LITERACY

We will be studying novels, stories and poems by Roald Dahl in addition to exploring play scripts and concrete poetry. Our non-fiction work will focus on news reports, recounts, instructions, recipes and directions.

NUMERACY

Initially we will be revising children’s place value skills, including comparing, ordering and rounding increasingly larger numbers. We will then be focussing on their understanding of multiplication and division and relate this to real life problems. Fractions, decimals and percentages will be investigated in addition to standard measures and associated problems, and bar line graphs will be introduced as part of our handling data activities.

TOPIC WORK

Our topic for the first half term is Conservation. Children will have the opportunity to explore different aspects of conservation including global warming, natural resources, recycling and animal extinction. They will be able to use our independent learning areas to access appropriate information and present their research to the class. During the second half term our theme will be ‘How Children Used To Live’. This history based topic will provide children with an insight of how children’s lives have changed over time. They will have the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a Victorian child and investigate the similarities and differences between children’s lives in the past and present.

SCIENCE

For the first half of this term we will be investigating how we can keep ourselves healthy. Children will learn about the heart and how heart beat is affected by exercise, and relate this to what they already know about movement and exercise. The second topic we will be covering is changing sounds, through which children will learn that sounds are produced by vibrations, which travel from the source through a variety of materials and explore ways of altering the pitch and loudness of sounds.

I.C.T.

Children will initially explore graphical modelling, learning that images can be created by combining and manipulating objects. They will then proceed onto analysing and presenting data in various forms. Additionally children will have the opportunity to use I.C.T. to support and enhance other areas of the curriculum.

P.E.

The focus for this term will be on invasion games. Children will participate in a variety of games activities, learning how to work well as a team and exploring a range of ways to defend. They will develop a range of skills, strategies and tactics and learn a wider range of techniques for passing, dribbling and shooting.

R.E

During this term we will be focussing on the religions of Christianity and Islam. Initially pupils will be investigating Symbols; discussing objects that are precious to them and then relating this to then investigating the importance of symbolism within the two religions. In the second half term this will move on to special people.

MUSIC

During this term our children will be provided with the opportunity to develop their musical skills in learning both the viola and cello from experienced specialist music teachers. They will continue to develop their listening and appraising skills and become more confident in composing and playing their own pieces of music.

Whitehill is committed to forging successful partnerships with parents and the local community. We have produced this leaflet in order to let you know what your child is studying at school. In this way, you are better informed and better equipped to be able to help your child with his/her learning. In addition, we look forward to seeing you at the Year 5 Curriculum Overview Meeting on Wednesday 19th September 2007. Please do not hesitate to contact us to make an appointment with the relevant teacher, if you have any future concerns or require further information about your child’s school life. As always, we would welcome any help from parents in school and in assisting with school projects, trips and events.

Mrs Waugh, Mr Boyle and Mrs Molloy.