Welcome to Year 5

Meet the teachers

 Things to know about Year 5

In Year 5, we have some exciting topics to look forward to. We begin in the Autumn Term by learning all about the Ancient Egypt Civilisation. In the Spring term we will learn about Earth and Space as part of our Science curriculum and in the Summer term we will be focussing on the Jurassic Coast, looking at how coast lines are formed and in English we will read and write news articles about the Jurassic Coast.

In maths, there is a strong emphasis on fractions, decimals and percentages in this year. There is also an expectation that they will know all of the written methods for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

For English, we revisit what has been taught in previous year groups and introduce new punctuation such as hyphens, semi-colons and colons. There is a greater emphasis on grammar features too, for example using modal verbs (these are words like would, could, might and must). We also have some exciting book studies to look forward to, including work on ‘Secrets of a Sun King’ by Emma Carroll, ‘Plastic Sucks’ by Dougie Poynter and ‘Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You’.

How can I help my child in Year 5?

Obviously, keep doing all of the usual things that has helped them to be successful so far in HTPS. Continue to hear them read, practise times tables, help them with homework, talk to them about their day and encourage them to read by visiting the local library, bookshops or using eBooks online. Make sure they are in on time every day and that there attendance is high.

Encourage them to take responsibility

At school, in Year 5we encourage independence and responsibility and encourage you to do the same for their learning at home. Here are a couple of ways you can start giving them some responsibility at home:

1. Make them pack their own bag for school so that they get into the habit of thinking for themselves about what they need and what they will be doing that day.
2. Allow them to make mistakes. If they forget their homework, make them tell the teacher themselves (they learn more quickly from their mistake and they are taking responsibility for it too).
3. Get into the routine of doing homework at a set time each week if possible. This will usually consist of spellings set on Spelling Shed and a piece of maths homework set on one of our online platforms such as MyMaths.

If your child is not very organised, then taping a list by the door or to a lunch box works well, as does getting equipment ready the night before.

Be encouraging

Another simple thing that you can do as a parent is to be a good example. Never say: 'I was no good at spelling at school!' Never tell your child: 'Go to Dad and let him help you with your maths because he is better than me.' Children need adults to show them that learning is fun, relevant and enjoyable — and difficult sometimes. Does it matter if you don’t know the answer? Of course, it doesn’t. Instead, look it up together and show that you want to find things out too.

Take it easy

Finally, remember that even in Year 5 your child will still need some down-time playing outside or reading a much-loved book. Let them be silly. Let them dress up. Play board games together.

Where do I drop off and pick up?

In the morning, children come up to class on their own to build independence. Children must come in through the door at the end of the building that is near to the MUGA. If you need to get a message to or make an appointment to see the class teacher, please see the office who will be happy to help or contact your class teacher on Class Dojo.

At the end of the day, the Year 5 children come out of the same door as the morning. A good place to wait so that you can see the children coming from this door is next to the new climbing frame on the main playground.

As the children get older, many of our children walk home from school without an adult. The safety of our children is of the utmost importance, so if you wish for this to happen then please ensure that you have given permission for them to do by signing the relevant form in the office otherwise we will be unable to release them at the end of the day.

Homework

Read, read, read!

By far the most important thing that a child can do at home is read. Children are expected to read each day at home (minimum 5 times a week) and this should be recorded in their reading records. Children are never too old to be heard read or to be questioned on a book that they are reading. The discussion that can come from reading with your child and questioning them can encourage a real love for reading that really helps them in all areas of the curriculum.

Children will be given spellings to learn each week which will follow the spelling patterns taught in their spelling groups. They will be tested on these the following week.

Children will be given a maths and a spelling activity to complete each week. This work will be based on the learning the children are completing in class that week.

TermTalk & Knowledge Organisers

• Year 5 - Aut 1 - Earth and Space Knowledge Organiser
• Year 5 Aut 2 -Forces Knowledge Organiser
• Year 5 Term Talk Aut 2024 docx