Have a look at the link below to see more pictures of Year 5 working with IChemE and meeting MP, Mark Pawsey...

Last Friday, members of the Institution of Chemical Engineers came back to Year 5, this time to help us make model wind turbines!  First, we discussed different types of renewable energy, and learned why these forms of power are so important for the future.  We talked about why the demand for energy was growing, and we wondered how we might create and use electrical energy in the future.  We were also very lucky to meet our local MP, Mr Mark Pawsey!   Thank you very much to all the volunteers from I Chem E who came along to teach us today!

Year 5 have been studying the work of the artists Grayson Perry, Louise Fili and Paula Scher.  We have focused on the typographical elements and have been thinking about the importance of line in our work.  We completed our Art journey by creating our own self portraits in the style of Grayson Perry's 'Map of Days' piece.  We hope you like them!

Film Crew Visits Northlands!

Year 5 welcomed a film crew and representatives from the Institute of Chemical Engineering (I Chem E) today!  The children and the volunteers from I Chem E were creating a video to showcase how industry and education can work together to encourage young engineers and scientists.  The crew was at Northlands for the whole day, filming a video about the importance of creating links between schools and chemical engineering businesses. If you look carefully at the photos, you will notice the current president of the Institute of Chemical Engineering, wearing his chain of office!

Year 5 have been busy researching bread as part of their DT, and creating their own variations on the bread theme... some of us chose to make bread using savoury ingredients such as cheese or onion, while others chose sweet additions such as fruit, fruit flavourings and chocolate.  We couldn't wait to taste and evaluate our work!

Year 5 World Book Day 2023!

In Year 5, we have been analysing some of Jesus’ sayings from the Bible; we collaborated to create a short presentation about what we thought some of the quotes actually meant, then considered why these teachings could be challenging or difficult to follow in our modern world.  Finally, we thought about the impact on the world if everyone did follow these ideas.

Year 5 have really enjoyed starting to read  'Outlaw' by Michael Morpurgo.  The structure of the story has been really interesting!  We have predicted that the story will be told as a flashback, and we have lots of ideas about how the characters in the different timelines might be linked!  We have used the first chapter to inspire us to write a setting description about a storm.  We have developed our 'show not tell' and other descriptive techniques, and we have also explored the effect of shorter, choppy sentences and other devices to build tension in our work!

To introduce our new Theme linked to the Normans, Year 5 have explored some of the images on the Bayeux Tapestry.  We linked this to our Art project, which is on monotype prints, and we have created some fantastic print blocks representing the invading Norman fleet...

Year 5 have been inspired by Space!  We learned about the different planets in our Solar system, and the order in which they are positioned, moving outward from the Sun.  We have created Pocket Solar Systems and these beautiful dioramas!  

Year 5 have been working hard on their Theme learning.  They have been investigating aspects of Viking life, and presenting their findings to other groups in the class.   They then went on to produce these amazing information fact files!

Today, Year 5 really enjoyed their session with the amazing Ricky Dance!  Well done everyone! 

Year 5 have been developing their coding skills.  Today's challenge was to create a simple football game, including 'real world' problems such as friction on different surfaces.  The children also began to explore using functions in place of typing repeated blocks of code, so that they could work more efficiently!

Today, Year 5 welcomed Tom and Alex, two members of the Warwickshire Fire Service.  They came to talk to us about fire safety, and to explain how we can help keep our homes safe, by talking to our parents and carers and completing a home fire safety survey.

For our DT project this term, Year 5 have been busy making Biscuit Houses!  We created and then planned our designs, budgeting and planning out the number of biscuits we would need.  We knew we had to build structures which were stable, and then we had to decorate them- we had great fun, as you can tell! 

In Year 5 this week, we have explored reversible and irreversible changes. We observed the effect of combining vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, and  noticed that the balloon filled with a new gas which we created (carbon dioxide).  We also explored the effect of mixing milk and vinegar to produce casein.  We could see the solid being formed as the two liquids were combined.

In Year 5, we have been studying different retellings of the story of Beowulf and Grendel.  This week, we have focussed on creating character descriptions of the monster, Grendel, using figurative and descriptive language; we hope you enjoy them!

Year 5 have explored different ways to separate different materials which were combined as suspensions, solutions and mixtures. We worked practically to use sieving, filtering and the power of magnets!

Year 5 conducted an enquiry to find out what Christians think about God.  We chose to record our ideas as poems or as information paragraphs.

