Cedar - Year 5

2018 - 19

Year 5 were incredibly excited to start shared reading with the children in Reception. Each Reception child chose a book for their Year 5 reading partner to read to them, and they all listened fantastically well. There was time after reading the story to talk about their favourite parts of the book and what they found funny, and it was wonderful to see the interaction and excitement between all the children. Cedar Class were so enthusiastic about sharing this time and being given the responsibility to help younger children fall in love with reading, that they described it as "an absolute joy!" We cannot wait until our next shared reading time Oak Class!

Welcome to Cedar class, Year 5!

Cultural Day

Year 5 had a great Cultural Day today. We focused on Australia and learnt lots about ancient and modern Australian life. The day started with a look at the geographical features of the country and how life in Australia started many years ago. We then had a go at speaking in Australian lingo, before playing the traditional aboriginal ball game, Boogalah (we had to substitute the kangaroo skin ball with a football!). The afternoon was spent creating some beautiful Aboriginal pieces of artwork. 

We were fortunate enough to welcome Sasha's Mum and Ruva's Dad into the classroom to teach us all about growing up in Slovakia and Zimbabwe. It was an absolute privilege having you in the classroom- thank you so so much!

Hertford Class Trip

To finish off our local study on Hertford, we went on a trip to the historic town and learnt lots about its history.

We went on a guided tour around the town, learning lots about the buildings and what lies beneath our feet (some of us found it pretty cool that we were standing on an Anglo-Saxon cemetery!); we then explored ordinary life in Hertford during the Second World War, looking at authentic and replica objects, documents and photographs; we finished off the day by having a picnic at Hartham Common and enjoyed the sunshine! 

Outdoor Day

Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed Outdoor Day- it was great being out all day in our beautiful school grounds. We started off the day by playing active games about decimal numbers; we then used our drama techniques to think about what we would do if we were deserted in Hertford to help with our Explorer's Guide explanation text; and we finished off the day by using the music garden with Mrs Mo. Fantastic day had by all! 

Ian Green Wildlife Photography workshop

Year 5 had the fantastic opportunity to work with the professional wildlife photographer, Ian Green. We spent the morning outside in our wonderful grounds, learning how to take interesting, beautiful and captivating pictures. We learnt that, often, the most poignant picture comes from looking at the small details and taken from different and unusual perspectives. Thank you so much Ian, you have really inspired the children. We can't wait to see the pictures!  

The Life Bus

Year 5 had a great opportunity to go into the the Life Bus and explore the concept of friendship and peer pressure; the children investigated different ways to say 'no' and gained an understanding of the correct way in which to do so. Thank you Nancy for, yet again, a fantastic experience on the Life Bus - we look forward to seeing you again soon. 

All Change

The classroom has had a makeover! We have our new Harry Potter-themed reading hub and our walls look a little different too... The children have already immersed themselves into their new topic and are looking forward to all the fantastic new learning in store! 

Fantastic Ancient Greek Projects 

Wow! This half term, the children were asked to create an Ancient Greek artefact as homework, for our Ancient Greek Museum. The children have spent so much time and effort on these amazing pieces of work. I am so incredibly impressed. Well done Year 5! 

Ancient Greek Day

Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed our 'Ancient Greek Day' which finished off our exciting

topic! The morning was filled with Ancient Greek pottery making; then we tucked into our Ancient Greek Feast for lunch (some were more taken with the Mediterranean cuisine than others) and the afternoon was full of Greek dancing, Olympic Games and we finished off the afternoon by welcoming the parents into our classroom to enjoy our Ancient Greek Museum. A great day was had by all! 

Olives, Urns and Olympics

We have started our new exciting topic learning all about the Ancient Greeks. We have transformed our 'reading hub' into the Ancient Greek Parthenon; we have been writing our own 'deathly' versions of Pandora's Box and have taken part in 'Madusa's Maths' - Year 5 have really got into the spirit of things!

Which will fall first, the feather or the apple?

Linking with forces, the children explored the shape and texture of an apple and a feather. Through close observations and careful sketching, the children produced these stunning drawings. Well done Year 5!

Forces 

We have been enjoying our science this term. Year 5 have taken part in numerous (messy) investigations and experiments! What fantastic enquiry skills they have! 

Measuring

In maths, we have been practising  measuring and converting skills before using them to help us with our problem solving skills. Well done for working so hard Year 5; keep it up! 

Manor Adventure

Wow, what a fantastic trip the children had at Manor Adventure. It was a privilege to go with them - the team work, encouragement, kindness and resilience they showed was truly fantastic. Here are some pictures to show what the Year 5's (and 6's) got up to!

Freedom and Justice

In R.E., we have been looking at the question, 'How can following God bring freedom and Justice?'. We have explored the story of Moses and have thought carefully about the themes presented. We have thought closely about what 'justice' means to us personally. The children have created some beautiful phrases illustrating their thoughts about justice, freedom and God, which are displayed in our classroom. 

Growth Mindset

Year 5 have started the first 7 weeks, looking very closely at Growth Mindset; in particular, the many functions of the brain. We have learnt how to look after our brain and keep it healthy. We have been reiterating our class motto, 'You never you can't do something, you just can't do it...yet'. 

Welcome to Year 5!

Recently the whole class took part in an inter-school sports competition at Wodson Park, Ware. The children had the opportunity to try various different sports and did remarkably well, bringing home several medals!

We have been learning about historical places in the county of Hertfordshire. We are focusing on St Albans and Hertford and recently took a trip to visit the St Albans Cathedral and the Verulamium Museum. Both places are built on important historical sites. The cathedral was built on the site where Saint Alban, the first Christian martyr, was killed, and the museum is located where the Roman town of Verulamium was once built.

To link with our RE topic, we learned about the importance of pilgrimages to the shrine of Saint Alban. The children were given roles in which they had to make offerings to the shrine and talk (in role) about what bought them to the Cathedral. Some were giving thanks but others were asking for forgiveness! 

In Year 5 we have been learning about the Ancient Greeks. We took part in a Greek Day where we tried Greek food, listened to Greek music and made Greek puddings!

The class also took part in Greek style games and made some Greek style pottery.

In Year 5 we have been learning about gravity. We tried an experiment to see if we could beat the force of gravity! Could we drop an egg from a height and stop it from breaking? 

Working in teams of four, we used a range of materials to build a contraption that might help the egg float or glide - and something to cushion the impact.

We had seven groups. The egg smashed in five of the groups but two groups managed to successfully protect the egg. We discussed air resistance, parachute designs and cushioning effects. We also thought about whether it would be easier or harder to do this experiment on the moon (less gravity but no air)...