Emmaville Primary School

Antarctica Year 5

Welcome to the Antarctica Year 5 Class Page.  Here, you can find out about everything that we've been doing this term.
Friday 15th November
Wow, wow, wow! Year 5 have impressed me SO much this week with their amazing English writing skills. We have been looking at suspense stories, and how to build tension when we write. I am so excited to read their fantastic stories next week, but, I wanted to share some of our super sentences from our description of a bear today. 
 
'His eyes were full of raging fire.'
 
'The knife-like claws were destroying everything in it's path.'
 
'Don't be fooled by the fur, as whilst it is as soft as the finest silk, it holds a deadly threat.'
 
I cannot believe how talented our class are - such beautifully descriptive writing.
 
We have also been looking at a new book in Guided Reading - The Sleeper and the Spindle. Our class have had such incredible discussions as we have progressed through the story, and we cannot wait to finish reading it on Monday and find out what happens next!
 
Have a great weekend,
Miss McKean and Miss O'Hara

Friday 8th November

Happy first week back!

This week in Antarctica class, we have been learning about discrimination in PSHE. We have been talking about the different groups in society that may be left out, or that people may be unkind to. This week, we focussed on the topic of racism. I was so proud of the children for their mature and sensible attitude, and their opinion that this is NEVER okay! The children have made some discrimination ribbons, as ways to promote this message of hope and love. I am so impressed with the children for their beautiful work, and I hope that they continue to spread such joy and love to everyone!


Have a great (and well deserved!) weekend.

Miss McKean and Miss O’Hara

Thursday 24th October

Wow – I can’t believe that our first half term in year 5 is finished! We have worked so hard for 8 weeks and have settled into the routines and expectations well.

One thing that I want to celebrate this week is how hard the children have worked in maths. We have been looking at money, using column methods to add and subtract. This was not easy, as many of us couldn’t remember the steps, and we found it super tricky at first. We have used our Growth Mindset to make sure we do not give up – and it has been worth it! The children all did incredibly at their end of topic mini-test. We could not be prouder of their progress, from being underconfident and not very sure to being superstar mathematicians!

Have a great half term, and a well-deserved rest!
Miss McKean and Miss O’Hara

Friday 18th October

This week saw us carry out our experiment that we had planned in our previous science lesson. We got our equipment set up, and started to gather and record results. We had to work out the mean average of the results, to give us an accurate reading. Most of our predictions were correct! It is always great as a teacher when you return from some time out of class and another teacher tells you how great your class have been – this week, Mr Saddington was so impressed with the children in our science lesson. I couldn’t be prouder!

Have a great weekend,

Miss McKean and Miss O’Hara

Friday 11th October

In science this week, we have been super scientists and have been designing our own experiment! We want to investigate if the temperature of water or the amount that we stir the water will change the speed that sugar dissolves. We can’t wait to test it out next week!

Since the start of term, we have been lucky enough to get some football coaching from Warren. Warren has been teaching us key skills needed for football; like reactions and reflexes, pivoting, and moving with agility. These sessions have been so much fun, and we are learning so much!

Have a great weekend,
Miss McKean and Miss O'Hara

Friday 4th October
I could not be prouder of the children this week - they have been amazing! 
In science, we were looking at concentration gradients, and what other way to watch this in action than with a delicious-looking experiment using skittles! The children designed and conducted experiments using skittles and water to investigate what would happen when the two mix - will the sugar move?
As part of our English lessons this week, we have been looking at poetry. It was National Poetry Day this week, and we certainly made sure we looked at lots of poems! We have looked at some by Matt Goodfellow, Valerie Bloom - and one in particular by James Berry took our interest. Here is a video of the children performing 'People Equal', it is a fantastic poem!
Have a great weekend,
Miss McKean and Miss O'Hara

Friday 27th September

Wow – another busy week has ended! We have worked so hard this week, and made so much progress.

In science, we have been looking at dissolving – our big question was: where do things go when they dissolve? We stirred some sugar into water, and it looked like it had simply disappeared! We found out more about the particle model, and now we understand that it does not disappear, but the sugar particles mix into the water particles and it becomes a solution.

In PSHE, we have been learning more about the Rights of a Child in Britain. We are very fortunate to live in a country where we are safe, respected and have the right to an education. I was so impressed with the children in their discussions about why it is great to live in the UK – they are such empathetic children. They have made me so proud today!

Miss McKean and Miss O'Hara

 

Friday 20th September
Wow! What a week it has been. We started off the week with our School Councilor speeches. They were all amazing, and the children should be incredibly proud of themselves. It was Isabelle N and Charlie T that took the win for our class - I can't wait to work with them this year.
In science this week with Mr Saddington, the children looked at filtration. Their job was to separate some dirt and sand from water - and just a sieve wouldn't cut it! Using filter paper and funnels, they watched as the water dripped through.
In guided reading, we used a strategy called Conscience Alley. This is a drama strategy, where a character walks down an alley made up of the rest of the children - who are all expressing their opinions and thoughts. The character has to make a decision by the time they get to the end - it is a great way for them to understand different points of view! The children did amazingly in this activity - we have been reading 'The Brockenspectre' by Linda Newbery in our Guided Reading sessions, and this activity was a great way to make sense of what we know so far.
 
Have a fabulous weekend!
Miss McKean and Miss O'Hara

Friday 13th September

What a busy week it has been! We have started to get into the swing of year 5, and the children have been amazing. I have two amazing things to share with you this week – the children have made us so proud!

In English, we have been writing poetry using figurative language to describe a shark. Here are a few examples;

Shark – Joshua K

Super eyes see like x-ray cameras

How sharp are those daggers of teeth?

A shark’s nose could smell a salmon from a mile away!

Racing through the sea like a rocket

Kick that beast? Take it from me, if I were you, I wouldn’t!

 

Shark – Holly A

Sharp teeth to scare

Head of a devil

Ancient scars to show he’s tough

Roaring flippers like a jet

Careful if you approach the glider of the night!

 

Shark – Liam E

Teeth as pointy as the sharpest knife,

Eyes as black as the darkest ink,

Opening its mouth, ready for a fishy bite!

Scars like it has been in the war,

A demon of the water,

Fin as triangular as the perfect pizza slice,

As tall as the tallest skyscraper,

As fast as an F1 car!

 

Shark – Ella W

Fin as strong as a bodybuilder’s arm,

Teeth as sharp as a knife,

A heart that can beat you up,

Skin as soft as satin.

Eyes like black holes,

Skin the colour of the moon!

 

Wow! I am sure you’ll agree that they are absolutely fab.

I also want to share some of the artwork that the children have created, using watercolours. We were painting pictures of Antarctic scenes, inspired by David McEown. Miss O'Hara and I couldn't believe the painting skill of our class, they were absolutely incredible and made sure to put their best effort into their work. Well done Antarctica class, you are amazing!

Have a great weekend!

Miss McKean and Miss O'Hara

Friday 6th September
Wow! What a great first week it has been for our brand new Antarctica class. We have spent time this week getting to know one another, and thinking about what we would like to achieve in year 5. We made a list of rules that we thought were important to us, such as being respectful and kind to everybody - and making sure we try our best no matter what.
 
This morning, we took part in a National Assembly from Picture News, called #BiggestAssembly. It had over half a million children listening in, and we learned about our community and making sure everybody in our community is safe, happy and felt welcome. In our class, we talked about our different communities and how we make everybody there feel comfortable. I am sure that as the year progresses, we will use these skills to show love to our classmates and school community - we are a team at Emmaville!
 
Have a great weekend everybody,
Miss McKean and Miss O'Hara