Our Wellbeing Walk

Each day, in dry weather, we take part in the Wellbeing Walk at breaktime. We leave school at the rear gate and go along St Patrick's Way, on to Darlington Street and then up to Rupert Street to return at the main entrance. 

"I enjoy getting the fresh air and having a brain break" - Declan.

"I like waving to people and saying hello" - Amelia

"It's great exercise at breaktime" - Alex.

We Remember - The Battle of Britain and Art Work in the style of Annie O'Brien Gonzales

Over the last few weeks, we have been completing work in our 'We Remember' topic. Firstly, we researched the Battle of Britain, before making fact files and newspaper reports. We then wrote a letter, set in the aftermath of the Blitz, to a friend. In Art, we have been examining the style of Annie O'Brien Gonzales. We have practised drawing still life objects (such as fruit, flowers and glassware). We then moved on to practising sketching techniques of Remembrance themed objects. For our final piece, we created a three-part drawing: one section depicted the horrors of war; another the empty battlefield and finally the bright colours and symbols of peace. 

“Still Life sketching involves hatching, cross-hatching and curved-hatching"  - Alice.

"I loved working with the acrylic paints and diluting them" - Isaac.

"It is important to remember so these things don't happen again" - Louis.

PSHE Theme Day: Fast Fashion

We completed a PSHE Themed Day based on ‘Fast Fashion'. We discussed why people purchase so many clothes, how the clothes are made and the conditions the workers face. We examined the safety of these buildings and considered how we could play our part to ensure that the clothing we buy and the rights of those workers are fair. 

“We learned about the poor working conditions and this made me feel angry" - Alex

"The average piece of clothing only lasts for two years" - Jakub

"We can do our bit by making clothes last and wearing 'hand-me-downs' that are in good condition" - Caitlyn. 

Maths Problem Solving Day: The Case of the Classified Classifieds

In our first Problem Solving Day, we completed a range of activities to solve The Case of the Classified Classifieds. Our missions – which all involved calculating some form of measure – led us to discover that Agent Marsh did it!

“Despite the weather, we had fun outside calculating the perimeter and area of the playground and the resources.” – Charlie

“We learned and applied the formula for calculating volume” – Alice

“I really enjoyed cracking the code in Mission 6” – Mia.

Visiting Poet: Matt Goodfellow

We were visited by the acclaimed children’s poet, Matt Goodfellow, who performed some of his published poems for us. We learnt lots of different poetic features, styles and devices before creating, editing and performing poems of our own. We compiled these poems into a whole year group anthology. 

“I enjoyed Matt's poem about pigeons because it was funny” – Evie

“Matt taught us that poetry doesn't always have to be right, it's about getting our ideas down on paper” – Semra

“I bought one of Matt's books and he signed it for me. I can't wait to read it!” – Logan.

Music Day: Livin’ on a Prayer.

In our Autumn 1 Music Day, we explored the rock classic ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi. We listened to and evaluated the song before creating, practising and performing our own lyrics. We then celebrated what we had learned in our Music Learning Journals. 

"I enjoyed creating the verses and chorus" - Louis

"Bon Jovi's classic teaches people to never lose hope, even when times are tough" - Declan

"We changed our song to make it relevant for 2021 problems" - Amelia.

Art Week – ‘This is Me’

Our first art week focused on self-portraits. We began our topic by learning who Leonardo Da Vinci was and why he was famous during the Renaissance. We explored his paintings and drawings and identified how he used perspective and composition in his artwork. We explored his drawing style and colour choice and then created our own self-portrait in that style.  

"I learned that da Vinci uses dark colours to reflect the mood of the times" - Alessandra

"We used hatching and cross-hatching when shading" - Joel

"Mr Marshall and Mr Leonard showed us how to paint carefully before we started" - Kayden.

Healthy Relationships Day: ‘Secrets and Stories’

This morning, Emma (from Wigan Borough Education Team) visited us to talk about healthy relationships. The focus of Emma’s session was ‘Secrets and Stories’. We learned strategies for dealing with difficult information and explained why it is so important to speak out.

Mechanisms and Construction: Building Bridges

As part of our latest Design and Technology Week, we learned about and built a bridge. Firstly, we examined what made a bridge strong. Then, we explored and created a range of features, including: trusses, arches, pillars and beams. We then created a suspension bridge, using our newly-learned knowledge of tension and compression forces. Throughout the design process, and at its conclusion, we evaluated against our design criteria and brief.

Textiles: A Phone Case for a special person

We recently designed a phone case for a special person. Firstly, we conducted some market research to examine different stitches and materials. Then, we designed and reasoned our own creations; making notes of stitches and product suitability. We then practised a range of sewing skills (including straight, whip, back and basting stitch) to complete our final piece. Throughout the design process, and at its conclusion, we evaluated against both design criteria and suitability for the user. 

