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Meerkats - Year 5

Amy, Evelyn, Sukhdeep, Katelyn, Summer and Lucy - We're Only Vikings

As part of the Viking Takeaway challenges, Amy wrote her own version of Rag 'N' Bone Mans - Humans in the style of a Viking. I think you will all agree, the final outcome is fantastic!

Angles, angles everywhere!!

Year 5 have adventured outside today, to uncover the different angles we have hidden around our schools outside environment. Armed with a protractor, a clipboard, a pen and their own intuition, the children have been investigating angles which appear naturally, as well as creating their own.

Year 5 go outside!

Today, we have been exploring the school surroundings, collecting resources to help build our very own Viking Longhouse. It was lots of fun! Stay tuned for more pictures of our final creation!

Josh and Archie

Poems with Paul Delaney

We won't let rain stop us

Today is World Book Day! We have been celebrating with a special visit from Published Author: Paul Delaney! His assembly was brilliant - we've never laughed so much!

Josh & Archie

This week year 5 have been learning about safety.We have had a visit from Nat and Woody from Wood Green - the animal charity. We learnt how to look after and approach a dog it was lots of fun. Ja.Am

Year 5 Safety Week

New Class Bloggers.

The new class bloggers have been announced, the votes have been counted and verified. I can now reveal that the new Meerkat Bloggers are..... Josh and Archie!

Expect weekly updates from the boys about the 'goings on' in Meerkat Class... stay tuned for more!

Year 5 have just begun their research on the different Viking gods

Midgard News - Vikings Invade Britain

Big Bad News - Vikings Invade Britain

This week the children have been recreating the final banquet from the story "Beowulf". The children had to consider the different characters emotions and feelings towards the defeat of the fierce beast Grendel. The Might Warrior - played by Ella - proudly walks into the Mead Hall. While the King (Toby) and Queen (Elissa) praise their noble warrior, with jewels and silver!

Viking WOW day

We have been busy transforming Year 5 into the Viking Worlds in preparation for our Viking topic. There are nine worlds in Norse Mythology, they are called Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Helheim. The nine worlds in Norse mythology are held in the branches and roots of the world tree Yggdrasil. These realms are the home of different kind of beings, like the home of the Gods and Goddesses, elves, dwarfs or giants. Our co-op groups are named after these eight of the realms with the teachers area as the ninth realm! Our cloakroom has been transformed into Valhalla (Viking Heaven).

Year 5 Viking Realms!

Happy New Year!

Hope you have all had a well earned rest after a busy term of learning. This week the Meerkats have begun their topic on The Vikings. Don't forget, on Tuesday the children will be taking part in our Viking WOW Day. The children have been set a homework to complete over the Christmas break to create their own Viking shield or weapon - these all need to be in by Monday. As well as that, the children are encouraged to come dressed up as Vikings on the Tuesday.

During the Christmas break, Luke and his Dad spent some time together making their own Viking sword! The final piece looks amazing - well done!!

Merry Christmas from the Meerkats

Meerkat Christmas Party

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Meerkat Mash-up by Elissa

Breathtaking Ballet performed by Luke

Fantastic Filip Street Dancing!

Christmas Week

Dear Parents/carers

During Spring Term in Year 5 the learning will focus around our history topic of The Vikings. We will fully immerse ourselves into our topic with our Viking Day on Tuesday 10^th January which will be a valuable learning experience for the children. Throughout this topic we will have the opportunity to design and make Viking Long Houses; understand why Vikings sailed long ships; look at why and where they choose to settle around Britain

In English, we will develop our narrative writing skills using the focus text of ‘Beowulf’ by Michael Murpurgo. Following this, we will be writing our own information texts based on the Viking Gods. Later in the term we will write and then performing our own Kennings poems around a Viking campfire!

In Maths, through our new programme ‘Maths No Problem’ we will be using concrete, pictorial and abstract concepts to learn about division, data handling and fractions. Children need to be continuing with their home learning of times tables and division facts in order to aid their maths in the classroom.

In Science, we will investigate and learn about different forces through collaborative learning and practical investigations.

With effect from the week commencing 9^th January, our PE/Swimming day will change to be on a Thursday. All children are required to take part in these lessons. They will continue to need their PE kits in school, which should consist of: black or white shorts/tracksuit bottoms, a plain white t-shirt and trainers/plimsolls. Children will also continue to have PE on a Friday.

