P5b Term Overview

Hello there!

Can we begin by saying a huge thank you for all of your hard work at home with distance learning.  We know this is not easy and appreciate everything you are doing to encourage your child to learn.  Also remember that you are not alone in this and Mrs Mann and myself are here to help you in any way that can.  If you have any questions or queries, please drop us an email on Seesaw any time.

This term P5B will be busy looking at:

IDL/Expressive Art

Spring/ Lifecycles- investigating lifecycles of a variety of plants and animals to enable children to recognise the different stages of growth and development.

Solids,Liquids and gases –Through various Seesaw and online activities as well as pupil investigations, we will learn about Matter and the properties of solids, liquids and gases. We will learn about the physical state and energy in atoms and molecules and the physical change in matter from one state to another due to temperature or pressure.

Rainforests – Planet Earth/Biodiversity and Inheritance. Biological systems ,topical science, People, place and environment

The children will be investigating the geographical aspects – What is a rainforest?  Where do we find them? They will learn about the vast biodiversity and biological systems through researching different plants and animals. We will explore the 4 different layer systems as well as the climate and weather patterns. The important role played by the rainforests and the effects deforestation has on our planet will also be investigated. Children will also be encouraged to explore how their lives compare and contrast to the different people living within the tropical rainforests.

Within our science activities we will focus on looking at different food chains and food webs within different habitats. We also hope to touch upon exploring genetic inheritance – looking at inherited and non-inherited characteristics.

We will be using Seesaw, tapping into different sources on the internet ,such as BBC schools, asking children to research and present findings on Seesaw ( written and oral), set experiments and ask for feedback  and set fun, practical learning activities for children to enjoy with their families.

Music and Art activities will be linked to our IDL topics and Health and Wellbeing tasks with a focus on developing specific skills.

Health and Wellbeing 

Right now this is our priority. Remember, all the extra different things you do together as a family is just as  important a factor as what we set for learning.

We will be looking at keeping ourselves safe, washing hands, healthy eating, fresh air, exercise and sleep.

PE activities will be shared by Mrs Campbell through Seesaw and pupils will be encouraged to use these and the Joe Wicks activity sessions in addition to outdoor activities where possible.

We will also be doing activities to address emotional health and personal and social development such as emotional check-ins, encouraging pupils to share and discuss their learning and news through Seesaw and through a variety of activities which promote kindness, respect, gratitude, responsibility, confidence, resilience, perseverance, growth mindsets and emotional awareness.

Numeracy and Maths

This term we will be focusing on practical maths activities which pupils can do at home through Seesaw activities, Education City, Sumdog and outdoor learning. We will be using these to study Measure (volume and weight), Money, Time, Data handling, Symmetry and Angles.

Within Numeracy, we will continue to focus on consolidating addition, subtraction,  multiplication and division facts and strategies.  We will also continue our learning of fractions and decimals using various strategies. Through different problem solving activities, the children should focus on developing their ability to select correct strategies and explain their choices. The children should aim to develop sound knowledge of the different multiplication tables. Where possible we will link these activities to topic work.

Literacy

Our focus will be on non-fiction writing such as report writing, persuasive writing and writing/reading for information. We will make the most of children having access to the internet for longer periods than they typically have in school and try and maximise this advantage of home learning by linking our literacy activities into our rainforest topic as much as possible. There will be some activities focused on creative writing as well.

Children will be doing research activities to find information and facts and will then write about what they have learned and display their work in various forms such as posters and leaflets or tasks with a focus on; conveying information, persuasive writing, describing events or explaining a process. We will also be undertaking listening tasks where children will watch video clips and practice taking notes and selecting the key information from the clip. Likewise children can develop their talking/presenting skills through Seesaw video clips and audio clips. We will also continue with spelling tasks, reading comprehension tasks and tasks that help us to develop their tools for writing and reading.

We would also encourage children to continue reading for enjoyment through their own books at home or using some of the free digital books online. There are also a lot of authors/ celebrities reading stories online. These are great ways to enrich vocabulary and be exposed to different writing styles and ideas.

The children will practise their French with Mrs Lovett through online learning activities. Duolingo is also a useful App that you might want to download to help them to develop their vocabulary.

We know that this may seem like there is an awful lot to do and we don’t want to overwhelm you.  What we have planned should be fun and exciting and keep your child engaged.  Remember, we will continue to be with you every step of the way and will do our best to support our children in their learning.  We miss them very much and want to do our best for them especially during this uncertain time.

Thank you

Ms Brown and Mrs Mann