¡Bienvenidos a Mexico!

Welcome to Mexico!

Welcome to Year 5! I hope you have had a restful summer break as we will be hitting the ground running with our learning this year. Are you ready for your next adventure?

During our first week, we will be exploring the fascinating Mexican celebration of El Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). We will get to know why this festival is so important to the people of Mexico and the specific traditions that make this celebration truly spectacular!

As we venture into our Year 5 curriculum we will be investigating the consequences of the Industrial Revolution (the good, the bad and the ugly ones). Through the study of our first novel, Street Child, we will step into the shoes of an orphan as he grows up in 1860s London and witness the highs and lows of street life during the Victorian era.

Information for parents/carers:

Year 5 will have their PE lessons on Thursday afternoons. Children can arrive to school in non-branded black kit with a t-shirt representing their house colour. Trainers can be worn on PE days and regular school shoes are to be worn during the rest of the week. Please ensure kit is suitable for all weathers as British weather can be temperamental at best. Water bottles will be taken to sessions so please make sure children are bringing water with them daily.

Year 5 will be taking part in swimming sessions this year. Information will be sent regarding this as soon as everything has been confirmed with Longfield Academy. Sessions are expected to take part on Thursday afternoons.

Homework will continue to be set online via CenturyTech. Please support children in completing set tasks where possible. Work is usually set on Fridays and is expected to be submitted by the following Friday.

We are continuing our use of Boom Reader to digitally record books that the children are taking home. We ask that, where possible, children are heard daily by a trusted adult and the pages read can be added to the Boom Reader App. Do get in contact with the school if there are any issues with accessing the app. Children can record any materials they have used when reading for pleasure e.g. library books, comics, personal copies from home etc.

Beamish Museum

Mexico had a marvellous time exploring the fascinating sites of Beamish Museum. We first stepped back in time to the 1820s and discovered what life was like for northern rural communities. We explored the rather grand Pockerley Old Hall and noticed many clues that indicated that the building was home to a very wealthy land owner. We even noticed some carpet beaters that we had come across in our English lessons when reading Street Child. Afterwards, we ventured into the less-affluent village and were able to identify similarities and differences between wealthier and poorer communities.

Our next port of call was the 1900s Pit Village and Colliery in which we gained insight into the lives of a north-eastern community during the time where coal production was at its peak in the region. We inspected the wonderous steam engines that put towns like Darlington on the map along with the towering colliery which was the beating heart of the community. The children enjoyed exploring the Methodist church, noticing how it had been decorated in time for a harvest festival. We also had a peek into the nearby cottages to see how mining families spent their free time. We were very surprised to see how people managed to fit their whole house into just one room!

After much-needed lunch break, we were ready to head back to school- only this time it was a Victorian school! We were greeted by the school teacher and lined up in separate lines: one for boys and the other for girls. Silently, we were escorted to the school room and sat on benches in rows. We were taught the 3Rs and had to dip our pens into ink to write with (hence the blue fingers upon our return- sorry!!). The lesson was done in total silence and we could only speak when we were spoken to (even Mr Andrews felt nervous). As was custom in this era, the teacher had to be incredibly strict and reminded us of what punishments were given to children who did not follow instructions. We were all very careful not to get the cane! Luckily it was just for show- phew!

We had a fantastic day and there was heaps of learning to bring back with us, inky fingers included!

Spring 1

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

I hope you have all had a restful break! We are now a third of the way through the academic year but there is still lots to do and new things to learn!

This term we are going to be exploring our new text, Beowulf, by Michael Morpurgo. We will study how this legendary character fairs against a despicable foe who terrorises the village, destroying everything in its path. Can Beowulf put an end to this monstrous menace?

Showcase Assembly

Year 5 have enjoyed showcasing their autumn learning by presenting their work, along with demonstrations and challenges for their parents. They worked hard to create their own resources, pick their own lesson examples and create their own comments to say to parents as they visited their stalls.

Here are some photographs of the children taking part in their assembly: