The Y5 Learning Blog! Look here for a summary of what is and what has been happening in Y5 at HBJ.
BRITISH VALUES UNDERPIN OUR SOCIETY
During the next half-term the children in Y5 will be looking at how we organise ourselves. With this as our overarching theme, we will follow the central idea that British values underpin our society. We will explore two lines of enquiry, namely: “What are British values and how do they affect our lives?” and “How have British Values changed over time?”
Our learning journey will take us into the depths of the British political system, help us find out what democracy is, allow us to explore gender equality and will hopefully lead to us making positive change to the plight of refugees across Europe. Whilst doing all this, we will also be unpicking the Highwayman and retelling the Highway Rat. We cannot wait to get started.
The Y5 children had a great time and learnt a lot visiting two local churches. We went as part of our R.E. work looking at how different christian groups use the physical buildings in which they choose to worship. The children learnt a lot about the differences between Crowded House Church and St Augustine's. A big thank you to both churches for opening up their doors and letting us understand how they use their buildings.
Pattern Helps Us To Express Ourselves
This half term the Y5 children will be looking at how we express ourselves. Our central idea will be that pattern helps us to express ourselves. We will follow two lines of inquiry.
1) How do we interpret patterns in nature?
2) Which patterns influence humans?
As part of our work we will be looking at the art of Henri Rousseau, Fibonacci and his sequence and the patterns authors use to create suspense in their writing. We will be composing our own music using ipads and Garage Bands, creating our own watercolor paintings and publishing our ow suspenseful narratives. We cannot wait to get going!
We've started rehearsing our Macbeth audio plays. We're editing our scripts as we go and they are starting to sound really rather good. We're hoping to get them uploaded on here at some point next week.
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Today, in J8,we started learning about the British Empire and the Atlantic Slave Trade.
We started looking at the horrific conditions in which slaves were kept during their journeys across the Atlantic Ocean. Above you can see pictures of the space child slaves were given in which to sleep.
We looked at, studied and analysed primary and secondary historical sources and used these to learn about the 'Middle Passage' transportation of humans during the 16th and 17th century. The children were very interested and engaged but also shocked and appalled at how people used to treat each other.
We also touched on modern day slavery and discussed how this awful practice has not been fully eradicated from our planet.
As part of our work studying Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the children of Y5 have been learning the conventions of script writing and having their own go at re-writing this classic play. The children have really enjoyed putting their own twist on Shakespeare’s master piece. Here’s one example written by Alfie and Joe.
MACBETH –SCENE 1
Starlit night upon a poppy speckled heath. Two army generals, Macbeth and Banquo, enter with bloodied armour and faces.
MACBETH: (murmuring) Such fine a night it is my dear Banquo.
BANQUO: So fine it would have been, fair Glamis, if blood had not woven its cruel silk across the seafront .
MACBETH: Blood will have blood, they say. I am told to keep one hand on my weapon.
BANQUO: Let not plague your mind, that meagre thought. Think only of this; with our rifles slung across our shoulders and heads held high, we have held back the forces of King Schroeingter!
Cloud of foul green gas dissipates into the air and three figures appear.
MACBETH: Are ye of this earth, or another? Speak, if you can, take off thy masks of hideousness!
WITCH 1: All hail Macbeth, Thane of Ohio…
BANQUO: How in The Lord’s domain do you know the name of my good friend here?
WITCH 2: All hail Macbeth ,President of China…
WITCH 3: All hail Macbeth , who shall be Mexican king hereafter!
ALL WITCHES: A HEE HEE HEE!
MACBETH: Uh, what the heck.
BANQUO: Whateth the flippeth areth you on abouteth? Speak to me, what of my future?
WITCH 1: Less nuclear weaponry than Macbeth but so much more…
WITCH 2: Less killings than Macbeth, yet more blood on ye hands…
WITCH 3: Thou shalt get kings, but thy death shall be the down fall of one…
ALL WITCHES: SO ALL HAIL MACBETH AND BANQUO, WHO WILL RULE VARIOUS PLACES AND OWN VARIOUS FORMS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONRY! A HEE HEE HEE!!
