Class Teacher: Mrs Whillock (Monday - Wednesday) and Mrs Cruchley (Thursday and Friday)

Teaching Assistant: Mrs Phillips

Class Governor: Mr R. Arthur

PTFA Link: Mrs Powell

Year Five Topic: The Vikings

This term, our Year Five children will be learning all about the Vikings! They will discover who the Vikings were, where they came from, and how they traveled and settled in new places.

As part of their learning, the children will:

• Write non-chronological reports about the Vikings
• Create diary entries imagining life as a Viking
• Practice placing important Viking events and dates in the correct order

In addition, we have an exciting trip planned to Compton Verney, where the children will spend the day experiencing life as Victorians!

Can you answer these Viking questions?

If you do, you’ll earn a merit!

1. When were the Vikings around?
2. What did the Vikings eat?
3. What did the Vikings wear?
4. Where did the Vikings come from?

Reciprocal Reading

In our reciprocal reading sessions, we will be reading a special book together as a class. The story is called Beowulf, and it is written by the author Michael Morpurgo.

Beowulf is an exciting tale about a brave hero who goes on an adventure to help others and fight monsters! We will take turns reading parts of the story, talking about what we think, asking questions, and helping each other understand the story better.

Here are some questions we can think about while reading:

• Who are the main characters in the story?
• What do you think will happen next?
• Why do you think Beowulf is brave?
• How do the characters feel in this part of the story?
• Can you find any words or parts that are tricky or interesting?
• What is your favourite part so far and why?

It’s going to be lots of fun, and we will work as a team to enjoy this amazing story!

Maths

What We Are Learning This Half Term

This half term, we will be exploring numbers and place value! We will:

• Read, write, and order numbers up to 1 million.
• Count forwards and backwards in steps of 10, 100, 1,000, and even bigger jumps.
• Round numbers up to 1 million to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000, or more.
• Solve number problems that help us practice what we’ve learned.

We will also focus on adding and subtracting:

• Adding and subtracting big numbers (more than 4 digits) using column methods.
• Adding and subtracting numbers in our heads.
• Using rounding to check if our answers make sense.

Plus, we will spend time learning about fractions:

• Comparing and ordering fractions where the bottom number (denominator) is the same.
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• Questions to Think About

• Number and Place Value:

• Can you write the number 356,789 in words?
• What number comes just before 500,000?
• Can you order these numbers from smallest to biggest: 123,456; 654,321; 234,567?
• If you count backwards from 1,000,000 in steps of 100, what numbers do you say?

          Rounding Numbers:

• What is 345,672 rounded to the nearest 1,000?
• Round 789,234 to the nearest 100,000.
• If you round 426,149 to the nearest 10, what number do you get?

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  Addition and Subtraction:

• Add 24,567 + 13,489 using the column method.
• Subtract 56,321 - 23,789 using the column method.
• What is 4,000 + 6,000 in your head?
• If you add 2,500 to 7,300, what do you get? Can you check your answer by rounding?

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  Fractions:

• Which is bigger: 3/8 or 5/8?
• Put these fractions in order from smallest to biggest: 1/6, 4/6, 2/6.
• If you have 5/7 of a pizza and your friend has 3/7, who has more?

Fun Activities to Try!

Number and Place Value Game:

Play “Number Detective”! Write some big numbers on cards and hide them around your house or classroom. Find the cards and write the number in words. Can you order the numbers from smallest to biggest?

Rounding Race:

Ask a family member or friend to say a number up to 1 million. Race to see who can round it to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000 fastest!

Addition and Subtraction Puzzle:

Create your own column addition and subtraction puzzles. Then swap with a friend to solve each other’s puzzles. Who gets the answers right first?

Fraction Fun:

Make a paper pizza and cut it into equal slices (like 6 or 8). Colour some slices to show different fractions. Compare your fraction of pizza with a friend’s—who has more?

In English, we will be reading Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg.

This book tells the amazing true story of a woman named Annie Edson Taylor. When she was 62 years old, she became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel—and survive! Annie wasn’t looking for danger or adventure; she was hoping to become famous and earn money so she could live comfortably in her later years.

Chris Van Allsburg brings Annie’s daring journey to life with beautiful illustrations and powerful storytelling. This book also helps us think about courage, determination, and what it means to chase your dreams—no matter how big (or risky!) they may be.

As we read, we’ll explore:

• What life was like in the early 1900s
• Why Annie made such a bold decision
• How people reacted to her stunt
• Whether her plan worked the way she hoped

Questions to Think About 

1. What do you know about Niagara Falls?
2. Would you ever do something dangerous to become famous?
3. What do you think it means to be brave?

1. Why did Annie decide to go over the falls in a barrel?
2. What steps did she take to prepare for her journey?
3. How did people treat Annie before and after her stunt?
4. Were people impressed or surprised? Why do you think that is?
5. Do you think Annie was brave or foolish? Can someone be both?
6. What would you have done in Annie’s situation?
7. How does the author show how determined Annie was?
8. Did Annie’s plan to become famous and earn money work out? Why or why not?
9. What lesson do you think this book is trying to teach?
10. What questions would you ask Annie if you could meet her?

Our class author is Michael Morpurgo. 

Click on the picture of him to see his website.

Have you read any of his books?

Which book is your favourite?