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

Teaching Assistant: Mrs Phillips

PTFA Link: Mrs Powell

🌊 Year 5 Dive Into Oceans! 🌊

This half term, Year 5 are becoming Ocean Explorers! We are diving deep into the wonderful world of our oceans to discover why they are so important — and why they need our help.

🌍 Why Are Oceans So Important?

Did you know?

• 🌎 Oceans cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface.

• 🌬️ They produce more than half of the oxygen we breathe.

• 🌡️ They help control the Earth’s temperature.

• 🚢 They are used for transport, with ships carrying food, clothes and technology all around the world.

• 💊 Many medicines come from ocean plants and animals — scientists are even studying sea creatures to help cure diseases!

Without oceans, life on Earth would look very different.

🐠 The Amazing Coral Reef

We will be learning about coral reefs, including the famous Great Barrier Reef.

Coral reefs are sometimes called the “rainforests of the sea.”

Why?

• 🐟 They are home to 25% of all marine life.

• 🛡️ They protect coastlines from storms and strong waves.

• 🍽️ They provide food and jobs for millions of people.

But coral reefs are very delicate. When oceans get too warm, coral can become stressed and turn white. This is called coral bleaching.

🌡️ Dangers Facing Our Oceans

Unfortunately, our oceans are in trouble.

🔥 Global Warming

As the Earth gets warmer, so do our oceans. Warmer water can:

• Damage coral reefs

• Affect where animals can live

• Melt ice caps and raise sea levels

🧴 Plastic Pollution

Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic end up in the sea.

• 🐢 Animals can mistake plastic for food.

• 🐦 Seabirds can become tangled in rubbish.

• 🌊 Tiny pieces called microplastics can enter the food chain.

Plastic that we drop on the ground can travel through drains and rivers straight into the ocean.

🌊 What Are Oceans Used For?

We will also explore how humans depend on oceans:

• 🚢 Transporting goods around the world

• 🎣 Fishing for food

• 💊 Creating medicines

• 🏖️ Tourism and holidays

• ⚡ Generating renewable energy (like tidal power!)

Oceans are powerful, useful and full of life — but they need protecting.

🔎 Year 5 Research Questions

Can you investigate any of these at home?

1. How does coral bleaching happen?

2. What animals live in coral reefs?

3. How does plastic travel from our streets to the sea?

4. What medicines have been discovered from ocean life?

5. How can children help protect the oceans?

6. What would happen if all coral reefs disappeared?

7. How do oceans help control the Earth’s climate?

💙 What Can We Do?

Even small actions make a big difference:

• Use less single-use plastic

• Recycle carefully

• Take part in litter picks

• Turn off lights and save energy

• Spread the word!

By the end of this topic, Year 5 will not only be ocean experts — but ocean protectors too! 🌊🐠

R.E. – What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today?

This half term, Year 5 will be learning about Islam and exploring the big question:

🌍 What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today?

We will talk, ask questions, do research and share our ideas to help us understand what Muslims believe and how these beliefs affect everyday life.

🕌 Understanding Muslim Beliefs

We will learn about some important Muslim beliefs:

• Tawhid – this means believing in the oneness of Allah (God). It is the most important belief in Islam.

• Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is the final Messenger of God.

• The holy book of Islam is the Qur’an. Muslims believe it is God’s message that teaches them how to live.

Muslims follow guidance from the Qur’an and from the example of Prophet Muhammad. This helps them practise the Five Pillars of Islam, which include:

• Praying

• Giving to charity

• Fasting

• Going on pilgrimage (Hajj)

⭐ Beliefs in Everyday Life

We will explore how Muslim beliefs shape daily life. Muslims show their faith through ibadah (acts of worship).

We will learn about:

• The Five Pillars in action

• Celebrations such as Eid

• Visiting the mosque

• Beautiful patterns in Islamic art

We will also understand that Muslims do not all practise their faith in exactly the same way, but they share the same core beliefs.

🏫 Visit to the Islamic Centre

Year 5 will visit a local Islamic Centre. This will give us the chance to:

• See a place of worship

• Ask questions

• Learn from members of the Muslim community

• Find out what faith looks like in real life

Muslims Living in Britain Today

We will think about what it is like to be a Muslim in Britain today, including in our own communities.

We will explore important values such as:

• Obeying God

• Generosity

• Self-control

• Worship

• Kindness

We will also discuss how some of these values are important for everyone — whether they follow a religion or not.

