Year 5 Holy Communion Service
Reflections and Sandwiches! Year 5 had a very special morning visiting our local church for Holy Communion. From reading powerful scripture in Proverbs and Corinthians to sharing their own personal prayers, the children were fantastic ambassadors for our school. We topped off the morning with a lovely indoor picnic on the church floor! A huge thank you to the church team for such a warm welcome!
Year 5 PSHE - Roleplaying Active Listening
Are You Listening? Year 5 Explore the Art of Communication This week in PSHE, Year 5 have been exploring the vital skill of active listening—and things started in a rather unusual way! To kick off the lesson, we had a very brave volunteer attempt to tell Mrs Thompson all about her day. Meanwhile, Mrs Thompson did her absolute best to be the "worst listener ever"—interrupting, fiddling with objects, and even wandering off mid-sentence! While it gave us all a good giggle, it sent a very powerful message about how it feels when our words are ignored. Putting Skills into Practice: Following the demonstration, the children took centre stage to act out various scenarios. They compared: The "Don'ts": Looking at phones, interrupting, and distracted body language. The "Dos": Making eye contact, using encouraging nods, and responding with empathy. It made us realise that listening isn't just about being quiet; it's about making the other person feel like what they are saying really matters. The children gained incredible insight into the emotional impact of our communication. We’ve all come away with a fresh commitment to being better friends and better listeners!
Year 5 English - Finding Dialogue from the Text on a Spectrum
Bringing Characters to Life: A Spectrum of Dialogue in Year 5 This term, Year 5 have been immersed in the moving world of Goodnight Mister Tom. To deepen our understanding of the protagonists, we stepped away from our desks for a unique, kinaesthetic lesson exploring the power of voice and personality. We created a visual "Character Spectrum" to map out the distinct personalities of Mister Tom, Willie, and Zach: Blue: Representing Mister Tom at his most blunt and gruff. Grey: Capturing Willie’s quiet, hesitant timidity. Red: Reflecting Zach’s vibrant, cheerful exuberance. Mrs Thompson put our listening skills to the test by reading anonymous lines of dialogue from the novel. Without knowing the speaker, the children had to physically move and place themselves on the spectrum based on the "flavour" of the speech and the emotions conveyed. It was a brilliant way to see how Michelle Magorian uses language to build such distinct identities. The children were incredibly perceptive at picking up on the subtle cues in the text! By stepping into the shoes (and voices) of these iconic characters, Year 5 have gained a much richer insight into how authors portray growth and change through dialogue.
Year 5 Maths - Exploring 3D Shapes
Getting to Grips with Geometry: Year 5 Explore 3D Shapes! Our mathematicians have been busy transitioning from flat planes to the third dimension! After mastering the worlds of angles and polygons, we’ve levelled up our Shape unit by investigating 3D solids. This wasn’t just a lesson from a textbook; it was a full "hands-on" investigation. We filled the classroom with physical shapes, allowing the children to handle, rotate, and examine them from every angle. What we’ve been investigating: Naming Names: We’ve been identifying everything from cubes and cuboids to various pyramids and prisms. The Big Three: Using our tactile models, we’ve been counting and recording the faces, edges, and vertices of each shape. Real-World Connections: Learning how these geometric properties help us understand the world around us. It was brilliant to see the children’s 'aha!' moments as they felt the sharp vertices of a pyramid or traced the long edges of a prism. The level of focus was fantastic—it’s safe to say our students are shaping up to be excellent geometricians!
Year 5 Visit to Darwen Library Theatre
Behind the Scenes: Year 5 Take Over Darwen Library Theatre! Our Year 5 artists traded the classroom for the spotlight this week with an incredible trip to Darwen Library Theatre. As part of our current project on Set Design, we went backstage to see how the magic actually happens! It was an action-packed morning where our pupils moved from the audience to the wings: Atmospheric Art: We learned how lighting technicians use colour and intensity to completely shift the mood of a scene. The Science of Sound: We experimented with audio modification—the echo and reverberation effects were a huge hit! Stage Presence: Every student had the chance to step up to the microphone on stage to deliver their best jokes. (We might have some future stand-up comedians in our midst!) VIP Access: A huge thank you to the staff who showed us the inner workings of the backstage areas. The team at the theatre were absolutely fantastic with the children, who blew us away with their insightful questions and curiosity. "It wasn't just a trip; it was a masterclass in how creativity meets technology!" Check out some of the highlights from our visit!
