In Year 5, our DT unit was on using electronic systems in a greetings card.  We looked at electrical circuits and the components needs to make one work, then how these could be adapted to use in a greetings card.  We found out the graphite was a conductor, but it wasn’t as reliable as copper tape (which we used in place of wire).  We designed Christmas cards that had a light-up element and we used LEDs for the lights as they are small, easy to work with and powerful. We used coin cell batteries as these worked best with the type of switch that we included (we didn’t want our cards to run out of battery too quickly!) It was tricky at times to ensure our circuit was complete, with gaps in the tape where the LEDs and the battery were. We were really pleased with our end results and hope that they bring joy to our families this Christmas.

Year 5 had a fantastic time working with clay to sculpt their Viking Warrior Heads. We used lots of different tools to create different textures in the clay. Some of us wanted to experiment with mixed media and have woven materials like wool, hessian and foil into the clay to create different effects. We are so pleased with the results.

Children in Year 5 are loving their Maths lessons! In our Power Up today, children played a game which demonstrated their secure understanding of place value. They had to roll a dice and create a number larger than their partner’s, deciding where each digit should go. The maths talk was amazing and the children were able to justify their thinking using appropriate vocabulary.

Schools up and down the country were raising money for Sport Relief last Friday. We enjoyed learning the official Sport Relief dance routine and completing a variety of fun activities. Thank you to everyone who donated!

Year 5 are currently studying the Amazon rainforest and as part of our study, we have researched the different species of animals and insects living there, looking at how they have adapted to the Amazon’s climate. We decided to choose our favourite Rainforest animal and, using acrylic paint, painted them onto a canvas. We are very pleased with the results.

In MST week in Design and Technology, Year 5 have been exploring and making bridges!  We looked at the common shapes in bridges and we noticed triangles were used in most bridges.  We found out that triangles are very strong shapes and create tension and compression which make a bridge really strong so it can withstand heavy loads.  We made spaghetti truss bridges in small groups and evaluated their success.  Finally, we made a wooden truss bridge using what we had learned!  We are really proud of our results and had lots of fun!