Welcome to Year 5/6 Merlins Class!

We want to start off by saying a huge WELCOME to Year 5 and Year 6! 

In Merlins this year, some children will begin to prepare for Year 6 as they step into UKS2. Our Year 6 children will be given lots of opportunties to prepare for high school. This is going to be an excting year with lots of great learning taking place. Miss McWilliam and I have the wonderful task of making sure that this year is a successful one but we will need everyone to make sure they follow our school core values of respect, responsiblity and reselience every day!

We cannot wait to see all the amazing progress your children will make this year, and look forward to all the fun, happiness and learning that this year is going to bring! 

Meet the Team

The teacher in Merlins this year is Mr Brading. The teaching assistant is Miss McWilliam.

Creative Curriculum

Autumn Term

Anglo Saxons and Vikings

During the Autumn term, pupils will learn about The Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. We will explore and analyse the timeline of British history; thinking about Britain before and after the Anglo Saxons.  We will consider how life in Britain changed after the Romans left and during the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods. We will explore how the waves of invaders, settlers and immigrants have influenced Britain today (How does modern Britain still show the influence from the many invaders, settlers, and immigrants across centuries of history?). We will explore reasons for the different experiences of groups of people arriving in Britain (Do all settlers in Britain get treated the same?) 

We will continue our learning around this topic in our English and Reading lessons too!

Spring Term

The Ancient Maya

During the Spring Term, pupils will learn about the Maya civilisation and compare it to Britain in AD 900. We will explore what changed during the pre-Classic, Classic and post-Classic periods of the Maya civilisation, how it changed and the impact of the changes. Know that changes do not happen at a steady rate and that multiple changes can happen at the same time. 

We will also be looking at Central America in Geography. We will nvestigate the Mayan settlements and land use, economic activity, trade links and use of natural resources such as energy, food, farming and water. We will also compare the different challenges those in Central America face compared to the UK in regards to climate. 

Summer Term

Suffragettes Movement

During the summer term, pupils will learn about the Suffragette movement. We will explore what changed for women during the early years of the 20^th century. What was life like before the women’s suffrage movement? What changed afterwards? Did it change for all women? We will compare the impact of the Suffragette and Suffragist movements. Explain the impact of the First World War on the campaign for women’s suffrage.

Important information for parents 

The children will have PE on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Spring Term. The children should come to school already in their PE kits.They will stay in their kit all day on these days.

Please ensure that hair is tied back and any jewellery is taken out to avoid any accidents.

PE kits must be a white t-shirt, black shorts/joggers/leggings and trainers/pumps. 

Year 5 will be swimming on Thursdays in Autumn instead of the Thursday PE day.

Year 5/6 Statutory Spellings

Below is a list of spellings children in Year 5 and Year 6 should know how to read and write by the end of the year. Please practice these with your child where possible. They wil be sent out throughout the year as weekly spelling practice and repeated to help with memory retention. 

Useful Websites

BBC Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary

Topmarks Maths Games: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?AgeGroup=2

Purple Mash: https://www.purplemash.com/login/

Spelling Shed: https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/

Times Table Rockstars (TTRS): https://play.ttrockstars.com/ 

Rewards

In Merlins, we have a recognition board with all of the children's names. Each child must work hard to meet our core values and follow our school rules in order to acheive Dojos and other treats thorughout the year. We always give out stickers and Dojos for great work and super behaviour, as well as prizes if the children hit 100 Dojo points by the end of the half term. Children can be selected as our Star of the Week by demonstarting good behaviour, having a great attitude to their learning, being a good classmate to their peers or doing something FANTASTIC! This pupil will recieve a Marvellous Merlin award at the end of the week in celebration assembly. 

Contact / Class Dojo

At Abingdon, we use Class Dojo which is embedded within every year group. We use Class Dojo to engage parents by sharing photos and videos of exciting moments in the classroom and around school. It is also an effective way for parents and teachers to communicate, via the app.

Homework

The expectation is that your child reads for a minimum of 3 times a week at home and logs on to TTRS 3 times a week too - this should be for a minimum of 5-10 minutes per session.