SEPTEMBER 2007

To the parents/guardians of children in Year 5

Welcome to Year 5
The purpose of this letter is to let you know the kind of things your child will be doing this year and how you can help. We hope you find it useful.

Subjects taught:

Children will be taught all subjects of the National Curriculum plus Religious Education. Most time will be spent on the Core Curriculum subjects (English, Mathematics, Science and Information & Communication Technology). The rest of the time they will be taught the foundation subjects of Music, P.E., Art, Geography, History, Design / Technology and French.

Outline of topics we intend to cover this year:

Science:
* Changing sounds,
* Gases around us,
* Changing States,
* Earth, Sun and Moon,
* Life cycles
* Keeping Healthy.

Geography:
* Mountain Environments,
* Water and its uses,
* Contrasting a UK Locality.

History:
* Henry VIII and his Six Wives,
* Life of the Rich and Poor in Tudor Times,
* Tudor Exploration,
* Aztecs



R.E: Festivals of Christianity, Islam, Who is my neighbour? Communication with God and Where did the Bible come from?

Mathematics Targets

These targets are intended to give you an idea of the kind of things your child should be able to
do by the end of this year.

Key Targets- Year 5

Explain what each digit represents in whole numbers and decimals with up to two places, and partition, round and order these numbers
Use knowledge of place value and addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers to derive sums and differences and doubles and halves of decimals (e.g. 6.5 2.7, half of 5.6, double 0.34)
Use efficient written methods to add and subtract whole numbers and decimals with up to two places
Read and plot coordinates in the first quadrant; recognise parallel and perpendicular lines in grids and shapes; use a set-square and ruler to draw shapes with perpendicular or parallel sides
Draw and measure lines to the nearest millimetre; measure and calculate the perimeter of regular and irregular polygons; use the formula for the area of a rectangle to calculate the rectangle's area
Construct frequency tables, pictograms and bar and line graphs to represent the frequencies of events and changes over time

PE:
Lessons are time-tabled for Thursday & Friday (5B) Tuesday and Thursday (5H)
NB Swimming lessons will take place in the Autumn Term for 10 weeks on a Tuesday afternoon
The children must have their PE kit in school.
They need a white T-shirt (which can be purchased from school), navy blue shorts, black plimsolls (elasticated if possible)/trainers.
When working outdoors during cold weather, a track suit may be worn in addition to the normal PE kit.
All items must be clearly named.

Homework

The work we ask children to do at home is very closely related to the work they will be doing in school. If the work is carried out on a regular basis and supported by parents, it will help the children to make good progress.
Homework tasks at Swan Lane First School

* Regular daily reading from scheme book/library book.
* Weekly spellings to be learnt.
* Tasks to consolidate and practice English and Maths skills taught at school
* Teachers may set topic- related tasks to support learning in other curriculum areas

Big Writing

“Big Writing” by Ros Wilson is a new approach to the teaching of writing which we are using in our school from this September. It consists each day of lively teaching of the four basic principals for successful writing, vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation and culminates in “Big Writing” on a Friday. This is when the whole school writes for 45 minutes to 1 hour on a writing topic that has been introduced to them on Monday. You may be asked to help your child with the writing topic for the week, helping them to think of some ideas for their Friday writing.
Spellings in Year 5

Each Monday the children will be given spellings to learn.

The best way for the children to learn how to spell the words is to :-
LOOK at the word and say it out loud
COVER the word
WRITE the word
CHECK the word. The help of an adult to check they know the words is very useful.

The children will need to spend between 5 and 10 minutes each evening learning their spellings, preferably with the help of an adult.

Reading

The children are expected to bring home their reading book each day and read with an adult. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes each evening. We ask parents to hear their child read, and comment on the reading record card.
With the introduction of the Revised Literacy Framework, it will not be possible for teachers to listen to individual children read from their own reading book as frequently as we have done in the past. Progress through the scheme, however, will be monitored.

Parental Consultations

During the year there will be the chance to discuss your child’s progress during a 10 minute consultation. These sessions take place just before the October half term and just before the February half term.
Towards the end of the summer term you will receive a comprehensive written report on your child’s progress.

Worries or Problems

We hope your child does not encounter any difficulties during the year. If any problems do arise please come and talk to us. Often if a problem is dealt with quickly it can save a lot of worry and upset for all concerned.


Want to help in School?

We’re keen to encourage parents to help in school. This might involve hearing children read, helping a small group to play a game, helping with art, sharpening pencil crayons, etc. we can find jobs to suit all tastes!!
If you would like to help, even for just an hour, please contact us.

All helpers need to complete a Disclosure form which has to be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau. Once we have received notification of clearance you will be able to help.

We hope your child will have an enjoyable and successful year in Year 5.