Year 5 maths
Year 5 have been learning about area and scale this week. They began the week by distinguishing the difference between area and perimeter and why knowing these would be useful in everyday life. The children are able to calculate the area of shapes by counting squares and recording this using centimetre squares. The children worked in pairs to draw shapes with different areas. Their partner had to guess which shape had the largest area and then calculate it to see if they were correct. Some children drew some really challenging shapes to try to confuse their partners!
Superhero Headquarters
Our construction area has been turned into Superhero Headquarters. It is complete with masks and capes to hide identities. The area has inspired different creations of vehicles, role play, phone conversations (because you should call for help) and of course writing. There has been such a buzz about this area that we are having to take turns to play there.
The week has been based on the popular book ‘Supertato.’
The children have been taking turns to build a hideout for Supertato and they have even been making their own Supertato too.
We have had other vegetables in the classroom to help us with our Maths. We used different coloured onions to explore which numbers 5 is ‘made of.’
We apologise for the lack of photos this week, there have been a few technical difficulties.
Multiple representations in maths
We use a variety of representations in maths : part whole models, bar models, pictures, number lines, counters and ten frames. They help us to understand the relationships between numbers and represent real life number stories.
Help at home by talking about number stories and how they translate into calculations.
Gymnastics in 5/6B
We were all very excited this week to get out the large apparatus in the hall. Parents, you might remember this as the best PE lesson when you were young! We had the climbing apparatus out, the ropes, the ladders and much more. The children had to practise their gymnastic skills such as balancing, jumping and landing safely. The children discovered different ways to move across the apparatus. Children took safe risks and climbed higher than they thought they would. There was a lot of peer encouragement and praise.
Visit to Leeds Art Gallery – 24 January 2022
Year 3/4C had a fantastic trip to Leeds Art gallery yesterday morning, and it was well worth the wait! The children enjoyed two workshops: 1) art detectives – looking at abstract art and asking questions; 2) sketching and drawing abstract art – looking at shapes and patterns in and around the art gallery and drawing them on paper.
So, what is abstract art?
Amanda Phillips the leader of the workshop, explained to us what abstract art is.
“Abstract art is inspired by something in the real world. ”
“Abstract art is shape, pattern, colour, texture and also the spaces in between.”
Rugby – taster session
Want to get involved in rugby? A local rugby team are recruiting girls and boys in Year 5. Go along to the taster session if you’re interested!
Living and learning : Identity
We have being talking about what makes us, us. We wore something today that expressed something that makes up part of our identity. We had gymnasts, ballet dancers, footballers, martial artists, animal lovers and so much more! All of these things make us who we are.
What is ice?
On Tuesday morning, we arrived to a very cold Nursery and our garden was covered in frost and ice. When we went outside, children had lots of questions to ask about the frost, but nobody seemed too sure about how it had got there and where it went in the afternoon when the sun came out.
There was talk of snow, Jack Frost visiting and that it had fallen from the sky and that it ‘melted’ but children couldn’t explain what ‘melting’ means. We talked about lots of different things – ice, snow, frost, rain, water, freezers and melting and children were keen to investigate.
We looked at some ice from the freezer and predicted what would happen to it if we kept it out of the freezer in a bowl. Children suggested that the sun might make it melt and another child suggested that hot water might make it melt. We left some ice in our classroom, some in the sun outside and we also added hot water to some ice, too. We talked about how it changed and what happened to the ice in the different places. After lots of discussion, and after noticing that it melted in our hands as well, we worked out that when ice gets warmer, it melts and becomes water.
Why do we sometimes have ice in the Nursery garden in the morning? Children had lots of ideas and we decided to set up an experiment to see what would happen if we put some water in different containers over night. We also looked around the garden to find some natural objects to add into the water.
When we returned to Nursery on Wednesday, nothing had happened! We still had cups and pots of water. Why didn’t we have any ice? We tried again on Wednesday night, and on Thursday morning, we were very excited to find some ice. Again, after lots of discussion and ideas, we agreed that it had to be very, very cold at night for the water to freeze and turn into ice.
Have a go at making some ice at home. What do you need to do? Where do you need to put it? Ask your child to help you fill an ice cube tray with water and put it in the freezer. Check on it a few times the same day. Has anything happened? Leave it over night. What has happened to the water in the tray? Why? What does the freezer do?
Children have enjoyed reading ‘Dinosaur Roar’ this week, so we’ll continue with their interest in dinosaurs next week. We’ll be weighing dinosaur bones, investigating dinosaur footprints and drawing eyes, horns and sharp claws to create our own, fearsome dinosaurs.
Living and Learning: Identity Week
This week’s living and learning statement is…
‘I respect myself and others.’
Year 5 and 6 have been discussing what identity can mean and the similarities and differences we all have to one another. We have been working really hard to show off our identity and uniqueness by producing identity maps. The aim of an identity map is to record as much about yourself as possible, such as your likes, hobbies, appearance, favourite foods and so on. We have also made sure that we present our maps in a unique, individual way, as this also adds to our own identity. Here are some fantastic examples of the identity maps we have created. What can you find out about their identity by looking at their maps?
Inspiring Arctic Expeditions
This week we have learned so much about the polar regions. Looking at the habitat for animals and how they are suited for life in their natural environment has lead to interesting conversations. We have looked at explorers who were the first to reach the South Pole and imagined that we were going on an expedition too.
You have to wear warm clothes so you don’t freeze.-Charlie
You might get to meet a penguin. It might have a baby egg.- Lewi
You will need to pack lots of food and a camera-Eti
We have also watched a video and read news articles about ‘Polar Preet’ (Captain Preet Chandi) the first woman of colour to travel solo to the South Pole. Her inspiring mission finished this January! Follow the link to her website to find out more about her:
We wrote a list of ten things we might see on our expedition. The children’s phonic knowledge is increasing all of the time. The process of hearing sounds in words and writing the correct corresponding grapheme is strengthening and speeding up. Every child is a writer in Reception!
Rainbow Class swam for the first time. We are so proud of our swimmers. They were so confident to get into the pool. We will continue to swim on our rotation every Wednesday.
Identity Day.
Today we have spoken about our choice of outfit, our hobbies, talents, families, likes and dislikes. Mrs Kopiczko is from Poland and she educated us on what Poland is famous for. The children were utterly intrigued.
Have a look at what else we have been up to this week.
Home-link
Can you use your phonic knowledge to write a list of 5 items? Perhaps a shopping list? Take a photograph of your list and send it to our email address.