Cliftonville Primary School & Pre-School Soaring to success. Every child. Every day.
Year 5
Welcome to the Year 5 blog!
Each week, we hope to share with you some of the learning that has taken place in our busy Year 5 classrooms. Maybe you could talk about what the children have been doing at school when you are at home with them?
Week beginning 22/4/24
English
In our English lessons, we are developing the skills to write an entertaining and informative biography. Next week, we will be creating a super hero or considering another character (perhaps from a well-loved story) about whom we could write. This week, one of our jobs was to consider what our sub-headings might be/what to include in each paragraph. Here is an example that helped us with this; it is about a very inspirational woman.
Geography/history
The children have very much enjoyed exploring our Ordnance Survey Maps of Thanet and the surrounding area. They worked together and used six-figure grid references to locate places of interest and to describe where things are situated. It was a great start to our World War 2 in Thanet project.
Week beginning 25/3/24
DT
Year 5 had a fantastic DT day to construct and evaluate our wire loop games. There was amazing team work and problem solving involved. We had to follow our instructions to create the games. Below are some of the things that we did:
* Paint the base of our game—this was everyone's first step.
* Recreate our design onto our background and add colour.
* Create our wire maze which we had previously designed.
* Draw around our components so that a neat hole could be cut out.
* Insert our mazes into our bases, secure them and then attach the background to the base ensuring that it is stable.
* We found the components that we wanted and placed them in the background. * We connected them together and through trial and error created the perfect circuit so our games worked.
We then got the chance to play each others—great fun!
Book Sharing
We had so much fun sharing our afternoon books with our partner Year 3 classes. The children showed off their work and asked each other lots of questions about the different topics. Some lucky Year 3 children even got to build electrical circuits - under close supervision from their Year 5 helpers!
Week beginning 18/3/24
English
Could you persuade someone to visit the strange, mysterious little seaside town shown in the map? What sort of person would want to holiday in a place like this:
Maths
Measuring angles is always fun but we think that we've come up with the best ever activity!
DT
We are all very excited about our DT day on Monday! The children have been working in small groups to generate ideas, draw up plans and test out circuits. Our finished product will be an electrical wire/steady hand game. Watch this space.....we're hoping that parents and carers will be able to try them out next term.
Week beginning 11/3/24
Science
This week we investigated how the amount of batteries affects the volume of a buzzer. We made a circuit which, once complete, set off a buzzer. We then repeated this but added another battery to see what happened. We found that the volume increased every time we added a battery. The stronger the input the stronger the output.
Week beginning 4/3/24
Maths
In maths this week we have been looking at how to work out area of compound shapes, as well as estimating area of unusual shapes. We have used our knowledge to answer problem solving and reasoning questions throughout the week.
DT
In DT we have started to think about the design of our electric circuit wire loop games. We worked in teams to make decisions about what our game will be like. We designed our wire maze, thought about what components we will use and then, with this, designed an interactive background. We then had to draw an exploded or cross-sectional diagram to show our full game. Next week we are going to start thinking about the instructions we will need to follow and the equipment we will need.
World Book Day
We loved our visit from Thomas Taylor, the fantastic author of our class book 'Malalmander'. He spoke to us about a range of things and we were particularly enthralled by his explanation of how he was inspired by his beach-combing finds. He showed us 'mermaid's tears', beautiful shells, fossils and also this amazing uranium glass which glows under the correct light. Our Year 5 writers definitely had their imaginations sparked!
Week beginning 19/2/24
English
We have started our narrative unit. The classes have been using their knowledge of the fantastic book 'Malamander' to help them write passages of writing filled with action, focusing on techniques such as 'triples', short sharp sentences and dramatic and ambitious verbs.
Maths
This week we have looked at the relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages. In class, we have gathered an understanding of how we can convert between them as well as identified their equivalence.
DT
This week we have undertook research and analysed board games that use electrical circuits. Using previous knowledge the classes have built on their understanding of circuits whilst discussing the simplicities and complexities of well-known board games such as Operation.
