We are excited to start the year with a rich topic: Ancient Greece. The children will explore life in Ancient Athens and Sparta, learning how these city-states were different. They’ll discover how historians study the past through Greek pottery and create their own pots in art.

The children will also visit the British Museum’s Ancient Greek galleries, learning how history is preserved and gaining more insight into Greek life. They will also take part in a virtual tour, to learn about the architecture and cultural significance of Greek temples through the eyes of archaeologists and historians.

In the second half term, Greek gods will inspire a Design and Technology project. The children will design, make, and evaluate a soft toy, developing sewing skills.

In English, Year 5 will focus on Wonder by R.J. Palacio during the first half term and then write a fast-paced narrative inspired by a film clip in the second half term.

For Science, we will be taking a tour of the solar system and looking at the Earth’s rotation and revolution, day and night, and the movement of the Moon and planets within the solar system. In class, we will discuss key concepts such as the spherical shapes of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, the role of gravity, and the development of scientific theories about the solar system.

PE will take place twice a week (Tuesday and Friday) so children should make sure they have the correct kit in school. As we are moving towards the cooler months, both shorts and tracksuit bottoms are required. In addition a hoodless, navy sweatshirt as we will be going outside for one of the PE sessions.

Homework will be set weekly and consist of spellings on Spelling Shed and a Maths homework. This might be on Maths Shed or in the learning log. Furthermore, the children will have access to TTRS to continue with their times tables skills. Finally, children are expected to read regularly at home and have an adult sign their reading record. These will be collected weekly and house points will be given accordingly. Pleas encourage your child to read as it builds essential language and cognitive skills, improves attention and concentration, fosters imagination and creativity and develops a lifelong love of reading for pleasure.

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Bowman and Mrs Peterson