Year 5 - Acer Class
Welcome to Year 5 - Acer Class!
Who are the staff in Acer Class?
Miss Norris - Class Teacher
Mrs Chapman - Teaching Assistant
What does our day look like?
What does our curriculum look like?
What will we learn in Term 4?
SCREAM MACHINE
Roll up! Roll up! You're going on a trip to a theme park to soak up the unique sights, smells and sounds of the fair.
Learn about the science behind roller coasters and write poems that are shaped like Loop the Loops. Design your own theme park rides in DT. Testing. Testing. Time for some mini investigations. Cam mechanisms, pendulums, pulleys and prototypes. Let's go behind the scenes to see forces work.
Good news! The engineers at 'Scream Towers' love your work and want you to build a death-defying new drop ride for a theme park. Make a working model and test it using uncooked eggs! Cracking stuff!
Ready to ride. Don't forget to scream if you want to go faster!
In Maths this term, we will be focusing on decimals and percentages for more details, click on the yearly overview link above. Pupils are expected to complete the MyMaths and Times Tables Rockstars homeworks to the best of their ability each week.
In Year 5, pupils should be reading for at least 30 mins a night. The children no longer have reading records as their use of the accelerated reader quizzes keeps track of how much they read each week. Thank you very much to those parents who do ensure reading happens, it makes a huge difference!
A homework page can be found at the bottom of our class page. This should provide inspiration for pupils’ homework projects this half term. Ideas include: planning a trip to a theme park as a family - calculating the cost, the distance of the theme park and the times of the day; research the history of fairground rides or compare a theme park in the UK to a theme park somewhere else in the world - e.g. Thorpe Park Vs. Universal.
P.E. on Mondays and Thursdays, please ensure your child has a P.E. kit for those days which is clearly labelled.
What did we learn in Term 3?
ALCHEMY ISLAND
In term 3, the children have shown off their fantastic scientific skills as year 5 alchemists, by comparing and testing the properties of materials, conducted experiments into reversible and irreversible change and have separated a range of mixtures using sieving, filtering and evaporating.
In addition to this they have brushed-up on their map reading skills - learning about the eight points on a compass and then locating places within Alchemy Island using six-figure grid references.
In English, the children have considered the life in the 1700/1800s as highwayman and learning how to use various literary features to 'show' their reading audience how characters feel and how a setting might look or feel to them too. At the end of the term, they wrote a sequel to 'The Highwayman', describing the relationship between Bess, the landlord's daughter and the highwayman - 'a love that lasts beyond life'.
hat did we learn in Term 2?
HOLA MEXICO!
Welcome to Mexico!
The children travelled the globe to find out about the life and times of the Maya civilisation. Comparing modern day Mexico and ancient Mexico with areas of the UK. As part of our Art and Design Technology this term, the children planned and designed Mexican Day of the Dead Calacas and wrote instructions for Mexican foods that they made and sampled during our mini-Mexican street party.
In English we read the book 'Holes' in which a boy is sent to 'Camp Green Lake' to build character for stealing an athlete's trainers. Whilst digging holes, they uncover more than they bargained for.
What did we learn in Term 1?
STARGAZERS
Acer Class have investigated the eight planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; taken a look at the Moon, a celestial body that orbits Earth and have worked scientifically to investigate gravity and what happens when there is none!
Then it was three, two, one...BLAST OFF. They planned, designed, constructed and tested a rocket for an important test mission.
In English, we have been reading 'Cosmic', a story about a 12-year-old boy who ends up lost in space. The children have really enjoyed using the story as a focus for their writing and have produced some excellent work.
What homework is given in Acer Class?
Homework: Pupils are expected to complete their set MyMaths homework and read for at least 30 mins every evening. Once children have finished their reading books, they can log into Accelerated Reader to complete quizzes on their book.
Pupils homework projects will be displayed as part of the express section at the end of the unit of work. Pupils can choose whether to present their homework as written work, ICT or something creative. If pupils decide to choose something creative such as a painting then they should choose either written work or I.C.T. for their next homework project so that they are using different skills throughout the year.
How do we reward children in Acer Class?
We believe in positive praise and always seek opportunities to reward the children. We always try to follow the “5 B’s” which are:
Be Respectful
Be kind and gentle
Be Careful
Be responsible
Be the best you can be
In PSHE we have been thinking about feelings and emotions and how these impact on our behaviour. We have been using The Zones of Regulation to describe and discuss our emotions and have talked about how we can be more 'heartsmart'.
Below are some links to useful websites that will support your child’s learning and development:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/horrible-histories
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/primary_support/