Year 5 News 2023-2024
Beach School - Final Session
This week's final session at beach school for this academic year was certainly a memorable one!
Before going onto the beach, all of the children participated in a circle time allowing them a time to calmly reflect on their time in year 5. Taking turns, each child was able to step into the circle and share what they were proud of achieving during the past academic year. Following this they took turns to stand in the circle and tell the group how their peers had made their time in the year special, a selection of their thoughts included friends who had made them laugh; friends who had cared for them; friends who had helped if school work was tricky and friends who were thoughtful.
For the next activity, the children were able to create an Aquatic viewer which they were able to use to observe the natural life in the rock pools. Moving to the beach led to great - if somewhat wet - fun!
Using the viewers, year 5 were able to find shells, crabs, stones and algae amongst the rock pools. They then moved to 'paddling' in the sea - which included several children deciding to see just how far they could paddle before their wellies succumbed to the natural lapping of the waves!
It was a super session and the children returned to school invigorated and happy, looking forward to more Beach School in year 6.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Second Beach School Session
The children had a great time at the beach on Wednesday. The "beach topic" this week was Time and Weight. Competition became fierce as the children were challenged with finding rocks that weighed exactly 1kg.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Avalon School Careers Fair
This week, Year 5 attended Avalon's Careers Fair. The children had the opportunity to meet with groups of experts from a variety of fields, to gain an understanding of what various jobs entail.
Professionals including Medics from various backgrounds and Midwifery, Veterans from the RAF and Army, Ski-instructor, Veterinary Surgeon, Architect, Communication Consultant and Author, Equestrian and Journalism all shared their knowledge and the skills that are required to achieve success within these roles.
Following the session, the children felt motivated and inspired to continue to work hard so as to realise their ambitions.
Thank you to the parents, carers and friends that gave their time to support the Careers Fair.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Summer Beach School - First Session
The Great British weather could not stop Year 5's beach school learning today.
The science room became the alternative beach where the children learnt the importance of understanding how weather conditions may affect you differently if you are on the beach as opposed to elsewhere and how to stay safe in adverse weather. They were amazed to learn that lightning can turn sand into glass through conducting electricity into the damp sand causing the grains to fuse to form glass sculptures named 'fulgur'.
The lesson developed into naming sea / ocean life creatures that shared the same first letter as each child eg, emperor penguin (E), seahorse (S). The next activity was to create a kite that could be used on the beach. The children drew a picture of their sea creature on a paper bag and were then taught how to use other materials to help them construct a kite.
As the weather conditions had improved, the children were then able to take the kites out to the field to test their ability to fly. All achieved success and the whole class had great fun flying their kites.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Art - Flowers in Focus
This week in their Art lesson, year 5 have been observing the beauty and intricate detail of flowers in both pictures and real life form.
From this, the children then created their own flower focus picture and the lesson ended in an array of magnificent colour.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Year 4 and 5 visit to Petty Pool Outdoor Centre
Year 4 and 5 children visited Petty Pool Outdoor Centre in Cheshire at the end of Summer 1 to take part in an action packed activity day! It was a fantastic experience with all the children taking part in
- Climbing
- Zipwire
- Crate stack
- Leap of Faith
- High Ropes
- Archery
The children showed courage, resilience, teamwork and above all, a fantastic sense of adventure and they had a fantastic time with their instructors. See more photos here
https://www.avalon-school.co.uk/gallery/?pid=3&gcatid=1&albumid=858
Exploring Speech in Playscripts
In English, Year 5 have been reading a variety of playscripts to explore how speech and dialogue follows different rules as well as learning about stage direction. The children had fun using the skills they have developed in their lessons to act out various scenarios.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Mental Health Awareness Week 2024
Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 took place from 13 to 19 May and focused on the benefits of moving more for our mental health. In our class we had the opportunity to have a dance and bounce around to our favourite "Pop See Ko" . It certainly raised everbody's energy levels!
Debating in Action!
As part of their PHSCEE work, the children learned all about democracy and, in particular, the British parliament. We learned all about how to listen to the opinions of other people and making decisions based on what we believe and the opinions of other people. To test our debating skills, we asked the question “Should animals be kept in zoos?” The children had to list their views on what they think should happen and then they voted to see if that opinion was going to be put into their manifesto. At the end, we voted and, given that the opinions were so well articulated and well thought out, some children even changed their mind. In the end, the vote was a tie!
