Hello everyone,
Thank you to all the parents who attended the Parent-Teacher Conferences. It was a pleasure to share your child’s successes and discuss areas for growth. I truly appreciate these conversations, as they help me better understand how we can all work together to support your child’s learning.
Here is what Year 5/6 have been up to this week:
Maths:
Year 5
| Decimals & Percentages | Spr.3.4 – Equivalent fractions and decimals |
| Decimals & Percentages | Spr.3.5 – Thousandths as fractions |
| Decimals & Percentages | Spr.3.6 – Thousandths as decimals |
| Decimals & Percentages | Spr.3.7 – Thousandths on a place value chart |
| Decimals & Percentages | Spr.3.8 – Order and compare decimals (same number of decimal places) |
Year 6
| Algebra | Spr.3.8 – Solve 2-equations |
| Algebra | Spr.3.9 – Find pairs of values |
| Algebra | Spr.3.10 – Solve problems with two unknowns |
| Algebra | Reasoning and Problem Solving Study |
| Algebra | End of Unit Assessment |
Literacy
This week marked the final week of our unit on Malala’s Magic Pencil. After drawing inspiration from Malala’s story, the students were challenged to research other influential women who stood up for themselves and persevered through hardships. Working in groups, they researched and created presentations on Rosa Parks, Anne Frank, or Greta Thunberg.
Following their presentations, each student chose a different influential woman (one they had not researched themselves) and wrote a diary entry from her perspective, using the notes they took while watching their classmates’ presentations. They also applied key writing skills, such as using parentheses to add extra detail.
The effort and creativity they put into this task were truly impressive, and I can’t wait to read their finished diary entries next week!
Next week, we will be starting our new unit based on our focus text: “Kai and the Monkey King”.
IPC
Science Task 6 – The students investigated electrical conductors and insulators through a hands-on experiment. They predicted whether materials like metal, plastic, wood, an apple, and graphite (pencil lead) would allow electricity to pass, then tested them using a simple circuit. They discovered that metals conduct electricity, plastics and wood act as insulators, and graphite is a weak conductor (semiconductor). We also discussed why conductors and insulators are important for electrical safety.
Science Task 7 – The students learned how electricity reaches our homes. We discussed how power stations generate electricity using coal, gas, wind, or solar energy. They explored how electricity travels through high-voltage transmission lines to substations, where the voltage is reduced before being distributed to homes, schools, and factories.To reinforce their learning, students worked with pictures and explanations of this process, putting them in the correct order to show how electricity flows from power stations to everyday use.
Science Task 8 – In this lesson, we explored various types of energy sources, discussing which are sustainable and which are not. Students then conducted research on different energy sources used to generate electricity, including coal, wind, hydro (water), solar, and nuclear. They examined how each source operates, its advantages and disadvantages, and its environmental impact. Rather than creating posters, students chose to design Canva presentations to present their findings. Working in pairs, they created engaging slides and highlighted key facts about their chosen energy source.
Useful Information
- For vocabulary homework, students are encouraged to research the words independently and add their own understanding to the provided definitions. They are then asked to study both the spellings and meanings in preparation for their vocabulary assessment on Wednesdays. Some students raised a valid concern about not being sure if their answers are correct before the test. To address this, I will now be emailing the answers to parents, allowing them to check their children’s answers prior to the assessment. However, I encourage students to first try finding the answers on their own. This approach will help them retain the information more effectively and better prepare them for the group reading and discussions that will take place in class.
- In March, there will be a slight change to the schedule: PE will move from Friday’s last lesson to Thursday’s last lesson. This change is due to an update in our access to the college pitch, which will now only be available for booking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since we share PE with Ms. Leah’s class on Thursdays, this will give us more space to make the most of our lessons. Plus, with warmer weather on the way, we’ll finally be able to enjoy some fresh air during PE! I will keep you posted and will send home a copy of the new schedule closer to the time.
Have a lovely weekend!
Ms. Temple 🙂