Week beginning 5/2/24
Maths
We have been learning about decimals and fractions in maths. This week we compared decimals, finding which were greater than or less than. We then ordered different decimals in either ascending or descending order.
Art
In art we have been looking at landscapes of volcanoes and studying an artist called Kate Fortune. This week was our final week on this topic for art. After designing our own piece and experimenting with different mediums, we created our own volcanoes. Here are some that we have finished.
Week beginning 29/1/24
Number Day
Today we had fun when the year 2 children came to share our puzzle/number day activities. We played battleships using simple calculations to help the year 2 children develop more confidence in maths. It was quite exciting when our boats were 'hit' and the year fives really enjoyed helping the younger children.
Maths
In maths we have been developing our understanding of fractions further. Some groups have been finding fractions of amounts and making connections between fractions and multiplication tables. Other groups have been converting fractions and decimals and challenging themselves to apply their understanding.
English
In English we have been practising writing a news report as a class, sharing our ideas and skills to produce a piece of shared writing. Volcanic eruptions seem to have been the main focus, with all sorts of unexpected locations experiencing these catastrophic events!
Week beginning 22/1/24
English
In English this week we have been discussing features of a newspaper recount including writing in chronological order. We got to develop this by writing our own events about an escaping panda!
Maths
In maths we have been using our multiplication and division knowledge to multiply a fraction by an integer as well as finding a fraction of an amount. We started doing this practically but we quickly moved on to working this out mentally.
Art
In art we recreated Kate Fortin's 'Volcano' using 4 different mediums. We divided our page in to 4 and had to copy the picture but in each box, we used either charcoal, oil pastels, acrylic paint or water colours. This was our experimenting phase of our art unit and we're looking forward to being able to create our own volcano pictures!
Week beginning 15/1/24
English
In English, we’ve been working extremely hard on our ‘showing not telling’. We’ve used our skills as writers to drop hints about a character’s mood, giving flashbacks of their personal histories in order to take our reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride. This is the kind of piece the children have been aiming for:
They ascend the rickety steps one behind the other. Giddy with excitement, the little girl bounds to the top. Her granny takes longer, navigating each step with care and sighing with every movement. Eventually, they reach the pile of cardboard boxes.
"Come on, granny," Tilly exclaims, dancing on the spot.
Marge wipes the dust off a chair and settles down to the task that she has been dreading.
With shaking hands, she lifts the necklace into the dusty shards of light. The clouds outside reflect the grey, heaviness in her heart. Although her eyesight is now failing her, she can make out the intricate pattern adorning the pendant. She can no longer reach to put it on but she lets the chain slip through her crooked, wrinkled fingers and feels its cool embrace.
The young child's words snap her out of her reverie. "Granny, that's pretty. I've never seen you wear it."
"It's been wrapped up for fifty years," she explains. She casts her mind back to when she received it as a gift. The day had been bright and sunny, with birdsong in the air. Hand-in-hand, walking in the park with her beloved husband, she had never felt so alive. When they stopped to sit on a painted park bench (their favourite one), he had placed the piece of jewellery into her soft, smooth hand. "There is a picture inside," he had explained. "The two of us together forever." Without any doubt, she had known that nothing would every part them and her heart flew higher than the birds in the bright sky.
In English, the children finish their independent writing by peer editing. This is when they get an opportunity to read their work to a classmate and discuss the parts of it they are proud of. It is also a time to consider whether they need to uplevel their vocabulary, vary punctuation or include other interesting elements. The children do enjoy this process and take it very seriously.
Maths
In maths, we have played division board games. We made our way around the board solving division questions until one of us reached the end.
Science
In science, we have been investigating what happens to light when it hits a reflective surface. We have been looking at how reflection happens and realising that it is actually very mathematical. The experiments that we have carried out have been great fun.
Chill Out Club
Lots of exciting things happen in Miss Brown's lunchtime 'chill-out' room. It is open to all and the children choose what they would like to do. (At the moment, pom-poms are a bit of a craze.) We presently have a chess theme thanks to the wonderful Gavin Brown, who teaches chess to some of our children. Our only rule in chill-out is that we are kind to each other. Oh - and that we tidy up at the end!
