Year 5 Summer Term

Europe and Ancient Greece

ENGLISH
This term, we will begin our Reading with our class book, Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. We will be developing our inference skills as we learn about Michael and his adventure, writing a persuasive speech inspired by the text. We will also be using the story ‘The Journey’ by Francesca Sanna as inspiration in writing a first-person narrative.

In the second part of the summer term, we will be linking our History unit (Ancient Greece) to our reading and writing, using the texts ‘Who Let the Gods Out?’ by Maz Evans and ‘The Adventures of Odysseus’ by Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton.

HOME READING
Please continue to support your child’s reading by ensuring that they read at least 5 times per week and bring their reading record in daily. Thank you.

SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
There will be discrete spelling lessons several times throughout the week. We will also be learning a set of ‘termly’ spellings, to be assessed at the end of each term, which come from the Year 5/6 statutory spelling list.

Grammar is taught in context within our English lessons so that it is purposeful and relevant to current writing.  This term, we will focus on adverbs to show degrees of possibility (e.g. possibly, maybe, definitely) and modal verbs (e.g. should, could, might).

MATHS
Maths is taught daily. Key concepts this term will include:

• Calculating – fractions
• Measurement, area and volume
• Properties of shape
• Time and measurement
• Statistics

SCIENCE
Firstly, we will be covering ‘Living Things and Their Habitats’ where we will look at life-cycles of different species as well as the sexual and asexual reproduction in plants. After half term, we will look at ‘Animals including Humans’, with a focus on growing older and changes in humans. This will also be linked with health week towards the end of term.

FOUNDATION SUBJECTS

Geography
Our geography unit this term focuses on Europe. We will be identifying countries and their capital cities, time zones, latitude and longitude, as well as looking specifically at mountains in the Alps and the town of Annecy (twinned with Cheltenham).

History
Later in the term, we will be studying Ancient Greece within our history lessons. We will be comparing the Ancient Greek civilisation with other ancient civilisations on a timeline, looking at their major achievements (e.g. democracy) and studying the importance of the Battle of Marathon alongside the cities of Athens and Sparta. We also hope to visit the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, to experience real-life Greek artefacts.

Design Technology
We will be designing, constructing and evaluating Greek temples. For this unit, we will learn about how to create wooden joints for strength and skills like measuring, sawing and using a clamp.

Art
The children will be taking inspiration from our history unit on the Ancient Greeks, to sketch Greek buildings with careful consideration of light/dark and tone.

Computing
The children will use programs to explore and write conditions linked with games on the ipads. They will then design, produce and evaluate their own quiz.

We will also be continuing to teach the importance of E-Safety.

Religious Education

In RE, we will be continuing to focus on comparing and understanding the different world views of individuals. We will be discussing and answering the following questions;

• How do nonreligious people understand and respond to the world and life?
• How do organised and important world views help people when times get hard?

French
We will be learning French vocabulary linked to ‘Where I Live’ in a unit named ‘Chez Moi’. This will include asking and responding to the question of where different people live and descriptions of homes.

Music
In music, we will be focusing on a song called ‘Kisne Banaaya’. This song from India and Pakistan explores how our world, and the different creatures that inhabit it, came into existence. Pupils will learn choreography to support the learning and understanding of the song (in Hindi), learn to sing the song comparing different performances and play an instrumental accompaniment on tuned percussion.

Physical Education
PE will take place on a Wednesday and Thursday for 5R and Tuesday and Wednesday for 5H. We will be taking part in rounders and athletics in the first half of term and tennis and Commando Joe after half-term. Children will once again be encouraged to wear their PE kit to school on PE days. However, please ensure your child has a change of shoes, as both PE sessions will be on the field.

HOMEWORK
To promote fast and accurate recall, it is important that children regularly practise their times tables and Times Tables Rockstars will enable them to do this at home.  It is also important that your child continues to read at home at least 5 times a week. In Year 5, we will continue to give out one piece of homework every Thursday, which is due in the following Tuesday.

If you have any questions or would like to speak to a member of the Year 5 team, please come and see us at the end of the day or make an appointment through the office.

Mrs Rigby and Mrs Hunting