Autumn 1 – The Terrible Tudors

 

Come with us on a journey back to the Tudor times and discover what life was like during this infamous period in British history. We will explore the life of the Tudor monarchs focusing in particular on Henry VIII, learning about his many wives and the impact he had on modern day life in Britain. We will also discover what day to day life was like in Tudor times and consider what food people ate, what their houses were like and how life was different for the rich and poor.

In English we will write diary entries in the role of Anne Boleyn recording her thoughts and feelings prior to her execution, write a news paper report on the same historic event and aim to create suspense when writing a story based in Tudor times. Our class novel will be ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ and we will write a persuasive letter in the role of one of the main characters, Tom Canty.

The journey does not end there, in PE lessons we will be working together to practise and perform Tudor dances and in art we will be creating collage Tudor Roses – a significant symbol of Tudor history. In science we investigate the properties of materials and carry out an investigation involving absorbency.

Writing Genres Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
  • Persuasive letter
  • Newspaper articles
  • Diary entries
  • Narrative writing with suspense
·       Revision of Year 4 spelling rules

  • Direct and reported speech
  • Relative clauses
  • Punctuating sentences correctly
  • Persuasive openers
  • Expanded noun phrases
  • Use of colons for lists

Mathematics Skills
Place Value: place value in 5-digit numbers – comparing and ordering numbers – Roman numerals – negative numbers – rounding and estimating numbers. Addition and Subtraction: column methods for addition and subtraction – multi-step problems for addition and subtraction.

 

Autumn 2 – Perilous Peaks

Time to discover the most spectacular and perilous peaks on this planet. If you love adrenaline filled exploration then this is the topic for you! This half term, we explore the range of vast mountains and extreme volcanos around the world from the buried city of Pompeii at Mount Vesuvius to the terrifying peaks on Everest. We will be learning and writing detailed biographies about the courageous explorers who attempted these life-threatening adventures, such as Rob Hall and Tom Whittaker.

We will use figurative language to describe the breath-taking sunrise views that explorers get to experience such as those high in the Andes at Machu Picchu and use information gathered to write a non-chronological report about Mount Everest. During our topic lessons we will explore the history of the Inca Empire, life in the Himalayas and look at the journey of a river through the mountains.

During the ‘Let’s get moving’ science topic, we will investigate the forces of friction, air resistance and water resistance. We also carry out a range of investigations by creating our own levers and designing and creating our very own parachute to explore air resistance in action.

Writing Genres Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
·       Narrative – adventure story

  • Biographies
  • Eye witness accounts
  • Non-chronological report
·       Year 5 suffixes

  • Punctuating sentences correctly

·       Use of conjunctions

  • Noun phrases
  • Colons and semi-colons in lists
  • Brackets, commas and dashes for parenthesis

Mathematics Skills

Multiplication and Division: Multiples and factors – common factors – cube and square numbers – prime numbers – Multiply and divide by 10, 100 and 1000 – inverse operations Fractions: finding fractions, converting fractions to mixed and improper, comparing and ordering fractions, adding and subtracting fractions

Spring 1 – Through the Wardrobe!

This half term our work will be based around C.S Lewis’s iconic novel ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ so join us on a magical voyage of discovery as we travel through the wardrobe into the awe-inspiring land of Narnia. Let your imagination run wild as you write your own adventure story based on Peter’s first battle in Narnia.

You will certainly need to be persuasive when writing a letter to your siblings in the role of Edmund and you will write a diary entry describing Peter’s final battle before being knighted. For the artists amongst you, this topic was created with you in mind! Join us as we use water colours to create Narnia’s much-loved Aslan.

Whatever your interests, once you have stepped into this magical topic there really is no going back! Also this term in science we will look at some of the ground-breaking work of ‘Super Scientists’ such as Fleming and Curie. Then we use our forensic skills to solve a crime by examining finger prints and using chromatography.

Writing Genres Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
  • Adventure stories
  • Persuasive letter writing
  • Creative writing
  • Diary entry
·       Year 5 suffixes

  • Punctuating sentences correctly
  • Colons and semi-colons for lists
  • Brackets, commas and dashes for parenthesis
  • Extended sentences
  • Modal verbs

Mathematics Skills

Number: Multiplying up to 4 digit numbers using a range of methods. Dividing using short division, dividing up to a 4 digit number, dividing with remainders

Problem Solving: Using multiplication and division to solve worded problems

Fractions: multiplying fractions, fractions of a quantity, finding the whole and using fractions as operators

Spring 2 – It’s all Greek to me!

