Year 5

Welcome to Year 5! 

Below you will find information about our current projects that we are learning about. We hope you will find the information helpful. Check out the knowledge organisers which include all of the important aspects of our learning this term!

Autumn 1:

Roll up, roll up! We’re going on a day trip to a theme park!

This half term, we’ll write poems to capture the excitement of riding a roller coaster and investigate the wonders of centripetal force. After carrying out fair tests to investigate the materials used to make roller coasters, we’ll create prototype rides of our own. Let’s hope we choose the right materials! In our geography work, we'll look at different types of maps to help us plot and plan different routes. Then, we’ll use advanced techniques and commands to search for information on the internet. In English, we’ll write stories, diary entries and emails about theme parks and investigate forces by making a ride. To finish our project we will be designing our own drop rides based on the learning we have undertaken this half term. 

Autumn 2:

In the Fallen Fields project, your child will start by listening to an audio recording of a soldier leaving for war. Using inspiring illustrations, they'll write diary entries from the perspectives of characters affected by the war. They will delve into the causes of the First World War and produce a newspaper report. Their research skills will help them to find out which countries were the Central Powers, which were the Allied Powers and which were neutral. They will order significant events and decide who were the most influential figures of the First World War. After researching devastating battles, they’ll write a letter from the viewpoints of British soldiers based in the trenches.  They will also analyse wartime propaganda and reflect on the significance of poppies. During remembrance week we will study wartime artwork focusing on the importance of rationing. 

Spring 1:

Journey through space, the final frontier. Navigate beyond the Sun, the magnificent, blazing star at the centre of our Solar System. Investigate the eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Take a look at the Moon, a celestial body that orbits Earth. Programme a rover to traverse a lunar landscape and work scientifically to investigate gravity, and what happens when there is none. Compare the times of day at different places on the Earth and use GPS satellite navigation systems to track hidden treasure. Get in a spin making simple models of the Solar System and listen to the haunting sounds of space themed songs. Then it’s 3, 2, 1, blast off. Build and launch a rocket for an important test mission. Exploring space is probably the greatest adventure that humankind has ever undertaken. Are we alone? Or are there other life forms out there?

Below is the knowledge organiser for the term- this is a helpful guide of some of the essential information from the project. You might wish to use this to help support conversations at home!

Spring 2:

In the Sow, Grow and Farm project, your child will learn about allotments in the United Kingdom and how the government encouraged people to have them to support food rationing during the Second World War. They will learn about food webs and animal life cycles, including how living things are dependent on one another within a habitat. They will investigate the different ways that plants reproduce and will dissect flowering plants to identify the different structures. They will have the opportunity to learn about farming in the United Kingdom and the techniques used in modern farming, including the challenges that farmers face. They will learn about the benefits of eating seasonally and about the pros and cons of importing food. They will also learn about world farming and how the different climate zones affect where different foods can be grown. 

Summer 1:

Let’s travel back in time to meet the terrifying Tudors!

During this half term, we’ll meet a very important figure from history who will give us a problem to solve. Research will help us to write biographies about influential people of the period, and we’ll use source materials to create a Tudor timeline. Tudor portraits will provide us with the inspiration to create royal paintings; we’ll learn a courtly dance and compose Tudor music. Our geography skills will help us to compare maps of Tudor London to present day London and plot Anne Boleyn’s journey to her execution. Internet research will help us learn more about Henry’s life, his marriages and his break from the Roman Catholic church.

Summer 2:

Arachnids, insects, molluscs and myriapods. Minibeasts come in all shapes and sizes!

This half term, we’ll handle a range of minibeasts and small creatures. Taking photographs, making notes and listening carefully to expert explanations will help us to understand how minibeasts move, what they eat and where they live. Using what we’ve learned, we’ll write an interesting minibeast report. In science, we’ll learn how to categorise minibeasts and investigate woodlice habitats. We’ll make detailed drawings of our minibeasts, present data about them and make maps to show the route of our minibeast hunt. Using wood, stones, garden canes and other natural materials, we’ll create ‘minibeast hotels’ and write adverts to attract minibeasts to stay in them. 

At the end of the project, we’ll write fantasy stories about a minibeast’s adventures, make a fantastic fact file and create a 3-D minibeast using a range of materials.