In our Science this week, Year 5 explored different materials that did (or did not) dissolve.  We used this experiment to inform our ideas about creating our own fair test experiment linked to finding out about how quickly sugar dissolves.  Some groups compared how quickly different types of sugar dissolve under the same conditions, while other groups tested whether warm or cold water dissolved sugar more quickly.  Please have a look at our explorations!

Year 5 have been busy testing the properties of different materials! As part of our Science, we investigated to find out about properties such as thermal and electrical conductivity, magnetism and flexibility or rigidity of materials.  We made a fascinating discovery about the property of the 5 pence coins we were using too; some were magnetic, but others were not.  This led us to explore the age of the coins that we were using, and we hypothesised that older coins must contain different materials as they were not magnetic!

To begin their Viking Invaders topic, Year 5 was transformed into an archaeological laboratory! We learned that archaeology uses evidence and artefacts to draw conclusions.  In this case we learned about a very particular artefact that has revealed a great deal about Viking life and dietary habits!  Have a look at the images below to find out more...

Year 5's summer Design Technology Challenge has been to build a bridge to meet particular design criteria.  We have explored different types of beam, pillar and truss and we have analysed the advantages and disadvantages of different types of bridge design.  We then had a limited amount of time to create a scale model of a bridge; it had to be 30cm (or more) long, at least 10cm high, and had to be able to support a mass of 600 grams... Have a look at our designs! 

As part of our geography work linked to the Thames and river courses, Year 5 have made models of the journey of  a river.  We have included geographical features such as meanders, tributaries and confluences.  We modelled using cardboard, newspaper and tissue paper - we were very proud of the results!

To complete their work on Forces, Year 5 have been exploring some simple machines.  We have focussed on pulleys, levers and gears; we observed some simple machines around us, such as the roller blind and we made see-saw levers from pencils to test the effect of moving the fulcrum.  We explored how combinations of gears change the direction of movement, then made our own combinations of geared systems.

As part of our Tudors topic, Year 5 have made close observations of still life images of food from Tudor times.  We used viewfinder techniques to focus on a specific food item and then worked collaboratively to recreate Tudor foods using newspaper, modroc, paint and other collage materials.  We hope you enjoy them! 

This week, Year 5 have been busy investigating the effect of friction on different surfaces.  They explored how much force was necessary to move a mass over different materials such as carpet, the table top and a foil-covered book.   We also repeated our tests in order to gain an average reading - and therefore a more accurate measure of the force!

As part of our Forces topic, Year 5 investigated the effects of air resistance and water resistance through practical investigations and fair testing; we have had a lot of fun exploring these forces!

This week, Year 5 started their new Science topic on Forces. We created a definition for Forces, and explored how gravity exerts a 'pull' on different objects in the classroom.  We also thought about how the terms 'mass' and 'weight' are similar but different...

Year 5 used collage and cross hatching techniques to create these 'flat but sculptural' pieces based on our Normans topic.  We selected images from the Bayeux Tapestry, one of the most famous and important pieces of artwork from this period. 

Last week, Year 5 went to the National Space Centre in Leicester, to complete our Science topic on space.  We had an amazing time!  There was so much to see in the different galleries - we learned more about our solar system, the universe and we had the opportunity to visit the 3D Patrick Moore Planetarium, which was incredible! 

Have a look at some of our photos to see the exciting activities we were able to try ! 

https://spacecentre.co.uk/ 

Year 5 have been busy making bread as part of their most recent Design Technology project!  We spent time finding out what types of bread other pupils enjoy eating, and then we tasted some different types of bread which originated in different parts of the world.  We then moved on to making our own... and finally, the best part - tasting it!  

World Book Day in Year 5!

Today, Mr Dreadlock Alien, AKA Mr Grant visited us at Northlands!  Mr Grant worked with each class to help them write and perform their own poetry... we even had a mini poetry slam in school!  Here is how we created our Year 5 poem... from page to stage!

Year 5 learned about the Spanish artist, Joan Miro.  We discussed some of the features of his paintings - bright, vivid colours, simple forms and the inclusion of words.

We explored some of his more abstract work, and realized there are often some stylized images within them.

Year 5 welcomed firefighters from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service into Northlands this week.  They came to talk to us about the dangers of fire, and gave us some vital information about keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe.  We had a really interesting and useful morning - thank you for the important messages we learned!

