In the last couple of weeks we have been keeping our cool in Antarctica with Ernest Shackleton and his crew aboard the Endurance, creating some pertinently polar poetry along the way. In science, we have been developing our enquiry skills and learning about air resistance - with the help of some parachutes.

Watch out for mouth-watering recipes with some rather interesting ingredients in DT. Pupils have been getting creative and applying what they have learnt about different breads together with their own experiences to imagine their own baked masterpieces that they will produce and taste next week.

Mix all of this in with considering the pros and cons of living next to volcanoes, knead together with some work on fractions and you have just another week in Y5!

The first half-term of Y5 has been full of amazing discoveries and a lot of hard work. Well done to all of our pupils who have adjusted so well to the Y5 setting - we are tremendously impressed and hope you all have a restful half-term.

In our final investigation as part of our unit of work on space, we investigated how speed of impact affects crater geometry - by making our own craters in the classroom!  In maths, we have finished our exploration of addition and subtraction and moved onto multiplication and division - learning for the first time about concepts such as prime and square numbers.

In English, the children created some fascinating fact-files about Antarctica to help immerse us in Ernest Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Expedition of 1914-1916. We have also journeyed even further back in time, comparing life in Roman and Anglo-Saxon Britain.

It has been a busy couple of weeks in Y5 with children investigating the lunar cycle and considering the Moon's relationship with the Earth. The "space" theme has extended to art, where children have produced works using different and contrasting media, inspired by our solar system and beyond. 

In English, frogs continue to fall from the sky, enabling the children to put their journalistic skills to the test, reporting on the strange events that befell a sleepy town in David Wiesner's Tuesday.

Everyone has enjoyed the opportunity to play cricket on Fridays - despite the Great British weather's best attempts to delay play!

We have been busy writers this week, finishing short stories linked to our work on Journey to Jo'burg by Beverley Naidoo. This creativity has extended to designing book covers using vector graphics in computing, which will adorn their completed stories in booklet format. We can't wait to see the final results!

In maths, we are completing short units of work on converting units of measure and also volume and capacity before the end of term, whilst in History we have considered disruptions to schooling due to events such as WWII and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As the academic year draws to a close, we have enjoyed welcoming Y4 into our classes to share and celebrate this year's learning and to give them a taste of what is to come. We have also all enjoyed watching Y6 perform the dress rehearsal of their fabulous end-of-year production. Y5 made sure to take notes for next year's performance - when it will be their turn!

Sun, sea and sand were the perfect backdrop for our visit to the Isle of Wight. Active learning opportunities were abundant - from fossil hunting at Compton beach to coastal features and erosion in action at the Needles and Alum Bay. The many months spent in captivity by Charles I were evident at Carisbrooke Castle and everyone was fascinated by the history of the HMS Victory and Mary Rose.  Perhaps most of all, it was wonderful to see the children develop their independence and resilience: organising and preparing themselves for each day's activities, braving themselves to take on new challenges, supporting their peers, and celebrating mutual successes. Whether it was riding on a chairlift for the first time, conquering the 4m jump at Tapnell water-park, travelling upside down on the terrifying/exhilarating Extinction ride at Blackgang Chine or enduring being away from home, every child embraced something new and achieved something to be proud of.

Now that we've returned to school, the learning hasn't stopped! We've started a new topic in History - a post 1066 thematic study about schools and school life. In DT we've been investigating pulleys and mechanical systems. Decimals continue to be our focus in maths, and we are writing letters in English as part of our unit of work relating to the book Journey to Jo'burg. Careers week activities have also kept us engaged and very busy this week. A huge thank you to all of our parents who have supported this.

We've welcomed back the sunshine by spending some time alfresco - making the most of our brilliant surroundings. In art, the children have been thinking about perspective and sketching views of Christ Church from the Orchard, in preparation for producing watercolours next week. This has been accompanied by outdoor exertion in PE, where “indoor” PE has become outdoor PE as pupils engage in orienteering activities around the school. 

In English, we continue to develop our non-chronological report writing skills using the text Journey to Jo’burg, by Beverley Naidoo, to understand what life under apartheid was like.  We have also investigated metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis, using secondary sources, in insects and reptiles ranging from salamanders to dung beetles!