Kibworth Primary School Year 5 Autumn 2 2014 StarGazers Curriculum Information Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome back to the Autumn term in Year 5. We are now excited and looking forward to embarking on a new learning journey that will lead us to outer space. We have launched straight into our unit, ‘Stargazers’, with a stimulating trip to The National Space Centre, where children came face to face with rockets, satellites and interactive exhibitions which opened their minds to the wonders of space. The PE arrangements for Year 5 are as follows:  Outdoor PE will be on Monday afternoons and indoor PE on Thursday afternoons. It would help us if you let us know any changes to your child’s home-time routines, or if you would like your child to walk home on their own, or with another child: please let the class teacher or the office know. Also please continue to encourage your child to read frequently at home. We found that those children who regularly read at home last year made better progress with their reading. Ensuring that you ask questions is also important. This helps your child to understand the book they are reading in more depth and also helps you to check that they understand what they are reading. Literacy Poems with Structure-Limericks Magazine Articles Children will explore a variety of Limerick poetry and Using examples of real magazine articles, children will discuss the features and structure that make this form of find out how to plan and write a successful article. poetry unique. They will investigate rhyme and rhythm by They will compare and contrast this writing style to looking at the rhyming patterns, exploring rhyming words the genres of writing already explored in year 5. and understanding the importance of syllables within They will then consider the purpose and audience of a words. Using all their fantastic knowledge about outer magazine article when they begin to write their own space, planets and the strange beings that we may share based around our unit, ‘stargazers’. There will be a our universe with, they will plan, create and perform their focus on sentence structure and punctuation own short, witty Limericks. throughout the unit, with a particular emphasis on varied sentence starters. Maths Fractions Children will recap their understanding of fractions by looking at visual representations and by using their knowledge of division and multiplication to find fractions of number. They will then go on to look at sequences of fractions, making links to the number system and finding rules to complete increasing and decreasing sequences. After, this, they will move onto looking at equivalent fractions which will then help them begin to add fractions. Geometry – Position and Direction Children will continue to classify shapes using geometrical properties, measuring and checking angles to determine whether they are regular or irregular. However, they will begin to look at shapes in different orientations. This will lead onto reflecting and translating shapes. Geography History Science ART RE ‘How does a Christian follow Jesus?’ Decimals After looking at fractions, children will move onto and make links with decimal numbers. They will explore the value of tenths, hundredths and thousandths, writing these as both decimals and fractions. To strengthen their understanding of place value, the children will round, order and compare decimal numbers before beginning to solve problems. Measurement Children will use their knowledge of place value and multiplication and division to convert between standard units; for example, grams and kilograms, recapping the key vocabulary associated with measurement (milli, centi, kilo). They will also use all four operations to solve problems involving measures. Children will explore geographical skills through the eyes of an astronaut. They will use ICT to find and utilise aerial images of Earth to identify countries, continents, volcanoes, rivers and impact craters. Through this unit, children will explore an exciting part of 20th century history, ‘The Space Race’. This will allow them to understand how competition between the United Sates and The Soviet Union led to great technological achievements that eventually put man in space. Also, children will explore the force of gravity; Sir Isaac Newton and its discovery. This will then link nicely into science investigations. Being the main focus of this unit, children will use an assortment of resources to find out about the solar system. They will find out the scientific composition of the planets and the correct terminology used to describe them. In addition to this, they will also look at the relative size of planets and their position in our solar system. Children will explore the effect of the force of gravity on our planet and compare this with the experiences of astronauts when they explore the effect of zero gravity. Linking in with our geography work, children will examine the effect of meteorite collisions on our planet through practical investigations. Children will have the opportunity to explore lots of different media for drawing. They will be encouraged to try out different techniques in order to create texture within their art work. After researching the scientific make up of planets, children will try to replicate the jovian or terrestrial surfaces of the planets through the use of shade, tone and texture. Children will be taught the skills needed to create a 3D looking sphere using light and dark. The art work produced will become some of the scenery in our family assembly. This unit enables children to develop their knowledge of the life, works and teaching of Jesus whilst considering the impact it may have on a believer. The focus is on how Christians today ‘follow’ Jesus by learning from the teachings in the Bible and applying it to their own lives. Children will be enabled to consider how a belief is shown to have value when it is put into practice and to think for themselves about questions to do with the choice of role models and answers to life’s big questions. Children will be encouraged to consider what can be learned from the beliefs, lives and responses of Christians, also drawing on examples and teaching referring to the pupils’ own experiences, beliefs and values. ICT Children will use the programming software Scratch to design a space themed interactive animation. They will sequence a set of instructions on the software to control an avatar across a moon terrain, avoiding obstacles and deep craters. This will allow them to complete lunar missions. PE In this unit children develop the range and quality of their skills when playing games using rackets. They also learn specific tactics and skills for games such as short tennis. In all games activities, children have to think about how they use skills, strategies and tactics to outwit the opposition. In French, children will continue to develop their reading, speaking and writing skills. They will focus on developing their understanding of classroom vocabulary, learning how to describe things using colours, and becoming used to using numbers in French. Children will explore rhythm through the use of percussion instruments. They will create and perform layered rhythms in groups and as individuals. Children will also have the opportunity to explore popular songs about space and discuss the common themes running through them. They will consider what the artist was trying to portray through the lyrics and what their opinions about the space race may have been. French Music Things you may like to do at home  Regular work with times tables really benefits your child’s mathematics. There is a times table game on the Year 5 page, as well as resources in the activities and games folder on the VLE.  The following websites are good for learning more about Space. http://www.spacecentre.co.uk/ http://www.kidsastronomy.com/saturn.htm http://www.planetsforkids.org/ http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/astro/esm/nightsky  If your child struggles with any of their homework, feel free to comment in their homework book about this, and give any help you feel is necessary. We will also continue to run the Homework ‘Drop-in’ sessions on Monday lunch times for any children that need extra time or support to complete homework. We look forward to a productive and enjoyable half term! Miss Millington and Mr Whiting Year 5 Teachers