Time to step back in time again… but this time we are travelling back to Ancient Greece to learn all about life thousands of years ago. Mythical beasts, wooden horses, enchanted wings, magical twine………we will discover all about these as we explore Ancient Greek myths and the morals within them.

In English, we will start the half term by writing a character description of Mr Boil, a mean teacher from our class novel ‘Who Let the Gods Out?’ by Maz Evans. We will then use our own research to write an engaging non-chronological report all about life in Ancient Greece. We will learn about how democracy first began in Ancient times and how it compares with the present day in the United Kingdom.

Be ready to bring this ancient civilisation to life as we don our togas for ‘Greek Day’! As part of the day everyone will have a chance to try traditional Greek food – yummy! In science we will be studying Growing Up and Growing Old and how our bodies change as we age.

Writing Genres Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
  • Character description
  • Greek myths and legends
  • Non-chronological report
·       Year 5 spellings rules

  • Punctuating sentences correctly
  • Fronted adverbials
  • Extending sentences by adding clauses
  • Brackets, commas and dashes for parenthesis
  • Paragraphing

Mathematics Skills
Decimals and Percentages: Understanding the relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages and converting between them, place value and rounding
Shape: Finding the perimeter of rectilinear shapes and polygons, area of rectangles and area of compound shapes
Statistics: Drawing, reading and interpreting line graphs, two way tables and reading and interpreting time tables

Summer 1 – To Infinity…and Beyond!

Ever dreamed of being an astronaut? Well now’s your chance! As we journey through space we will be learning about our Solar System and all the planets within it. You will use persuasive writing when applying for a job at NASA, once you start your new role you will need to describe a new planet you have discovered and finally we will be writing poems based on the Solar System.

In Science we will learn about the different phases of the moon and will imagine landing on the satellite as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did back in 1969. We hope you’re feeling creative, as in Art we will be using chalks and pastels to create our own space themed pictures, thinking about the light source to create shadow within our work.

Of course we can’t journey through space without considering whether there may be life out there, so in Computing we will be using the Purple Mash computing program to create a simple chase game where an alien has to escape from a rocket! We hope you’re ready to lift off into outer space and join the adventure!

Writing Genres Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
  • Persuasive writing
  • Setting descriptions
  • Poetry
·       Year 5 common exception words

  • Punctuating sentences correctly

·       Subordinate clauses

  • Brackets, commas and dashes for parenthesis
  • Homophones
  • Colons
  • Modal verbs

Mathematics Skills
Properties of shapes: measuring angles in degrees – measuring with a protractor – drawing lines and angles accurately – calculating angles on a straight line – calculating angles around a point – calculating lengths and angles in shapes – regular and irregular polygons – reasoning about 3D shapes

Position and Direction: reading and plotting coordinates, translation and symmetry and reflection

Summer 2 – Rainforest Adventure!

Take a deep breath as we embark on an adventure through the rainforest! You will be trained as botanists as we learn about the different layers of the rainforest and the plants and animals which dwell within each. In English, you become journalists and report on the issue of deforestation.  Our class novel will be ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell and we will be writing our own recount of what it’s like to crash land in the rainforest. In addition, we will be considering the issue of palm oil and writing a balanced argument for and against its use. We will write through the eyes of rainforest animals and describe life in the Amazon as though we are swinging through the trees with them.

You will certainly need green fingers for this engaging science unit! Be amazed as we investigate how bean seeds grow to reach the sunlight, similar to the emergent trees in the rainforest. If learning about animals excites you then you will love exploring the life cycles of a variety of animals and the ways in which they are adapted to their environment. In PSHE, we will also consider the wider issue surrounding the importance of protecting our rainforests and its wildlife. This rainforest adventure will come to life on our trip to Birmingham’s Conservation Park.

Writing Genres Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
  • Journalistic writing
  • Recounts
  • Balanced argument
  • Narrative descriptions
·       Year 5 homophones and often confused words

  • Punctuating sentences correctly
  • Modal verbs
  • Fronted adverbials
  • Apostrophes for possession
  • Active and passive voice

Mathematics Skills
Decimals: adding and subtracting decimals – decimal sequences – multiplying decimals by 10, 100 and 1000 – dividing decimals by 10, 100 and 1000

Negative numbers: Understanding negative numbers, count through zero in ones and multiples and comparing and ordering negative numbers
Converting units: converting different units of measurement for length and weight, converting between metric and imperial and converting units of time
Measurement: using cubic centimetres and comparing and estimating volume