How do animals change and adapt?

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Year 5!
This year promises to be full of exciting learning adventures, supported by a range of trips and experiences to enrich the children’s understanding. We have a busy term ahead, and I am excited to support the class as they take part in experiences designed to spark curiosity, encourage creativity, and build confidence in their learning.

Our Expedition topic this term is “Amazing Animals.” All of our learning will be guided by the expedition question: “How do animals change and adapt?” The children will investigate how different species survive in their environments and the fascinating ways they have evolved to meet challenges. To bring their research to life, they will create their own animal fact files, art pieces and mini wildlife scenes using animation. These projects will give them the chance to combine enquiry, presentation, and creativity in a meaningful way.

In Literacy, our core text will be Hannah Gold’s The Last Bear. We will use this powerful story to explore character development, setting, and themes. The text will also inspire a range of writing outcomes, including diary entries written from a character’s perspective and letters that allow the children to practise writing for different audiences and purposes. Alongside this, we will continue to develop key reading skills such as inference, deduction, and summarising.

In Numeracy, our focus will be on strengthening the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) before applying these skills to decimals, fractions, and percentages. The children will also learn how to convert between these and solve real-life money problems, helping to build financial literacy as well as confidence in problem-solving. In addition, we will be completing Big Maths tests on Fridays, which give the children regular practice with the four operations and help develop speed, accuracy, and recall.

In RVE (Religion, Values and Ethics), we will be exploring the question: “What does it mean if God is holy and loving?”  We will also consider the Incarnation and ask: “Was Jesus the Messiah?” Through these topics, the children will reflect on Christian beliefs and discuss how understanding God’s nature can influence the way Christians live their lives today. We will also be engaging in P4C (Philosophy for Children) sessions where the children will have the chance to discuss big questions, think critically, and listen to different perspectives.

I am thrilled about the learning journey ahead and can’t wait to see the children grow, explore, and enjoy new challenges this term. Your support at home continues to play a vital role in their progress, and I am grateful for it.

Regards,

Mr Williams