Class 5

Curriculum Outline - Spring 2025

English: After the success and progress of children’s understanding of grammar and punctuation seen during the autumn term, we shall continue to have this as an underlying focus for our English work in the first half of this term.  We will use these skills to explore a sentence building unit, based on a letter (recount),before moving on to explore descriptive writing and poetic devices in a poetry unit.  We will then use these skills to incorporate into an effective setting description based on our class text of The Secret Garden.

In the second half term, along with focusing on grammar, spelling, handwriting and reading skills, we will construct non chronological reports, diary entries and finally how to characterise speech effectively within narratives. Much of our writing will be cross curricular and we will be continuing to transfer skills learnt in English, to other curriculum areas.  There will also be other cross curricular writing opportunities: In Geography, a balanced argument that explore the positives and negatives of one of differing UK industries; and a persuasive, formal letter with suggestions on how to make one of the industries more sustainable. In Science, we will look at explanation texts, to illustrate our understanding of day and night, the Seasons and phases of the moon.

Class Text: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgeson Burnett: Lonely and neglected, Mary discovers a neglected garden hidden within the estate's grounds. As she begins to tend to the garden with the help of new friends, including her cousin Colin and a local boy named Dickon, Mary's spirits are lifted, and the magic of friendship and nature begins to transform her world.

Maths:

We will follow the White Rose mixed year group units for Year 5/6 units for learning in this subject.  In the spring term, we will focus on the units Multiplication and Division B; Fractions B; and Decimals A, In spring term 2 we will cover: Area, perimeter and volume; Decimals B.  We will continue to practice all other areas of mathematics in our daily fluency sessions, which will keep our Year 6’s up to speed and ready to tackle their SATs early in the following term.  Homework will continue to be sent home on a Monday.  Well done to all the children who are making a regular effort to complete and hand in their work.

Geography: This term, the children will be following a UK depth study. In this unit, children will learn about the economic activity of the United Kingdom. Children will research the three main economic sectors and understand how each impacts the UK's economy. Children will learn about different economic activities in the United Kingdom and their sustainability.

History:

To complement our class text, we are hoping to explore some local history found within historic buildings and gardens such as Lanhydrock or Trelissick.

Science:

The Earth in space.   During this unit of work, children will learn that the Earth is part of the Solar system and that the Sun is at the centre of that system. They will learn the names of the other planets (based on their distance from the Sun) and be able to describe the movement of Earth (and other planets) in relation to the Sun. Children will discover why there is day and night on Earth and relate this to time. They will plan an investigation to answer the question - what happens to the Sun during the daytime? Children will also gain an understanding of the phases of the Moon and be able to describe the Moon’s movement in relation to the Earth.

Forces In this unit of work, children will consolidate and extend their knowledge of forces by naming individual forces (e.g. gravity, friction, upthrust). They will extend their knowledge of frictional forces (air resistance and water resistance) and plan fair test investigations to discover which shoe has the greatest friction and which shapes o­ffer the most water resistance. They will learn how forces can be helpful and unhelpful in various scenarios and identify the forces involved in each scenario. They will learn what a mechanism is and how pulleys, levers and gears are used to allow a smaller force to have a greater eff­ect.  Much of this unit will be explored in practical sesssions in our outdoor learning opportunities with Under The Canopy.

Art:

Exploring Identity In this unit, pupils are taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. They will create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.  They will also improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay

to know about great artists, architects and designers in history.

DT:

Eat the Seasons This project teaches children about the importance of seasonality when planning a healthy varied diet. We will revisit the importance of a healthy varied diet and the food groups.  Some of this unit will be covered in our outdoor learning opportunities with Under The Canopy.

PSHE: 

We will follow a structured plan for both Year 5 and Year 6 from the SCARF units for PSHE.  In the spring term we will cover the unit ‘Keeping Safe’ which, for Year 5, addresses managing risks, including staying safe online and norms around use of legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol). For Year 6, we will cover emotional needs, staying safe online and the norms and risks of drugs (including the law). We will then move onto ‘Rights and Respect’ which, in Year 5, includes an understanding of rights and the need for respect, including those relating to health; and making decisions about lending, borrowing and spending. For Year 6 lessons include understanding media bias, including social media; caring for communities and the environment;  and finally, earning and saving money. These concepts and themes will also be revisited through our assemblies during the term.

RE:

We are following a two-year programme of study from Curriculum Kernewek. During the spring term, we will study Christianity.  Firstly,  we will explore unit 2b.2 Creation/Fall: Creation & Science – Conflict or Complimentary? In the second half of the term, we will look at the unit 2b.6 SALVATION: What did Jesus do to save Human Beings? This unit explores Holy Week and the events that led to the death and resurrection of Jesus We will also explore Christian beliefs and celebrations associated with Easter. 

MFL:

We will continue to build on our French vocabulary, listening, reading and writing skills through the units of 'That’s Tasty’ and ‘Family and Friends’ for Year 5’s. Meanwhile, Year 6 will cover ‘This is France’ and ‘All in a Day.’

Music:

We will be embedding skills, knowledge and understanding through singing, playing, improvising, composing, and listening. Initially we will be exploring a Nasheed (Islamic song) in a unit called ‘Madina tun Nabi’. In this unit we will learn to sing the song, develop their own accompaniment with a drone, chords, and improvisation, and play together with a percussion backing track.  In the second half of the spring term we will cover the unit ‘Época’.  This unit has a musical focus on texture, articulation, rhythm and tango.

Computing:

ICT will be used throughout all the other subject areas to enhance the children's understanding and for research purposes.  Children will be encouraged to use ICT as a tool for furthering their understanding in other curriculum areas. Throughout the term there will be an emphasis on keeping ourselves safe online. In addition to this, we are following the ‘Digital Learning Cornwall’ units for Years 5 and 6. For Year 5’s we will learn about ‘Vector Drawing’ and the unit ‘Flat File Databases’  For Year 6 the units will cover ‘Web Page Creation’ and ‘Spreadsheets’.

PE:

The first half term will have a sport focus of gymnastics, a fitness focus of aerobics, and a health focus about healthy lifestyles.  The second half term will have a sport focus of striking and fielding games, a fitness focus of ‘gymfit’(circuits), and a health focus of ‘you are what you eat’.  There will be opportunities for children to participate in extracurricular clubs and sporting events and festivals as part of our links with the Newquay Schools Sports Network partnership. Class 5 will have their PE lessons on a Tuesday and a Wednesday. On these days children must wear their correct PE kits to school. There may be additional days when the children will be required to wear a PE kit, which they will be clearly informed about.