Dear Parents & Children - Welcome to the Spring Term

Year 5 Westall Class

Miss Jones

Spring Term 2021

Welcome back to the spring term! I hope you all had a lovely half term break! Over the next term Westall class will be following a unit of work called `Mission to Mars’. This unit will investigate the possibility of living on Mars and consider what humanity needs to survive. In our learning this term we will become: astronauts, botanists, inventors and leaders.

This unit of work is part of the International Primary Curriculum. This curriculum sets out very clearly what children will learn – the learning goals – in three different areas:

1. The subjects of the curriculum – The learning goals for each of these subjects are at least as challenging as the UK curriculum. In many cases, the learning goals are more challenging.

2. Personal development – The characteristics which will help children become more responsible, independent learners.

3. International understanding – This will help children develop both a sense of the independence of their own country and culture and the interdependence between countries and cultures.

Each unit of work is based around specific targets derived from the learning goals for one or more of the subjects. 

In Science, we’ll be finding out:

• About the planets in our solar system
• About mass and weight, and the effects of gravity
• How to grow seeds and plants, and choose those that will be suitable for Mars
• How to identify a living organism
• About different energy sources
• About different forces and their effects
• How to choose the best energy source/s for our Mars shelter

In Geography, we’ll be finding out:

• About the geographical features of Mars
• How we can prove that there was once water on Mars

In Technology, we’ll be finding out:

• About the technology that has been used to explore Mars
• How to design and make a robot to explore Mars
• How to design and make a suitable shelter for living on Mars

In History, we’ll be finding out:

• About what people in the past used to think about Mars
• About the evidence to prove and disprove intelligent life on Mars

In Physical Education, we’ll be finding out:

• How to ensure we are fit and healthy for our space mission
• How to plan and test our own exercises suitable for space travel

In Society, we’ll be finding out:

• How to work as a team
• How to assemble a successful team for our mission to Mars

In International, we’ll be finding out:

• How to write our own international rules and regulations for Mars
• About the reasons why we might one day need to live on another planet

All of the work we are going to do has been specially written to help your child reach the learning goals. Children will be reading, researching, writing, illustrating, working on their own and working in groups. Throughout our learning we will be looking at how we can explain our ideas to others and share our learning.

Teaching in a thematic way, the national curriculum requirements of English, Maths, Science, RE and Music will be  interwoven with our topic learning. In English we will be looking at a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts and developing our understanding of descriptive vocabulary, use of paragraphs and varying sentence structure. In Numeracy, we will be investigating units of measure, percentages and problem solving..

During this term Year 5 will continue their French sessions, learning new vocabulary through songs and games. In RHSE we will be looking at the unit ‘Keeping Myself Safe’ – during this unit we will have a closer look at staying healthy, making decisions and considering risks.

We already know the interest you take in your child’s work. If you can, please discuss with your child the work they have done as the term progresses and let them teach you. Additionally, if you feel that you can contribute to our learning through your own knowledge and experiences then please get in touch. We welcome opportunities to include parents and carers in our learning.

If your child has some work to research, please help them, but without actually doing the work. If you have the chance to further their interest in the ideas of this theme please take it, but your enthusiasm and interest is most important.  A key focus this term will developing our independence within our work and reflection. Please encourage your child to be independent with their choices and decisions at home. I hope your child will have lots of fun and be happy and enthusiastic in their learning this term.

PE

PE will resume on Tuesday. The children will need a sky blue polo top with the school badge, plain royal blue shorts, royal blue tracksuit and black or white trainers. For health and safety reasons, earrings and watches should be removed for all PE lessons and long hair must be tied up. The children will need to arrive at school in their PE kit and will wear it all day.

In Westall, across the week, we have Mrs Donnelly, Mrs Thompson and Miss Moorehouse helping us with our learning. 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call in and see me after school or call the office to make an appointment.

Homework

Spring Term 

As we return to school on the 8th March, our homework routine will resume shortly after. Homework will be set with relevance to our learning and will be designed to offer enrichment opportunities for your child.

Children will receive homework twice per week.

Reading                                     Every night (15 minutes – please comment on your child’s reading record)

Curriculum activities               Given out on Wednesday Returned on Monday

Spelling & times tables           Given out on Friday Returned on Wednesday 

By the end of the unit, we aim for your child to achieve their learning targets. We hope they have an enjoyable time in the classroom and that you have enjoyed seeing your child work with enthusiasm. If you have any comments or questions about your child’s learning, please get in touch.

Kind regards, 

Miss Jones

Westall Class Teacher

Reading Books

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.