Welcome to Year 5

Autumn Term 2023

     Miss McArdle, Mrs Steer, Madame Leydon and Mr Reid 

 

 

English

During World War II, Carrie and her younger brother Nick are evacuated to Wales and billeted with the fierce old shopkeeper Mr Evans and his mousy sister, Louise. Unhappy in their new home, they are delighted to have the chance to visit fellow evacuee Albert Sandwich at Druid's Bottom, the strange household of Hepzibah Green, who knows magical stories, and Mister Johnny, who speaks a language all his own. But then Carrie makes a mistake - which has terrible, unforseen consequences...

 

                                        Click on the picture to listen to the audio book...

                                                                  

 

                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Maths

This term, we will be learning about:  Roman Numerals to 1000 Reading, writing, ordering, comparing, partitioning, rounding numbers to 1,000,000 Powers of 10 Adding and subtracting using mental methods Adding and subtracting whole numbers with more than 4 digits Rounding to estimate and check answers Adding and subtractiong inverse and multi-step problems Adding and subtracting with missing numbers Multiples and factors Common multiples and factors Prime, square and cube numbers Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, 1000 Equivalent fractions Converting proper and improper fractions Comparing and ordering fractions Adding and subtraction fractions and mixed numbers

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:

                                                              Place-value

                                                       Addition and Subtraction

                                                       Multiplication and Division

                                                              Fractions A

                                      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 

 

Humanities

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

 

 

 

*Why did Britain have to go to war in 1939?

*Why was it necessary for children to be evacuated and what was evacuation really like?

*How was Britain able to stand firm against the German threat?

*Why was Crewe bombed so heavily?

*How did people manage to carry on normal life during the war and how do we know?

*Why is it so difficult to be sure what life on the Home Front was really like?

*What was VE day really like?

 

 

 

We will have a geography focus for the second half term which will focus on population changes. In this topic we will learn about:

*How global population is changing

*What birth and death rates are

*Why people migrate

*How climate change impacts the population

*How population is impacting our environment

 

 

 

 

 

                                    

This term, we will be completing the topics Forces and Earth and Space. 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 Forces topic, we will:

• Identify and explore the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction 
• Explain that unsupported objects fall to the Earth because of the force gravity 
• Look at the effects of pulleys, levers and gears
• Find out how Isaac Newton helped to develop the theory of gravitation

During our Earth and Space topic, we will: 

• Describe the movement of Earth and other planets relative to the Sun
• Describe the movement of the Moon relative to the Earth
• Describe the Earth, un and Moon as approximately spherical bodies
• Explain why we have day and night 
• Learn that the Sun is a star at the centre of our solar system which has eight planets
• Understand that moons are a celetial body that orbit a planet

 

                                                                             

 

 

Reminders and Information

Staff in Year 5:

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

Mrs Steer - Class teacher - Monday, Friday

Madame Leydon – Tuesday (pm)

Mr Reid -Tuesday (pm)

 

PE

 

Our regular PE days for the second half-term will be Tuesday 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 and we encourage children to arrive at this time to give them a chance to settle before 9 am. Any arrivals after 9 am must be reported to the office (even if the gates are still open) as the register will have been sent electronically by this point. 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 Friday, your child will be set the following tasks to be completed by the following Thursday: 

• 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).   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 Mrs Steer 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 a fabulous term working with you and your child.