Welcome back to school! We hope you had a lovely Easter break! 

Staff:  

Mrs Caine 

Mrs Nightingale 

Mrs Higgins  

Summer Term 

Our topic for the Summer term is ‘Marvellous Inventions- The Victorians’. We look at significant event during the Victorian period, The British Empire, life for Victorian children, Victorian engineers and local history.  

RE  

Branch 5 : To the ends of the earth  

In this branch, pupils will study the Sacrament of Confirmation, understanding its links with scripture from the words of the prophets through to the Acts. The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of initiation of the Church. It recalls the Holy Spirit descending on the disciples at Pentecost. The word ‘confirmation’ comes from the Latin ‘firmare’, meaning to strengthen. In the Sacrament people are strengthened in faith through the power of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit are increased. In each sacrament, the prayer asking for the power of the Holy Spirit is called an epiclesis (CCC 1127). Pupils will learn what happens at confirmation and the rich symbolism accompanying the sacrament. When a person is confirmed, they follow in a line of all who have been witnesses to Christ before them. A bishop usually administers confirmation. A bishop is the highest degree of ordination. The ordination of bishops ensures the transmission of the Apostolic line. Every Pope, every Bishop, every Priest has had hands laid on them by someone who has had hands laid on them, by someone who has had hands laid on them by one of the first Apostles. This spiritual character changes them and marks them permanently, imparting them grace – an invitation to live a life inspired by the Holy Spirit and the gifts needed for their ministry. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the bishop extends his hands over the confirmands as a successor of the apostles.  

Branch 6 : Dialogue and Encounter  

The Bible itself is a work of dialogue as the writers’ recount humanity seeking to ‘converse’ with God. It is important that pupils begin to understand how Christians view the Bible and the importance of the Church in helping people encounter the meaning of the text beyond what is written. The word ‘bible’ comes from a Greek word ‘biblia’ which means ‘little books’. The Bible is not one large volume as pupils will perceive it in their classrooms. It is a collection of different writings gathered over time. Within these writings, there are different types of literature, gathered from different sources, probably including oral accounts, that have been gathered and edited over centuries. However, the Church teaches that this library has been written by those inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is more than a work of literature from the ancient and classical world. ‘All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy’ (2 Tim 3:16). But because it carries the human fingerprints of its many authors, the Church assists Catholics in their reading and interpretation of sacred texts. Pupils should recognise that the texts that Christians refer to as the Old Testament are texts of the Jewish religion. For Christians, they are ‘old’ as Jesus Christ fulfils a new covenant which the New Testament recounts. However, God’s covenantal relationship with Abraham told in the book of Genesis remains and the texts of the Old Testament remain relevant to Christians. However, Christians read the Old Testament in the light of Christ, seeing signs of him in the words, actions, and deeds of the Old Testament. The Jewish religion does not share this interpretation and teachers may wish to highlight the importance of being respectful to different understandings of sacred text. This is the nature of understanding intercultural dialogue. The Church proclaims an understanding of Sacred Scripture as part of the revelation of God made complete in Jesus Christ while respecting that different religious and non-religious views may not share in the same revelation. In previous years, pupils have explored the importance of sacred scripture for the Jewish religion. In the encounter dimension of this branch, pupils will be invited to explore more about the importance of Hebrew, the holy language for Jewish people, and understand how prayer, beliefs and sacred objects form part of Jewish life. The Torah is central to Jewish life and the scrolls in synagogues are sacred objects. The Torah contains different names for God, many of which are familiar to Christians. The Shema prayer is the most important prayer in Judaism because it reminds Jewish people that there is only one God. The prayer is handwritten by a sofer (scribe) who uses ink and a quill to write. The written prayer is placed inside a tiny box called a Mezuzah. The Mezuzah hangs on the doorposts of Jewish homes. 

English  

During our English lessons this term, we will be basing our writing around our curriculum theme of ‘Marvellous Inventions- The Victorians’. We will use a variety of texts and film clips as a stimulus to help us engage and immerse in the topic.  We will be writing recounts, diaries, non-chronological reports, newspaper reports, narratives and poetry.  We will be using a wide range of texts to support our writing, some of these can be found on the overview below.  

Weekly spellings are given out on a Monday morning, and will be tested every 4 weeks. Children are expected to learn their weekly spellings each week. Spelling rules are taken from the National Curriculum spelling lists for Year 5 and 6. We will also revise previous years’ spelling rules throughout Year 5.  

Children will bring their reading books home from school every day. It is expected that children will read daily at home as well as in school. E 

Maths 

In Maths this half term we will be consolidating our learning from the previous term by looking at decimals. We will also look at properties of shape including: 2D shapes, 3D shapes and  angles. In the final term we will look at converting units and position and direction. 

It is important that all children in Year 5 know their multiplication facts up to 12×12, children are encouraged to access their TT Rock Stars to help learn their times tables when at home. 

Science 

In science this term we will be learning about living things and their habitats. We will learn to describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird and describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals. We will also be learning about animals including humans and how humans change as they develop to old age.  

PE 

PE will be every Friday afternoon.  Please wear your PE kits (suitable for the weather) to school on Fridays. No branded sportswear is allowed. 

We will continue with our French lessons with Mrs Higgins along with other curriculum areas each afternoon including Computing, Art, Music and DT. We will also be making wider use of our outdoor learning environment. 

If you have any other queries, please speak to Mrs Caine.