Year 5 have been exploring area in rectangles using this game...

Just for fun...!  To finish off our work on the Vikings and Saxons, Year 5 learned this song, called 'Viking Rock.'  We thought about the instruments which often feature in rock music, such as guitars, drums and vocals with 'attitude'!  We also thought about how the lyrics linked to our learning about Vikings...despite the image on our blog, there is no archaeological evidence that Vikings wore horned helmets!

Year 5 have been exploring and constructing 3D shapes using jelly sweets and cocktail sticks.  We used our shapes to identify the properties of our shapes, such as the number of faces, vertices and edges...

Year 5's latest Art project has been to use the shape and form of Viking longhouses for their own sculptural pieces.  The children have worked collaboratively, using natural and found materials to create their own versions of Viking dwellings.  They explored the possibilities suggested by the available materials and adapted their ideas over time, adding their own imaginative twist.    Each pair was asked to suggest a key word or phrase which summed up their sculpture.   

Year Five are just about to start a new Science topic on Space! Today, we found out a little about the planets in our solar system, and then we went on to create our 3D representations, or dioramas.  We had to decide which size of polystyrene ball best represented each planet, and then we used Internet images to help us choose the correct colours.  We hope you like them!

Year 5 have been practising their skills in choral speaking.  We have been learning the poem, The Crocodile by Roald Dahl.  We have been working on our intonation and expression, and our ability to keep time with one another. We also created our own set of actions to accompany our poem!

Year 5 enjoyed a visit from Tim, who helped us learn about the festival of Diwali, using music and movement.  We told the story of Rama and Sita through dance, and we all had an amazing time!

Thank you, Tim!

Year 5 have been hard at work exploring the Christmas tradition of making edible houses.  We created our initial designs, and thought about how we might make our own houses.  We then created scale plans of our houses, using measured rectangles to represent the choice of biscuit.  Finally, we constructed our houses, and then took them home to taste test!  Tomorrow we will evaluate our designs, and the changes we made to our original ideas! 

Year 5 were lucky enough today to have a session with one of our favourite visitors to Northlands - Ricky Dance!  Ricky spent a session teaching children some amazing dance moves, which we performed in front of Mr Davoile and Miss Isaac.  It was fantastic fun! 

For Maths Week, Year 5 have been creating line graphs based on 'Less Than Zero', a story by Stuart Murphy.  We thought about how a line graph tells a 'story'.  This particular story taught us to consider what negative numbers look like on a line graph.    

We then went on to write comic strips based on the ideas in 'Less Than Zero'.  We hope you enjoy them!

Year 5 have been showing off their creativity in our Friday Free -Time Activity!  Some of us chose to make Viking and Saxon-style jewellery, based on what we have found out in our Theme lessons!  We had some glorious but messy fun designing these creations!

In Science, Year 5 have been exploring different ways to separate materials... We have looked at how evaporating, sieving, filtering and magnets can be used to separate materials combined in different ways.  We have thought about solutions (salt and water), mixtures (rice and paper-clips and flour and lentils) and suspensions of sand and water, where the sand does not dissolve.  Have a look at us exploring these processes!

Part of Year 5's home learning this week was to read about the Notting Hill Carnival, as part of our work for Black History Month.  The children were then tasked with designing their own Carnival costumes - have a look at our amazing ideas!   

Year 5 have been studying the art work of Carolyn Mims Lawrence as part of Black History Month.  We have been looking at the painting entitled 'Black Children Keep Your Spirits Free' (1972).  We looked closely at the painting and discussed what it meant to us.  We looked at the use of contrast and colour, then interpreted a section of the painting for ourselves.  We used water-colour as a basis, and fine-liner pens and/or colour crayon for additional details.  We hope you enjoy this sample of our work!

Year 5 have been reading about Beowulf the Dragon Slayer and as part of our Art Curriculum, we have created super-sized Viking style rings, using ideas from our reading to help us... see if you can notice our 'dragon eyes' within the jewels on the rings!   We have worked over several days, to research styles and types of  Viking jewellery, create our own Viking-inspired ideas, before working collaboratively on larger pieces, using modroc, cardboard and acrylic paints.   We hope you enjoy our work! 

Year 5 have been investigating the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child.  We have been thinking about what it means to be a citizen of a country.  We thought about the rights children might expect to have, but also what responsibilities this brings with it.