It has felt like an incredibly busy week this term, with a combination of challenge and excitement for all.
The children completed assessments in maths and reading this term, testing all of the progress that they have made since Autumn. We are always proud of the resilience and perseverance shown during these times. We will return next half term with some revision on the column method for multiplying any sized number by a 2-digit number, as well as some short division. As always, continuing to rehearse times tables facts is invaluable for these topics.
As there are no maths worksheets this week, I wanted to share some useful resources for generating maths questions on various year 5 (and above!) topics – these may be useful for children who want extra practice with their fluency and accuracy:
- https://mrbartonmaths.com/super8/
- https://mrbartonmaths.com/plenty-in-20/
- https://mrbartonmaths.com/times-tables-activities/
On Wednesday, we saw the return of the UCPS games! Congratulations to all teams for trying their best in the football matches, and many thanks to Mr Jackson for organising. A lot of work goes in behind the scenes to make these events work, so we were pleased to see the amount of gratitude shown by the children throughout the morning. On the note of gratitude, we were all blown away by the good manners shown by the two classes who had swimming lessons this term – children didn’t hesitate to thank the coach driver or their instructors at the pool each day, and they were a real credit to UCPS.
In English, we finished publishing our scary stories on laptops, and celebrated the end of term with a spooky publishing party! With lights off and voices hushed, tales of murder, hauntings and more echoed throughout the year 5 classrooms. As promised, here are the final typed versions of the children’s stories, ready to read at home!
We also finished off history by exploring what made Maya lifestyles unique, from clothing to homes and diet. Did you know that the Maya thought it was fashionable to be cross-eyed, and in fact trained their children to have crossed eyes by hanging something in front of their faces. We will finish off this topic with the decline of the Maya after the holidays, before moving onto our Geography topic, dynamic coasts.
It was a happy ending for Bradley Chalkers in our guided reading book – new friends, birthday parties, and a gold star on the chart. The children have really enjoyed exploring this book, and it has raised some interesting discussions about topics such as confidentiality, friendships, and how people’s perception of you can influence your identity. Next term, we will read Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick, which aligns with our Geography topic.
Here are some reading comprehension activities for additional practice: L1-Four-Stories-900 L1-Four-Stories-902
Notes for the coming term:
- PE times will now be changing. Now that Fuji and Olympus are finished with their swimming sessions, they will return to the usual PE schedule. They will have PE on Thursdays with their class teachers. Please ensure that PE kit is weather-appropriate, considering that PE may be held in the hall, field or playground depending on weather conditions.
- Sagarmatha will begin their swimming lessons next term, with their swimming day being Thursday. Please ensure children arrive with full swimming kits, including swimming caps, on the required days.
- At the end of term, we are often faced with the huge quantity of lost property left at school! Please support us by ensuring that all belongings, including uniform and PE kit, are named, so that items can be returned if lost.
Enjoy your holiday!
Year 5 Team