Year 5 Science - The Life Cycle of a Flowering Plant
Science in Action: From Seeds to Stems! Our classroom was buzzing with discovery this week as we dove deep into the fascinating world of botany. We kicked things off with a human timeline, where students held up posters representing the different stages of a flowering plant's lifecycle. It was a true team effort as the rest of the class debated and directed their peers into the perfect order—from tiny seed to full bloom! Once we mastered the "big picture," we got our hands dirty with some tulip dissections. Using careful precision, we identified the hidden reproductive parts of the flower, labelling the anthers, filaments, and ovaries to understand how plants create the next generation. Highlights of our hands-on learning: Lifecycle Logic: Mapping out growth through collaborative problem-solving. Flower Anatomy: Peering inside tulips to find the "machinery" of nature. Minty Experiments: Taking stem cuttings from mint plants to explore asexual reproduction. We’re currently waiting to see if our "clones" will take root and grow into exact copies of the original plant! Check out our young scientists in the photos as they explore the wonders of the natural world!
Year 5 PSHE - Role Plays Showing Acts of Friendship or Acts of Unkindness
Year 5 Explores the Secret to Great Friendships This week in PSHE, Year 5 have been thinking carefully about what it truly means to be a good friend. We began by identifying the small but significant gestures of friendship that make our school community a kinder place, from offering a word of encouragement to simply sharing a seat at lunch. The lesson took a dramatic turn as the children were given secret roleplay scenarios to perform. Some groups acted out heartwarming acts of kindness, while others depicted trickier situations where friendship was put to the test! Our PSHE Highlights: Spotting the Signs: Discussing how our actions and words impact those around us. The Big Reveal: The rest of the class had to play detective, guessing the scenario being acted out. Some were quite a challenge to figure out! Building Empathy: Reflecting on how it feels to be on the receiving end of different friendship behaviours. It was a fantastic session full of laughter and insightful discussion. Have a look at our photos to see our budding actors in action! How can you show friendship to the people around you?
Year 5 Easter Orienteering Challenge
Egg-cellent Orienteering Adventures for Year 5! Before we hopped off for the half-term break, our Year 5 pupils took to the great outdoors for a high-energy Easter Orienteering challenge! Working in pairs within their classes, the children were armed with maps of the school grounds and a mission to complete. With the timer set to 25 minutes, it was a race against the clock to navigate the playgrounds and the field to locate our hidden Easter questions. To keep things fair and fast-paced, we used a staggered start; pairs began at different stations—some starting at 18 and looping back to 1—ensuring everyone had space to sharpen their navigation skills. Our keen-eyed explorers had to follow the course in strict orienteering order, hunt down the eggs, and tackle the Blue KS2 questions found on the back of each one. It wasn't just about speed! Accuracy was key, as staff marked the answer sheets back in the classroom to find our top navigators. The Grand Prize: Our winning pairs, who found and correctly answered the most questions, hopped home with a giant chocolate Easter egg! Because everyone showed such fantastic teamwork and stamina, every single child enjoyed a delicious chocolate krispie cake for taking part.
Year 5 English - Blending Action, Dialogue and Description in a Sentence
Word Detectives: Unlocking the Opening Chapters Our budding linguists took on the role of Word Detectives this week, diving deep into the atmospheric opening of our new class novel, Goodnight Mister Tom. In a fast-paced, 12-minute challenge, students were tasked with more than just memorising definitions; they had to uncover the hidden "personality" of the author’s language. Working in teams, each table was assigned a specific keyword from the text—ranging from the stoic robust to the startled bewildered. Using dictionaries as their primary tools, the groups worked to define their word before "detecting" its specific mood. Is the word adamant a grumpy one? Does clad feel neutral or formal? The final challenge required high-level creativity and precision. Students had to craft a "Three-Way Blend" sentence, seamlessly weaving their assigned word into a single line that combined Action, Dialogue, and Description.
Online Safety - App and Play Stores
With millions of apps available and children accessing them from an increasingly young age, app stores can present a range of risks. From malware and copycat apps to inappropriate content and persuasive in-app purchases, this Wake Up Wednesday guide highlights how easily young users can encounter issues – even when using official platforms. It also offers clear, practical advice to help parents and educators manage these risks. From setting up parental controls and checking app credibility to having open conversations about safe usage, the guide supports adults in building children’s awareness, encouraging safer choices and promoting more balanced, responsible app use
Year 5 English - Reading and Responding to Haikus
Year 5 are getting lyrical this week! We’ve jumped into the wonderful world of Haikus, exploring how these short, traditional Japanese poems can pack such an evocative punch. The children have loved diving into different examples to uncover their hidden meanings. We are now mastering the "golden rule" of Haiku structure: the magical 5-7-5 syllable count! (Counting on fingers has definitely been required!) We are all looking forward to channeling our inner poets later in the week to create our very own Easter-themed Haikus.
Year 5 PE - OAA: Making Maps and Following Directions
Cones, compasses, and coordinate grids! Year 5 took their Team Building PE lesson indoors this week to master the art of navigation. Working together, they created and followed complex maps using cardinal points, carefully avoiding the 'Danger Cone'! It was a brilliant lesson filled with fun, problem-solving, and fantastic teamwork. Well done, Year 5!
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