St John's C of E Primary - Nurturing Excellence

Red Kite Class

Welcome to Our Red Kite Class Page!

English

In Year 5 we begin reading The Boy at the Back of the Class by Ojali Q. Rauf. We will be doing a range of writing including a biography and narrative writing. When the children return, and for the first half term, we will revise grammar learned up to Year 4 before beginning to introduce the Year 5 expectations.

Maths

This half term in Maths we will be revisiting and consolidating our learning of Place Value so we may build a strong foundation for the Year 5 curriculum. On Fridays, we will be recalling our understanding of adding 3- and 4-digit numbers.

Science

This half term’s science topic is the Human Body. Within this topic, we will cover human gestation and newborn growth up to a 1-year-old infant. The changes we go through between the ages of 8 and 17 years old including hormonal development. This includes puberty and beyond to 40 years, 60 years, and old age. We will end with how to lead a healthy lifestyle and maintain good health as we age.

History

We will start are History learning on Baghdad. It is a city that was built a long time ago near the river Tigris by Caliph Al Mansur who was the leader of the Abbasid Caliphate. We will learn that many people came to Baghdad to trade and to study. Many important books were translated into Arabic by scholars in Baghdad. In 1258 CE, Baghdad was invaded and much of the city was destroyed. We will also look at Islam’s growth to be the second largest religion across the world and the importance of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Geography

In Geography we will be looking at Spatial Sense. We will be understanding lines of longitude run from the North Pole to the South Pole, lines of latitude run parallel to the equator. The points where lines of longitude and latitude intersect are co-ordinates.

Art

This half term in Art we will be considers style in art (first studied in year 1, and then referred to in other units throughout the course of study) by first considering how artists can use different techniques to alter their style. Children start by comparing different styles of brushwork demonstrated by Stubbs in Whistlejacket and by Munch in The Scream of Nature (which they are familiar with from year 4). They draw pears using contrasting techniques, creating visible marks in oil pastels in the manner of Van Gogh and smooth modelling using soft pastels in the manner of Stubbs. They go on to compare two radically different styles, rococo and modernism, analysing the differences they see in painting and chair design. This leads to a more detailed analysis of modernism, looking at abstract art of the 20th century and using their developing knowledge of colour theory to design and create their own abstract work using acrylic on canvas

Music

For this term in music, we will be focusing on Music from West Africa. Listening to a piece called Jin-Go-La-Ba by the Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji. Olatunji recorded Jin-Go- La-Ba in 1960 on an album called ‘Drums of Passion’. It was one of the first recordings to popularise African music in the U.S.A. It uses repetitive rhythms played on percussion instruments and chanting. The musicians chant the words ‘Jin-Go-La-Ba’ which, in the language of the people of Yoruba from Nigeria, mean ‘Do not worry’. We will be clapping and chanting three of the rhythms from the piece before creating a composition using djembe drums.

This half term in Religious Education the children will be looking at Hinduism. We will be looking carefully at Hindu symbols., understanding their meaning and what they represent. Using our knowledge we will explain what this shows us about Hindu belief. We will study the different Hindu gods and their importance to the Hindu community e.g what values they represent. We will also study the origins of Hinduism, how it was practiced in its early form and compare to today.

PSHE

In PSHE this term we will be discussing the topic “Me, Myself and Relationships.” In this unit, children will participate in developing ground rules for the class and in exploring what they mean in practice. They will also take part in activities to build positive relationships in the class and to develop their skills of cooperation. They will explore the range of new situations they or others may find themselves in, and the emotions they or others may experience. They will develop strategies for coping when they are new. They will also revisit and develop their own Networks of Support, and consider how they can provide help and support to others.

This half term, year 5 will be playing games and developing all skills included within this.