Dear Parents & Children - Welcome to the Autumn Term

Year 5 Westall Class 2021/2022

Miss Jones

Welcome to year 5! 

As you arrive to school in September you will receive a warm welcome from myself (Miss Jones) and Mrs Donnelly. We hope you are as excited as we are to start our fun-filled learning this year. 

Our first autumn term IPC unit of the year is called ‘Myths and Legends’. This is a wonderful sequence of learning that will take us on a journey through story-writing and storytelling history. People have been telling stories since prehistoric times, not just to entertain but as a means of passing on their history, beliefs and culture. Many of these stories we refer to as myths and legends, stories that are timeless and are as relevant today as when they were first told. By studying these myths and legends we can learn more about the people and the cultures who created them, and understand how we - today - can adapt and craft our own stories for future generations to enjoy.

In History, we’ll be finding out:

• About societies that are well-known for their myths and legends
• About myths and legends from our host country
• About major events in the past
•  

In Music, we’ll be finding out:

• About music that has been inspired by myths and legends
• How to compose a piece of music to accompany a myth or legend
•  

In Art, we’ll be finding out:

• How different artists have been influenced by myths and legends
• About the art of Ancient Egypt
• How to turn characters from myths and legends into comic book superheroes
• How to produce our own piece of art to represent a story we have written
•  

In Society, we’ll be finding out:

• About traditions, celebrations and religious festivals which have been influenced by myths and legends
• How the behaviour of individuals and groups can be influenced by the moral messages of myths, legends and other stories
• How global brands use myths and legends to persuade people to buy their products
•  

In International, we’ll be finding out:

• How stories from around the world are both the same and different
• How myths and legends have affected large areas of the world
• About the stories from the home countries of children in the class

P.E.

 P.E. will take place on Wednesday mornings and dace lessons will take place on Wednesday afternoons. Please send children to school wearing their P.E. kit, consisting of a sky blue polo, royal blue Oaklands jumper, royal blue cotton shorts, socks and suitable sports trainers. Hair must be tied back and any jewellery must be removed. 

Other subjects

Alongside our IPC unit, we will continue to use the Herts for Learning back on track planning for both Literacy and Maths. This will focus on key skills that may require extra input since the national lockdowns. Elsewhere, we will have regular lessons in the other foundation subjects. Where possible, these will be tied into our topic learning and will take into account the key subject focuses of the IPC unit being taught. 

Homework

Homework is a valuable opportunity for enrichment and consolidation of learning. Homework will be set on Google Classroom:

Every night: Reading for at least 15 minutes and Doodle Maths

Wednesday: Literacy or Maths and a Curriculum task (due Monday)

Friday: Spellings and times tables (due Wednesday)

These tasks are to be returned via Google Classroom unless otherwise stated.

Contact and Support

Please do not hesitate to speak to one of the year 5 teaching and support team if you have any questions or queries about your child's learning. You can speak with us on the playground after school, or alternatively, you can contact the school office to book a meeting. Additionally, if you, or anyone you know, has skills or knowledge that could enrich our in-class learning, we would love to hear from you and see if we can make use of this in our lessons. 

Kind regards,

Miss B Jones & Mrs M Donnelly

Miss Jones

Westall Class Teacher

Reading Books

Please ensure you read daily with your child, as they grow it is important to foster a love of reading within them. A fantastic way to do this is to have discussions about the books they are reading and  listening to them read.

When reading with your child at home it is important that they understand what they’re reading. Use these questions to help question your child:

1. What has happened so far?
2. Who are the main characters?
3. What have you learnt from what you have read? (Non-Fiction)

Please comment in your child's diary each time you read with them. Pupils will also have the opportunity to bring a book home from the school library. Please make sure children have their books available to read everyday.