We hope that all children, parents and carers had a fantastic break and a brilliant start to 2019. We are really looking forward to seeing the kids again and to having a really productive, successful and fun spring term. Y5 will be continuing their work investigating and exploring the question ‘what is tyranny?’ As part of this, we will finish our study into Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Following our work on Shakespeare, Y5 will be considering the key question ‘did the sun every set on the British Empire?’ During our investigation into this question, we will look at the Atlantic slave trade and cover some science looking at forces.
We cannot wait to get started!
It's that time of year again when HBJ children get to face the Readathon challenge.
Children across school will be spending 2 hours reading their books without interruption and have, hopefully, been busy collected sponsors for their efforts. All money raised will go to buying new books for school and the class which raises the highest amount will receive an extra special treat!
Sheffield University Christmas Lecture
The Y5 teachers and children are really looking forward to our trip to The Octagon at Sheffield University for their anual Christmas Lecture. This year the theme for the lecture is The Life of Birds. Whilst we're not 100% sure what is in store for us, we are certain it will be very informative, educational and great fun!
Thank you to all parents and carers who have offered us help on this trip, we hope those attending really enjoy the day too.
A Letter to Lady Macbeth
I write to you in a state of doubt and confusion and I do not know who to trust, even Banquo, although he has been through all of this with me. Yet, even though I know I can trust you, I still hesitate on my quill and ink. But, I must push away any doubts I have and tell you before I explode.
As we trudged along through the deep mud of the heath, hearts in our mouths, the foul air imploded on itself, releasing a filthy, green gas. Through the gas, I observed with wide eyes, three ominous figures. My good friend Banquo (bless the kindness in his gentle soul) tackled me out of harm’s way from the first hideous figure, whose bony finger were clawing like a rabid dog. The silhouettes contorted and twisted like living scarecrows and advanced menacingly.
They danced around us crazedly, chanting manically, all the while professing,
“ALL HAIL MACBETH THANE OF GLAMIS!”
“ALL HAIL MACBETH THANE OF CAWDOR!”
“ALL HAIL MACBETH YOU SHALL BE KING OF SCOTLAND!”
Written by Joe and Esme (merged by Mr Goodhand)
The Scottish Play (Macbeth)
The children in Y5 have started studying Macbeth and have been really enjoying the atmospheric start to this eerie Shakespeare play. So far we have been writing poems in the style of witch's spells and making news headlines to show our understanding of the opening scenes. We cannot wait to read on and see if Macbeth actually becomes King of Scotland...
Anti Bullying and Respect
As part of our work for Anti Bullying week 2018, we focused in on the national theme of respect. Using Dr Seuss' great book The Sneetches, we explored the theme of respect and looked at what it really means to be respectful. Children then learnt how to do block lettering and psychedelic patterns and put these new skills to use to create a respect word display. We think they look pretty awesome!
The World is Founded on Tyranny and Trade
Soon, the Year Five children will be taking on a new central idea - The Word is Founded on Tyranny and Trade. They will be following two different lines of enquiry - "What is tyranny?" and "Did the sun ever set on the British Empire?".
Please have a look at the attached Knowledge organiser which contains the key facts and vocabulary children will be encountering and expecting to use and recall.
Pest Control Visit
As part of our work exploring the line of inquiry "do animal lives matter?", Y5 had a very informative visit from the British Pest Control Association.
Our visitors spoke to children about the work they do, how they do it and why it is such an important job. Not only did they bring in an excellent presentation full of fantastic photographs but they also brought in some real live pests including bed bugs and hissing cockroaches!
The children were noted for their excellent manners, enthusiasm and intelligent questioning which, to be honest, did not surprise the teachers.
We, teachers included, learnt a lot about what pest control involves, how they treat the animals they work with and the ways in which this helps wider society. This visit should help children have a real good base for our day of debating on animal issues which we are all looking forward to!
Y5 have started fencing in their P.E. lessons this week. So far they have covered some of the basic skills including salute, en garde and advance. The children have so far impressed with their efforts at mastering these tricky new skills and we look forward to seeing them improve as the half-term continues.
Have a fantastic and well earned break Y5! Stay safe, have fun and enjoy relaxing with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming you back for some more exciting learning!
Stunning Start - Do Animal Lives Matter?
