20.5.25

What a brilliant week we've had in Year 5! On Tuesday, we kicked things off with Sports Day—and what a day it was. The sun was out, spirits were high, and the school field was buzzing with excitement. From the classic howler throwing to high-energy sprints and the ever-entertaining standing long jump, every single child gave their all and cheered on their friends with enthusiasm and sportsmanship. It was wonderful to see teamwork in action, with plenty of high-fives, encouraging chantsand even a few dramatic photo finishes. Whether pupils were speeding across the track or giggling their way through the sack race, the energy was infectious and the e atmosphere full of fun. A huge thank you to all the grown-ups who came to support us—it really made the day extra special!  

  

On Wednesday, we traded sports kits for science caps as we headed to the Science Museum in London for an exciting workshop all about forces. The children explored gravity, friction, air resistance, and all sorts of scientific wonders with hands-on experiments that had them thinking like real physicists. In the workshop, they tested how surfaces affect movement, launched mini rockets, and even worked with a hollywood stunt man to explore the wonders of forces. The who am I exhibit was a particular favourite, with its interactive exhibits and surprising science moments—there were squeals of delight and wide eyes at every turn. As one pupil put it, “I didn’t know learning science could be this cool!”  

It’s been a week full of movement, curiosity, and lots of laughter. We’re so proud of how our Year 5s have thrown themselves into everything—whether sprinting towards a finish line or launching a water-powered rocket into the air. Here's to more weeks like this one (but maybe with a bit more sitting down)!  

  

 

 

16.5.25

What a brilliant fortnight we've had in Year 5! It’s been full of adventure, creativity, and a few questionable Viking crimes (we’re looking at you, sheep thief!).

In English, we've been sailing the high seas alongside Michael from Kensuke’s Kingdom. After reading his gripping tale of survival, we’ve been busy writing our own ship's log entries. The classroom has come alive with dramatic waves, desperate SOS messages, and eerie feelings of being lost and alone on a desert island. Some of our logs have been so realistic that we almost felt seasick! Next week, we’ll be using all that inspiration to begin writing our very own desert island stories. We're already bursting with ideas—some of us are imagining hidden treasure, mysterious island creatures, or characters building coconut-powered boats! Whatever direction our stories take, they’re sure to be full of creativity and excitement. Meanwhile, in History, our learning came to life during the much-anticipated Viking Day! The classroom was full of fearsome warriors, braided hair, homemade helmets, and a whole lot of excitement. We began by carving our very own runestones, using Viking-style symbols to record our names and secret messages. It was messy, hands-on, and a brilliant way to understand how Vikings recorded their stories without books. Next, we put our artistic talents to work by designing and painting our own Viking shields. The patterns were bold, colourful, and fierce enough to scare off any enemy raiders! Some children even based their designs on real Viking shield discoveries. The highlight of the day had to be our Viking courtroom trial. We held a dramatic session in which brave (and slightly cheeky) Vikings were put on trial for crimes such as pig stealing, helmet borrowing without permission, and even lying about who drank the last of the mead (or squash). Our Viking judges were firm but fair—and discovered they had a real flair for delivering justice with a dramatic flourish!

We’re not slowing down anytime soon! Next week, we’ll be diving into our own desert island adventure stories, using everything we’ve learned from Michael’s journey in Kensuke’s Kingdom. We'll be using all five senses, powerful vocabulary, and our imaginations to create stories that will take our readers to faraway shores. In history, we’ll continue learning about Viking life, including their travels, beliefs, and battles.  It’s been an action-packed two weeks and we’re only just getting started. Year 5 have truly impressed us with their enthusiasm, creativity and curiosity—bring on the next adventure!

2.5.25

Year 5 have loved our maths topic of algebra since returning from the Easter break. We have had some real breakthrough moments where we realised that we had already experienced and been answering some algebra-style questions, they were just missing the letters! We have been solving for the missing letter and finding many different possibilities to solve an equation and the children have been working extremely hard on these types of questions.

There is a huge buzz in Year 5 at the moment around our new science topic, the life cycle of plants, and our DT topic- making Bolognese. We have completed some theory based lessons this week, gaining some knowledge on these topics and cannot wait for the next couple of weeks where we will be dissecting plants to identify the different reproductive parts and being given the opportunity to make and brand our own bolognese! Update soon!

4.4.25

This fortnight, Year 5 have been diving into a very exciting and important topic: climate control. As part of our learning, we've been exploring the impact we have on the environment and thinking about what we can do to make a difference – right here at school!

One of the biggest ideas to come out of our discussions was the need for a compost bin in our school. We noticed how much food waste is thrown away each day, especially at lunchtime, and we knew there had to be a better way. Composting is a brilliant solution — not only does it reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, but it also creates rich soil that can help our school garden grow.

To take action, each of us wrote a formal letter to the headteacher, explaining why getting a compost bin is such a great idea. We worked hard to use persuasive language, include facts about composting, and clearly explain how this small change could have a big impact. Some of us even offered to help look after the compost bin ourselves!

Through this project, we’ve learned how our voices matter and how we can use our writing skills to speak up for the environment. We’ve also started thinking of ourselves as eco-warriors — people who take responsibility for protecting the planet. From switching off lights to reducing single-use plastics, we’ve been making small changes that add up to something powerful.

Our hope is that our letters inspire real change in our school, starting with a compost bin and growing from there. Watch this space — Year 5 are just getting started!

