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On this page you can find the curriculum notes for Year 5, for the Autumn , Spring and Summer Terms.

English

Within the English curriculum there is constant graded development of the following which underpin all of the English courses:

• Grammatical knowledge
• Handwriting
• Vocabulary development
• Phonic awareness - spelling
• Sentence building
• Punctuation skills
• Essay planning, editing, presenting
• Reading skills
• Skills of listening and speaking
• Poetry recitation
• Dictionary work

Autumn Term

English

• Writing book reviews
• Story writing – examining story openings
• Play scripts
• Poetry – using similes
• Basic comprehension technique
• Characterisation
• Fiction text (myths/legends or fables)
• Letter writing (informal)

Maths

• Place Value
• Four Rules
• Fractions
• Fractions & Decimals
• Percentages
• Probability
• Bar Charts & Line Charts

Science

Interdependence and Adaptation
Food chains in a variety of habitats. Adaptation of animals & plants to various habitat conditions. Visit to Oxford Botanic Gardens and University Museum.

Forces in Action
Forces as pushes, pulls & twists. Forces diagrams. Measuring forces. Friction, air resistance and up thrust in water. Magnets. Gravity.

French

• Meeting and greeting people
• Classroom objects
• The indefinite articles
  
• The alphabet
• Basic pronunciation / spelling rules
• Numbers 1 to 31
• Days of the week
• Months
• Ask and say the date
• Say when one's birthday is and ask others
  
• Simple questions and answers: name, how one feels, where one lives, age, birthday
• Talk about the classroom
  
• Classroom instructions
• The definite articles
  
• Formation of regular plurals
• Colours
• Position of adjectives
• Talk about the weather
  

History

Celt, Roman, Saxon and Viking

• Britannia and the Empire 55BC.
• What is an Empire?
• Why did the Romans want an Empire? Why did the Romans want to add Britannia to it?
• I came, I saw, I went away … twice – why did Julius Caesar come to Britain in 55BC?
• 43AD – The Claudian invasion. Vespasian conquers Britannia.
• Maiden Castle – bodies, bones and ballista bolts
• The Roman fighting machine – why was the Roman army so successful?
• The Empire gets it wrong – the causes and consequences of Boudicca’s revolt.

Geography

• Global Location and The British Isles
• Global Location
  Aim: To help pupils gain a better understanding of the physical/human world in which they live
• Where in the world?
  Continents, oceans, seas, mountains, deserts, rivers and islands
• Mapping the Earth
  Lines of latitude/longitude. Why do we have these lines? How do we use these lines?
  Moving and measuring east/west and north/south of prime meridian and equator.
  Equator, tropics, Arctic and Antarctic Circles
• The British Isles
  Aim: For pupils to be able to locate and position where they are in the world.
  To gain a greater understanding of the physical/human geography of the British Isles
  Countries that make up the British Isles
  Relief
  Rivers
  Major Settlements

R.S.

• What is a holy book?

• The Bible        
  

             • As a library of books
             • The different sections  -  Old Testament: Law, History, Wisdom,Prophecy.

Classics

Year 5 Latin: 1 lesson a week
Course Book (from Spring Term): Minimus
Main Focus: to introduce pupils to the Latin language and the culture of the Romans.

• Introduction to Latin and the Romans
• Simple Latin phrases
• Numbers
• Begin the Minimus course
• Latin Christmas carols

 

Art

• Activities to aid pupils’ understanding of primary and secondary colours and colour mixing. Study of a significant artist and their use of colour.
  
• Drawing exercises encouraging pupils to really look at their world. This will lead to a still life arrangement using different media.
• Designing a Christmas card using basic printing methods.

Music

• Revision of staff notation: crotchets, quavers, minims and rests
• Clapping printed rhythms using staff notation
• Recording melodies (on a MIDI electronic keyboard) and printing them on appropriate software
• Conducting – individually and as a group
• Preparation of material for the Choral Workshop held in the Spring Term

Design Technology

Resistant Materials

Design and make a wooden aeroplane.

Drama

• What is a ‘Drama Text?’ Games. Songs. Memories. Photos. Art. Newspaper articles. Stories.

P.E.

• Swimming – 4 weeks. Life saving. Dangers of water. Simple rescue methods. Treatment of a patient. Breast stroke. Various entries. Side stroke. Swimming fitness.
• Tennis – 2 weeks. Green mini tennis. Full court outdoor play. Consistency and technique on ground strokes. Chopper grip on serve. Small competitive matches.
• Bleep Test – recorded endurance test.
• Gymnastics – 6 weeks. Recap on basic gymnastic moves. Partner work – matching and mirroring. Syncronisation and canon. Counter-balance and counter tension. Create partner sequence for evaluation.