Happy and Healthy Kids: Making Assertive Decisions

As part of our PSHE learning, Louise from HH Kids delivered a workshop titled 'Making Assertive Decisions'. We learned about aggressive, passive and assertive behaviours, how we can influence decisions positively and examined the qualities of a true friend

“It isn't always a bad thing to say no, especially if a decision is wrong” – Filip.

“I feel like I can confidently make a decision that is right now” – Hannah.

“I have learned about peer pressure and strategies to avoid letting it influence my decision”– Sebastian.

Happy and Healthy Kids: Alcohol Education

As part of our PSHE learning, Louise from HH Kids delivered an Alcohol Education workshop. We learned about the dangers of alcohol, including the health implications. 

“Drinking too much alcohol can lead to alcohol poisoning” – Isabelle.

“It is illegal for someone who is under eighteen to buy alcohol” – Ruby.

“Alcohol can affect your movement and speech”– Toby.

Happy and Healthy Kids: Smoking Education

As part of our PSHE learning, Louise from HH Kids delivered a Smoking Education workshop. We learned about the dangers and damage of smoking, including the health and financial implications. 

“If you smoke, then your heart has to work harder and faster to pump blood around the body” – Matilda

“I didn't know that Carbon Monoxide - which is found in car exhausts - is in cigarettes” – Lexie

“It costs over £300 a month if you smoke twenty cigarettes a day and the price only seems to be going up!” – Oliver

Easter Theme Day: The Greatest Week

As part of our Easter celebrations, we studied Holy Week in depth. We used Holy Scripture and our Come and See learning to look at the different days and their significance. We looked at Palm Sunday, Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. We wrote an informative paragraph for each day before creating and decorating Easter cards.

“I didn’t know that the day Judas betrayed Jesus was called Spy Wednesday” – Dawny

“I enjoyed finding out about the days leading up to Jesus’ death and learning that it was a chain of events” – Jack

“The Holy Week journey makes me appreciate Jesus’ sacrifice even more” – Ella.

Maths Problem Solving Day: The Case of the Classified Classifieds

In our first Problem Solving Day, we completed a range of activities to solve The Case of the Classified Classifieds. Our missions – which all involved calculating some form of measure – led us to discover that Agent Marsh did it!

“I really liked the outdoor Maths, calculating human area and perimeter” – Charlie

“I used the formulas we had already learned in Maths to help me” – Cassidy

“Today’s Maths was so much fun!” – Matilda.

Music Day: ‘Make You Feel My Love’

In our Spring 2 Music Day, we explored the Adele’s hit ‘Make You Feel My Love’. We listened to and evaluated the song before learning how to sign it. We then celebrated what we had learned in our Music Learning Journals.

“I’m going to ask my mum can we put this track on our family’s Spotify” – Jayden

“We talked about the tempo, dynamics and rhythm of the track” – Philander

“The song is a love ballad but can be covered in different ways” – Jessica.

PSHE Theme Days: Social Responsibility

As part of our PSHE learning, we had two theme days that celebrated the Ocean and Ecosystems. We explored what the ocean does for us; ways in which we can protect and conserve different ecosystems and considered contrasting views from around the world. We enjoyed the range of activities and presented our work in our year group’s floorbook.

“Deforestation is having a major impact on some of the world’s rarest ecosystems” – Charlie

“The ocean provides us with lots of things such as transport and leisure” – Faye

“We can do our bit by using less plastic and recycling more” – Toby.

World Book Day

On the first Thursday in March, we took part in the National World Book Day celebrations. We enjoyed dressing up as our favourite characters and sharing our personal stories. We completed activities around our Focus Book: ‘The Twits’ by Roald Dahl. Later, we took part in the whole school masked reader competition which caused great merriment!

“Mr Leonard as the tiger was hilarious” – Eva

“I knew Mr Marshall was the strawberry straight away!” – Matilda

“I enjoyed writing about Mr and Mrs Twit” – Alix.

Remote Learning

For a significant proportion of the Spring Term, we learned remotely from home. Although we struggled at first getting to grips with Microsoft Teams, we soon got the hang of it and enjoyed being ‘spotlighted’ and ‘screensharing’ our work.

“It was great to continue learning at home” – Lily

“I enjoyed all the opportunities to share and discuss” – Isabella

“It was nice knowing that Mr Leonard and Mr Marshall were always there” – Laura.

Autumn 2 Music Day: Classroom Jazz.

In our Autumn 2 Music Day, we explored different classic Jazz songs, such as 'Free Note Bassa'. We listened to and evaluated the song before learning how to use the online recorder to compose our own piece. We then celebrated what we had learned in our whole school Microsoft Teams assembly.