Homework will continue to be sent out on a Thursday and is due in on the following Tuesday. Children will have weekly spellings to practise and a learning task linked to the curriculum. Children are also expected to read at home at least 3 times a week and to record this in their reading journal.

We thank you for your continued support and should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Year 5 Team

This week the children have been learning about a very famous artist - George Seurat. We have learnt that George Seurat invented his own art movement, he called it pointillism. We decided to work together to create our own space pointillism picture! Keep your eyes peeled for the finished piece!!

What's the Point-illism?

The Kangakats would like to say a massive thank you to Mrs Fewtrell for paying us a visit and teaching us all about the Jesse Tree! We loved making our baubles :)

Jesse Tree

This week the children have been learning about gravity! We learnt the difference between mass and weight...then with our newtonmeters we measured the force of gravity on different objects around the school!

Testing Gravity

This week we have been trying to answer the question, 'Why did people think the moon was made out of cheese?'

Luke, Aiden, Evelyn and Leah came up with the hypothesis that: 'the impact craters from asteroids, make the moon look like Swiss cheese!' We decided to test this, and look at impact craters in a little bit more detail.

Below is a video of Charlie, demonstrating what causes an impact crater. He used flour, to resemble the surface of the moon and a conker - to act as our asteroid...

#Take1

#Take2

Why did people think the moon was made out of cheese?

We have just started our new topic in Mathematics this week - multiplication and division. The children have emersed themselves in lots of fun, concrete activities to demonstrate different ways of showing working out and to help them solve the calculations. Well done Y5!

This week the children have been researching the movement of the Sun, Earth and Moon. We had a lot of fun studying, acting out and writing about the movement of the three celestial bodies. We even made moving models! Thankfully, photographers Finlay and Toby were on hand to document our journey...

The Sun, Earth and Moon

Can you guess what our new topic in English is? Today the children have attempted to solve a puzzle to figure it out!

Year 5 teach Year 4 Place Value

Meerkats Out Of This World Homework!

Year 5 have safely landed back on Earth after an out of this world trip to the National Space Centre in Leicester! The children all had a wonderful time learning about space, enjoying the simulators and experimenting on all of the interactive exhibitions. We could not have been prouder of our Year 5 Astronauts in training – Well done Kangakats!

Leicester Space Port

With the help of a very creative Mrs Delgado, this week the children have been creating their very own constellations!

Keep an eye on the skies tonight...there's supposed to be a meteor shower!!

Creating Constellations

Kung Fu Punctuation

This week the children will be focusing on solving place value problems using our new scheme - Maths No Problem. This strand focuses on using concrete tools to support learning before moving onto more abstract problems! If you have any questions about Maths in school please don't hesitate to ask!

This week the children have been writing poetry based on our focus text, 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret.' The Meerkats collected adjectives to describe an image from the text, then use their adjectives to produce some wonderful poems. Finally they shared their poems in our 'Poetry Slam!' Using tone of voice, expression and actions to enhance their own performance.

All of the children took part and have produced some fantastic poems!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret Poetry Slam!

What a brilliant start to the week we've had in Meerkats class! The children have been working so hard on tackling a new strand of mathematics - Singapore maths! Today we have been using concrete tools, in our co-op groups, to develop a deeper understand of place value!

Launching in 3... 2... 1...

WOW day - Astronauts In Training

Welcome to Meerkats Class Page!

Our first week has flown by, with the children jumping straight back into some amazing English work – describing an alien world!

Our new topic for this term is all about Space, with our focus question being ‘What lies beneath the stars?’ We launched the new topic with our Astronauts in Training day where the children prepared for their gruelling journey into space by taking part in some physical training, space food tasting and had a practice flight in our rocket simulator… pictures soon to follow!

Useful information:

PE kits need to be brought in on a Tuesday and a Friday.
Swimming kits on a Tuesday.
Children will be lining up in the morning on the KS2 playground, but will be released from the classroom doors at the end of the day.
In English we will be focusing on a text called “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”, which will inspire us to write our own narrative based on the story.
To further support our understanding of space, we have booked a visit to the National Space Centre, where the children will be fortunate enough to experience a day exploring the wonders of our Solar System.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first week working with the Meerkats and hope this brilliant start, that all children have made to the new academic year, will continue.

Please feel free to speak to me for any further information.

Mr Fitzpatrick