Week beginning 8/1/24
English
The children in 5D have really enjoyed practising their weekly spellings in their new sparkly spelling books, using strategies such as acrostic poems and pyramids to help them remember their focus spellings.
Maths
We have been testing our knowledge of times tables, completing long multiplication sums. Many children have also been challenged to complete some quite demanding questions and demonstrated great perseverance and focus.
Science
Through the assistance of some torches (and a lack of sunlight!), the children investigated how light travels in straight lines, working in teams to demonstrate light travelling through a series of holes.
Week beginning 11/12/23
DT
To finish off our DT unit we needed to evaluate our pizzas.
First we evaluated against the design criteria that we had written a few weeks ago; then we answered questions about what we liked, what we would do differently etc.
We've really enjoyed this unit and we're looking forward to our next DT unit in term 4.
PSHE
The children in year 5 welcomed parents and carers into the classroom to share some PSHE work together. We talked about kindness and how we should value others but also ourselves. The children (with help from their adults) wrote positive affirmations on Christmas baubles which they then decorated ready to be hung on the tree.
Week beginning 4/12/23
English
In English recently, we have been watching some fun, short animations in order to write our own movie reviews. We have realised that there is a lot to think about in this genre of writing: engaging our reader (of course); retelling the plot in an interesting way (without giving away the ending); giving our own opinions and also considering the main themes and messages.
Next time your child is watching something, perhaps you could ask them to give a tiny review of it at the end!
DT
This week in DT we went to Hartsdown to make the pizza that we designed last week. We followed our recipes and ingredients lists to create a pizza that we are going to enjoy. First, we made the dough for our pizza base, kneaded it and left it to prove. Once it had proved, we spread it out using our knuckles to create the shape of pizza that we wanted. Then we added our tomato sauce, cheese and toppings and put the pizza in the oven. Whilst the pizza was cooking, we decorated our pizza boxes and then checked on our pizzas. The minibuses smelt amazing on our way back to school!
PSHE
In PSHE this week we set out to gain a better understanding of the words PREJUDICE and DISCRIMINATION. In pairs we looked at pictures of children and considered what they might think and say based on just what they looked like. We realised that sometimes we judge people on appearances. It was very powerful because when we found out more, we realised that our first ideas were often wrong and that we made a pre-judgement. We learnt that you can’t always judge a book by its cover!
Week beginning 27/11/23
DT
Design: This week we designed our pizzas ahead of our visit to Hartsdown next week.
We started by thinking about our design criteria from last week and, using our knowledge from previous weeks, we selected ingredients based on calories so that our pizza wasn't unhealthy. We drew an exploded diagram of our pizza and calculated total calories. We then wrote our recipes (that we will follow next week) so that we really understand the process - this included using our knowledge of how to make dough from week 1.
Week beginning 20/11/23
English
In English this week, we have been discussing pronouns. We had a lot of fun with this task. Have a go! If you get stuck, your child should be able to help you. (If neither of you can do it, there is a little help below.) There are different ways of completing this, depending on the gender of the orc and whether you want to put yourself into the story.
DT
This week in DT we performed market research about the most popular flavour of pizza voted for by year 5. We compared our results to a survey completed in the UK and were shocked by how different they were. We drew a bar graph of our year 5 results and wrote a design criteria (things that we think are necessary) for making a pizza such as evenly spread toppings, it should be balanced and healthy etc.
Week beginning 13/11/23
Maths
We have looked at adding/subtracting fractions finding a common denominator and progressed onto outcomes where we have needed to convert improper fractions to mixed number fractions.
Science
In our science lessons we have been finding out about irreversible changes. This week we observed what happened when we mixed vinegar (an acid) and bicarbonate of soda (a base). We saw that this created quite a reaction and that a gas was produced. This gas (carbon dioxide) was enough to partially inflate a balloon. The children then produced some great work using this evidence to explain why the change was irreversible.
History
This week we have been looking at life in rich cities such a Cordoba and Baghdad during the Early Islamic Civilisation. We pretended we were an Anglo-Saxon visitor who was writing a letter to a friend living in late Saxon Britain about the cities and how amazing life was.
