Welcome to Year 5 – Hawthorne

 

Miss Mason

 

Learning Update

What a busy few weeks we have had in Year 5! It has been lovely watching the children settle into their new classes and engage so positively in their learning.

Literacy – The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

In Literacy, we have almost completed our first book, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers; the inspiring true story of Philippe Petit, the French high-wire artist who secretly walked between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.

The children have explored the events from Philippe’s perspective, writing diary entries using expanded noun phrases to add detail and description. They have also planned and begun writing their own biographies, thinking carefully about how to organise key events and achievements.

We have been developing our use of adverbial phrases to add information about when, where and how something happened. The children are now beginning to challenge themselves further by using relative clauses and ambitious noun phrases to create vivid descriptions of Philippe Petit. For example:

"Philippe Petit, a daring and determined high-wire artist who refused to let fear stop him, carefully stepped onto the wire high above the bustling city."

It has been fantastic to see the children becoming more confident and ambitious in their writing.

Maths – Place Value

In Maths, Year 5 have been completing our Place Value topic, following the White Rose Maths scheme. We have developed our understanding of the value of digits within numbers and practised rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000 and even 10,000.

The children have also been learning to partition numbers into their place value groups before challenging themselves to find alternative ways of partitioning the same number. For example, they might partition 456,782 in the standard way:

456,782 = 400,000 + 50,000 + 6,000 + 700 + 80 + 2

To challenge themselves, they could partition it in an alternative way, such as:

456,782 = 450,000 + 6,000 + 700 + 80 + 2

We have also been comparing and ordering numbers, using the mathematical symbols <, > and = to show whether numbers are less than, greater than or equal to one another.

It has been fantastic to see the children becoming more confident with larger numbers and challenging themselves to explain their mathematical thinking.

History – Dynamic Dynasties

In History, Year 5 have started our Dynamic Dynasties topic, which explores the fascinating history of Ancient China. We are focusing particularly on the Shang Dynasty while also learning about the lasting legacy of the first five Chinese dynasties and how their influence can still be seen in the world today.

The children have enjoyed investigating ancient artefacts, including oracle bones. These were pieces of animal bone or turtle shell that were used by Shang rulers and priests to communicate with their ancestors and seek answers about the future. Questions were carved into the bones before they were heated, causing cracks to appear, which were then interpreted as answers or messages from the ancestors.

We have also explored how religion was an important part of Shang society, including the worship of ancestors and gods such as Shangdi, and how people believed their ancestors could influence events in the living world.

The children have enjoyed becoming historians and using evidence from the past to develop their understanding of Ancient China.

Geography

In Geography, Year 5 have been developing their map-reading skills by exploring Ordnance Survey maps of local areas. The children have been learning how to use four-figure grid references to locate features on a map and have challenged themselves further by using six-figure grid references to identify locations more precisely.

They have used maps to find and identify a range of human and physical features, as well as investigating different types of roads and how these are represented using symbols and lines on an Ordnance Survey map.

We have also explored contour lines, learning how these help us understand the shape and height of the land. The children have used the spacing and patterns of contour lines to identify whether an area of land is flat, gently sloping or steep, developing their confidence in using maps to understand the world around them.

Art – Colour in Landscapes

In Art, Year 5 have started our Colour in Landscapes topic, developing their understanding of how colours can be changed and mixed to create different effects.

The children have been experimenting with tints, tones and shades using paint. They have learned that a tint is created by adding white to a colour to make it lighter, a shade is created by adding black to make it darker, and a tone is made by adding grey, which makes the colour less bright or intense.

The children have enjoyed experimenting with different amounts of paint to create a range of subtle colour variations. They will now use these skills to colour-match colours from sketches and paintings, carefully observing and mixing paints to recreate what they see before using their new knowledge to create their own landscape artwork.

In the coming weeks, we will be learning:

• Literacy: Hidden Figures

• Maths: Addition and subtraction (mental and written strategies)

• Science: Friction, air resistance and water resistance

• Music: Practising choir songs

• History: Power and hierarchy in the Shang Dynasty

• Geography: Time zones and climate zones

Autumn Term 2026

Watch this space for our first learning update on Friday 25th September.