Swans

 Welcome to the Swans

 We are the Year 5 class team:

Mrs Leach – Class Teacher

Mrs Adair - Teaching Assistant

Email contact 

SLeach@sharnbrookprimary.beds.sch.uk

For SEND contact Mrs Wildman

sendco@sharnbrookprimary.beds.sch.uk

  Year 5

Swans

Autumn Term 2025

PE lessons are on a Tuesday and Friday for the duration of this term. Children are to come dressed in their PE kits on these days.

Please refer to the knowledge organisers and weekly timetable for further details of specific lessons and times.

Homework is compulsory and includes reading daily at home, one of these sessions should be to an adult. This should be for a minimum of 20 minutes and all reading should be recorded in the reading diary.  Children should also be working on their timetable knowledge through TTR for a minimum of 25 minutes throughout the week and completing the assigned spelling tasks on Spelling Shed.  Some of these spellings will be tested in our weekly spelling test, which will be held on a Monday.  With spelling and timetable work, little and often is a much better approach than doing it all in one sitting, as this aids long term memory. One longer piece of homework will be set on a weekly basis. The children have been provided with a reading a homework diary, please sign the books at the end of each week to acknowledge that you have seen the homework which has been set.

Healthy Snacks may be brought in daily to eat at morning break.

Water Bottles may be brought in each day and kept with the children throughout each lesson. Water bottles will need to go home daily to be cleaned and refilled.

Pencil Cases:  All pupils should have their own stationery for lessons and all writing will be in blue pen. In pencil cases children will need: a blue ballpoint pen, a graphite pencil, a ruler, a rubber and a sharpener (pencil crayons and felt tips are optional). It would also be helpful to have a small glue stick, pair of scissors, a compass and protractor. Please make sure your resources fit into one pencil case.

Curriculum
ENGLISH

In the first half of the term, our English learning will be inspired by 'The Queen of the Falls' by Chris Van Allsburg. This powerful and thought-provoking story tells the true tale of Annie Edson Taylor, a retired schoolteacher who became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive. Children will explore the themes of bravery, determination, and ambition, using the text to develop their comprehension and writing skills. Through a range of activities—including sequencing events, exploring character thoughts and motivations, and writing in role—pupils will build up to creating their own diary entries or recounts that capture key moments in Annie’s extraordinary life.

In the second half of the term, our work will focus on 'The Lost Happy Endings' by Carol Ann Duffy, a beautifully written and richly illustrated traditional tale. The story tells of a young girl named Jub who guards the happy endings of all fairy tales, until they are stolen by a wicked witch. Children will explore the language, structure, and imagery used in the text, and use it as a springboard to write their own traditional tales. They will develop their descriptive writing by focusing on vivid settings and memorable characters, and will plan alternative endings where a character’s unkind behaviour leads to their own downfall. This unit will also provide opportunities for drama, discussion, and deeper thinking about morals and consequences in storytelling.

MATHS

Throughout this term we will be covering blocks on Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, Decimals and Fractions, Measure and Data, Multiplication and Division.

ART and Design

The Swans will have their art and design lessons with Miss Gingel on a Friday afternoon.

GEOGRAPHY

In Geography this term, we will be exploring the enquiry question: 'What is life like in the Alps?' Children will begin by locating the Alps on a world map and identifying the eight countries they span. They will investigate both physical and human characteristics of the region, including mountains, rivers, tourism, and settlements, with a particular focus on the city of Innsbruck. Through research and data collection methods such as questionnaires, route mapping, sketching, and photography, children will gather information to build a clear picture of life in this mountainous area. They will also compare the geography of Innsbruck with that of our own local area, considering similarities and differences. By the end of the unit, children will be able to describe key aspects of the Alps’ human and physical geography and confidently answer the question: 'What is life like in the Alps?'

HISTORY
In History this term, we will be learning about the Ancient Greeks, focusing on the question: 'How did Greek culture outlive the Ancient Greeks?' Children will explore key aspects of life in Athens and Sparta, including government, education, and daily routines, and will learn about the origins of democracy and how it compares to systems we use today. Through engaging lessons, pupils will investigate how Greek ideas, such as architecture, philosophy, language, and the Olympic Games, continue to influence our modern world.

SCIENCE

In Science this term, children will begin by exploring the topic of 'Earth and Space'. They will learn about the movement of the Earth, Moon, and planets in relation to the Sun, as well as how these ideas have developed over time—making links to our History topic on the Ancient Greeks and their early theories about the solar system. Pupils will investigate day and night, time zones, and the phases of the Moon through practical activities and model-making. In the second half of the term, our focus will shift to 'Forces'. Children will explore gravity, air resistance, water resistance, and friction, carrying out investigations to observe how forces act in different situations and how they affect motion.

In the mornings Swans will be expected to walk independently to the classroom from 8.40; a member of the Swans team will be in the room to greet them from this time and the children will be expected to complete their morning work. The children will be dismissed from the classroom at 3.20pm. The children have been told that they must return to the classroom if an adult that they are expecting to meet them isn’t on the playground, ie they are not to just walk home. Please reinforce this with your son/daughter. If your son/daughter is going to be walking home independently, please communicate this in their reading/homework diary or by dropping me an email.

Mobile phones: We recognise that some pupils may need to/wish to bring a mobile phone to school if they are walking to or from school by themselves. All phones need to be named and turned off once on school grounds. In the classroom they will be collected and placed a secure box, the children will collect their phones prior to leaving the classroom at 3.20pm. If pupils have phones out in the classrooms they will be confiscated and a parent will have to collect it from the office. No phones will be allowed on any school trips or visits.

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask if there is anything you are unsure of or require further clarification on.
Mrs Leach and Mrs Adair