21.3.25

Year 5 have done some amazing work as scientists over the last 2 weeks. We have been researching and comparing the life cycles of various types of animals. One task was as a table to produce a poster on the life cycle of a mammal: gibbon, human, dog, bat and dolphin and present the life cycle to the rest of the class. The posters have proudly been on display in our classrooms for everybody to see. We have also created wheels on paper plates to show the 4 stages of the insect life cycle, choosing either to create a wheel for a ladybird or a wasp. We were extremely surprised when we watched a video of the ladybird growing from an egg to a fully grown adult! 

7.3.25

For the past 2 weeks, year 5 have been exploring war poetry, creating our own versions of the poem In Flanders’ Fields. They used fantastic vocabulary and impressive detail to portray the life of a soldier during and after the war. Here are just a small selection of some of the wonderful pieces of work: 

7.2.25

Last week, in Year 5, we continued with our Macbeth writing topic. We stepped into role as the witches and wrote our own version of the famous ‘Hubble bubble, toil and trouble poem.’ We added lots of gross and gruesome ingredients into our poems and continued to try and include Shakespearean language in our work. On Friday, we video called with all the other schools in the trust and performed sections of our poems to each other (see picture below)! We even copied our poems up in our English book in handwriting pen- showcasing all the hard work we have put in with developing our handwriting this year! In DT, we worked hard in groups to build truss bridges using spaghetti and masking tape (with varying levels of success). We persevered and tried to see how the truss structure would create a stronger bridge. Next Friday, on Roman day we are already looking forward to constructing our wooden bridges and applying all that we have learned! 

24.1.25

Shakespeare has reached Year 5! This week, we have explored the beginning of the tragic tale of Macbeth- stepping into role as Lady Macbeth and writing persuasive letters betwixt them to convince slaughter King Duncan, thus claiming his rightful position on the throne and having the crown bestowed upon him.  

In DT, we are well under way with our unit on bridges. The children have explored building truss bridges, using triangles for support, using spaghetti and masking tape as their equipment. We will be testing these bridges in due course to assess the strength and whether these were better designed than the arch and beam bridge we had built previously. 

10.1.25

It has been a busy start to Year 5 in 2025! We have dived into our new text of War Horse, a story told by Joey the horse and his experience of the First World War. The children have been incredibly enthusiastic, learning lots of new horse-related and archaic terminology. We are continuing with our science topic around properties of materials and focussed on identifying reversible and irreversible changes. Our practical work this week featured mixing very potent- smelling white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, and included some very badly melted chocolate! 

6.12.24

Year 5 have had an exciting two weeks, including our most recent trip to the Tate Modern in London. We loved the experience of seeing Surrealist art in the flesh, and actually got to see a real life Salvador Dali picture after weeks of learning about him! We spent time in the gallery sketching some of the artwork and having a go at creating some of our own artwork inspired by what we saw when we were there. A great time was had by all. We have also spent time in Geography learning about some of the climate zones and extreme weather events in North America, mainly focussing on the United States. We have produced some fantastic writing explaining what happened in events such as Hurrican Katrina, and are already excited to consolidate all this learning in our USA Enrichment day next Friday! 

WB 7.10.24

In the past two weeks, our Year 5 students have been reaching for the stars—literally! Their space-themed journey began with a Solar System workshop, where they explored planets, stars, and the mysteries of our galaxy. They learned fascinating facts about each planet, how they orbit the sun, and the vastness of the universe beyond. This hands-on workshop sparked many questions and fueled their curiosity about space. 

The adventure continued with an exciting trip to the Astrodome, a 360° immersive experience that brought the night sky to life. Inside the dome, students were treated to an incredible view of the constellations, learning how ancient civilizations used them for navigation. They also discovered the different phases of the moon, how eclipses occur, and even how far light travels in space. It was a captivating experience that left them wide-eyed and inspired to explore further. 

To bring the learning back to the classroom in a creative and tasty way, students then had the chance to study the phases of the moon using Oreos! By twisting, scraping, and reshaping the icing, they recreated each phase—from new moon to full moon. Not only was this a fun way to reinforce their learning, but it also helped them understand how the moon changes shape as it orbits the Earth. 

This has truly been an out-of-this-world fortnight, filled with hands-on learning, curiosity, and imagination. The students are buzzing with new knowledge and are eager to continue exploring the wonders of space! 

WB 23.9.24

Year 5 have been WOWing us with their scientific knowledge and enthusiasm learning all about Earth and Space. We discussed some key questions, “Why is the Earth spherical?” and “What causes day and night?” and drew diagrams to help us explain the answers to these questions. It has been getting us incredibly excited for our Astrodome workshop in only 2 weeks time!

We are also over halfway in our class novel ‘There’s a Boy in the Girls Bathroom’. This week we have been noticing key differences in the two main characters- Bradley and Jeff- as the story has progressed, and reflected this in diary entries where we took on the roles of both characters. The children were fantastic at switching roles and thinking about how each of the characters would have felt and what they would have written in their diaries based upon different events in the story.

WB 13.9.24

Year 5 have had a wonderful first fortnight back at Dilkes, exploring our new topics with great enthusiasm!  

In English, they showed a knack for fantasy writing with their own versions of The Tale of Three Brothers, showcasing their learning from year 4 and working hard to uplevel their vocabulary. They have dove headfirst into our new book ‘There’s a boy in the girls’ bathroom’, empathising with the main character Bradley and using this understanding to write diary entries as him.  

In History, they have been learning all about Monarchs throughout the years and have stepped into character as an angry baron living under the reign of King John.  

In DT, we have started developing our ideas for our very own electric greeting cards, complete with flashing lights. The children have had some impressive and innovative designs to put forward for this project. We look forward to seeing how they progress over the coming weeks and the final products they produce!