Boys' Games

• Rugby – 12-a-side contact
  Colt’s rugby introduced
  3 man contested scrum introduced and developed to 5 man contested. Lineout. 3 man introduced and developed to 5 man
  Skills of rucking, mauling, tackling, passing, running developed
  Set plays, tactics and strategies considered. Forwards and backs
  Captain’s role and positions
• Football / Hockey
  pre-season training begins in December with skills and practice matches
• Cross Country
  Increase distance and difficultyIntermediate course run every week.

Girls' Games

• Netball – Size 5 balls 10’ posts. Wednesday matches. Build confidence in passing and catching with a size 5 ball. Getting free. Accurate passing. Marking a player. Set pieces. Working as a team.

• Cross Country – Once a week on set course. Frequently timed.

• Hockey – Once a week on astro-turf. Movement with the ball varying pace and direction. Marking. Reverse stick. 1 v 1, 2 v 1. Shooting and goal scoring.

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Spring Term

English

• Reading non-fiction
• Planning story writing
• Dialogue (informal language)
• Narrative poetry (figurative techniques)
• Higher level comprehension skills, using evidence.

Maths

• Properties of Figures
• Symmetry
• Reflections & Translations
• Metric & imperial units
• Estimating
• Scales

Science

Habitats
Woodland in winter. Migration and hibernation. Winter twig structure & use of key to identify trees from winter twigs.

Keeping Healthy
Position, basic structure and function of the heart. Circulation. Effect of exercise on pulse rate. Health benefit of regular exercise. Difference between breathing and respiration. CO2 levels in inhales/exhaled air. Components & structure of balanced diet. Tests for starch and fat. Health issues concerned with smoking and alcohol.

 

French

• Members of the family
• Ask and answer questions about brothers and sisters
• The verb AVOIR
• Introduction to the negative
• Use of 'mon, ma, mes'
• Talk about pets
• Plural of nouns ending in -al,-eau and -eu
• Describe themselves and others
• The verb ETRE
• Regular adjectival agreement
• Qualifying adjectives using 'assez' and ‘très'
• Talking about one's hair and eyes
  

 

History

• Life begins to change 1 – Celtic villages and lifestyles
• Life begins to change 2 – Roman towns and lifestyles
• Life begins to change 3 – The Romans build roads
• Evidence on the map – finding roman settlements and roads
• Roman entertainment
• Roman religion
• Why did the Romans withdraw the legions? The Saxon threat
• Who were the Saxons? Where did they come from? Why did they come to Britain?
• Saxon villages – what did they look like? Can we find some on the map?
• Thanes! The treasures of Sutton Hoo – what can they tell us about the rich and powerful of Saxon England?

Geography

Maps and Mapping

• Aim: for pupils to understand how to interpret maps on a variety of scales
• Why do we need maps?
• What information can they show us?
• How to use 4 and 6 figure grid references
• Eastings/Northings
• Using and finding symbols on maps
• Finding direction on maps
• Measuring distance on mapsMeasuring height on maps

Settlement

• Aim: to help pupils understand about places they live in and the places around them
• How do places get their names?
• Why do settlements become established where they are?
• The physical/human factors that influence that influence the siting of a settlement
• Hierarchy of settlementsSettlement patterns

R.S.

• The Qur’an

• The Upanishads

Classics

The Latin language is introduced more systematically in the context of a family living in Roman Britain in the early second century AD.

Course Book: Minimus

• Continue Minimus course
• Masculine and feminine nouns
• The Vindolanda Tablets
• Latin Roots
• Selected stories from Greek Mythology

Art

• 'Drawing with Scissors'
  
• The study of the artist Matisse and his works. This will lead to individual paintings and collages.
• Paper collage using 'exploding' shapes.
  
• Relief printing using string and other found objects.

Music

• Using "Groovy Music” software to further knowledge of staff notation
• Composition of melodies using "Sibelius” software
  Performance – 3rd Year Choral Workshop (which also includes instrumental music)
• Music Appreciation linked with stories of the boyhood of
• Singing a variety of songs from the 18th to the 20th centuries

Design Technology

Textiles

In small groups design and make a set of bags

Drama

• Creating a character from evidence.
• Characterisation & Text
• ‘Cabbage Monologues’

P.E.

• Dance
  Rock ‘n Roll. Moves/sequence building.
  Gum Boot Dance.
• Rhythmic Gymnastics
  Ribbon- Hoop sequences to music.