Remembrance: We Remember

As part of our 'We Remember' theme weeks, we explored the effect of the war on Wigan. We looked at the Battle of Britain, Radar and the Blitz. We enjoyed making mosaic poppy tiles and writing in role of a Blitz witness.

“I enjoyed learning about the different planes” – Dawny

“I’d never heard of Radar before” – Hannah

“I found making the mosaic tile peaceful and a way to remember” – Ella

PSHE Theme Day: October 2020 – Fulfilled Lives

We completed a PSHE Themed Day based on ‘Fulfilled Lives’. We discussed what we thought wealth was, its role in our lives and responsible spending.

“You can be wealthy in lots of ways, not just financially” – Alix

“What I considered important may not be the same as somebody else but that’s ok” – Jayden

“It is important to be a responsible spender so you don’t get into any debt” – Teghan.

Wellbeing Walk

Each break time, we enjoy a Wellbeing Walk within the local area. Accompanied by Year 5 staff, we follow a route that allows us to practise walking safely on main road pavements and grow increasingly familiar with the locality. Passing pedestrians have positively commented on our behaviour on these walks.

“I enjoy walking and socialising” – Lily

“The walk is part of my daily exercise” – Toby

“It’s a time to switch off and focus on yourself” - Jack

Supporting local charities: ‘The Brick’.

We support various fundraising efforts such as collecting food for ‘The Brick’; a dedicated local charity working to eradicate homelessness and poverty.  The photograph below shows the generosity of our families, including those in Y5, during our October collection and Harvest celebrations.

“I brought in tins of food such as beans” – Oliver

“I can’t believe how much food we collected!” – Matilda

“I will try to support ‘The Brick’ by putting something in the box at Tesco” – Tee-Jay

Visiting Poet: Andy Tooze

We were visited by the acclaimed children’s poet, Andy Tooze, who performed some of his published poems for us. We learnt lots of different poetic features, styles and devices before creating, editing and performing poems of our own. We compiled these poems into two class anthologies.

“The twenty word poems challenged me to be creative” – Eva

“I feel proud that I’ve created, edited and published a poem of my own” – Sophie

“I enjoyed learning about and using onomatopoeia” – Kaan

Judaism Week

During Judaism week, we learnt about the key features of worship in Judaism and the importance of prayer. We looked at how Passover is celebrated and the importance of the Sedar plate. We explored the significance of the food eaten at Passover and what they represent.

“I learnt that a Synagogue to a Jew is the same as a Church to a Catholic” – Cassidy

“I enjoyed creating and decorating my Sedar plate” – Jayden

“It was interesting anaylsing the different Jewish prayers” – Oliver

Computing Topic - Coding

During our coding topic, we learnt how to design and write programmes that can simulate a physical system, for example kicking a ball. We also designed and created competitive games, which required us to add variables and ‘if’ statements.   

“I enjoyed using 2code” – Filip

“I created an algorithm and then debugged it successfully” – Charlie

“I found it difficult to manipulate different variables at first” – Ruo

Geography Topic - Exploring Brazil

During our 'Exploring Brazil' topic, we learnt where Brazil was located and which countries and oceans surround. We explored the Physical geography of Brazil and compared the different regions. We learnt why the Amazon Rainforest is so important and what factors are threatening it. We explored the urbanisation of Brazil and why people were choosing to move to Cities. Finally, we learnt about the culture of Brazil and took part in year group quiz.

“I learned about deforestation and the effects it has on various groups” – Philander

“The Amazon Rainforest is the largest in the world” – Isabella

“Pull factors are positive and push factors are negative” – Matilda

Autumn 1 Music Day: Livin’ on a Prayer.

In our Autumn 1 Music Day, we explored the rock classic ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi. We listened to and evaluated the song before learning how to sign it. We then celebrated what we had learned in our Music Learning Journals. We enjoyed performing for the whole school in our Teams’ assembly.

"I enjoyed learning the sign language for the song!" Sophie

"We used our body to makes sounds in time with the backbeat of the song and in the same tempo." Dawny

"I think you would play the song when you are having a bad day and are feeling low on confidence." Lily

Art Week – ‘This is Me’

Our first art week focused on self-portraits. We began our topic by learning who Leonardo Da Vinci was and why he was famous during the Renaissance. We explored his paintings and drawings and identified how he used perspective and composition in his artwork. We explored his drawing style and colour choice and then created our own self-portrait in that style.  

"We used shading, hatching and curved hatching to create a self-portrait in the style of Leonardo da Vinci." Kaan

"Da Vinci created lots of religious paintings like The Last Supper." Jacob

"I used different darker colours for my background, like da Vinci did." Isabella