Year 5 humanities and seniors assembly on 'change'

History

It won’t be long before we all catch sight of the fairy tale spires of Highclere Castle, where we will explore the intriguing story of Howard Carter and his discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Nothing like an ‘Indiana Jones’ story to bring History to life, is there? ( A letter will soon be distributed.) Meanwhile, Year 5 have delved into the characters of Egyptian gods, comparing the Egyptian creation story with Christianity, as well as having fun penning a persuasive advert along the lines of ‘Gods ‘R ‘Us.’ It has been wonderful to see the ‘gods’ come alive in the shape of cardboard models and the interest the children have displayed!

Useful web links for history

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/

http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/history/index.html

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.html

Geography

This term has seen a focus on ‘Our Island Nation’- exploring and presenting information about the respective countries, within the UK. Mapping and studies of European countries will continue to provide exciting research!

The best way to learn about our world is to explore communities, both close to home and further afield. This way we learn about environments, landscape and people. Provide your child with a map, an atlas or a globe. There is a wonderful ‘app’ designed to encourage children ‘s curiosity called Barefoot World Atlas by Touch Press - available from the Apple App Store.

If you possibly can, read stories every night which include settings and geographical locations. This is one of the best ways to invoke curiosity and a love of the natural world eg ‘Wind in the Willows,’ ‘Journey to the River Sea,’ ‘The White Giraffe’ etc.

Find the geography in your home. Where in the world did your furniture, ornaments or kitchenware come from? What materials were used? How far did they travel? Are there any environmental issues? Maybe you could explore your Family Tree and investigate geography within your family? Where did the food you’re eating, come from? Make a scrapbook to reflect your community – people, plants, buildings, landmarks. Create a map of the area. If you travel by train then make the journey part of the learning process. Look at the houses and landscape through which you travel and talk about what you see.

Postcards, posters and ‘First News’ for children are all excellent means to explore geography. Picture books, too.

Useful web links for geography

kids.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.google.com/earth/

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/mapping-our-world

http://test.glossopedia.org/

http://www.climatecops.com/index.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/barnabybear/

Year 5 also had a senior assembly this week which talked about ‘Change’

‘Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.’ George Bernard Shaw

‘Change’ was the focus for the senior assembly this week. The weekend had brought a dramatic change to the weather. No matter how much we yearn for the sun and warmth, autumn has arrived and we have to accept it! Many of us, not just the children, find it difficult to adapt to new situations or to change our minds and our attitudes. We are not always ready to listen to others or to see the positives that change can bring. We may be fearful of the unknown. Learning to accept advice from people who really care about us helps us to acknowledge that it is through change that we can all move forward and make progress.

The children listened to the poem, ‘You’re Right,’ said Grandad by Joan Poulson which describes how a grandad is cajoled by his grandson into accepting that his life will be much better when he moves out of his second floor flat into a bungalow. The children gave answers showing great insight and empathy to his feelings. They thought that they would have tried to persuade him that change would be good for him if they had been the grandchild. They thought about changes that they have been asked to make by their teachers and like the grandad in the poem they are going to try and ‘laugh’ and say ‘you’re right!’

Mrs La Farge explained the changes to the registration procedure whilst Mr Bridges gave the ‘Walk to School’ statistics which showed that more than 50 per cent of children across the school had taken part. He asked the children to continue this change and walk to school every morning as it would be beneficial to their health, their learning and the environment.