Year 5 Spring Term 2017-18
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
In Music this term, Year 5 are learning the song ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff. In the first lesson, we listened and appraised the song. We then played some games which helped us find the pulse, rhythm and pitch of the song. Finally, we started the learn the lyrics to the song. In our second lesson, we split into groups and were given the lyrics to the song to go away and learn. We spent time doing this before coming back together and sharing what we had learnt!
Safer Internet Day
On Safer Internet Day, we had a visitor in school who taught us all about staying safe online. He taught us the 'do's and dont's' of using the internet and social media, how to create an avatar instead of using a profile picture, and what our digital footprint is and how we can keep it safe. We learnt a lot of important information which we then took back to class and used to create information posters, leaflets and comic strips to display around school.
Underwater Printing
In Art, Year 5 have been learning the skill of printing. We created underwater scenes using collage and then using polystyrene and clay tools, we created our own fish stamp. We used paint to cover our stamp and then printed onto our scenes.
Visiting the Chicks
Year 5 took a trip to Nursery and Reception to visit the chicks. We built a pen in the middle of the floor so we could observe them and some of us even felt brave enough to have a hold!
Making Music
In Music, Year 5 have been learning the song ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Over the last 3 lessons, we have been adding musical instruments to the song. We have learnt the recorder and the glockenspiel and have been playing along, as a class and as small groups, focusing on keeping to the rhythm and pulse. We have now begun writing our own compositions in the form of a rap, using ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ as a model.
Heliocentric vs Geocentric
In Science, Year 5 have been learning about some of the theories of Earth's movement. Some people believe the sun is in the centre of the solar system and Earth orbits the sun, others believe Earth is in the centre and all planets orbit Earth. We investigated theories put together by famous philosophers such as Copernicus and acted out their ideas through drama performances.
British Science Week
To celebrate British Science Week here at Blackfell, we had a morning dedicated to all things Science! Year 5 moved around three different activities: first, we worked with Miss Henderson to create an exploding volcano, next we visited Miss Hepplewhite where we created our own lava lamps, and finally we spent some time with Miss Kitchen making our own bath bombs. It was a great morning - we had lots of fun and learnt lots!
Snow Day!
We had a couple of snow days here at Blackfell, and Year 5 couldn't wait to get outside to make the most of it! We had a school snowman competition so we built a snowman and a snow unicorn complete with a carrot horn! Some of us were feeling really confident and decided to make snow angels. As you can see, the snow was pretty deep. We had great fun! .
Professor Nitrate
During British Science Week, we had a visit from Professor Nitrate. She taught us lots of interesting Science facts and carried out some cool experiments including demonstrating how thrust is created; what is needed within the fire triangle; how chemical reactions occur; and what air resistance is. It was lots of fun and we learnt a lot!
Our Trip to Gibside
Year 5 went on a trip to Gibside to put all of our Geography skills we have been learning during our topic into practise. In the morning, we went Geocaching. We were split into pairs and given a GPS device; we had to use our computing skills to program it. We then had to estimate how far 10m is using our Maths skills because the GPS systems are not always accurate! Finally, we used our GPS device to track down boxes hidden on the estate. When we found them, we had to solve puzzles and problems linked to the local habitat (Science). In the afternoon, we split into groups and went orienteering. We were given a map of the estate which was marked with points and we had to use our direction and grid referencing skills to find the points and write down a letter that was located there. We had to plan out a route before we left to make sure we did not miss any of the points as we did not have time to turn back – we only had 50 minutes! It was a fantastic day and we were able to put lots of Geography fieldwork skills into action.
