What’s the matter with materials?
To kick off our mini Science topic – What’s the Matter? – Year 5 carried out an investigation into the properties of materials.
We discussed what made certain materials suitable for certain jobs. For example, glass is suitable for a window because it lets light through it but glass would be unsuitable for a teddy bear because it is very fragile and hard!
Each material (wood/plastic/fabric/metal/glass) was tested for four different properties. We wanted to find out which materials were:
- magnetic
- translucent
- waterproof
- electrically conductive
We collected lots of data!
Our findings helped us to group materials by their properties…
… and this sparked some brilliant discussion about what was the same and different about each material and what they would be useful for. It also prompted some quite ridiculous and funny ideas for materials that would be a bad choice for certain jobs!
Performing Poetry
In this week’s reading and writing lessons, Year 5 have focused on poetry. We have read a variety of poems that were structured in different ways (using semi colons) or were about serious issues (climate change).
We performed poems using actions…
… and were inspired to make our own short piece of drama that had an environment theme.
It was important to remember to (R2s) be loud, have an expressive voice, be confident – even if you didn’t feel it – and work cooperatively with your other actors!
Themed menu
Catering Agency, our school meal provider, will be running a special themed menu on Friday 18 January. Please contact the office, by Friday 11 January, if your child would like a school meal on this day (no action needed if your child normally has a school meal on this day).
Living and Learning
- Drug, alcohol and tobacco education (DATE)
- Keeping safe and managing risk
Here are the weekly Living and Learning statements, for this half term, to support this learning.
- I don’t interrupt (with my mouth or my hand).
- I can make things better.
- I know what a drug is.
- I know how to seek help.
- I make safe choices, including online.
- I can assess my own risks.
Keeping active
As part of our commitment to being a happy and healthy school, we’re always looking at ways to increase our pupils’ physical activity both in and out of school.
The government’s childhood obesity plan has set out the ambition for all children to achieve 60 minutes, or more, of physical activity every day (30 minutes in school and 30 minutes outside of school).
In response to this aim, we’ve compiled a physical activity guide suggesting out-of-school physical activities available to families in our local area.
The information on the guide is correct as of November 2018. Keep an eye out on our news and class news pages where will promote any new activities throughout the year.
We’d love to hear feedback about any activities you or your child try based on this guide.
The whole point of art!
Last week, we looked at famous artists and their work. First up was Georges Seurat who is most famous for his Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.
Seurat invented a style of artwork – pointillism! This involves sometimes millions of tiny dots placed intricately in patterns to create an image.
First, we sketched some ideas. Once we’d chosen a final design, we drew out our scene.
Next came the whole point of the exercise – filling in the dots! It was quite time consuming but very strangely relaxing. We took it as an opportunity for some mindfulness and dotted away whilst listening to calming music.
The results were pretty astounding!
Wake up Shake up leaders
Thank you to our KS2 WuSu leaders who have led our daily WuSu physical activity this term and taught us lots of new routines.
Thank you to Mrs Charlesworth who has helped to run our WuSu after-school club where they have created all of the routines.
Next term, we will be running a KS1 and KS2 dance /WuSu club which will lead into a dance festival after Easter.
Living Streets update
We are pleased to work alongside the Living Streets local Moortown group to support our aim for children to make healthy, active and safe journeys to school. Here is an update from the group.
A BIG THANK YOU!
Both Living Streets UK and Living Streets Moortown would like to say a big thank you for all the noticeable improvements you have helped to bring about on journeys to and from school this year:
• Reduction in parking in Allerton Avenue (which is access only for residents) and on the double yellow or zig-zag lines adjacent to the school
• Reduction in vehicles mounting the pavement near to the school
• Reduction in vehicles parked with engines idling
• Increase in the number of families opting to Park & Stride from M&S* when driving is unavoidable
* M&S has 200 free 2-hour spaces available and the short walk to school is much safer and more enjoyable with fewer cars passing through key crossing points on the routes to school (such as Allerton Avenue and the
shopping parade entrance & exits).
This is fantastic progress and with continued support from all the families at Moortown we’ll see further improvements in air quality, safer ‘vehicle-free’ pavements and more families choosing to make and enjoy active trips to school.
OUR CURRENT PRIORITIES
While all the improvements we have seen around the school gates are encouraging, there is still a lot to be done. Cars, vans and HGVs continue to be driven up footpaths and recently there appears to be an increase in drivers passing through the main M&S lights while the green man is on so please be mindful of this when crossing.
We are already campaigning to deal with issues like these and the great response we had to our recent survey of parents and carers has helped us to submit a feedback document to the ‘Connecting Leeds’ consultation – a proposal to improve bus and other sustainable travel options in Moortown. We recently met with a representative from the project and are hopeful that some of the suggested pedestrian improvements will be incorporated into the scheme which is due to be delivered next year.
THE YEAR AHEAD…
The Moortown Living Streets Group is still in its first year, but we already have some exciting plans for 2019, including a project to monitor local air quality as well as some great ideas to get Moortown moving!
➢ Register to get involved or receive news here
➢ Access info on walking to school here
Thank you once again for you support to date – it’s making a real difference and we’re keen for that to continue throughout the year ahead.
Season’s Greetings!
From everyone at Moortown Living Streets Group
E: moortowngroup@livingstreets.org.uk T: @moortownlsg
We are observant in Y5!
We spotted one of our featured inventors from our Time Travel topic in First News! The article was about Ada Lovelace who invented the first computer program.
Great reading! Keep it up!
What is a lever?
This week’s Science is all about levers. As a short introduction, to learn the parts of a lever, Y5 were challenged to make a balanced lever using a pencil, ruler and two coins.
Challenge your child! In our mini lever, which part was the:
- beam?
- load?
- fulcrum?
Some of us managed it to make our levers balanced!