In anticipation of our mini them "Do Animal Lives Matter?", which we will be exploring after half-term, the Y5s have watched the movie Chicken Run. This film hopefully provided the children with a light-hearted start to exploring issues and themes relating to how humans and other animals interact. We have asked children to consider issues from the point of view of the animal - in this case chickens.
After half-term, we have a visit from local pest control and will be studying different matters relating to the relationship between humans and other animals. This will culminate with children being able to express their opinions in a whole class debate.
We have been planning explanation texts all about staying healthy including information on HIIT and how the heart works. We're looking forward to finishing these after the half-term break.
The Y5 Maths Trail
Y5 spent Tuesday's maths lesson on the playground completing a maths trail. The children had to solve different problems relating to number bonds to 1000 and addition with nearly numbers. The trail involved children recognising calculations as images and using these images to help find mental ways to solve complex addition problems. The children had great fun, despite the wind, and really impressed with their focus and attitudes.
The Windrush Generation
Following on from Mr Watson's Monday assembly and as part of Black History Month 2018, the children in Y5 have been learning all about the Windrush generation. We have been learning specifically about the Windrush, it's journey to the U.K. and the welcome those on board faced when they arrived 70 years ago. We have been looking into the contribution these new arrivals made to our country and recognising the situation many of this generation found and currently find themselves in.
Watch this space for some fantastic cinquain poems that the Y5 children have been writing all about Windrush!
Today's Maths No Problem in focus task really had the children thinking. We had lots of different ways to go about solving the problem including rounding, doubling, playing with place value and partitioning. Fantastic work Y5!
2018-19 Charity Launch Day
Don’t forget, children are invited to dress up as an animal and bring in a small donation on Friday 12th October to celebrate the school’s new designated charities for 2018-19, The WWF and The Yorkshire Wildlife Park!
Y5 Super Survival Stories
The Y5 children have been putting the finishing touches to their stunning survival stories of Arctic adventure. This week children have been editing, re-drafting, improving and publishing their stories. The effort, concentration and desire to make these stories something to be proud of has been fantastic. We have had a great time designing front covers, writing blurbs and binding our books with the super cool binding machine. The children cannot wait to share these stories with you and each other.
Reading for Meaning and Finding the Gist
Y5 have been reading an extract from a book called Stitch Head. The children have worked hard to understand the text by using our reading strategies. First they asked 'I wonder...' questions, then we related the text to what we already know and made links. After this, we made sure we fully understood any tricky words before locating the VIP words which fully help us to understand the meaning. Finally we put all our knowledge together to get the gist of the text. The children showed their understanding by summing up the passage in the headlines you can see below.
How do people adapt to different locations?
We have been looking into this line of inquiry across Y5 and have started by looking at climate zones and world biomes.
The children will be researching into what biomes are, what the different types of biome are and what makes each biome unique.
Once we have understood the different biomes and climates of the world, we will be exploring how different groups of people have managed to and continue to survive in extreme climates.
So far the Y5 children have been really engaged with this line of inquiry and have been asking some fantastic question which we hope to investigate such as
What makes wind?
Does the sun orbit anything and if so how does this change the weather on Earth?
This is how we survive
As part of our inquiry into our central idea (This is how we survive) Y5 have been starting to plan some survival narratives. Their stories are all based on the same short film stimulus and one still image of an arctic explorer. Their plans are coming across nicely and it's great to see so many fantastic, creative and different ideas coming from the same stimulus. Head over to the Y5 Gallery page to check out some of our plans and see the innovative ways children have chosen to present their imaginative ideas as planning.
Watch this space for some finish stories before too long...
European Day of Languages
Yesterday (26-09-18) was the HBJS European Day of Languages. Y5 spent the afternoon celebrating all things languages. We started by trying to name all the European countries (there are 46 - how many can you name?) and then we looked at the languages that were spoken in some of these.
Next, we discovered who our very own class language experts are. We're a talented bunch of linguists in Y5 with fluent Chinese, Urdu, Russian and Polish being spoken alongside many other languages.
Finally, we looked at how Google Translate and Word Reference can help us in our language work and used these resources to research how to write and say different fruit names in a variety of languages. The children then did some observational drawing and colouring to create a label a fruit bowl of language joy. We all had a great time. Tres bien!