DT
So far this term in DT we have been working on a cooking and nutrition unit. We started by linking this unit to our science and how chemical reactions relate to food. We specifically looked at the process of making dough and we really enjoyed watching it being made and how big it was after it had proved.
In our next lesson, we looked at the history of pizzas - did you know the early forms of pizzas, known as flatbreads, date back to the Stone Age? We also looked at all the different types of bases, sauces and toppings that you can put on a pizza.
This week we have been looking at the nutritional value of ingredients in pizza and we used laptops to research (using the safe researching skills we have learnt in computing) to break down the calorie, protein, fat and sugar content. When we go on to design our own pizzas, we will use this knowledge to help determine which toppings we would use to help keep our pizza balanced and not unhealthy.
Week beginning 6/11/23
English
This week, we used some suspenseful pictures as inspiration for our writing. We walked around the classroom and looked at them. Then we wrote some incredible sentences on our cards, making sure that we used the techniques given. We had eight techniques in total that we had to consider. The next day, we turned some chosen sentences into a cohesive piece of writing.
RE
This BEAUTIFUL poem was written during an R.E. lesson. The children were looking at the teachings of Jesus. I think you will agree that it is absolutely heart-breaking and completely joyful all at once.
What did Jesus teach his followers about love?
Love is patient, love is kind, love is helpful.
Love is permanent, love is always protective.
Love trusts, love hopes, love never fails.
Love does not dishonour others.
Love does not boast, love does not delight in evil.
Love does not envy, does not lie.
Love always perseveres, is not abusive.
It is not self-seeking, love is for your partner and your family
Love is not proud, love is always with you.
Week beginning 30/10/23
English
We have been looking at some lovely texts during our reading lessons. They are taken from exciting books like this one: 'The House With Chicken Legs'. Before we answer our comprehension questions, we like to look at some of the interesting vocabulary from the piece. These words are coloured according to our 'Language through Colour' programme. Ask your child to explain the colours!
Maths
This week in maths we have been finding equivalent fractions of both unit and non-unit fractions. We used both fractions walls and our knowledge of times tables to help us!
Drama/PSHE
Despite the horrible weather on Thursday, year 5 enjoyed a visit from Ian (KIC theatre) who worked with us on developing characters in drama. We thought about how to challenge stereotypical images to make our acting more realistic and thought about how to really listen to other people's opinions in a positive way.
Week beginning 16/10/23
Maths
We have been busy investigating cube numbers this week, developing an understanding that it is a number multiplied by itself and by itself once again. The children investigated and identified many cube numbers demonstrating some fantastic skills in perseverance!
Home Learning Projects
We've had some amazing home learning projects created this term. We can't wait to see what you come up with next term! Keep an eye out for the newsletter to get more details.
Week beginning 09/10/23
English
Here in Year 5, we love reading!
We always look forward to our Friday 'Reading For Pleasure' sessions. During this time, we get to read anything that 'speaks' to us. We read with our friends, in pairs and in groups. We read lying down or sitting up. We read with our shoes on or off. We take the time to talk about books and make recommendations. It's a magical part of the week.
PSHE
This week it was World Metal Health Day on Tuesday. We attended an online masterclass with One Goal to help us with building our resilience. We learnt about the 6 habits for building resilience and we've created a poster which will go up in all the classrooms and around the year 5 areas to remind us on how to build our resilience.
We were also given some quotes to help us with our journey to being resilient.
"If I never quit.....I will succeed!"
"Resilience helps us climb the mountains in our life"
"You conquer your fears by facing them"
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't you are......RIGHT!"
"Building resilience helps you overcome challenges and achieve goals"
Week beginning 02/10/23
English
This week in our English lessons, we have started to think about how to have a healthy debate. Today, we sorted animals into 'good pets' and 'bad pets'. Of course, not everyone in the group agreed! We found ways to take turns when speaking, to respond to others and to put across our point of view politely. Our next job will be to write down our ideas using the more formal language of debate.
