We’re in the very lucky position in 5J to have the first Arts Fortnight of the year. Immersed in the world of Ancient Greece, the children have designed and created labyrinths, learnt a dance based on Theseus and the Minotaur and began to write a wonderful, action-packed piece of creative writing. Collaboration has been at the centre of all we have done this week and it has paid off! We can’t wait for next week to showcase our amazing talents to our families.

Year 5 headed to the Yorkshire Dales this week as part of our Geography topic on rivers. We had a fantastic day soaking up the glorious Yorkshire countryside and testing our fitness levels by climbing up the 412 steps up to the top of Malham Cove. We were rewarded by wonderful views at the top. The children were amazing with several members of the public stopping to tell us how wonderful and well behaved they were. Special shout out to all the staff and parent volunteers who made the day possible.

This week in 5J we jumped into our brand new topic about refugees. This sensitive, important topic was approached with maturity from the class. We have begun to create poetry inspired by one of our favourite poets- Benjamin Zephaniah. In our art we read the book ‘The Journey’ by Francesca Sanna and embarked upon this term’s task- a 3D collaborative installation that will be displayed in our Year 5 corridor. This will be entitled ‘Birds Don’t Cross Borders’. Our first lesson was exploring the work of Lubaina Hadid, noticing her use of 2D drawings tied into 3D design.

This week 5J learnt all about the pyramids built by the Ancient Egyptians. We discovered why, where and how they were built, asking Miss Jackson lots of questions along the way and looking up what we weren’t sure about. Links were made to our historical enquiry question ‘What were the key achievements of this time?’ and then using our creative abilities, we then produced amazing 3D fact files. What an inspiring and interesting afternoon!

In our science lesson, we explored plants by carefully observing tulips. We studied their shape, colour, and structure before dissecting them to get a closer look at the different parts of the plant. We identified and discussed the petals, stem, stamens, anthers, filaments, and pistil, learning about the important role each part plays. Using our observations, we then created detailed botanical drawings, carefully drawing and labelling each part accurately, just like real scientists.

As part of our Lent preparations, children at ACE were asked to come up with a community activity. 5J decided to create gratitude and positive mantra book marks to hide in our wonderful library. Whoever finds them over the next term will be able to keep them! I wonder who the lucky children will be?

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.