Welcome to Year 5
2023/24
Year 5 are taught by Miss Burfoot, Miss Corcoran and Miss Smith. They are supported by Miss Appleby, Mrs Driver, Miss McNama, Mrs Jaques, Mrs Simms and Mrs Worlock. Should you have any questions for the Year 5 team, please email school@beaconrise.org.uk
Days to Remember
Monday – PE kit to be worn to school
Wednesday – PE kit to be worn to school
Friday – all homework set as follows and due to be completed by the following Friday: spelling task on Google Classroom; Spag.com activity; Mathletics or TT Rockstars activity. Weekly spelling test takes place and new spellings issued for learning at home. Reading records required in school, with children having read a minimum of 5 times.
Year 5 Texts
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Eric the Viking by Terry Jones
Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
A Poem for Every Day of the Year by Allie Esiri
Learning
Autumn Learning:
Download: Term 1 Reach for the Stars
Download: Term 2 Defenders of Britain
Year 5 have loved their first term; we have been learning all about Space! One of our highlights was a visit from the Space Dome where we learnt about the planets, stars and constellations and got to witness how a star’s life ends. We loved finding out about the moon’s phases and representing each phase using an Oreo. We even got to devour them at the end! We have felt enthused in our writing lessons since we have been incorporating new, exciting Year 5 concepts. We wrote a persuasive letter to Mr Thomas regarding the possibility of attending Space Camp in America. Since he was so impressed with our work, Mr Thomas accepted our request and sent us on a mission to raise half a million pounds. In PE, we have been demonstrating our football skills and played an intra-house tournament. We really enjoyed playing with our friends from other classes. In Gymnastics, we created sequences and used the apparatus to develop these – the teachers aren’t as flexible as they thought they were. To build on our artistic knowledge, we learnt all about Modernism focusing on Georgia O’Keeffe. We created abstract images of natural objects using watercolour – we felt really proud of these. To support our life skills, we learnt all about staying safe on the roads and were able to experience this first-hand by applying our knowledge to a real-life scenario.
Year 5 have thoroughly enjoyed their Viking voyage in term 2. Their topic launch consisted of creating their own armour and writing in code using runes. They engaged extremely well with their topic writing – a Viking non-chronological report and own historical Viking sagas. In PE, they have been demonstrating their hockey skills and developing their understanding of how to use canon effectively in their dance routines. In science, they have learned all about forces and became scientists by investigating different parachute sizes to see which would create the most air resistance; getting their skydiver to safety! PSHE has consisted of differentiating between direct and indirect bullying. They have been exploring both forms of bullying and what these look like in the playground. To support them socially, inside and outside of school, they have explored the best way to deal with bullying and how to avoid becoming a bystander. They now feel equipped with tools to keep them safe in their social lives. In RE, they have used knowledge organisers to document their knowledge of different places of worship. They then used these to summarise what they know about Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism. To support their RE unit, they walked to the local church and the Reverend showed them the important features of a church and how they support the wider Kingswood community.
Spring Learning:
Download: Terms 3 and 4 – BR Buccaneers
This term, Year 5 have been sailing the seven seas and exploring the famous buccaneers of Bristol! We have learned about the infamous Blackbeard (Edward Teach) and how his name came to be so famously known. We have continued this theme into our English lessons, where we have been re-telling Treasure Island – we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the plot and characters. In PE, in addition to gym, we have been involved in some great Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) and have been using navigational language and compasses to support our orienteering skills around school. DT day transformed our classrooms into our very own Sewing Bee! We built up our sewing skills to create our own multi-functional purses! We were extremely proud of our end products. Any ripped clothes? Look no further – you now have your very own seamstress. Lastly, we finished our term with Pirate Day! We teamed up with the younger crewmates in Year 1 and adventured out to crack the pirate code! We also used our previously learned navigational language to support our younger friends.
In geography, we have been exploring European capital cities and landmarks. We have written postcards and created fact files. In art, we have been developing our sketching skills to create still life drawings based on the work of Matisse and Dali. Micro:bits have been the focus of our computing lessons where we have been refining our programming skills. Children have enjoyed using them to share messages, creating LED images and play tunes. Year 5 have thoroughly enjoyed learning netball and tennis. They have a solid knowledge of how to play and score these games. Our English unit has included writing diaries and newspapers all about Bristol based pirate, Blackbeard.
Summer Learning:
Download: Term 5 and 6 – Greece and Our Green Earth
Year 5 have been learning all about Ancient Greece. We have learnt about some famous Greek Gods and the interesting myths about their lives. We have continued our topic into our English lessons, where we have written a biography about a Greek God using lots of the writing features that we have learnt this year. In PE, we have practised a famous Greek dance and had the chance to perform this to the other classes. We have also been refining our athletic abilities such as sprinting, long jump and triple jump. We enjoyed showcasing some of these skills in Sports Day. This term, we have been learning about vector drawing in computing. We put our digital drawing skills to use to come up with ideas for a new Beacon Rise logo. We wonder if Mr. Thomas will like them enough to use one someday. In RE, we have been learning about how other cultures live their lives in modern Britain. One particular highlight was our visit to a local mosque where we learnt about the five pillars of Islam. We also found out about different Islamic celebrations and enjoyed experiencing their beautiful place of worship.
What a great final term of Year 5 it has been! We have enjoyed getting stuck in with using clay for our sculptures, which were inspired by the British sculptor Anthony Gormley. We used a variety of methods to mould and sculpt our personalised model and enjoyed it even though it was messy. In P.E, we have been developing out athletics skills further by practising a variety of jumps; vertical, long and triple. Also, we have progressed out ability to adapt pace in order to run a range of distances. In cricket, we have learned the main rules of the sport and have applied our skills to a full game. Some brilliant catches have been demonstrated in the outer field! We have continued our ‘What it Means to be a Muslim in Britain Today’ topic in R.E., developing our knowledge of the five pillars of Islam, in particular Hajj and Zakat. To broaden our knowledge of Islam, we celebrated Eid al-Adha school-wide and recognised the event by practising Arabic writing, designing cards with Islamic patterns and building paper models of the Ka’bah. In our music lessons, we have been writing, choreographing and performing our own musical theatre productions, following a ‘Jukebox Musical’ theme. It’s been great to see the children’s passion and creativity flourish during this unit. One of our highlights this term was camp! We had an incredible time at Hooke Court and participated in scavenging, den-building, cooking, trying new foods, building Viking longboats and sailing these on the moat. Some of us were able to gut a fish and cook this on the fire! We enjoyed eating lots of delicious meals and spending time with our friends.