Following on from Mr Watson's assembly, the Y5 children will be really working on their focus and concentration this week.
We hope to see a real improvement in tuning out distractions, focusing on the task in hand and getting into our individual learning bubbles. The human mind can only focus on one thing at a time so to do a good job in our learning we really have to concentrate.
IQ Cards - Christmas Fundraiser 2018
The children in Y5 have been designating and creating seasonal images and patterns ready for our IQ Card Christmas fundraiser. They will be bringing home their design, a glossy leaflet and a letter explaining what this is all about.
This is a great opportunity for parents and carers to see their children's designs come to life as wrapping paper, cards and sticky labels. What's more, with each purchase you will be helping the school to raise vital funds.
We hope you like the designs when they reach you at home!
Maths: No Problem!
Today we explored the following statement and tried to see if it was true or false and then to prove our answers.
When we say 'more than' we always do an addition.
When we say 'less than' we also do a subtraction.
Below we have one solution we seeks to prove it is false. Do you agree? Have they fully proved their answer?
Parent Drop Ins
Come and meet your child's teacher and spend some time in the class working with the children.
When? Friday 5th October 8:40-9:15 or 2:30-3:05
Where? Please sign in at the office and you will be shown to your child's class.
We look forward to seeing you there!
In our Geography work we have been learning about climate zones.
Firstly, we tried to unpick the difference between climate and weather. Next, we looked at which places have different climates and we realised that the closer you get to the equator the hotter and wetter a place tends to be. We made detailed notes about all the different climate zones.
We then tried to understand why this was. The children have done a good job of explaining this using diagrams and writing frames. Perhaps they can fill you in if you ask...
Across Y5 we have been reading, writing and comparing numbers up to 1,000,000. To do this we have been using number cards to allow us to manipulate numbers and play with place value. This work has all been part of our new and exciting Maths No Problem approach to teaching mathematics. Teachers and teaching assistants have been very impressed with how children have taken to our new approach to maths. Onward and upwards!
Across Y5 we have been inventing back stories for this intrepid explorer.
Who is he?
Where is he?
Why is he there?
What does he hope to find?
We can't wait to see where the imaginations of the Y5 take us with their survival stories.
Overarching theme: How the World Works
Central Idea: This is how we survive
Lines of enquiry:
How do people adapt to different locations?
What is a healthy lifestyle?
Do animal lives matter?
During the Autumn Term, the Y5s will be learning all about how the world works.
How do people survive in extremes of weather? What should we be eating to keep healthy? Can you design a HIIT workout? Is it wrong to eat meat? Are all animals equal? What are microbes and how do they help and harm us?
Focusing on key Geography and Science skills and knowledge, children will explore these questions and come to their own conclusions. Alongside this, we will be writing a range of different texts including survival stories and animal rights arguments (some of which we hope to share on here). In our maths, we will be continuing the Maths No Problem work on place that value we have already started, putting down strong foundations to build great mathematical thinkers.
The Y5 staff, and hopefully the pupils, can’t wait to get going and really get their teeth into some fab learning!
Welcome Back Y5
It has been fantastic to welcome back the Y5s this September and they have really impressed us by hitting the ground running.
To kick the year off, we have been exploring the central idea Who We Are and looking at the following lines on enquiry:
Why do people help each other?
What makes a good team member?
How can we develop positive friendships?
What is my role in school and the wider community?
The children have shown excellent critical thinking and have really engaged in exploring these questions and drawing their own conclusions. We really hope this learning will set them up for a successful school year.
All the teaching and support staff in Y5 are looking forward to a busy, exciting and successful academic year. Bring it on!
Meet the Teacher
It was fantastic to see so many parents and carers today for the Y5 meet the teacher sessions. Hopefully you enjoyed visiting your child’s class and looking through their books. We continue to be impressed by and proud of the start Y5 have made this year and hopefully you were similarly impressed with the work you got to see and the children’s attitudes to their learning. Thank you to all those parents and carers who made it today and to those who could not make we look forward to seeing you soon. Don’t forget, you can catch your child’s teacher most days on the school yard at 3:20 if you need a quick word.
Sorry to the J9 parents and carers, we have had to rearrange your meet the teacher session as Mr Fieldsend was absent today – he is looking forward to seeing you next week.
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