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
The debating standard was excellent, and the children were courteous and respectful when listening to the opinions of other people. It was a great learning experience for all.
"Crumble Kits"
This week, Year 5 have been exploring physical computing using 'Crumble Kits.'
They have learnt how to make and complete a circuit using various components and programmed the 'Sparkle' so that it changed colours in a sequence.
The children are enjoying the current topic of coding and are enthusiastic to develop their skills whilst building more complex circuits in the coming weeks
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
STEAM Week - The Ancient Egyptians
During STEAM Week, Year 5 looked at how the Ancient Egyptians used water and sand as a clock and how the method was altered for sailors due to the impact of the rise and fall of the sea on the water timer, hence the introduction of a sand timer as an alternative.
After constructing their own water tower using a milk carton, clips, bamboo sticks and blue tack, Year 5 proceeded to calculate the best way to measure various amounts of time in an accurate way. Through increasing the size of the hole that the liquid poured through, the children realised they were able to maintain a laminar flow within a given time.
The experiment was fun as well as a great success, well done Year 5.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Old Garden Care Home
Year 5 had a fabulous time visiting the residents at 'The Old Garden' care home on Friday.
As part of our growing links within the community, the children met with residents, listened to their stories & engaged in fun games and activities including Bingo and an arts and craft session as well as enjoying some delicious treats!
'Gucci' the care home's mascot dog was certainly a hit with everybody. The visit was insightful and enjoyable - thank you to Miss. Jackson and everyone for making us all so welcome and we can't wait to return.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Year 5 Bikability Course
Well done to all the Year 5 children who were able to take part in this years Bikability course. Bikability is the government's national cycle training programme. It helps children learn practical skills and understand how to cycle on today's roads. Bikability gives everyone the confidence to cycle and enjoy this skill for life. A big thank you to all the wonderful instructors who made the days so much fun.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
World Book Day
Year 5 have been involved in various cross-curriculum activities to celebrate World Book Day.
In their English lessons they have read the book 'Dear Earth' by Isabel Otter. They discussed what they understood the message of the book to be as well as the geographical areas in the book and how they may be of interest to each individual child.
Following this, using the i-pads the children sourced where in the world they would like to visit and used their chosen picture as a visual aid to help them create and design their own letter to Earth, giving reasons as to why they would like to explore that area. When completed, the letters were compiled into a book which year 5 had the pleasure of sharing with year 4.
World Book Day was then celebrated in a whole school 'House Team' challenge which supported what the children had learnt from the book. Each team worked together to create a large-scale art project using recycled items to reinforce the books message to emphasise how the Earth is being damaged by waste and pollution and what we could to future protect it.
There was super team work throughout the day and amazing collaborations were constructed, some of which are now displayed in the school reception as a reminder to everyone the importance of caring for our planet.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
"Dollar Street"
As part of our cross-curricular learning, we have incorporated computing into certain areas of our maths lessons. This week we introduced real life data using the 'dollar street' website, a project to demonstrate how people manage on all income levels across the world.
Using QR codes to access the website, the children were able to source various families and the monthly budget that each individual household had to live on i.e. purchase food, essential toiletries, clothes and housing. They then had to use division skills to calculate the budget that each household would have for a week in dollars before converting the amount to British pounds.
The lesson was not only a fun way to develop the learning of division, it also gave the children an insight into how differently families throughout the world live.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Safer Internet Day
Today is 'Safer Internet Day' and Year 5 have been learning about the different types of influences on the internet and how we can approach them. The children had the opportunity to discuss the positives and negatives of internet use and how to use it whilst remaining protected online.
Rhythm with "Boomwackers"
This week in music year 5 have been learning about rhythm. Playing the 'Boomwackers' they had to carefully follow the instructions on the board to produce a fantastic music collaboration. It was great fun and all of the children agreed the lesson was extremely uplifting and inspiring.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
"Make a Difference"
This term, all of the children throughout the school are being encouraged to ‘Make a Difference.’
For their assembly, year 5 decided to research various people who have made a significant impact on others and the environment and share their findings with the rest of the school.
