Welcome back to a new year and a new term! It’s been an exciting and engaging week in year 5, with lots of new topic information and vocabulary to eat up; a new timetable and lots of active learning!
English paved the way for our topic with the book Moth by Isabel Thomas and Daniel Egnéus; which tells us the story of how the peppered moth adapted to its environment, as its habitat changed due to human action. We explored modal verbs through this topic, as well as using the UN Sustainable Development Goals to make links with the story. Finally, we wrote an explanation of the peppered moths adaption, following the story in our own words and created our first display of the topic!
Modal verbs:
Modal verbs change or affect other verbs in a sentence. They are used to show the level of possibility, indicate ability, show obligation or give permission. Modal verbs are always followed by another, “ordinary”, verb.
The most common modal verbs are:
- will
- would
- should
- could
- may
- can
- shall
- ought to
- must
- might
We explored our topic further in playful enquiry: by making our own fossils, sketching fossils; researching our evolution timeline and exploring a range of new books populating our learning street.
Maths was an recap of times tables and multiplying by regrouping. We were introduced to new vocabulary to use when multiplying. The main words are:
- multiplicand – size of the group
- multiplier – number of groups
- product – end number when the multiplicand and multiplier are multiplied together
One of the analogies we used is: if there were 4 three-wheeled cars (e.g. tuk tuks), the multiplicand would be 3 (the size of the group, three wheels), the multiplier 4 (the number of groups of three wheels) and the product 12 (3 x 4 = 12). In times tables, the multiplicand is the number of the times table, e.g. 3, and the multiplier is which calculation you are undertaking, e.g. 3 x 4 = 12, 3 x 5 = 15)
W1 Maths Multiplication Practice (Independent)
Our handwriting focus was practicing sloped writing with speed, using the letters ff. Our spelling words were: insufficient, different, affectionate, indifference, insufferable, efficient.
We embarked on naming the human body in Mandarin, using the song “head, shoulders, knees and toes” to introduce the vocabulary.
Next week:
- English – writing a biography of Charles Darwin
- Maths – formal methods of multiplying i.e. long multiplication; as well as factors, prime numbers, squared and cubed numbers
- Topic – investigating fossils
- Mandarin – continuing with parts of the body
Year 5 has started using photo pegs, for year 5 pupils to choose to showcase their work. If a child “pegs” their work, a photo of it will be anonymously uploaded to the school’s Instagram account. No names or photos of children will be uploaded to this account, in line with school safeguarding procedures.
https://www.instagram.com/unicamprimsch/