Year Five

Central Idea: The arts can reflect identity, culture, tradition and history.

In this module, pupils will explore how art helps us understand people and societies across time. We will begin by studying prehistoric cave paintings, linking closely to our class novel Wolf Brother. Pupils will consider how early humans used art to express identity, beliefs and daily life, and compare this with ancient Greek vases studied last term, analysing how different cultures represent stories, values and history through visual art.

Our history learning will focus on the Stuart period, examining how major events shaped English society and identity. Pupils will investigate the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil War (with a local focus on the Battle of Maidstone), the Restoration, the Great Plague, and the Great Fire of London. Throughout, they will explore how these events are remembered, represented and reflected through art, writing and historical sources.

In science, we will continue our unit on Forces, focusing on levers, pulleys and gears. This week, pupils explored levers, constructing simple models using classroom materials and investigating which class of lever provided the greatest mechanical advantage with the least effort. This practical, investigative approach will continue as pupils apply scientific thinking to real-world mechanisms.

Across the module, pupils will be encouraged to make connections between art and history, developing a deeper understanding of how human creativity, innovation and experience are shaped by time, place and culture.