Year 5 act up

Year 5 are an entertaining bunch, and their love of putting on a show peaked this week in a particularly busy schedule of performances.

It was great to see them smiling broadly throughout the carol service on Tuesday, showing clearly how much they were enjoying being in the spotlight and sharing what they’d learned. Equally obvious was the hard work which had gone into memorising the words for so many carols - one in faultless French.

A different kind of performance came earlier in the week, when they had the opportunity to showcase the African tales which they had been working on in drama. In English lessons this term, Year 5 have read and analysed a huge range of traditional African stories, using these as a springboard for creating their own. In small groups, with Mrs O’Hare, they devised words and actions to bring these tales to life. They relished the opportunity to show these to the other Year 5 class, who, in turn, loved spotting the different features of African stories.

As a festive finale, the children have spent the last week putting together their own performance poems on a Christmas theme. Howls of laughter were heard in the T block as they came up with Michael Rosen-styled family disasters on which to base their poetry. We hope none of your Christmas festivities feature the exploding puddings, disastrous presents, bullet-hard Brussel sprouts or trips to A & E, which populated their poems… Further laughter ensued as they regaled each other with their comic verses.

As well as having a lot of fun, the children have developed some really important skills as part of these performances, skills which they will continue to use throughout their lives. Speaking clearly, interacting with an audience, using gesture, pace, tone and movement to get their ideas across - all these are tools which our engaging Year 5 continue to master.