1. MOUNT PLEASANT PRIMARY SCHOOL SPRING 1 YEAR 5 MATHS This half term children will begin by studying negative numbers and solving problems involving numbers. Following on, they will explore long multiplication, square numbers and cube numbers. Later in the term, children will develop an awareness of adding and subtracting fractions as well as looking at reflections and translations. Throughout the term, pupils will apply their mathematical knowledge to real life situations. YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY - Ensuring your child practices their times tables regularly, giving your child plenty of opportunity to develop their mental maths skills and allowing them to access websites such as Mymaths, Mathszone etc. SCIENCE In Science this term, the children will be learning about Animals and their Habitat. This will also include lessons focusing in the propagation of plants as we hope to grow a variety of our own in the classroom! YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY – Talking to your children about the different animals and where they live. It may also help if you discuss with your child the different types of plants/flowers they have come across before with you. An explanation into the way they distribute their seeds and reproduce would be helpful for future lessons concerning plants and their life cycles. There is a large bank of useful information available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/living_things/plant_ani mal_habitats/read/1/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/living_things/plant_ani mal_habitats/read/1/ ENGLISH This half term we are reading ‘There’s a boy in the girls’ bathroom’ by Louis Sachar. In this unit we will be writing a variety of both fiction and non-fiction texts including a character profile, diary, poem, informal letter and a news report! We will also be looking at different aspects of punctuation and grammar including hyphens and semi-colons, verb tenses, fronted adverbials and expanded noun phrases which children will use and apply in their writing. YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY – Reading other books by the author mentioned above, reading with your child everyday and encouraging them to use their writing skills frequently. Children should be reading a wide range of material, not just stories. Comprehension exercises which can be found online and in popular book stores will certainly help your child move on with their reading. Geography This half term the children will be learning facts about North America. They have already carried out research over the holidays in their learning logs, which they will explore in greater detail. They will list and locate countries in North America, find and name the states, understand lines of latitude and longitude as well as create their own totem pole! You can help your child by researching about North America using reference books and/or the internet: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/na.htm http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/na.htm MFL In Modern Foreign Languages this term we will be learning how to read, write and speak in French. In addition to consolidating previous work, the topics we will be covering are: Names of family members Pets Hobbies Expressing likes and dislikes YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY – Discussing new words they have learnt. ICT The children will be learning new skills that are linked to the Audacity program. This freeware will involve the children collecting audio clips from a variety of sources including their own recordings. Your child will learn to create a multi- track recording by cutting, editing and refining their clips. YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY- Downloading the freeware Audacity (it is free!) from any website and practice using the features at home. It will be useful for your child to have the freedom and time to explore the program themselves at home without the pressure of time restraints they have in school PHYSICAL EDUCATION The children will be swimming every Wednesday, on a Tuesday we will be focussing on gymnastics. This will include travelling in various ways, creating sequences and performing using balances, jumps and rolls. YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY – Making sure they have their PE kit every Tuesday and swimming kit every Wednesday. ART This half term the children will be focusing on art created by various artists. We are going to be inventing stories using artwork as a stimulus, thinking critically about artwork and creating a sculpture in the style of Pablo Picasso. YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY – Discussing and considering artwork from both contemporary and classical artists. TARGETS Reading: In year 5 pupils are challenged to read for 20 minutes everyday. Please use their planners to let the teacher know if they have been reading. Help them meet the reading challenge and receive their rewards. Maths: Each week the children will be tested in the ‘Kung Fu Maths’ challenge. They will need to learn their times tables to pass each test and move on to the next level. To ensure children can spell common words, they will be receiving spelling homework weekly which they will be tested on the following week. I PSHCE In PSHCE the theme that the children will be studying is wellbeing and being a responsible citizen. We are going to research, discuss and debate topical issues, problems and events concerning health and wellbeing. YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY – Stressing the importance of the schools expectations. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION In RE children will be exploring the concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation in Christianity and how the stories of forgiveness in the New Testament are, for Christian people, a guide to their values and commitments. YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BY – Talking about what they have discussed in class and comparing and contrasting Islam with your child’s religion. COMPREHENSION This year we will be focusing on comprehension work in order to improve your child’s understanding of what they are reading. You can help your child by questioning them when they read to you and using comprehension activity books which are available through several book shops.