Year 5 Autumn Term Curriculum Newsletter 2009

Numeracy - Year 5 are studying 5 main units this term:

1. Place value  for five/six/seven and eight digit numbers
2. Multiplication and division – using doubling and halving, closely related facts and partitioning
3. Money and real life problems – using all four operations to solve simple word problems
4. Fractions, decimals and percentages – using fractional notation, including mixed numbers.  Relate fractions to their equivalent decimal, e.g. 7/10=0.7
5. Handling data- discussing chance or likelihood of certain events happening

Literacy – Looking at stories by significant authors, including Gene Kemp’s ‘Toothie and Cat’ and Paul Jennings ‘Licked’.  Later in the term the children will be reading classic poetry and writing and reading concrete poems.  The children will also be investigating and editing instructions and reviewing and writing recounts. A balance of sentence, word and creative writing work will be covered this term.

Science – Two topics will be covered this term, Keeping Healthy and Earth, Sun and Moon respectively.  In the first topic the children will learn about the heart and the affect of exercise and relate this to what they already know about keeping healthy.  In the following topic the children will be learning about the shapes and relative sizes of the Earth, Sun and Moon. They will learn how the three bodies move relative to each other and how these movements relate to night and day.

ICT – Using an objects based graphics package to produce images and collage on screen.

Geography – Water - The children will learn about the importance of clean water and investigate how it is supplied. They wil also consider who owns and manages water and contrast water use at home with use in less economically developed countries.

History – This term we will be studying the Ancient Greeks and who they were. They will be looking at two influential cities Sparta and Athens and exploring the every day lives of the people and their influence on the modern world today.

Art – We will be looking at Objects and Meanings this term.  The children will be learning how to use sketching pencils to create still life pictures at a variety of stages.

Design and Technology – developing children’s understanding of how instruments work and designing and making their own musical instrument.

MFL –Spanish– The children will begin learning Spanish this term concentrating on introducing themselves and their likes and dislikes.

Physical Education –The children will be developing their netball skills, swimming and performing in dance and a half term of gymnastics.

PSHE –The children will be learning about how to cope with bullying, reasons behind it and what makes a bully.  This will be dealt with sensitively and in circle time.