To prepare, year 5 worked in small groups to find all of the relevant facts on their chosen person, once completed, this was then made into a power point presentation.
In their assembly, all of the class confidently shared their knowledge on five individuals who had personally made a difference to vulnerable people, the environment and the charities they had founded.
First Aid - Revisited!
This week in PSHCEE, year 5 have revisited their knowledge of first aid.
Firstly, a discussion took place about the actions that should be taken in the event of an emergency situation and being faced with a casualty. Following this, the children participated in role play scenarios and took turn practising putting a casualty into the recovery position approaching the activities with a mature and caring attitude.
Each child showed a good understanding of how they would act if they found themselves in an emergency situation - undoubtedly a few medics in the making!
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Happy Christmas Jumper Day!
Year 5 brought lots of sparkle and cheer to school today when they wore their fabulous Christmas jumpers to school . A delicious Christmas meal was prepared and served by our amazing staff in the kitchen and enjoyed by the whole school. Many thanks to Mrs. Probert, Angela and Mike for providing us with such a banquet.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Enterprise Week
As part of the whole school 'Enterprise week', Year 5 participated in planning a business idea in which they had to produce a product that could be sold at a profit.
After deciding their product would be 'Chocolate Balls' they then began the process of putting their plan into action. During their maths lessons they learnt about profit, stock, revenue, credit, loss, marketing and production. The children researched who their target audience would be whilst simultaneously considering dietary requirements, how much resources would cost, how many they would be able to make and the cost they would have to sell for in order to generate a profit.
The class worked together to formulate a considered letter in which they applied for a business loan from Mrs. Callaway to raise the funds to begin their business venture. Once the loan had been approved and materials purchased, a production line was implemented where 200 hand crafted and beautifully decorated chocolate balls were created.
Interactive marketing took place with small groups of children each producing their own enticing advertisement which were then shared around the school.
At the Christmas Fair, the children eagerly took turns in sales learning how to negotiate with customers who were looking for a 'deal' as well as understanding how to calculate if it was necessary to reduce cost or incentivise when the market began to subside.
The whole class remained enthusiastically engaged in each activity throughout the week and the aim of understanding economic strategies throughout problem solving and financial awareness to develop enterprise had been achieved with many budding entrepreneurs created.
Once the whole school profits had been calculated and analysis of the activities completed, there was an award ceremony and Year 5 were extremely proud to receive the award - & the accompanying sweets- for the most interesting and innovative marketing and advertising.
Well done on your hard work and super achievement year 5!
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Reading the Classics
This term, Year 5 have been enjoying reading and studying the classic book Charlotte’s Web written by E.B. White. In guided reading groups we have analysed the characters, inferring information about them and the development of their relationships. The children have explored vocabulary, analysed the writer’s purposes and intentions in different parts of the book.
This week, the children looked at how to summarise the events surrounding The Miracle and, using the knowledge gained, created and had fun performing role plays.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Inverse Equation Fun!
This week in maths, Year 5 have been learning how inverse equations work.
Using the four main operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, the children have been able to complete problems which show the opposite effect of another operation, for example, addition and subtraction and multiplication and division.
To support their learning, working in pairs, the children used a variety of numbers to calculate the answer to inverse operations.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Make Some Noise!
This week, Year 5 attended a whole school assembly led by Ben Smith to launch the schools anti-bullying campaign.
Ben Smith, a marathon runner explained to the children how being bullied as a child for being different has led to him becoming a marathon runner and how it resulted in him changing his life in a positive way. The children learnt how Ben set up the 401 foundation to provide grants to organisations and individuals to enable them to focus on self esteem and mental health. To raise the funds for this cause, Ben set himself a target of running 401 marathons in as many days - hence the foundations name.
The talk was funny and informative with some super questions from the children and was a great opportunity to launch Avalon's own 'Make a Noise' anti- bullying week of learning and activities.
It started with 'Odd Sock Day' were both children and adults came to school in wacky odd socks and the children were also able to design their own odd socks, this helped develop an understanding of accepting each individual's differences and accepting people for who they are. Donations raised for the day have been sent to the Anti- Bullying Alliance.
In their PHSCEE lessons, year 5 have discussed the areas of verbal, physical, social, prejudice-based and online bullying, its impact, and how to deal with it.
