
We would like to thank you for your support so far this year and look forward to a great year ahead. If you have any questions or want to talk to us then please feel free to catch us on ‘Muga Monday’ or via the office email (info@marksburyroad.org).
Mrs Thomas and Miss Jones 😊
Homework
Times Tables
Times tables are essential mathematical skills and we teach them in some form every day. With a sound understanding, children are able to progress their numeracy skills and become more confident with numbers.
When it comes to times tables, speed AND accuracy are important. We would like to ask you to help your son/daughter with some times tables practise for 5 minutes a day. There are many websites specifically set up to help children make rapid progress and build their confidence. Here are three that you can use:
Sumdog
Any time you can spend supporting your child to improve their times table will make a big difference.