History
This week in history we were detectives and created a map of Baghdad from written sources. There are no surviving pictures, so we used the notes of visitors to the city written in about AD1100. They wanted to make their capital into a city of learning and of new ideas. The notes of foreign visitors are a particularly rich source as they frequently comment on what is different to their own culture.
Art
This week the children wowed us with their amazing skills in creating their own versions of Ancient Islamic mosaics. The unit has been a hit across the year group, which is clearly evident from the awesome work they have achieved.
Week beginning 25/9/23
Science
In science this week year 5 undertook a fair test investigation to find out whether all solids dissolve. We used water as our solvent and had six different solutes to test. We discovered that water dissolved salt, sugar and coffee to create a solution. Sand, flour and cous -cous did not dissolve. Later in our science unit we will look at ways of separating mixtures including solutions where the solute dissolved. We will keep you updated!
Week beginning 18/09/23
English
In English lessons, our reading and writing skills are equally important. Before we read a comprehension text, we like to look at some of the interesting vocabulary within it. We teach the children to work out what the words mean by using the 'clues' in the sentence. Here is some of the vocabulary that we met this week.
PSHE
Art
This week in art we spent the afternoon experimenting with repeating patterns and discussing our future plans regarding the creation of our own mosaic designs that will be started next week.
Week Beginning 11/09/23
English
In English, we have been thinking about how to choose vocabulary in order to engage the reader. Different words can create a different picture in the reader’s mind. The children have been delving into the thesaurus to find better words – for example, ‘walked’ has become ‘trudged’, ‘tiptoed’ and ‘strutted’.
History and geography
Our topic this term is the Early Islamic Civilisation. We started by exploring the significance of the Islamic civilisation and how it still impacts us today. For example, they invented their own system of Arabic numerals, and these are the numbers that we use today.
In the next lesson we thought about where the empire was in the world and identify the geographical location of the middle east. We explored a map of the empire and noticed that some of the names of countries were different, so we used an atlas the find and list the modern-day names. We then went on to think about the different biomes (def. a collection of habitats) in the world and matched them with a visual representation.
Art
This term our art topic is closely linked to our Ancient Islamic history and geography topic. In this week's lesson we looked closely at Islamic mosaic art that uses a mixture of geometric patterns, calligraphy and vegetal design. Year 5 were inspired to create their own versions and produced some fantastic results.
Science
We have been looking at the three states of matter. We used our understanding of the materials' properties and the particle arrangements to classify things as solids, liquids or gases. We then went on to carry out tests to find properties of solids. We identified those that were electrical and thermal conductors, magnetic and transparent. We also used the “scratch” test to rank and order solids according to their hardness.
Week beginning: 17/04/2023
History/geography
This week, we have been preparing for our investigation into the Ramsgate tunnels by exploring the geography of our local area.
We have discovered how erosion affects our local coastline and begun to understand how arches and sea stacks are formed.
Can you see any of these coastal features as you explore Thanet?
English:
In English this week we have started to look at biographies. At the start of the week, we read Anne Frank's biography and learnt that although her life was tragic, it was also one of courage against adversity. Then we continued the week exploring features of a biography and creating coloured checklists to identify these.
Art:
This term we are finding out about Paul Nash (War artist) - In our first lesson we looked at a range of his landscape pieces, found out he wasn't very good at drawing figures (which led him to drawing landscapes) and discussed our feelings towards his Art piece - Menin road
Maths:
To kick off the new term in Year 5, we've been looking at angles - classifying, ordering and measuring. The children have demonstrated some outstanding knowledge of acute, obtuse and right angles, along with learning new ones, such as: straight line and reflex angles. Here are some of the types of questions we've been tackling this week, feel free to quiz your kids on their angles knowledge!
Week beginning: 20/03/2023
English
This week, we have been deconstructing a persuasive leaflet on visiting Blackpool. We then used the features and our new understanding to write some compelling arguments to visit Margate too!
Science
This week in science year 5 have been identifying different symbols used in circuit diagrams and drawing simple circuits. There was lots of fantastic team work skills being used when they worked in groups to build a circuit.
