We will be reading a graphic novel version of Tom's Midnight Garden, and using this to base our writing on this half term. As we move towards Christmas, we will explore dual narrative writing and have a go at writing from two perspectives at the same time. We will embed lots of new SPAG concepts in our writing to make it even more interesting! We will also study newspaper and magazine articles and compare older articles to more recent articles, before having a go at writing our own. We will also be looking closely at a range of texts in Guided Reading, including Wonder by R J Palacio, and the poem Daffodils by William Wordsworth.

In Maths, we will focus on multiplication and division, before moving onto fractions. Please ensure your child practises their multiplication and division facts regularly, as they require these skills daily for their maths work now they are in Upper Key Stage 2. I will test the children on division facts each Friday this half term (along with their weekly spellings) - you will see which one we are focusing on each week in your child's homework book.

Wider Curriculum

Our topics this half term are:

RE: What would Jesus do? (Can we live by the values of Jesus in the 21^st Century?)

Science: Circle of Life

Geography: Mountains,

Computing: 3D Modelling

E-Safety: Managing online information

D&T: Building bridges

Music: Why we sing and an introduction to song writing

PSHE: Dreams and goals

French: Space exploration

PE: Outdoor sports and Gymnastics

Outdoor PE will continue to be on a Monday afternoon with Moses from City in the Community, and Gymnastics will continue to be on a Wednesday afternoon in the hall with Dan. Please ensure children come to school on these days in black or navy blue joggers and a white top. Please also ensure that all earrings are removed on these days as for health and safety reasons, children are not allowed to take part in PE with them in.

Additional Information

Homework expectations

Each Monday, we send out homework books with new spellings and a different times table / division facts to practise each week. The expectation is that the children practise these spellings (they can use fun spelling strategies we have practised in class!) and write 5 sentences containing their words, as well as practising the focused times table / division facts for that week. We know that some nights are busier than others with clubs and busy family lives, but we ask that the children practise these at least 3 times a week. We ask that they bring their homework books back each night to check on their progress throughout the week.  

Reading at home

To help encourage the children with their reading at home, our Year 6 helpers will reward anyone that has read the night before (and recorded this in their reading record) with a raffle ticket. These raffle tickets will be placed in a prize bag and at the end of the half term, we will pull two raffle tickets out for children to receive a prize. The more raffle tickets your child has, the more chance they have of winning!

Dates for your diary:

Week beginning Monday 11th November - Multi-faith week. .We will learn more about SIkhism and share what we have done in assembly on Friday 15th November.

Tuesday 12th November - Odd socks day for Anti-bullying week.

Tuesday 12th November -  Year 5's video call with the Stockport Schools Climate team.

Friday 15th November - Children in Need. Children may come to school in their own clothes for £1 donation.

Monday 25th November - Pupil nasal flu vaccination.

Wednesday 4th December - RE Workshop with Mrs Fullalove from Christians in Schools.

Thursday 12th December - KS2 Christmas Carol Service at St Mary's Church - 2-3pm.

Friday 13th December - Christmas jumper day and Christmas dinner.

Tuesday 17th December - Christmas craft morning. Parents invited to join us 9-10am.

Thursday 19th December - Finish for Christmas.

English and Maths

This half term, we are delving straight into history by learning about how Britain changed through Anglo-Saxon and Viking times. We will look at the poem Beowulf and the Kennings poetry contained within it, and then will focus our attention on writing informative texts based on the book Viking Boy: The Real Story.

In Maths, we will start the year by looking at place value, including Roman Numerals, and addition and subtraction, including using lots of tried and tested methods. We will continue to practise our times tables and mental maths skills, as well as refining our reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Wider Curriculum

This half term, we will be learning about:

RE: If God is everywhere, why go to a place of Worship?

Science: Growing up and growing old

History: Changes to Britain: Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons

Computing: Word Processing and Spreadsheets

Art: Digital collage and image manipulation

French: French monster pets

Music: What shall we do with the drunken sailor?

PSHE: Being me in my world

PE: City in the community games (Monday)

Outdoor sports (Wednesday)

Additional information

SImilar to Year 4, homework expectations for Year 5 are times tables / division facts, spellings and reading.

Homework books will be handed out on a Monday, with a specific times table to practise (this will sometimes be part of a TT Rockstars challenge) and some spellings to practise. On a Friday, we will have our times table test and spelling test. We ask that children practise both their times table and spelling list each night (I will show them some new ways they can practise to keep it interesting!) and hand their homework book in a few times a week so we can monitor their progress.  

Reading is also a fundamental part of homework each week. Children will be able to change their reading book as and when they finish a book, from our collection in the classroom. We will also visit the library once a week so children will have 2 books from school at any time. Please ensure your child reads several times a week (20 minutes a night is preferable) and records this in their reading diaries. Each morning, I will collect reading diaries in from those that have read the night before and they will receive a raffle ticket which will go in our raffle bag. At the end of each half term, I will pull 2 raffle tickets out of the bag and the winners will receive a prize. The more raffle tickets a child has, the greater their chance of winning! Please help encourage your children with their reading, as the reading tests in Year 5 are a big jump from Year 4. We will monitor children's reading at home on a weekly basis.

Dates for your diary

Tuesday 3rd September - Parents meeting in Year 5 after school

Wednesday 11th September - RE lesson with Mrs Fullalove