Hello and welcome to Starlings class page

Class Teacher - Miss Fallows

Classroom Teaching Assistant - Miss Shan

We are looking forward to an exciting year filled with learning, creativity, challenges and lots of memorable experiences. Throughout the year, we will work hard, support one another and encourage everyone to be confident, curious and proud of what they achieve.

Our class page is a place where you can keep up to date with what we are learning, see some of the fantastic work and activities taking place in class, and find useful information and updates.

We are excited about the year ahead and can’t wait to share our Year 5 journey with you!

Teacher requests

• All children to bring a pair of wellies to school, ready for the Autumn term. Children will not be able to play on the field during wet weather if they do not have wellies. Parents/carers – please can you check that wellies still fit comfortably. Some children have outgrown their old year 4 pair. 
• Can all children bring an old t-shirt to school to wear during 'messy' lessons such as art and design technology. This must be clothing that you don't mind getting dirty. Please write your child's name in the t-shirts.

English

In English, we are exploring the fascinating story The Invention of Hugo Cabret. We will use the text as inspiration to plan and write our own narratives. We will also write clear instructions, thinking carefully about P.A.L.S. Throughout our writing, we will continue to develop our use of Year 5 grammar and punctuation and practice editing and improving our work.

Maths

In Maths, we are developing our understanding of place value and working with numbers up to 1,000,000. We will learn to read, write, order and compare larger numbers and understand the value of each digit. We will also practise rounding numbers to different degrees of accuracy, explore negative numbers and apply our place-value knowledge when solving problems.

Guided Reading

In Guided Reading, we will enjoy reading the hilariously funny Little Badman. As we read, we will develop our comprehension skills by exploring new vocabulary, making predictions and retrieving information from the text. We will also practise making inferences using evidence, summarising key events and discussing characters, themes and the author's choices.

Science

In Science, we are investigating forces and how they affect the movement of objects. We will explore gravity and investigate the effects of friction, air resistance and water resistance through practical activities and scientific enquiries. We will also discover how mechanisms such as levers, pulleys and gears can allow a smaller force to have a greater effect.

Design Technology

In Design and Technology, we are becoming mechanical toy designers by creating our own automata toys. We will explore how cams and followers work together to create different types of movement before designing and building our own moving models. Throughout the unit, we will develop our skills in measuring, cutting, joining and evaluating, learning how to refine our designs so they are both functional and imaginative. 

Geography

In Geography, we are exploring land use and how people use and change the land around them. We will investigate the differences between urban and rural areas, identifying different types of land use, including residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and recreational. We will use maps and aerial photographs to investigate land-use patterns and develop our fieldwork skills by observing our local area and creating our own sketch maps, using appropriate symbols and a key. We will also consider how and why land use changes over time and the human and physical factors that influence how places develop.

PE

PE units this half-term are Dance and Invasion games. PE lessons will normally take place on a Monday and Wednesday each week, unless there is a timetable change. All children need a PE kit in school. This can be kept on their peg in the cloakroom for the full half-term then taken home each holiday for washing. 

Spellings

There will be a weekly spelling test. Children will be given spellings to learn on Friday and will be tested on them the following Friday. Spare spelling sheets are kept by the classroom door. Weekly spellings are displayed by the classroom door for parents and carers to see. Weekly test results will be kept on record and these will be shared with you during the first parents' evening later in the Autumn term.

Reading

All children have been given a reading book and a reading record. Children must read every night. This must be recorded on their reading record and signed by an adult. Regular reading supports children with work across the National Curriculum. Regular reading is recorded by the adults in the classroom and reading achievements are celebrated each week during the celebration assembly on a Friday. Year 5 children are responsible for changing their reading books on a weekly basis. They have been shown how to do this. New book titles need to be written into their reading record book. 

Forest School

This half-term children in Starlings will go to Forest School. This starts the week commencing 7th September. Children need old clothes and wellies. These sessions will take place on Thursday and Friday afternoons. Your child will bring a letter home to confirm which day they need to come to school dressed in their Forest School clothes. If your child has their own set of waterproofs, please send them in with them to wear.

Parents/carers – please can you check that wellies still fit comfortably. Some children have outgrown their old year 4 pair. 

Please see this half term's overview below.