Years 5 & 6

Stargazers

Happy New Year! We do hope you had an enjoyable and restful Christmas break.

This half term, our topic is Stargazers and our curriculum focus areas are Geography and DT.

In Geography, the children will recap the continents and oceans of the world, as well as learning where the UK is in relation to the rest of the world. They will be comparing the physical features of the Lake District and Milton Keynes using ordinance survey maps, as well as comparing their land use.

In DT, the children will be learning about countries involved in the Space Race and the development of rockets for space travel. The children will then have the opportunity to design, make and evaluate their own rocket that includes different mechanisms.

Our Science work will be developing the children’s understanding of night and day, as well as revisiting the planets that make up our solar system. We will also be investigating forces including friction, air resistance, water resistance and gravity.

This term, we will continue with PE twice weekly in school. No children will be attending swimming in Upper Key Stage 2 this half term.

Here are some things you might want to do at home:

• Conduct your own research into the Space Race
• Research how space travel has developed over time and create a scrap book to help inspire your own creation this half term
• Take a trip to the Science Museum
• Research who Katherine Johnson was and her impact on space travel
• Design a new space suit for the astronauts, labelling what materials you are using and why. Can you find some materials around the house to create this with?
• Make a model of the solar system and try to depict the relative size and distance of the planets using your maths skills

Homework

We will be continuing to set homework this half term in line with the homework policy:

• In Year 5 and 6, maths homework is set every Thursday and is due in the following Tuesday.
• Spellings are set on a weekly basis and will cover National Curriculum spelling rules as well as the common exception words for the key stage.
• Children are expected to read a minimum of five times per week and this is to be recorded in their planners (Year 6) or reading records.
• Children should access TT RockStars for a minimum of 10 minutes daily.
• Throughout the year, additional spelling, punctuation and grammar homework may also be set to support the learning taking place at school.
• Homework club is run every Thursday during lunch time if the children would prefer to complete this at school.