Reading Survey Summer 1

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Pupil Voice Safeguarding Survey Link - November 2022 - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BZ6LFSH

Welcome to Year 5

Summer Term 2023

     Miss McArdle, Miss Robinson, Madame Leydon (French teacher) and Miss Donkin (music teacher)

English

Our writing this term, will centre around the book “Kensuke's Kingdom” by Michael Morpurgo.

We will follow Michael's route around the world and base our writing on his experiences.  We will be writing descriptively about events that occur on his journey, a persuasive advert, a balanced argument, a letter plus a diary entry.

Click on the picture to watch the trailer for the short film that is currently in production!

Maths

This term, we will be learning about:  Adding and subtracting decimals within 1 Complements to 1 Adding and subtracting decimals Decimal sequences Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000 Identify angles comparing and ordering angles Measuring angles Drawing lines and angles Calculating angles on a straight line and around a point Calculating length and angles in shapes Regular and irregular polygons Reasoning about 3D shapes Describing position Drawing on a grid Position in the first quadrant Translation Translation with coordinates Lines of symmetry Reflection Reflection with coordinates Kilometres, kilograms, millimetres, millilitres Imperial units Converting units of time Timetables

These skills will be extended and applied in forms of reasoning and problem solving. 

If you would like to support your child further with any of the units covered this term, please click on the following link which will take you to 'Workbooks for Parents' on our school website.  The relevant booklets for this term are:

• Decimals
• Position and Direction
• Properties of Shape
• Volume

 http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/page/maths-workbooks-for-parents/86832

In maths, mental recall, including times tables, doubling and halving numbers and number bonds is vitally important if children are going to make good progress. Using the internet, games or board games can help reinforce the maths needed for Year 5 in a fun and enjoyable way. Please click on the links below to support both written and mental maths.  Also, at the bottom of this page, you will find a document containing all the mental maths objectives for each year group so that you can suport your child with their mental maths.  

Top Marks - Daily 10 

Our history focus will be Ancient Greece. Through this topic we will be asking the following questions to help us with our learning. 

*How can we know so much about the Ancient Greeks who lived 2,500 years ago?

*What can we learn about everyday life in Ancient Greece from poetry evidence remains?

*Why was Athens able to become so strong?

*What can we tell about the Ancient Greeks from their interest in theatre and festivals like the Olympics?

*In what ways have the Ancient Greeks influenced our lives today?

We will have a geography focus for the second half term where we will learn about:

*How we use our oceans

*The Great Barrier Reef

*How our oceans are suffering

*What we can do to help our oceans

*How littered our marine environment is

This term, we will be completing Living Things and their Habitats plus studying Properties and Changes of Materials. There will be a focus on developing scientific skills through the application of the five types of scientific enquiry:

• Observation over time
• Pattern seeking
• Identifying, classifying and grouping                          
• Comparative and fair testing
• Research using secondary resources

During our Living Things and their Habitats topic, we will:

• Describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird
• Describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals

During our Properties and Changes in Materials, we will: 

• Compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
• Know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution
• Use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
• Give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic
• Demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes
• Explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda

Reminders and Information

Staff in Year 5:

Miss McArdle - Class teacher - Tuesday (am), Wednesday, Thursday

Miss Robinson - Class teacher - Monday, Friday

Madame Leydon – French teacher -Tuesday (pm)

Miss Donkin - Music teacher - Tuesday (pm)

PE

Our regular PE days for this term will be Monday and Wednesday.  Pupils will bring their PE kits into school and change at school.  Please make sure that your child wears the correct Excalibur PE kit.  A list of the full PE kit is on our website.

http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/page/school-uniform/6064

Pupils can wear their tracksuit bottoms for PE if it is ever too cold.  I would be grateful if you could make sure that long hair is tied back and that earrings are removed or covered with micro-pore or similar on PE days. 

Start and Finish Times

The school gates will be opened at 8:50 to all children.   The school day will end at 3:20 pm. 

Snacks

Please could you send your child in with a healthy snack for their midmorning break.

Water Bottles

It is important for children to drink water throughout the day.  Therefore, children may bring in bottles of water each day so long as the bottle has a secure lid. It is also really helpful if every bottle is clearly labelled.  Please can you remind your child to take their bottle home every night for washing and refilling.  

Homework

Every week, your child will be set the following tasks: 

• Maths - Homework will be set weekly on Mathletics (up to two pieces). Your child also has access to extra work in their student area should they wish to complete more tasks. Furthermore, should you wish to complete any extra maths with your child, please find ‘Workbooks for Parents’ for each unit of maths we cover in Year 5 on our homepage under ‘Curriculum’ then ‘Maths’ (link above).  This term, we will cover: Decimals, Position and Direction, Properties of Shape and Volume. Furthermore, we would recommend that your child spends time working on their mental maths.  They have a login for TT Rockstars plus they can visit Hit the Button which is free online. 
• Reading - questions set from a short text 
• Spellings - either a spelling rule or words from the statutory Y5/6 spelling list

                              Recommended homework time is half an hour per day for Years 5 and 6.

If you have any queries or questions, please do not hesitate in contacting either Miss McArdle or Miss Robinson through our contact email address (contact@excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk) or you could leave a note in your child's planner.  We look forward to another fabulous term working with you and your child.