Sycamore: Year 5 and Year 6
Welcome to Sycamore Class - Years 5 and 6. We are the amazing Sycamore Class taught by Miss Ryder and supported by Mrs Harries.
WELCOME TO SYCAMORE CLASS!
Sycamore Class School Year 2023-2024
Welcome to Term 2!
We hope that you have all had a wonderful half term break and that everyone is raring to go for the next stage of our learning journey!
Let’s see what this term has to offer:
- In Geography, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of global trade and consider the importance of Fair Trade to farmers.
- In English, we will uncover an exceptional friendship through Michael Morpurgo’s gripping desert island adventure – Kensuke’s Kingdom.
- In Maths, we will continue to explore the four operations and apply knowledge gained to inform our understanding of fractions.
- In Science, we will be exploring properties of materials and will investigate a variety of materials to decide which ones are best suited for a given task.
- In Art, we will consider shapes of buildings and memorable aspects of Bristol. We will use a variety of drawing techniques to create a cityscape of the skyline of this bustling city.
- In RE, we will be thinking about how Christians view the birth of Jesus.
- In PE, we will be studying dance.
- In Music, we will learn Christmas themed songs to perform at our community events.
- In French, we will be learning a story about Father Christmas to share with our friends.
We also have an exciting trip planned to the Theatre Royal in Bath to see Peter Pan Goes Wrong!
Watch this space for a plethora of Christmas activities to enjoy in the lead up to Christmas!
So let’s not waste any time – hang on tight for a remarkable ride – Term 2, here we come!
Home Learning:
It is really important that children spend some time at home each week consolidating their learning at school and it is helpful if they have a quiet space to do so. You can find a copy of our Home Learning Expectation on the policies section of our website. In our class the expectation is:
- Weekly spellings and multiplication tables plus reading at least 4 times a week.
- A weekly task linked to an area of learning from across the curriculum. All children will be given a homework book to take home; this will be used to complete their topic-based task which needs to come into school every Monday with the completed work enclosed.
- Year 6 will begin to focus on some revision work in preparation for the SATs in May.
Spellings:
Children will come home with spellings stuck into their home contact book on a Monday. In their homework books, it would be helpful to write a sentence that shows they understand the word and how to use it correctly within a sentence. They will be tested on their spellings on the following Monday morning. The word will have to be written in a sentence in the test too.
Reading books:
Regular reading to an adult is still important, even for the ‘free’ readers as this supports their fluency and expression as well as checking that they understand words that may be new to them and the content.
Please make sure reading records, and books, come into school every day. Each time your child reads, please date the relevant box and add your signature. We do not require a comment unless you wish to add one.
Please ensure your child is reading for 20 minutes at least four times per week.
Below there is a video to support you as parents to help your child read.
As the children have mastered the skills of phonetically decoding words and are reading with more fluency, there are still skills that the children must learn and build in order to become truly fluent. When hearing your child read at home, it is important that they read the punctuation; pausing where appropriate or adding emphasis and expression. Modelling a sentence that they may have misread is a good way to do this and then asking your child to reread the passage adding in what they have learnt.
We want to foster a love of reading as this will not only open up the world to them but is also key to helping them learn across all subjects as they move to secondary school.
The two films below show how it is possible to praise and guide your child at home when you hear them read.
Example lesson : Reading with expression
Example lesson : Reading the punctuation
Times Tables:
Children in Year 4 are expected to know and recall at speed all the times tables facts up to 12 x 12. This knowledge is vital to help them be able to move their maths learning on during year 5 & 6. To help with keeping the table knowledge fresh, please ensure your child uses Doodle Tables 4 times a week.
Please note:
- Children will take part in PE lessons every Friday. Please send your child to school wearing their PE kit.
- Please bring to school a spare pair of shoes or wellies for our Adventure Play and Paddock area.
- Please make sure children always have a coat in school as we will be outside as much as possible in all weathers.
- Children will take part in swimming lessons every Friday in Terms 1, 2 and 5.
- Children will take part in Forest School ever Friday in Term 6. Please ensure children have long trousers and long sleeved tops.
Assessments this year:
There are some assessments that are statutory. Year 6s will sit their SATs in May and there are regular school assessments in preparation for this. Year 5s will also have assessments throughout the year in a format that is familiar to them.
These are nothing to worry about; we will ensure that the children are ready and prepared for these. More information about these will be available nearer the time.
Communication:
As a school we have an ‘open door policy’. It is always best to talk to us straight away if you have any worries, concerns or questions. Dojo is a very easy way to contact me. I operate ‘quiet hours’ but will get back to you as soon as I can. Our school newsletter is the main form of communication between school and home and it is essential that you take some time to read this each week. Lots of useful information about our school can also be found on our website.
