Year 5 Blog 2023-24

22nd March 2024

For Science Week, the children were set a challenge to complete in small groups. They were asked to see how far they could stretch a Curly Wurly bar without it breaking. They thought about their method in their group and discussed what they would do. They were then given 20 minutes to see how far they could stretch their chocolate bar. After, they measured the bars and compared results. The children looked at the method used by the winning group and thought about why it worked so well.

In Science Year 5 are continuing to learn about the properties of materials. This week, the children explored the hardness of different materials. They started the session by discussing what this meant and grouping materials according to their hardness. They discussed what properties the materials had and how they knew that they were hard. They then completed an investigation in groups. They chose two of the following objects to scratch the materials: coins, sand paper, scouring pad, scissors. They then chose 5 different objects to test. First of all, they predicted which materials would be the hardest and ranked them from hardest to softest. They thought about their reasoning behind their decisions and what they already knew about the materials and what they are used for in everyday life. They then scratched their materials and recorded the results in a table. At the end of the lesson, they wrote a conclusion and thought about uses for the hardest material they had tested.

A special congratulations to Amelie in Year 5 who won a Citizen Award for Princes Risborough. Well done Amelie!

14th March 2024

Year 5 continued their Algorithm and Programming topic. They continued to learn how to code Micro:Bits. Using their previous knowledge of creating a polling program, they created a pedometer. Some of the children were provided with the code to create the pedometer and as a challenge had to change it to record how many drinks they may have when going for a walk too.

A special congratulations to Amelie Thomas in Year 5 who won a Citizen Award for Princes Risborough. Well done Amelie!

1st March 2024

In Science, we have been continuing to learn about changes of material. Year 5 have learnt about reversible and irreversible changes and this week they investigated chemical reactions. At the start, they predicted which liquids would react with bicarbonate of soda and then carried out an investigation to test their hypothesis. After, they worked in small groups to predict which mixture would cause the biggest reaction and make a lid fall off of a film canister. They then tested their hypothesis and thought about what the results had taught them.

In Computing, the children have been continuing their Algorithm and Programming topic. They have learnt how to use Micro:bits and have been practising their coding skills. Using their knowledge, they have learnt how to program their Micro:bit to show pictures, say their name and have created their own polling program. In small groups, they thought about a theme, such as favourite ice-cream, and then asked everyone in their class to vote using the Micro:bit to record the votes.

12th January 2024

In PE, Year 5 have thoroughly enjoyed continuing to learn the rules to play dodgeball (one of their favourite PE lessons!). They have worked well in teams to play the game and support each other by protecting each other from the dodgeball! The children have learnt to build their resilience and the importance of good sportsmanship.

English: for our suspense genre, we listened to ‘Goosebumps Revenge of the Dummy’ and role played the ending which ended on a cliffhanger. Then we went into the Snug where the lights were out and eerie music was being played; the children had to put their hands in play bags to guess what was inside! It could have been anything from baked beans to shampoo to cooked pasta! This gave the children the experience of suspense and a building up of the unknown.

8th December 2023

This week in year 5 PC Justice visited us; It was Myles’ birthday and the treats he had bought in disappeared!! Mrs Ghaffar Called PC Justice (AKA Mrs Ghaffar in a cunning disguise!) to investigate. The class carried out an investigation and worked out that Miss Shaw had in fact taken the birthday treats! As Miss Shaw apologised and she had not eaten any she was given a formal pardon. The children then worked in small groups to make a newsreel of the day’s events.

In Science, the children have been learning about forces. After learning about gravity and air resistance the children learnt about water resistance. Their key question was – does the shape of an object affect water resistance? In small groups, the children used the same amount of clay to make three different shapes. They thought carefully about what they had learnt during the lesson and which shapes might be the least resistant. They then dropped their shape into a bucket of water and timed how long it took to hit the bottom of the bucket. The children found out that streamlined shapes are the least resistant and therefore travelled to the bottom the quickest.

15th November 2023

The Year 5-6's enjoyed their Art Club and had a go at drawing the second half of their own face, in portrait club. They have really taken on the challenge and shown such great skill and determination to succeed. Their perspective and proportion have developed, and you can see their detailing using shading and tone to add depth to their drawing too. 

22nd September 2023

In Science, year 5 continued their Earth and Space Topic. After learning about the heliocentric model of the solar system and comparing it to the earlier geocentric model, the children worked in groups to create a papier mâché planet from the solar system. They thought about the size of the planet, where it is in relation to the sun and the colours they would need to choose when painting it next lesson.  

In  Guided Reading the children have been enjoying reading our book for this term; Wolf Brother. This week, they re-read the second chapter of the book and then used their VIPERS skills to answer retrieval questions about the text. They located the relevant information and copied their answers on a whiteboard with their partner.   

In RE, the children learned about the Jewish pilgrimage to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Here, people leave a prayer or intention inside the cracks of the wall. The children thought about their own prayers and intentions and shared them as a class. After, they wrote their own prayer on a piece of scroll paper.