| Year 5W |
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Summer Term 2008 |
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(18.7.08) Year 5 had a fabulous time on the fields adjacent to Kenwood House today. Not even the drizzle towards the end dampened their spirits! Thanks to all the parents that came! Sorry I missed you at the end to say goodbye.
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Tuesday 15th July 2008 |
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Lower field |
Lower field then Class 5W |
Benches outside 5W classroom |
Upper field outside 5W |
Upper field then benches |
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9.30 – 10.30 |
10.45 – 12.20 |
Lunch 12.30 – 1.30 |
1.30 – 2.00 |
2.00 – 3.00 |
3.00 – 3.30 |
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9.30 – 10.00 Football – Finlay/Harry O 10.00 – 10.30 Tag |
10.45 – 11.30 Cricket – 11.30 – 12.00 Cycling and Scooters (Adam & Harry R) 11.50 – 12.20 Chess – Thomas 12.20 – 12.30 Titanic Drama – Jake Tom and Jerry - Nick |
Fish and Chip lunch plus cake made by Natasha. With music from a range of 5W musicians organised by Charlie. Magic trick show by Leo |
Karate – Michael |
Fun at the fair and Wacky Races A selection of fun and games based on the passions and talents of the rest of the children. |
3.00 – 3.10 Meditation - Michael 3.10 – 3.30 Passion gifts presentations (Spring and Summer Term) |
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Pietro our ICT expert will be filming the events of the day. Mr. Whiting will be in charge of photography. |
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Passion Day
(10.7.08) It looks like 'Passion Day' is going to happen at last this Tuesday 15th July 2008. We are looking for parents to make contributions such as snacks and drinks to complement our fish and chip lunch. Class reps have been asked to provide plates, cutlery, salt, vinegar, ketchup, etc. The children will be informing you of what's going on over the next few days. Hopefully we will have a time-table of events sent out and on this website soon. Parents are welcome to pass by, especially at the end of the day from 3.p.m to see gift books handed out for those children who presented their passion in the Spring and Summer terms. For more information, please watch this space!
P.S. Letters asking for help with the picnic were sent out today.
Jake presented his passion today on the story of the 'Titanic'.
Highgate Survey Success
(8.7.08) The Highgate Survey was a big success! The children had a great time finding out about the High Street and what the public felt should be done to improve it. BTW Can you spot the difference below?
The Beatles crossing Abbey Road!
5W children crossing Southwood Lane during survey!
(7.7.08) News update London Zoo trip cancelled.
Unfortunately due to the Unison strike (letter sent home today), the trip to London Zoo has had to be cancelled. We hope to compensate for this in some way by organising a picnic to Hampstead Heath either on Friday 18th or Tuesday 22nd July. However, nothing can be confirmed as yet and we may have to cancel this too! Boo hoo!!
(7.7.08) News update The only possible day left to have the PASSION DAY is Tuesday 15th July because of the Unison strike and the extremely busy time-table over the next two weeks. We won't be able to use the lower field in the afternoon though, because the infant sports day has been rearranged for this day! Therefore I will book the field for the morning. BTW There isn't any swimming that day because of a gala at Park Road. Here is the crazy time-table for next week and beyond...
Mon 14th - Flower and Produce Show
Tues 15th - Passion Day and Infants Sports Day
Weds 16th - a.m - Class changeover - 5W go to 6MP to say hello to Mrs Parker! p.m - school closed because of Unison strikes.
Thurs 17th - a.m. Special assembly. p.m - school closed because of Unison strikes.
Fri 18th - Possible day for picnic but return by 1.20 p.m for afternoon activities.
Mon 21st - School performance of Macbeth
Tues 22nd - Possible picnic day - (We would usually use this day for clearing up the classroom though!)
Weds 23rd - Leavers service at church and special p.m. assembly.
(5.7.08) News 1 Due to circumstances beyond our control, the 'Passion Day' cannot happen on Monday 14th July as originally stated. We hope to re-organise things for the following day. Watch this space!
News 2 There is also doubt of whether we can attend London Zoo on Thursday 17th July, due to proposed Unison strikes. Again - please watch this space!
