Year 5
Welcome to Red Kites 2024/2025
Mr Chadd, Miss Sharman and Mr Murton
We will update the class page once a week. Please check regularly as we will often share key information here.
Please feel free to contact us via the class email:
redkites@watlington.oxon.sch.uk
Our PE days are Wednesday and Friday. Please come to school in your PE kit.
Hockey Wednesday
Circuits Friday
Useful Web Links for Home Learning
Topic Web
The topic web details the areas that we will be covering over terms 1 and 2 .
Home Learning
All children now have their logins for Spelling Shed, Atom Learning, and Times Table Rockstars (TTRS). New words are set for Spelling Shed and children should have completed these by the end of the school week. Please continue to update reading journals after listening to children read or discussing their reading choices with you.
Year 5 Residential
Here is the information from the meeting after school on 27th February 2025 and the kit list for the trip.
Red Kites Class Update – Careers Week, World Book Day & More!
This week has been packed with learning, creativity, and inspiration!
In Topic, we explored what life was like for children in the Victorian workhouse, deepening our understanding of the hardships faced by many during this period. We also finished reading Street Child and used Jim Jarvis' life story as inspiration to write biographies about people who inspire us.
In Maths, we have been using fractions as operations and have now begun looking at decimal numbers, making important connections between the two concepts.
As part of our Music lessons, we have expanded our ukulele skills by learning the D minor chord. Meanwhile, in RE, we continued developing our understanding of Judaism in the UK, comparing the similarities and differences between Progressive and Orthodox synagogues.
This week also saw us taking part in Careers Week, where we were visited by a film director and a sound engineer, gaining fascinating insights into the world of film and sound production. We also had a Careers Assembly, which encouraged us to think about different career paths for the future.
On World Book Day, we celebrated by creating our own illustrations in the style of Chris Mould, bringing characters to life using his unique techniques.
Next week will be Assessment Week, so we will be focusing on showing everything we have learned so far this term.
Fantastic work as always, Red Kites!
Red Kites Class Update – Welcome Back After Half Term!
We’ve had a brilliant first week back, diving straight into new learning and exciting experiences!
In Topic, we continued exploring Victorian life, focusing on what school was like for children in the Victorian era. Comparing then and now sparked some interesting reflections from the class!
In Maths, we tackled multiplying fractions and calculating an amount of a fraction—challenging but rewarding work! Our English lessons shifted to biographies, where we began learning how to write engaging and informative life stories.
A highlight of the week was our visit to Neasden Temple in London, where we had the chance to reflect on our understanding of Hinduism and experience the beauty of this sacred space first-hand.
In PE, we started learning the skills needed for badminton, building hand-eye coordination and agility. Our Science experiments were a lot of fun, using milk and vinegar and vinegar with bicarbonate of soda to explore reversible and irreversible changes.
We also explored rhythm compositions in Music, tapping into our creativity and musicality.
It’s been a wonderful start to the half-term—well done, Red Kites!
Safer Internet Day 2025 - 11th Feb 2025
This week we joined the live Newsround lesson to learn about internet safety and how not to fall victim to scams and keep safe whilst on the web. We have also been writing our own kenning poems and safer internet day inspired some children to write their own poems.
Red Kites Class Update – Welcome Back to the New Term! 10th January 2025
We’ve had a fantastic start to the new term in Red Kites, diving into new topics and exciting challenges!
In English, we’ve begun writing our own portal stories, letting our imaginations take us on incredible adventures. In Maths, we’ve been working on adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators, finding equivalents, and converting mixed numbers.
In Topic, we’ve started exploring the life of Queen Victoria and how the British Empire expanded during her reign. We also examined the trade of exports and imports that supplied Victorian factories with goods.
In Jigsaw (PSHE), we’re thinking about our dreams, goals, and potential future careers, sparking great discussions about aspirations. In Science, we’ve been investigating the properties of materials and learning about the origins of plastics and other man-made products.
Finally, in Spelling, we’ve focused on adverbs of time, building our vocabulary and improving our writing skills.
It’s been a brilliant start to the term—well done, Red Kites!
Week ending 19th December 2024
As we wrapped up the term, Red Kites have been busy with festive cheer and celebrating their hard work this term!
In Topic, we concluded our learning about the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, reflecting on the legacy they left behind.
Our Maths lessons focused on consolidating our learning about fractions, ensuring we’re ready for the challenges ahead. In Design and Technology, we put the finishing touches on our weaving projects, showcasing patience and skill. Lots of Christmas crafting on Wednesday and using our leadership and teamworking skills with the Year 2 in P.E.
The highlight of the week was our Christmas concert, where we performed beautifully, bringing festive joy to everyone who attended.
Thank you to all the students and families for their hard work and support this term. Have a wonderful holiday, and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year! 🎄
Red Kites Class Update – Week Ending 13th December 2024
This week, Red Kites have been busy with a mix of learning, creativity, and festive activities!
In Topic, we explored the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, understanding how this pivotal moment shaped British history. In English, we wrote our final instruction pieces on how to train or catch mythical creatures, showcasing all the skills we’ve mastered this term.