🔎 Big Questions We Will Investigate

1. What does Tawhid mean and why is it important to Muslims?

2. How do the Five Pillars help guide Muslims in daily life?

3. What happens inside a mosque and why is it important?

4. How do Muslims in Britain today practise their faith in different ways?

5. Which Muslim values (like generosity or self-control) could be important for everyone — and why?

🌟 Year 5 Learning Update 🌟

This half term in Year 5, we will be developing our skills across several exciting areas of maths. Here is a look at what we will be learning over the coming weeks.

➗ Multiplication and Division (3 Weeks)

Over three weeks, we will be building confidence and accuracy in multiplication and division. We will:

• Multiply numbers up to 4 digits by a one- or two-digit number using formal written methods, including long multiplication for two-digit numbers.
• Multiply and divide numbers mentally using known facts to help us work efficiently.
• Divide numbers up to 4 digits by a one-digit number using the formal written method of short division and interpret remainders appropriately depending on the context.
• Solve problems involving multiplication and division, using our knowledge of factors, multiples, squares and cubes.
• Solve multi-step problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, including developing our understanding of the meaning of the equals sign.
• Solve problems involving multiplication and division, including scaling by simple fractions and solving problems involving simple rates.

We will focus on reasoning, problem-solving and explaining our mathematical thinking clearly.

📐 Geometry – Position and Direction (1 Week)

During our geometry unit, we will:

• Identify, describe and represent the position of shapes following a reflection or translation.
• Use appropriate mathematical language to explain movements.
• Understand that when a shape is reflected or translated, its size and shape will not change.

We will explore how shapes move on a grid and practise describing these movements accurately.

📊 Statistics (1 Week)

In our statistics unit, we will:

• Solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in line graphs.
• Complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables.

We will develop our ability to extract key information and use it to answer a range of questions.

Reciprocal Reading

This half term in Year 5, we will be using reciprocal reading to help us understand our class text, Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

Reciprocal reading helps us become active readers who think carefully about what we read, talk about books and explain our ideas clearly.

Story Synopsis

Wonder is about a boy called August (Auggie) Pullman, who was born with a facial difference. After being homeschooled for many years, Auggie starts school for the first time in Year 5.

The story shows Auggie’s experiences at school and how he learns to deal with challenges, friendships and unkind behaviour. It is told from different characters’ viewpoints, helping us understand how people can see the same situation in different ways.

Questions to Think About#

🔮 Predict

• What do you think will happen when Auggie starts school?

• How might other children react to Auggie?

• What clues has the author given us about future events?

❓ Question

• Why is Auggie nervous about starting school?

• How do other characters treat Auggie at different points in the story?

• Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from different viewpoints?

🧩 Clarify

• Are there any words or sections you found tricky?

• What does “facial difference” mean in this story?

• Why might some characters behave unkindly?

📝 Summarise

• What were the main events in this chapter?

• How have the characters changed so far?

• What is the most important message in this part of the story?

Key Vocabulary

We will be learning and using these key words:

• Facial difference – a condition that makes someone’s face look different

• Empathy – understanding and sharing how someone else feels

• Perspective – a way of seeing or thinking about something

• Acceptance – welcoming others for who they are

• Bullying – repeated unkind behaviour towards someone

• Resilience – being able to cope and keep going when things are hard

• Friendship – a caring and supportive relationship

🌟 English: The Darkest Dark- Chris Hadfield 🌟

We are excited to start reading The Darkest Dark

Inspired by the childhood of real-life astronaut Chris Hadfield and brought to life by Terry and Eric Fan's lush, evocative illustrations, The Darkest Dark encourages readers to dream the impossible.

Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he's a brave astronaut, exploring the universe. Only one problem--at night, Chris doesn't feel so brave. He's afraid of the dark.
But when he watches the ground breaking moon landing on TV, he realizes that space is the darkest dark there is--and the dark is beautiful and exciting, especially when you have big dreams to keep you company.

Science- Lifecycles and reproduction

Key Knowledge

• A life cycle shows the changes an animal or plant goes through until the reproduction of a new generation when the cycle starts again.
• All living things must reproduce for the species to survive.
• Sexual reproduction requires two parents whereas asexual reproduction only requires one parent.
• There are different processes plants and animals use to reproduce (asexual and sexual reproduction).

Key Vocabulary: adolescence, asexual reproduction, characteristic, data, estimate, fertilisation, germination, gestation, gills, incubation, line graph, line of best fit, lungs, mating, metamorphosis, offspring, ovule, pollen, pollination, reproduction, sexual reproduction

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?