News 3 You will all be pleased to know that Mr. Whiting got a thorough soaking at the Summer Fair today! Photos on the website soon!!!! Many ex-St. Michael's children queued patiently for revenge!
(3.7.08) We hoped you enjoyed our assembly. Mr. Whiting's favourite poem written by a member of 5W was: 'I wonder where the teachers sleep' by Elliot. Here it is:
I wonder where the teachers sleep
I wonder where the teachers sleep
I wonder where they go
I wonder where the head was born
A million years ago.
I wonder if they have a dad
And a mother too
Do they go to the fun fair?
Or do they go to the zoo?
Do they climb trees like us?
Do they have any fun?
And where do they go
When the day is done?
Are they really aliens?
Do they come from space?
Are they really super spies
Who cannot tie their lace?
Maybe teachers aren't so bad
Maybe they are stars
But look at all the teachers, no
I don't think they are!
(26.6.08) Please come to our class assembly on Wednesday 2nd July 2008. The class have organised a series of performance poems, and a song especially written by some of our boys! The song and some poems are based on the assembly topic for this term - 'Change'. Some poems are written by the children and others are poems chosen from a selection of books in class.
(24.6.08) Thanks to those parents who have offered to help for the Highgate Survey, Passion Day, and London Zoo.
(26.6.08) 5 parents have been chosen to help this Tuesday with the Highgate survey. Don't expect things to be overly organised as the children are using this as an experiment and the main aim is to learn from the experience and improve the survey for the future. Parents of Sid, Isobel, Harry R, Thana, and Oliver have all been chosen to help. Please turn up at 1.30p.m and no sooner. Many thanks.
(16.6.08) We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo! How about you, you, you? You can come too, too, too! We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!
Year 5 will be visiting London Zoo for a fun day out on Thursday 17th July. This trip is a non-educational treat for the children to say thanks for all their hard work this year. Details of the trip will be with you soon. We are looking for 4 parents from each class to come too, so please speak to your teacher or class rep if you can help!
PASSION DAY
(26.6.08) Passion Day is coming soon! On Tuesday 15th July 2008 our class will be celebrating all of our passions in a special day filled with activities, food, and entertainment. If any parents are available to help or bring ideas for our special day, please contact Mr. Whiting a.s.a.p. A letter regarding the day will be with you soon!
Some more creative writing for you!
(15.6.08) See some more brilliant poems based on Simon Armitage's 'Ten Pence Story' on the creative writing page (see left).
(9.6.08) Over the next weeks, 5W children will be assessed in mathematics in relation to the key objectives for Year 5. In an ideal situation your child should be confident in the following areas by the end of Year 5:
- Multiply and divide any positive integer up to 10000 by 10 or 100 and understand the effect.
- Order a given set of positive and negative integers.
- Use decimal notation for tenths and hundredths.
- Round a number with one or two decimal places to the nearest integer.
- Relate fractions to division and to their decimal representations.
- Calculate mentally a difference such as 8006 - 2993.
- Carry out column addition and subtraction of positive integers less than 10000.
- Know by heart all multiplication facts up to 10 × 10.
- Carry out short multiplication and division of a three-digit by a single-digit integer.
- Carry out long multiplication of a two-digit by a two-digit integer.
- Understand area measured in square centimetres (cm2); understand and use the formula in words 'length × breadth' for the area of a rectangle.
- Recognise parallel and perpendicular lines, and properties of rectangles.
- Use all four operations to solve simple word problems involving numbers and quantities, including time, explaining methods and reasoning.
Please feel free to help your child in these areas, if you feel they have not achieved the objective.
5W help raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
(23.5.08) St. Michael's children dressed in yellow on Friday 23rd May to help raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. 5W children joined in the fun as you can see from the photos below.
Half-term Project
(21.5.08) Today the children were given their half-term projects, a copy of which will be provided on this website very soon. The project involves making a Doctor Who tardis which opens out and reveals a presentation on either the Aztecs or the Solar System. Due to the immense effort the children put into their writing projects, this project is optional. However, we would love to see the children make an effort to complete the task. We stress, nonetheless, that we are not expecting an all 'singing and dancing' project!! Unless, that is, your child really wants to!