A whole school assembly gave parents and guardians the opportunity to see what nursery and each school year have learnt including; how emotions can be affected by unwanted behaviour towards an individual, how negative actions can impact on others, how speaking to a teacher or other trusted adult can help resolve issues and the importance of not suffering in silence and how famous people, past and present, have stood up to prejudice and being bullied, turned their lives around and through talking about their own personal experiences have made a difference.
Remember, don't keep it inside, Make A Noise!!
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
The Ancient Greeks
Year 5's Humanities topic this term is the Ancient Greeks and they are covering a wide range of content to support their learning.
To begin, the children examined a map which detailed the area the Ancient Greeks had inhabited which allowed them to use the information to gain an understanding of the land features as well as the surrounding countries and seas. From this, they were able to determine lifestyles, transport, infrastructure and how it would have been constructed.
Learning about Spartan Warriors and the educated Athenians opened up a debate regarding stereotypical gender types as the roles from each were defined - the women carrying out household chores, sewing, washing etc whilst the men forged weapons and went into battles, which group were educated within a democratic society and which were dictated to by the Kings. The pros and cons of each were discussed and year 5 each decided which part of the Greek culture they would prefer to join.
Over the next few weeks the children will be taught about the 12 Olympian gods, symbols associated with them and their area of responsibility, with Greek myths concluding the topic.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Alternative Beach School
Weather conditions led to Year 5 having an alternative Beach School today, however this did not dampen their enthusiasm for learning!
Using a mix of water, oil and food colouring, the children had fun creating their own 'illusion Wave' Bottle' which gives them the opportunity to analyse the movement of waves and how oil and water react in different situations.
As the lesson progressed, the children continued to develop their maths learning objective of weights and measure. The children had to predict if either a cup of water or a cup of sand would weigh more, then in small groups they used scales to accurately weigh each to calculate if their estimate was correct. They then moved on to exploring various rocks, again estimating their weights before weighing each of them on their scales. There were several surprises as the children realised that the largest rock was not always the heaviest or the smallest the lightest.
As the lesson concluded, ice pops and pirate jokes were shared and enjoyed by all.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Maths on The Beach!
Today's maths lesson on the beach was an extension of the work we've been doing in class. We have been looking at shape this week and, in particular, the words "parallel" and "perpendicular". The children were challenged with the question:
"if you put bisecting diagonals within a quadrilateral, will the lines always, sometimes or never cross at right angles?"
We built two models using stones to help us answer this question. The children explored the angles that the bisecting diagonals created and realised that, in fact, it was sometimes true (It was true for the regular shape - the square). We discussed the fact that in the rectangle, although it did not create perpendicular lines, children were able to see that opposite corresponding equal angles were created!
Beach School
On arrival at the beach today, Year 5 reviewed their previous learning at Beach School and discussed the importance of the beach environment, weather conditions and how to stay safe on the beach.
As the outdoor learning developed, the children watched a demonstration on how to use a compass to help them identify where North, South, East and West are located, using angles from 45 degrees to 360 degrees. Then, using shells, pebbles and other beach materials, the children arranged compass points on the sand to correctly plot the points for North, South, East and West.
The lesson concluded with time to paddle and scour the beach for treasure.
Lots of outdoor learning fun!
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
European Day of Languages
To celebrate European Day of Languages, year 5 enjoyed visiting each class in school to learn about and experience different countries throughout Europe.
A highlight - with many thanks to Mrs. Probert for providing - was having the opportunity to sample the traditional food from each country they visited.
Delicious!
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class gallery
Maths Challenge using the Bar Model
In their maths lessons this week, Year 5 have been learning the concept of using a bar model (pictorial rectangle). The children have incorporated the bar model to solve number problems such as finding the unknown quantity using addition and subtraction to complete the missing chunks and will continue to further enhance their skills over the coming weeks.
Settling Back Into School
Cross curriculum learning continues to be an important aspect of learning throughout year 5.
Today in their Art lesson, the children have experimented with various materials including watercolours, chalk and soft pastels incorporating blending techniques to create different images of The Planets. The art activity is supporting the Science topic of 'Earth and Space' that year 5 are currently learning about.
For more photos click here for the Year 5 class Gallery.
Welcome back to school Year 5
