Year 5 have loved discovering Space this term. We have looked into the form and function of the Solar System and how discoveries are interconnected with our knowledge.
After creating a giant paper mache solar system in week 1, as our provocation, the children were hooked into being astronomers and delving further into what our solar system looks like.
Next, the children went on to research the planets and enjoyed exploring our homemade Solar System in the school hall. Travelling from the Sun, they made their way to each planet to investigate the form of each and then created some incredible double-page spreads in their books.
Our next line of inquiry was how the Solar System worked. We looked into how day and night occur and why the sun appears to move across the sky; this led us into learning about time zones from around the world and using digital measuring tools to measure distances between each zone.
Using geography and mathematics skills, children were able to work out exactly what time it was in countries such as China and New Zealand based on what the time was in our classroom.
Lastly, we investigated ‘how discoveries are interconnected with our knowledge of space’. The work of Mae Jemison was explored; discovering how she was the first African-American woman in space. Awesome biographies were written by the children who took a keen interest in her work.
For our Art this term we explored the work of Peter Thorpe. The children began by researching Peter Thorpe and then moved on to practising the skills and techniques needed to work with acrylic paints. Using the Chromebooks, they then planned their final piece of work inspired by Peter Thorpe’s work before creating their final piece.
Finally, for their final action to show off the term’s learning journey, the children created their own incredible solar system websites, which included a page for each line of inquiry.
Next, the children went on to research the planets and enjoyed exploring our homemade Solar System in the school hall. Travelling from the Sun, they made their way to each planet to investigate the form of each and then created some incredible double-page spreads in their books.