Welcome all to Year 5 - Autumn.

I know that starting a new school year in a new class with a new teacher can be daunting.  Be assured that you are in good hands and I have many exciting, fun and challenging activities that will keep you engaged this term. Thank you to all those children who have introduced their parents/ guardians to me.  Everyone feels better when they can put a face to a name.  If I haven't managed to see you yet, I am on the playground every evening; come and say hello!

I will attach our newsletter with full details below, but curriculum highlights this term include:

- Maths-

Place Value and Written methods

• Read, write, order and compare numbers determining the value of each digit
• Count forwards or backwards in steps of powers of 10
• Recognise and use thousandths and relate them to tenths, hundredths and decimal equivalents
• Round decimals with two decimal places to the nearest whole number and to one decimal place

Written addition and subtraction

• Add and subtract whole numbers with more than 4 digits and decimals with two decimal places
• Choose an appropriate strategy to solve a calculation based upon the numbers involve
• Solve addition and subtraction multi-step problems in contexts, deciding which operations and methods to use and why

- English-

Fiction

• Writing a character description of the Viking god Thor based on the saga of Thor and the Giants.
• Investigating the language used in historical narrative through extracts from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and writing descriptions of the main character, Scrooge, within a ‘setting’.
• Using the novel ‘Holes’ as a stimulus for story writing.

Non Fiction

• Writing a formal report to describe and explain different aspects of Viking daily life.

Poetry

• Writing Kenning poetry, riddle-like phrases used by Vikings and Anglo-Saxons.

- Topic-

Our topic this term is Mountains and The Anglo Saxons.  We will be doing all manner of exciting things including learning about:

Geography and History:

• To use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied in the context of mountain ranges.
• To name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers).
• We will investigate why did the Anglo-Saxons invade and how can we possibly know where they settled.
• We will investigate how were the Saxons able the see off the Viking threat.
• Just how great was King Alfred, really?

We expect children to read at home on a regular basis in year 5 and keep practising the rapid recall of their times tables up to 12x12. Each week, children will receive a piece of literacy home learning, a piece of maths home learning and fifteen spellings to learn.  Home learning is usually given out on a Thursday and should be submitted no later than Tuesday to enable us to mark and feedback.  Children should wear their PE kit into school on Friday ready for PE class (yellow t-shirts, black shorts or tracksuit bottoms during colder days and trainers or black pumps). Watch out for information about the after-school clubs timetable as Mr Blake will be running an exciting Design and Technology club each week.

Don't forget you can track our progress throughout the term on Twitter @firsprimarysale #Year5DT

Thank you for your continued support.

Mr Tumilty, Mr Blake, Mrs Reynolds-Smith, Miss Burrows.