Boys' Games

• Football – Colts football skills introduced
  Defence and attack explored. Making space. Give and go. Marking & losing one’s marker. Width and depth. Set plays/free kicks. Penalties – rules. Fixtures. Captain’s role & responsibilities. 11-a-side game developed via a 7 a side progression.
• Hockey: Game related advanced skills
  Advanced skills applied to defending and attacking. Set plays - Short corners, Long corners, penalty flicks etc
• Match Play
  conditioned games

Girls' Games

• Netball – Importance of warm up. Passing and receiving on the move. Set centre/back line passes. Conditioned games. Conditioned games/ full games.
• Tennis – Green Mini Tennis. Over arm serve. Singles and doubles tactics. Ladder matches

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Summer Term

English

• Discursive writing
• Persuasive techniques
• Letter writing (formal)
• Note taking
• Poetry writing
• Descriptive writing
• Stories from different cultures

 

Maths

• Mensuration
• Angles
• Equations

Science

Changing Materials

Revision of changes of state, properties of solids, liquids & gases, water cycle and weathering by water & ice. Soluble/insoluble substances. Factors affecting solubility. Differences in solubility. Separation of mixtures by decanting, filtering, sieving, magnets and evaporation. Reversibility of these changes. Comparison with chemical changes e.g. burning, cooking etc Drawing science diagrams.

Environment

Field trip to Thatcham – ‘Man and the environment’ programme. How people’s actions impact on the environment – waste, mineral and other resources, transport, leisure activities.

Life Cycles

Life cycle of frog (metamorphosis). Structure of flower. Pollination and fertilization. Formation of fruit. Seed dispersal. Conditions for germination and subsequent growth.

 

French

• Talk about where people live
• Introduction to ER verbs
• Say what kind of town one lives in
• Name the rooms in the house
• Say what there is on each floor
• Use 'il y a'
• Talk about what you do at home
• Say the time
• Numbers to 69
• Learn about other countries where French is spoken
  
• Research and present one cultural aspect of France to the class
• Revision of vocabulary and grammar introduced in Year 5

History

• Saxon Religion – Pagans!
• Saxon Religion – Christians! How and why did Saxons convert to Christianity
• Keeping a record – the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
• Saxon Crime and Punishment
• Who were the Vikings? Where did they come from? Why did they come to Britain?
• Vikings – warriors, farmers or traders?
• England – a divided Kingdom – Danegeld!
• Alfred the Great – a local hero.

Geography

Environmental Studies and Weather and Climate

The Environment

• Aim: to increase awareness of the pupils environment and issues relating to its management
• What is our Environment
• How does man affect our environment?
• How do landscapes change as a result of man’s management
• Case study of Thatcham Nature Reserve

Weather and Climate

• Aim: to develop a greater awareness of the physical weather processes and their variations to scale and patterns of climate

Temperature and its variation national and locally

• The effect of latitude, altitude and the proximity to the sea
• Wind – variations in direction and strength
• Rainfall – spatial variations and process
• Patterns to world Climate Regions

R.S.

• History of the Bible

• Illuminated manuscripts

             • make your own

• The Talmud

Classics

Continue Minimus course

• Agreement of nouns and adjectives
• Latin Roots
• Selected stories from Greek Mythology
• The Present tense

Art

• An introduction to 'real' clay and underglazes : making pinch pot animals
  
• Cross curricular project linking with English: Art work based on a set text.
• Simple wall hanging or mobile using printing, collage and textile techniques.

Music

• Using "Groovy Music” software to further knowledge of staff notationComposition of melodies using "Sibelius” software
• Using simple chords to accompany music in a variety of styles
• Music Appreciation linked with stories of the boyhood ofSinging a variety of songs from the 18th to the 20th centuries

Design Technology

Structures

Design and make a container with a lid to store small items.

Drama

• The Chief Seattle Speech

P.E.

• Swimming
  All Competitive strokes. Fitness. Tumble turns. Individual Medleys. Diving.Butterfly

Boys' Games

• Cricket – Hard ball introduced.Protective equipment introduced. LBW law. Fielding – positions and skills developed. Walking in – backing up. Bowling developed. Spin and swing. Action examined and developed. Batting – back foot shots – square cut, late cut, pull, hook, front foot drives off and on, cover drives.11-a-side game. Wicket keeping – protective equipment. Standing up. Taking ball down legside.
• Athletics – Full programme of events developed. Long distance and short distance. All throwing and jumping events (weights change through years).
• Tennis - Serving developed. Singles and doubles game play. Topspin and slice – forehand and backhand Match play.

Girls' Games

• Rounders –Incrediball still for all practises and matches. Triangle back up on fielding. Bowling, backstop techniques. School matches.
• Mini Tennis Orange – Development of consistency. Serve and return of serve. Tactics for Singles.
• Athletics – All Track and Field events covered. Safety issues. Importance of warm–up.

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