ARCHIVED Year 5 Blog 2024/25

 Today, the children from Cowes came to visit their new school. First they carried out a small activity involving a dot and then all of year five went out to enjoy the fabulous grounds outside. 

 Our RE lesson this week was all about the concept: A good life. The children identified what a good life is and discussed what makes their life great and at times not so great. They then looked at rules and how these need to be kept so there are boundaries to protect us.  They then went on to enquire about what Humanism is and how these people feel they live a meaningful and full life. Their approach is non-religious as they lead a good and happy life without needing to believe in god.  Once the children had completed multiple tasks, they then had a choice of activities to show their learning. 

 Year 5 revised seasons vocabulary, opposites, colours and weather phrases. They then used a writing frame to write a paragraph about the different seasons, using opposites and colours they had already chosen to describe each season. 

 Today, the children recapped the definition of Fairtrade. Then, they played the banana game. Using their knowledge of a supply chain, they were split into groups and each group took on a role in the banana supply chain. The children had to decide how much their role should receive for their part in the banana trade. Each banana was worth 30 pence. It was very interesting how the 6 teams debated back and forwards to then decide on how much each part should receive. Once the lesson was finished, Mrs Gregory told them the actual price each person makes. This caused outrage as the banana workers only get 1pence, whereas the supermarkets get 13 pence. 

 The lesson today was so relevant to our year five children. Firstly, identifying what friendships are. Using their definition the class debated whether friendships can last forever and if so, how can they last? They then read a book from No Outsiders: The Girls. This illustrated how people can stay friends even when they grow up or move to another country.  Then they compared four different adults (friends) grew up and had different vocations and life experiences but they still remained friends. 

 This week the children identified four main ways goods are transported around the world. They then thought about the benefits of each mode of transport and the costs. They needed to get an elephant from Africa to Mrs Gregory, it wasn’t possible by plane as the elephant would be too heavy, thus making it very expensive. They decided that sending it by boat would be more economical but it would take a long time.  Using their knowledge of scale they researched 3 foods they have eaten recently and recorded the food miles they travelled. They then discussed if food mikes could have an impact on the Earth. 

 Year 5 listened to a poem all about the return of Spring. They learnt some new vocabulary- animals and their habitats. They joined in with the chorus of the poem and practised pronouncing each verse. They then chose an animal and its habitat to write an extra verse of the poem.

 This week, the children learnt the difference between reflection and translation. Using games, pictures and reasoning questions has helped the children to understand this.