This week in science we also learnt about how we see colour. Firstly, we discussed how rainbows are formed, by light refracting through raindrops, splitting white light into the visible light spectrum. We then discovered that we see colours because objects absorb all the colours of the spectrum, except for the colour of the object, this colour light is then reflected into our eyes and we are able to see the colour of the objects.
Week beginning: 06/03/2023
English
This week the children have been practicing their narrative writing skills. They have worked in pairs using techniques that promote dialogue, action and description. All in preparation for their hot write next week. The children have produced some absolutely breath-taking pieces of writing.
We have also been practicing some of the key skills for narrative writing such as dialogue and carefully selecting exciting vocabulary.
We cannot wait to show you our hot writes next week, watch this space.
Maths
Miss Brown’s maths set have been finding fractions that are equivalent to one whole. We are excited about our new fractions unit – it’s Miss Brown’s favourite maths topic!
Science
In science this week we have continued to investigate how light travels in straight lines. We did this through the use of mirrors and torches, investigating if we were able to see round corners or behind us, creating reflections of the light source (torches) in the mirrors and reading secret messages!
At lunchtime, some children come to ‘chill out’ club. It’s warm and there are many games to choose from. It’s lovely to see the children playing together and co-operating so well.
Week beginning: 27/02/2023
English
Clayton made this fantastic guitar and decorated it as his clue for the book 'Space Band'.
Maths
Miss Brown’s maths set had a challenge to build two different shapes with the same perimeter. Can you see who has succeeded?
Week beginning: 20/02/2023
Science
This week we have started our brand- new science topic - electricity and light.
In our first lesson we investigated and observed how light travels in straight lines. The children took part in a teamwork activity where they needed to demonstrate light travelling through a series of holes and ending on a target. Team work was essential if the children were to complete the activity successfully!
Maths
At the start of the week in maths we were learning how to order and compare fractions, looking closely at place value and how we can use prior knowledge to help us understand tenths, hundredths and even thousandths!
In the latter part of the week we have been rounding numbers up to 2 decimal points to the nearest whole number. Rounding is something the children have previously found challenging but, absolutely smashed it this week!
English
In Miss Brown's English class, we practise our sentence writing skills every morning. Leland came up with this amazing idea after looking at the picture shown.
Year 5 have been busy using powerful verbs and adverbs, short impactful sentences, rhetorical questions and ambitious vocabulary to write action packed narratives.
In Miss Brown's set they read the book 'The Colour Monster'. We have been exploring what our feelings might look like - and what they might be telling us. All of the poems we wrote were beautiful but these two took my breath away!
My shyness stands in my legs.
It shines at the moon and the sky.
It fades into turquoise.
It swings like a sloth.
It's as big as a human.
It said to me, you need to be brave.
So I am.
(Arabella)
My sadness stood in my eyes.
My sadness is like a heavy rainfall rushing down.
My sad colour is green and blue.
My sadness is a whale floating in the sea by itself.
My sadness is a baby fox sleeping in the woods under a tree.
My sadness is telling me to listen to my favourite song
and it tells me to sing it.
(Lexie-Rose)
Week beginning: 30/01/2023
Maths
For Puzzle Day, year 5 created dot to dot puzzles. First, we completed some extreme dot to dot puzzles before creating our own to challenge our friends.
Some children have been working together to make a trap for the maths villain. He will be lured in by all of those number ones!
Art
Excellent Come and See in year 5 this week, where we created some folk art inspired volcanic landscapes. The adults that joined us had fun experimenting with patterns to produce some colourful and abstract pieces of art!
Week beginning: 23/01/2023
Maths
This week we have been learning how to multiply fractions by an integer. Simultaneously, we have recapped our knowledge on converting fractions from improper to mixed number fractions. There has been some excellent explanations in our reasoning questions as well where the children have demonstrated their conceptual understanding of everything fractions.
English
Last week, we delved deep into what writing skills are featured in newspaper reports and began applying our understanding.
Can you spot which skills we used?
Come back next week to see how we have applied them to our own reports!
Art
The children have been loving their art lessons. Linking with our geography topic, we have been examining art work by Katie Fort and experimenting with colour and materials.
