As part of our ‘Earth and Beyond’ topic, we have been exploring pastels and how these can be applied to cosmic art! We first practised pastel techniques in our sketch books (a really important process) before taking time to consider scale and composition for our final pieces. 5J had a creative and skill-filled afternoon!

As we wrapped up our Macbeth topic, we published letters written from the point of view of our characters in our performance. To add to the excitement, we had a secret mission to write and deliver our letters without being detected. We also looked at some 17th century letter folding techniques to ensure our messages were kept private. 5J did some outstanding writing, showcasing that immersive experiences really do pay off.

5J had their moment on stage this week where they participated in The Shakespeare Schools Theatre Festival. They wowed the audience with their professionalism, style and stage presence. I could talk all day about how amazing they were but instead I’ll let the 5 star reviews do the talking! Congratulations team!

This term we have been learning all about different views on creation from Genesis to the Big Bang. This week’s lesson prompted lots of deep thinking and discussion about whether or not different beliefs can co-exist. 5J brought this thinking together in a wonderful piece of work where they documented their ‘I Wonder’ thoughts. They were then also able to make connections between these different ideas.

We have had a busy but wonderful few weeks of the new term in 5J. Every year our Year classes take part in the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival. We have one half-term to learn, create and finesse a Shakespare play- in our case ‘Macbeth’.

The children have worked hard to understand and embody ‘ensemble theatre’, learn lines and get to grips with the theatrical process of putting together a performance ready show. We still have work ahead of us of course but if what they have so far is anything to go by, the show will be a roaring success! Shout out to Miss Jackson’s dad and Ethan’s Grandma for helping to make the props!

It has been quite the exciting morning in year 5 today. We were lucky enough to join an online assembly with the record breaking explorer Robert Swan. This wasn’t your average assembly- this was being broadcast from the Antarctic! We had the opportunity to see their camp and learn all about Robert’s mission to protect this amazing continent. Feeling quite inspired, our Eco club representative was eager to pass on some ideas at his next meeting and some children even decided to change their plans for their biography to write about Robert!

This week made the journey to Adel Woods and whilst it may not be in the Arctic like our inspiration, Ernest Shackleton, there was definitely a chill in the air. We made sure to wrap up warm and head out to get den building.

The children collaborated in their teams to consider the purpose of their shelters and how they might apply knowledge (such as triangulation) to support their structure. I think you’ll agree that they did a fantastic job!

We have been up to a lot this week in 5J, kicking off the week with Odd Socks Day and our Anti-bullying film making workshop. We learnt about the importance of being an upstander rather than a bystander. We also had lots of fun. I’ll let the pictures do the talking but I think the grown-ups may have even more fun.

Work has continued on our ‘Pole to Pole’ topic this week where we used our jumpers and a couple of boxes to learn how tectonic plates create mountain ranges. The children asked Miss Jackson lots of thoughtful questions to deepen the learning.

As part of our observation of Black History Month, we looked at black British literary talent. Miss Jackson recommended the book ‘Windrush Child’ by Benjamin Zephaniah. William felt so motivated that he went to the library, found the book and read in one weekend! He has inspired more of us to have a read over the half-term break.

We also read some poetry by Lemn Sissay (another British poet). We were inspired by his poem ‘Let the Light Pour in’ to think about what little things might bring joy to our day.

This term year 5 have been learning all about pilgrimages across different religions. This week, we have been learning about the Muslim pilgrimage ‘Hajj’. We brought together our learning of the ‘what’, the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ via a creative approach. See below an excellent example of a child demonstrating their knowledge but then deepening this thinking to consider what it might be like to embark on this spiritual journey.

A creative representation of the Ka’bah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia with a reflection alongside this.