Welcome to Year 5!
Summer 1
Ancient Greece: What have they ever done for us?
This half term, the children will be historians! After locating Greece on a map and identifying where in time the Ancient Greeks lived in comparison to other civilisations, we will use a range of enquiry skills, and a variety of historical sources, to explore what life was like during the period, and the influence that they had on the Western World. Children will understand the scope and range of Greek ideas, achievements and ways of life that are still current or influential today, and have also been influential in past eras. In our English lessons, we will write a narrative about their newly created Greek God/Goddess before producing a little pocket guide about the Greeks, inspired by the lonely planet guide. During our art sessions, we will explore meander patterns before designing a pattern and print in a repeating pattern.
Spring 2
Are we responsible?
It is vital for children to take responsibility for preserving our planet, due to the impact that we, as humans, are having. During the project, we will start to question whose responsibility it is to look after our planet and learn about the impact we may have in the future. We will learn about several endangered animal species and will also develop an understanding of the small changes we can make to help protect the environment. Through the use of the book ‘The Tower to the Sun’, the children will look at the impact of not respecting our planet and what could happen if mankind continues to abuse the resources that we have. We will present information in ‘The Mocktail Bar’ that will inform others, who visit, of why it is important to look after the world we live in; we will do this in the form of a peaceful protest. Finally, to end our project, we will have opportunity to visit Marwell Zoological Park, where we will consolidate our understanding of conservation.
Spring 1
Why did the Vikings invade?
During the half term, the children explored the period of history when the Vikings raided and invaded the British Isles (CE 793 – 1066). This built upon their previous learning in Y3 and Y4, where they studied the Pre-historic and Roman periods. They considered why the Vikings, like the Romans, thought it was necessary to come to England and why, despite being defeated on numerous occasions, they continued to invade various parts of the British Isles before conquering it in 1066. The children also reflected on what life would have been like for those people already living in the British Isles, what they did to defend themselves and finally how the two communities harmonized to live in peace.
Autumn 2
Who are the rogues?
The children discussed and evaluated how the choices people make in life will impact upon other people’s views of them. They explored and asked questions throughout the topic about the perceptions they make and hold of others. PSHE was the basis for discussions around different images of people and what these then represent. Through narratives, the children looked at the perceptions of the pirates, including extracts from literature and film. To conclude this topic, the children performed a chosen piece of learning to an audience of parents, illustrating the importance of perception.
Autumn 1
Children's rights, right or wrong?
This terms central idea: All children deserve their rights.
Article 32: Children have the right to protection from work that harms them, and is bad for their health and education. If children work, they have the right to be safe and paid fairly.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the rights that all children should have available to them. In this topic, children were given the opportunity to explore how children’s rights have developed from Victorian Britain to Britain today, exploring the classic and visual texts of Oliver Twist and Street Child. Children explored how, as the Victorian period developed, the lives of children improved and began to change, paving the way for modern childhood today. Essentially, learners developed their understanding of their rights and responsibilities, while exploring how social changes - through history - led to the development of these rights in our society. Through our book study ‘The Lost Thing’ and through Oliver Twist we gathered evidence of the rights that were lost, and what could have been done to ensure the rights were given.