Year 5 Swans
Welcome to Swans
Class Teacher - Mr Sparkes
LSP - Miss Jackson
email: class.swans@burnttree.sandwell.sch.uk
Our learning
Spring Term
Maths
During the spring term, we will continue developing our understanding of multiplication and division, moving from 4-digit by 1-digit to 4-digit by 2-digit calculations. We will solve real-world problems involving these operations. Building on our knowledge of fractions, we will learn to multiply fractions and find fractions of amounts. We will then explore decimals and percentages, linking them to fractions, before moving on to area, perimeter and ending the term by looking at statistics. Throughout this term, we will continue to develop our arithmetic skills and timestable knowledge. Please keep practising using Times Table Rock Stars at home.
English
This term, we will use The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell as the basis for our writing. This magical tale follows Feodora, a brave girl who trains wolves to survive in the wild. Inspired by the story, we will:
Learn about wolves and write a non-chronological report to share interesting facts.
- Write a detailed character description.
- Create a descriptive piece about winter.
- Craft a persuasive letter to stand up for what is right.
We will continue to develop our spelling, punctuation and grammar skills, applying them across all written work. Please use Spelling Shed and Education City to support your learning at home.
Reading
Our text of the term is The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf. The children will identify and define unfamiliar vocabulary to deepen their understanding of the text. This will be further developed through answering a range of VIPERS questions. We will also read a wide range of other texts to expose children to various authors and genres. Some of these texts will be chosen by the children based on their interests and talents.
Science
This term, our science topics will focus on Space and Animals, including Humans. In the Space unit, we will develop a deeper understanding of the Solar System, exploring its components and recalling fascinating facts about the planets and their movements relative to the Sun. We will also investigate the Moon's movement around the Earth and gain a clear understanding of how day and night occur. In the Animals, including Humans unit, we will delve into the characteristics of living things, examining how they adapt to their environments and exploring their habitats. We will also study the human life cycle, focusing on how humans grow and change over time and compare this to the lifecycles of other animals. By observing similarities and differences, the children will gain a richer understanding of the natural world and the diversity of life it supports.
History
In History, we will explore life in Tudor England. We will investigate the question: "Fair ruler or tyrant? What was Henry VIII really like?" Through examining sources such as portraits and written descriptions, we will evaluate Henry VIII’s character and reign. We will discuss why Anne Boleyn was executed and why Henry VIII had so many wives. Additionally, we will use inventories to gain insights into Tudor life. The term will culminate in the children recreating Queen Elizabeth I’s visit to Worcester!
Geography
This term, we will investigate the question: "Why do oceans matter?" Our learning will include understanding the vital role oceans play in regulating the Earth’s climate and temperature, as well as exploring the water cycle and its connection to marine environments. We will examine how humans rely on the ocean for various activities and identify the significance of ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef. Additionally, we will analyse the impact of human activities on oceans, exploring both the consequences and potential solutions to support healthier marine environments. Through practical fieldwork, the children will learn to collect data using tally charts, photographs and sketch maps, while also making thoughtful suggestions on ways to enhance marine ecosystems.
DT
In DT, we will be exploring the engineering behind bridges, learning about different types and their structural features. We will investigate what makes bridges strong and stable, using practical activities to test materials and joining techniques. By the end of the unit, we will apply our learning to design, build and evaluate our own bridge structures.
Music
Our music lessons will take us back in time as we explore the sounds of Tudor England. We will listen to and analyse Tudor music, developing our confidence in using detailed musical vocabulary to evaluate our own and others' performances. We will also learn how to read and use staff notation to record rhythms and melodies, allowing us to compose short pieces inspired by this historical period.
PE
In PE, we will continue to develop our gymnastics skills, focusing on control, balance and precision in movement. We will build on our understanding of sequences, learning how to combine jumps, rolls and balances smoothly while working both individually and in small groups.
Computing
This term, we will develop our digital literacy skills by learning how to use search engines effectively. We will explore how search engines work, how to refine searches for accurate results and how to critically evaluate online information to check for reliability and bias.
French
This term, we will be expanding our French vocabulary by learning key phrases and questions related to shopping. We will practise asking for items in a shop, discussing prices and using numbers confidently in conversation.
RE
Our Spring R.E. unit poses the question 'How do Christians decide how to live? What would Jesus do?' We will explore how Christian beliefs and Bible teachings guide decisions about how to live. We will examine values like compassion, forgiveness and justice, considering how Christians follow Jesus’ example when making moral choices and how these teachings apply to life today.
PSHE
In PSHE, we will reflect on our personal aspirations and what steps we need to take to achieve them. We will set ourselves realistic goals, discuss the importance of perseverance and explore how we can support each other in overcoming challenges. Through teamwork activities, we will consider how working towards shared goals can build confidence and resilience.
Look what we have been doing...
Sharing Our Pop-Up Books
History Showcase
On the afternoons of 5th and 6th December, each year group show-cased the work we have been doing in History. Members of each class were on hand to provide interesting information to our visitors about each period of history.
S.T.E.M
On 24th October, we had the amazing opportunity to participate in a fully funded STEM workshop! Throughout the day, we built and coded robots to complete a range of missions based on various themes. These challenges encouraged teamwork, problem-solving and creative thinking, while also helping to develop our coding and cyber skills. It was a fantastic experience that engaged all of us!
We began the year with an Art project based on the style 'Retrofuturism'.
We began by looking at examples of 'retrofuturistic' art. Then, we annotated a piece in this art style to gain an understanding of the artist's view of the future.
Next, we investigated a selection of 'space' images and identified how they were created. Then, we used four different drawing style to re-create an interesting section of one of the images.
After that, we used our imagination to decide what life for humans might be like in fifty years.
Next, we used a selection of textured materials to create a 'collagraph' template from which we would print a textured background on which to draw our vision of the future.
After that, we chose paint colours to apply to our collagraph template in order to create an interesting background.
We were really pleased with our colourful background prints, but the hard work didn't end there! Our final task was to draw our vision of the future on top of the colourful backgrounds we had created.
Viking Day, 19th September
We tried on a selection of Viking armour and found out it was incredibly heavy!
We wielded (replica) swords and axes and found out how intimidating a Viking raid would have been.
We tried on a selection of Viking clothing, lots of which were very itchtyQ!
We explored a variety of items which would have been placed in Viking graves, including jewellery and riches.
We practised our archaeology skills using metal detectors, sieves and brushes to locate and excavate items from sand. Then, we sorted these into Viking and non-Viking piles.
We translated messages written in runes, then we wrote our own names in runes. This proved tricky for some of us, as the Viking alphabet doesn't contain the same letters as the modern English al