Year 5 Spring 2023

As part of our curriculum unit of Ancient Egypt we have been focussed on improving our art skills. We looked at the use of Modroc to create our very own Egyptian death masks. We looked at different roles in Egyptian society and created a mask to reflect this. The children found using the Modroc tricky as it did not bend to their desires as they would have liked however after a bit of practice they soon got the hang of it. Check back next week for our final results. 

Year 5 had a wonderful time on our visit to the science museum. We visited the museum as part of our current and past topics of Forces and Earth and space. The children explored what the museum had to offer and have discovered some amazing facts and information regarding our solar system. We then had the opportunity to attend the wonder lab exhibit which is a full on immersive and interactive experience that shows the children how the forces in our planet work, they had a lot of fun during this and really took away some great memories.

Today was red nose day. The children looked amazing and put in a great effort to come in their pyjamas despite the weather. Thank you for all your donations to such a wonderful cause. 

Year 5 had an amazing experience visiting Tower Bridge. We took part in the bridge builder’s workshop as part of our DT topic of bridges. We learnt lots about how different bridges are made and what work goes into constructing the vast monuments. The children had the opportunity to work in teams to build their own bridges according to specific criteria they worked really hard and we ended up with some imaginative structures. We then had the opportunity to explore Tower Bridge, the engines and even got to walk along the glass walk way which was very nerve racking. The children took a lot away from this experience and maybe even inspired some future architects.

As part of our PHSE learning of 'Healthy Me' we looked at what it means to make healthy choices during emergency situations. We started by role playing different scenarios and acting out a good response and a panicked response. We then learnt how to give basic first aid in a situation and how to place somebody in the recovery position. The clas were brilliant at this and I feel safe knowing so many of them would be great role models in an emergency.

Today was world book day. The children looked amazing in their costumes. We had a range of activities throughout the day which helped the class promote their love of reading. The class really got into the spirit of the day.

In English this week we have been planning our next piece of writing which is going to be a biography all about Tutankhamun. We spent some time researching facts and all about his life. The children were amazed that he was able to rule Ancient Egypt at the same age they are now. Next week we will use our plans to create our writing.

In Art we have been looking at hieroglyphics. We researched how to write own names in the ancient language and had an attempt to recreate this. The children were very proud and impressed with how their names looked. 

In Maths we have been looking at improving our knowledge of fractions. This week we have been focussing on multiplying fractions. The children were fantastic at becoming experts and showing their mastery knowledge. It was great to see their confidence shine through knowing they have fuly understood it.

Today we took part in the Stratford Manor Marathon. Thank you for all your donations towards such a good cause. The children went above and beyond expectations. We worked hard as a class to run as much as we could and the children shown great determination in not giving up. As a class we managed to run 1880 metres altogether which is equivalent to 1.2 miles. Well done 5A!

As part of our topic of Ancient Egypt, this week we looked at the civilizations that came before and after to learn how they affected the rise and fall of the Egyptian civilization. We researched facts about each era and how they came to be. We then worked as a group to plot these civilizations on a timeline to better understand where Egypt came into it all.

Year 5 had a fantastic time visiting the British museum. We had access to the special exhibition which was focused around hieroglyphics. We had the opportunity to see ancient Egyptian texts and artefacts which describe how the mysterious language was created and translated. We then had the opportunity to dive deeper into ancient Egypt and explore all the museum had to offer including a real mummified body. The children had a great experience and have taken a lot away from this visit. 

In comptuing this week we have been continuing to develop our skills of coding using Spheros. We have created our own Spheros maps focussed around Ancient Egypt and have been practising coding our robot to navigate through the pathways.

This week in Maths we have been working on the topic of fractions. We are currently focussing on being able to convert proper fractions into wither mixed numbers or improper fractions. The children have been working hard to master this skill and then have been applying it to their work by then having to compare and order a range of different types of fractions from smallest to greatest.

Our theme in PHSE this half term is dreams and goals. We have been discussing what kind of jobs are available in the world and also the importance and significance of certain roles. The children have had some fantastic discussions about what they see as their dream job when they are older. The have researched this role and looked at what it takes to make it there. Some of the class were shocked at the salary and expectations of different jobs and it has really opened their minds to the many different possibilities in their futures.

This week year 5 visited the East London Mosque as part of our RE curriculum about Islam. The children took part in a guided tour and were shown around the different areas of the Mosque. The guide gave us lots of information about different aspects of Islam as well as information about the Mosques history. The children had the opportunity to see and gain a better understanding as to how Islam works and the different daily rituals that must be adhered to. The children were very engaged and took a lot away from the visit. They were exceptionally well behaved and were commended as being great representatives of our school by the staff hosting the tour.

Out science topic this half term is Forces. The children have been really engaged in learning about the different forces in our world and experimenting with how they work. This week our focus was on Gravity. We made parachutes to and tied them to weights in order to observe how gravity works.  

Welcome back and Happy New Year!!

The children were excited to be back and have really got stuck into their learning this week.

We have been exploring our new curriculum unit for this term,  'A journey down the Nile'. The children used VR headsets to explore ancient Egypt and see what life was like. They are really excited about this new topic. 

In computing this half term we are going to be looking at using programmable robots Spheros. This week the children had an opportunity to experiment with the technology and software. They even amazed themselves with what they could do.