Sycamore Class – Year 5/6

Welcome to Sycamore Class!

Cycle B Long term plan Y5_6 2024-25.docx

This term, Mrs Mitchell and Mrs Grindle have really enjoyed getting to know all of the children in Sycamore Class. The children have started Term 4 fantastically well, showing impressive focus and aspiration during assessment week. Well done to you all!

Our learning in Term 4…

Term 4 maths for Year 5 will focus on completing our work on fractions, before moving on to explore area, statistics and shape. Year 6 children will be learning about perimeter, volume, algebra and ratio, as well as revising other mathematical concepts in preparation for their SATs exams. In writing, the Year 5 children will start by studying a persuasive text about zoos, before writing their own powerful, persuasive texts using their new skills. Year 6 will start by writing first-person recounts based on air raids in World War II, before diving into the world of newspaper report writing!
Across the wider curriculum this term we will start a new geography topic based on the Earth’s structure, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes. The children will develop their skills in both human and physical geography, looking at how these physical features are formed and the impact they have on human life. We’ll be creating our own 3D models of volcanoes to demonstrate their inner structure, using atlases to locate mountain ranges around the world and hearing about real-life experiences of these natural phenomena.
In French, we will start to learn about ‘Au salon de thé’. By the end of this unit pupils will have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform a short role-play in a French tea room. The children will be able to say and write what they are ordering to eat and/or drink using a wider range of vocabulary alongside very useful transactional language. Our PSHE topic this term is ‘Healthy Me’ and our Music will involve performing on our recorders and composing based on the South African pop song ‘Freedom is Coming’. The children are continuing their work with micro:bits in computing, and in RE they are learning about Christianity.
We are very much looking forward to the class performing at The Dance Umbrella towards the end of this term, and of course Year 5 has the added excitement of the Year 5 Activity Day.

Please note:

PE lessons will be on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please send your child to school wearing their PE kit on both of these days.
Children need to have a spare pair of shoes or wellies in school every day for our Adventure Play and Paddock area.
It is important that children always have a coat in school as we will be outside as much as possible in all weathers.

Weekly Home Learning Tasks

Your child’s reading record and scheme reading book needs to come into school every day.

Mrs Grindle will take them in every Tuesday morning, and Mrs Mitchell will do the same every Friday. We will be looking for daily reading and will stamp and sign the children’s contact books on these days. We are awarding Dojos for regular home reading!

Please ensure your child is:

Reading every day and note this in their reading record
Completing at least 10 minutes of times table practise every day (for updated details see below) – children will be asked to complete other Maths activities for homework when their times table recall is both fluent and accurate.

Year 6 children will be set an additional weekly home learning task designed to take between 20 and 30 minutes. This will be collected in on a Friday.

Reading, Spellings and Times tables

Your child will have two reading books that they use at school. One will be a levelled scheme reading book that will go home and be brought into school every day. The other will be a book that they keep at school to read for pleasure. Your child will be assessed on their book level by the class teacher and teaching assistants at regular intervals throughout the term.

Spellings lists will be shared on this page (on the right hand side) at beginning of the term. We no longer complete Spelling tests on a Friday; instead we complete ongoing assessments. Sometimes this will take the form of a traditional spelling test, but this could also be in the form of a dictation exercise. These assessments can happen on any day, they are low stakes and often informal in nature. They will be based on previously learned spelling patterns and rules from that term, that year or even an earlier year group.

Children are encouraged to use Times Tables Rockstars as well as Doodle Maths to work on their times tables and number facts each week. It is vital that these basic number facts are practiced as much as possible!

Play Times Table Rockstars

Play Doodle Maths