Summer Term, 2016

Dear Parents/Carers and Year 5 students,

Welcome back to school! We hope you had a lovely break over the holiday period, and that our Year 5
children return refreshed and ready for their final exciting term before moving to Year 6.
Below is a brief outline of the areas we will be covering under our themes of Amazon Adventure and
Faster, Higher, Stronger along with useful timetable information and homework guidelines.
In English this term, we will be planning and writing our own adventure story, set in the Amazon rainforest.
Children will also study examples of persuasive texts, write their own persuasive speech and take part in a
debate concerning deforestation.
In the second half of the Summer term, we will write and perform poems, create a myth to amaze or intrigue
an audience, and present their own non-chronological report about an aspect of the Olympic Games.
Maths will continue to have a focus on the use of mental strategies and how these are then developed into
written methods. Children are becoming more familiar with our new Rising Stars textbooks and practise
books, and use these to support and extend their learning in all aspects of number, time, and geometry.
Lifecycles in the Amazon is our theme in Science. Amongst other activities, children
will be learning about the lifecycles of plants (and, hopefully, growing our own!) and
animals, and comparing these to species in the Amazon. This knowledge will be
reinforced and extended in our learning in Geography, where we study the physical and
human geography of the Amazon Basin region.
The final half-term of the year sees us focus on ancient Greece in History, particularly its impact in sport.
Our focus in Computing will be on organising and presenting information to an audience. Linked to our work
in Science, the children will create an interactive presentation about a chosen Amazonian animal. We will also
be learning about online safety.
During DT lessons the children will focus on textiles, linked to cultural aspects of the Amazon.
In Art, we will study the work of artists such as Henri Rousseau and Ruth Daniels, and further
developing our skills in drawing, painting and printing. During the final half term, we will
create 3D sculptures based on Alberto Giacomettis stick man models.
In PE, we will be true Olympians during the Summer months in athletics, and develop our skills in cricket and
rounders on the school field. We will also learn about the history of the Olympic Games and their legacy.
These sessions will continue to take place as follows:
Monday Indoor P.E. for both Year 5 classes;
Tuesday Outdoor P.E. for Falcon class (Mr. Sherwin)
Wednesday Outdoor P.E. for Eagle class (Mr. Moat)

However, due to the need to practise for sports day and (hopefully) better weather approaching, the children
may be outdoors during both PE sessions, so please ensure they have both indoor and outdoor PE kits available
in school throughout the week.
RE lessons will continue with the theme of sacred books, focusing on Buddhism. Children will learn about
Buddhist teachings and readings, and understand that much of Buddhist writing is in the form of stories. They
will be encouraged to discuss different ways of delivering a message.
French lessons will focus on food and conversational French, whilst in Music children will investigate different
types of music which inspire contrasting moods (for example, music for exercise, studying, relaxation, etc.),
create their own playlist and sing in unison and in two parts.

As always, parents can have a huge impact on how your child develops both in confidence and
ability by encouraging and supporting them with their homework.
Children have been given a Summer term spellings journal, which includes weekly spellings to
learn. Please encourage your child to practice their spellings at home to ensure they continue
to score highly.
English and Maths homework will also be given on a Friday to be returned the following Thursday, allowing
plenty of time for completion.
Children may also be given a small amount of personal research to carry out or something to bring in to
support their other work in class.
In Year 5 we recommend that children should be reading each night for around 20 25 minutes. Again, we
would encourage your child to do this, as it makes a huge difference in their reading and writing development.
Please can we ask you to consider checking our class pages on the school website, as each week we update
these with examples of the things we do in Year 5, including many photographs of children at work. Feel free
to add a comment!
These can be found at:
http://wldpsblogs.com/falcon/
and
http://wldpsblogs.com/eagle/
We hope you have found this information useful and, of course, please do not hesitate to contact us if you
have any questions.
Yours sincerely,

Mr. Sherwin and Mr. Moat.