CLIFF McNISH VISITS YEAR 5
(12.5.08) Children's author Cliff McNish visited Year 5 on the 12th May 2008. Cliff held a questions and answers session, before providing children with a writing task on characterisation. He was immensely impressed by the children's writing and also praised their enthusiasm in discussions on ghost stories in which he was doing research for a future book. Time was also allowed for signing books, and pictures the children had drawn of 'Doomspell' characters and settings.
To see more photos of Cliff's visit and specially written newspaper reports by the children, click on the link to the left of this page.
(5.5.08) The summer term time-table for 5W's passion presentations is attached (see right). Each child should be prepared to present their passions on Thursday or Friday of each week.
Cliff McNish (21.4.08) Don't forget that award winning children's author Cliff McNish is visiting Year 5 on Monday 12th May. Cliff will be discussing his books and teaching lessons on characterisation and story writing. Time is also allocated for book signing so the children are encouraged to bring in copies if they wish. Cliff - like many authors - is not into signing just bits of paper so if a child doesn't have a copy of a book, we recommend he or she draws a picture of a character or scene from one of his stories. It should be a really exciting day for everyone. Buy his amazing books on Amazon here or his publisher Orion here.
Year 5 children will be interested to know that the Autumn term class book 'Coraline' by Neil Gaiman is being made into an animated movie and should be on our screens in February 2009. It is being directed by Henry Selleck who was responsible for animated films such as 'The Nightmare before Christmas' and 'James and the Giant Peach'. Will it be as good as the book? We'll have to wait and see!!
Click here to see a sneak preview of the movie.
Creative Reading (21.4.08)
May I share my thoughts on what seems to be a growing trend in Year 5 classes in recent years. Many children continue to struggle grammatically, structurely, and creatively; especially in story writing.
It is essential that reading and writing are united in any approach to literacy development and not perceived as separate entities. Everyone knows that in order to write, you must first be able to read. So it stands to reason: if you would write well, you must read well. And I don't just mean you can read per se, or even read fast or eloquently. You must read creatively. 'Well' means 'effectively' as well as 'creatively' in this instance.
What is creative reading? It first must create mental alertness by inspiring your imagination. How else will you stay awake or remember what you've read? Next, creative reading should train your eye in style, layout, and grammar; and not just phonetically or for the content. Creative reading provides the ammunition for creative writing. A gun lacks fire without its bullets and vice-versa!
I'm not saying that every reading session should involve creative reading all of the time!! No! No! To enjoy the content of a good story or piece of non-fiction is vital too. But the earlier we can train a child to be the creative reader; the better the writer and subsequent speaker of the English language they will become. The same principal is evident in music. If a child learns to read music as a language as soon as they can pick up a fiddle or a drumstick, then the easier it is to become the fully accomplished musician. It - like creative reading - becomes second nature.
Many children in Year 5 can read very well indeed and have excellent comprehension skills when it comes to dissecting the content for meaning. However, when asked to interpret the stylistic and grammatical elements a sudden mist descends in front of them. 'Nough said! We shall look to improve this as teachers. Is it something parents can help with too? I hope so!
Spring Term 2008
Globe Theatre
(31.3.08) We all had a fabulous time at the Globe Theatre. The children had a tour of the theatre before taking part in a drama workshop based on 'Macbeth'. Unfortunately we were unable to perform this on the actual stage as in recent years, because this time we attended at the beginning of the new season of shows and the stage was therefore out of bounds! Thanks to Bob Williams for his fascinating tour of Bankside after the theatre. The children were enthralled by his stories of bear-baiting and piracy, despite being distracted by a number of ice-cream vans in the vicinity! To see photos of our amazing day out - click here.
Easter service (19.3.08)
Year 5 children performed a contemporary version of the Easter story at St. Michael's Church with help from the school choir. Parents were engaged by the standard of the performances throughout, particularly the choir who sang their hearts out. Well done to Thomas too, for being a brilliant Jesus!
Homework and projects (28.3.08)
A letter that reinforces the expectations of spelling homework has now been sent out (WB 17th March). This is to address a few concerns from parents regarding the difficulty of the writing tasks. A detailed explanation of this will be on this website soon.
