Swans

 Welcome to the Swans

 We are the Year 5 class team:

Mrs Leach – Class Teacher

Mrs Adair - Teaching Assistant

Email contact 

SLeach@sharnbrookprimary.beds.sch.uk

For SEND contact Mrs Wildman

sendco@sharnbrookprimary.beds.sch.uk

  Year 5

Swans Autumn Term 2024

Welcome to the Year 5 (Swans). We hope that you had a fabulous Summer break and return to school excited about all the things that we’re going to be doing. Below you will find an overview of the different topics we’ll be studying.

Read on to find out more...

PE lessons will take place on a Tuesday and Friday. Please come dressed in your PE kit on these days and ensure you have your water bottle filled!  As the term moves on please also keep an eye on the weather forecast; ensure you bring a suitable rain coat/jacket for outdoor PE and I would also recommend a change of socks and shoes if the forecast is wet.  (Shoes could be your school shoes, please don't feel you have to purchase two pairs of trainers) 

Homework is compulsory and includes reading daily at home, one of these sessions should be to an adult. This should be for a minimum of 20 minutes and all reading should be recorded in the reading diary.  Children should also be working on their timetable knowledge through TTR for a minimum of 25 minutes throughout the week and completing the assigned spelling tasks on Spelling Shed.  Some of these spellings will be tested in our weekly spelling test, which will be held on a Monday.  With spelling and timetable work, little and often is a much better approach than doing it all in one sitting, as this aids long term memory. One longer piece of homework will be set on a weekly basis. The children have been provided with a reading a homework diary, please sign the books at the end of each week to acknowledge that you have seen the homework which has been set.

Healthy Snacks may be brought in daily to eat at morning break.

Water Bottles may be brought in each day and kept with the children throughout each lesson. Water bottles will need to go home daily to be cleaned and refilled.

Pencil Cases:  All pupils should have their own stationery for lessons and all writing will be in blue pen. In pencil cases children will need: a blue ballpoint pen, a graphite pencil, a ruler, a rubber and a sharpener (pencil crayons and felt tips are optional). It would also be helpful to have a small glue stick, pair of scissors, a compass and protractor. Please make sure your resources fit into one pencil case.

Curriculum
ENGLISH

In our English lessons, we will dive into the exciting story "Queen of the Falls" and learn how to write a recount by retelling its events in our own words. Later, we'll explore the magical world of traditional tales with "The Lost Happy Endings" and create our own stories inspired by it. We'll focus on describing the settings and characters in detail and imagine an alternative ending that gives the story a new twist. 

MATHS

Throughout this term we will be covering blocks on Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, Decimals and Fractions, Measure and Data, Multiplication and Division.

ART and Design

The Swans will have their art and design lessons with Miss Gingel on a Friday afternoon.

GEOGRAPHY

In our first geography unit, we will explore what life is like in the Alps, focusing on the mountain climate and why people visit these beautiful ranges. We'll learn about Innsbruck, a city in the Alps, and look at both the natural and human-made features that attract tourists, like the snowy mountains and cultural sites. We'll also investigate tourism in our own area, map how land is used for recreation, and then compare our findings with the Alps, helping us understand the similarities and differences between our local environment and this famous mountain region. 

HISTORY
In our History studies, we'll explore Ancient Greece, a civilization famous for its rich culture and lasting impact. We'll learn about their political system, including how democracy began, and discover the origins of the Olympic Games, a tradition that started in Greece and continues to this day. Through these topics, we'll see how Ancient Greece shaped the world we live in today.

SCIENCE

This term, we will explore Earth and space, discovering how our planet fits into the vast solar system. We’ll learn about the planets, the Sun, and how Earth orbits to create day and night. After that, we’ll dive into the world of forces, understanding how things move and interact with each other. Get ready for an exciting journey through science!

In the mornings Swans will be expected to walk independently to the classroom from 8.40; a member of the Swans team will be in the room to greet them from this time and the children will be expected to complete their morning work. The children will be dismissed from the classroom at 3.20pm. The children have been told that they must return to the classroom if an adult that they are expecting to meet them isn’t on the playground, ie they are not to just walk home. Please reinforce this with your son/daughter. If your son/daughter is going to be walking home independently, please communicate this in their reading/homework diary or by dropping me an email.

Mobile phones: We recognise that some pupils may need to/wish to bring a mobile phone to school if they are walking to or from school by themselves. All phones need to be named and turned off once on school grounds. In the classroom they will be collected and placed a secure box, the children will collect their phones prior to leaving the classroom at 3.20pm. If pupils have phones out in the classrooms they will be confiscated and a parent will have to collect it from the office. No phones will be allowed on any school trips or visits.

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask if there is anything you are unsure of or require further clarification on.
Mrs Leach and Mrs Adair