The Year 5 writing project has now been handed out and the children will need to complete this by Friday 2nd May 2008. This project will focus on every child's personal writing targets which have been glued to the inside of their project booklet. To allow the children to complete it, they will only be required to write 10 sentences every week for their spelling homework. A copy of the project booklet is also available to download on the right of this page if you lose it!!
NB: Please ignore the content on page two and instead replace it with the alternative page 2 here. This is more appropriate for the needs of our Year 5 children.
In the summer term there will also be an optional half-term project. Topics next term are the Aztecs and the Solar System.
Compassion mufti day (14.3.08)
5W made an enthusiastic and significant contribution to the mufti day in aid of 'Compassion UK' on Friday 14th March. Through Compassion we continue to sponsor four children from economically developing countries (Kenzia, Vijayalakshmi, Christopher, and Carlos).
Not only did 5W dress up in a colourful array of national costumes; they also organised a coffee morning for parents in the Science room. As these photos show; much fun was had by children and parents alike. However, not every child brought their sponsorship money into school, so please make sure they bring it in soon if possible!
Spring-term parent letter
Our topics for the term are The Tudors and Rocks and Soil. We will be visiting the Globe Theatre on Monday 31st March 2008 in relation to our study of The Tudors. Class 5W will probably need about three parent helpers for the day, so look out for a letter regarding this soon.
The half-term project letter is attached here.
In Literacy we will be studying Recounts, alternative Traditional Tales, Myths and Legends and styles of Poetry. Our topics in Numeracy will include 3D Shapes, Graphs and Percentages. We will also be re-visiting standard methods of calculation and word problems. We will endeavour to send out copies of last term’s maths assessments in the next week, and we would be grateful if you could find time to look through these with your child.
Mr. Whiting regrets that he has not had the opportunity to complete a new book list, however, please feel free to get in touch if you would like suggestions for reading books. We also recommend a visit to Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, where the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable.
Once again, both classes would welcome any helpers for group reading at either 9:00 or 3:05, Monday to Thursday. We are also looking for a Dad who would be able to accompany us to the swimming pool on Tuesday mornings. Please get in touch if you would like to help. (All volunteers must satisfy the standard CRB check.)
Oliver programme cover competition
In 5W we held a competition to design the picture that would go on all the 'Oliver' products such as the poster, tickets, and the official programme. We had some excellent entries but Ravi's had something extra special about it and suited the design that Mr. Whiting had in mind.
'Oliver' itself was a major success, raising lots of money for Kirima Primary School in Uganda, as well as our four sponsored children from around the world. Click on the link below to see some photos from the show.
Purchase your copy of the 'Oliver' DVD from Wednesday 26th March 2008.
Cliff McNish
The class book for the Spring term is 'The Doomspell' by Cliff McNish. The book is the first book of a fantastic fantasy adventure where the smaller you are the more power you seem to have. An adventure where adults seem insignificant and a baby boy surrounded by colourful butterflies has an immense impact on the battle between children and Dragwena the witch - the antagonist. Dragwena has four sets of teeth! Goodness knows what her dentist bill comes to! To find out more about Cliff McNish and his other amazing books; including his brilliant book 'The Silver Child' - click on his image or the link below.
Cliff McNish will be visiting Year 5 on Monday 12th May 2008.
World Book Day
The children celebrated World Book Day on March 7th; albeit a day late because of local elections. They were invited to come to school dressed as a character from a favourite book. As these photographs show, 5W certainly enjoyed the experience. Characters included Pippy Longstocking, Tracy Beaker, Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood, and Alex Rider. Can you spot them?
Another Victorian drama was in store earlier this term when 5W travelled back in time to a 19th century classroom at the Ragged School Museum. The children dressed in Victorian costume to make the whole experience as authentic as possible.
The classroom lesson was by far the highlight of the day. The teacher, 'Miss Perkins', was as realistic as she was scary for the children as they sat with backs straight and heads high, as they carried out a typical lesson from the period. The trip also included a workshop on Victorian homelife.
Click on the links to read a recount and see more photos of the trip.