In Maths, we focused on equivalent fractions and converting between improper fractions and mixed numbers—a challenging but rewarding task! In Computing, we continued developing our videography skills, experimenting with new camera angles.
A highlight of the week was watching The Snowman accompanied by a live orchestra. We even sang along to the famous "Walking in the Air," which was a magical experience!
In Design and Technology, we continued weaving, and in preparation for the festive season, we’ve been practicing for our performance at the Christmas concert on Tuesday next week.
Another brilliant week, Red Kites—well done!
Red Kites Class Update – Week Ending 6th December 2024
This week has been packed with learning and new experiences for Red Kites!
In Maths, we’ve been working hard on fractions, developing our understanding step by step. In English, we’ve been innovating instructions to prepare for writing our own next week.
Our Topic lessons focused on how England became a unified country after the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons settled their disputes—a fascinating glimpse into our nation’s history. In Computing, we learned about camera angles and filming techniques, thinking about how to create effective videos.
This week marked the end of our swimming lessons, with an exciting session practicing life-saving techniques and swimming in pyjamas! As swimming is now finished, we’ll have a PE lesson next Friday (13th December), so please remember to wear PE kits.
In Jigsaw (PSHE), we discussed direct and indirect bullying, reflecting on how the way we speak and play can impact others. In Design and Technology, we worked on our weaving skills—it’s trickier than it looks, but we’re making great progress!
PE this week included muddy rugby, and we’ve been rehearsing our Christmas song, preparing for the church service at the end of term.
Well done, Red Kites, for another fantastic week!
Red Kites Class Update – Week Ending 29th November 2024
This week has been a busy one for Red Kites as we completed assessments in Maths, reading, and spelling. Everyone worked hard to show their progress this term—well done!
In Swimming, we enjoyed our penultimate session, with one last exciting challenge next week—don’t forget to bring your pyjamas on Tuesday!
In Topic, we explored the big question: Was Alfred really great?, diving into the legacy of King Alfred. We also began researching a famous British scientist, uncovering their contributions to the world.
We ended the week on a high note with a fabulous pantomime performance of Peter Pan, which was full of laughter and festive fun!
Red Kites Class Update – Week Ending 22nd November 2024
This week, Red Kites have been diving into exciting new topics and making great progress across all subjects!
In Maths, we’ve been exploring square and cube numbers, expanding our understanding of patterns and relationships in numbers. In English, we’ve focused on commas and adverbial phrases, learning how to make our writing more precise and engaging.
In Topic, we’ve delved into the Vikings and the Danelaw, uncovering how the Vikings shaped history in Britain. In PE, we’ve worked on spatial awareness in rugby while continuing to make a splash in our swimming lessons.
In Design and Technology, we’ve been busy making cardboard looms, preparing to start our weaving project next week, any spare wool or ribbon would be most beneficial to our efforts. Meanwhile, we’ve begun learning our Christmas song for the end-of-term concert and made further progress on the ukulele in Music.
In Science, we’ve wrapped up our work on forces and started thinking critically about the scientific method, laying the foundation for future investigations.
It’s been another brilliant week of learning—well done, Red Kites!
Red Kites Class Update: 15th November 2024
This week has been full of exciting learning opportunities!
In Maths, we've been exploring multiples and factors, while in English, we've focused on the features of writing instructions and using imperative verbs effectively. Our Topic lessons took us back to the invasion of Lindisfarne, a pivotal moment in Anglo-Saxon history.
In Reading, we’ve been honing our inferring skills to deepen our understanding of texts. PE has been a mix of making big splashes in swimming and building rugby skills, while in Music, we've added more new chords to our ukulele repertoire.
We also started an exciting weaving project in Design and Technology, which is already showcasing some wonderful creativity!
Well done, Red Kites, for another fantastic week!
Trip to Chiltern Open Air Museum
Red Kites Class Update: 26th October 2024
As we wrap up this half term, it’s been a fantastic week of accomplishments and discovery! Our swimming lessons are going strong, and everyone’s showing real effort. Remember to keep bringing those swimming caps after the break!
In History, we’ve made strides in exploring the Sutton Hoo mystery by analyzing artifacts to guess who might have been buried there. Plus, we wrapped up Bikeability with every student earning their Level 2 certificate—well done, everyone!
Have a great half-term break, Red Kites!
Red Kites Class Update: 18th October 2024
This week, we’ve been busy exploring a wide range of subjects!
In Science, we continued developing our understanding of water resistance by using junk modelling to create boats. It’s been fascinating to see how different designs affect the movement of the boats through water.
Our History lessons took an exciting turn with an Anglo-Saxon courtroom drama, where we explored crime and punishment in this ancient society.
In English, we've been writing our 'overcoming a monster' stories, crafting narratives full of creativity and courage. Meanwhile, in Maths, we’ve been using inverse calculations to check our answers and are now tackling more complex multi-step problems.
Finally, in PE, we’ve been finalising our gymnastics cannons, getting ready to display our hard work to each other at the end of the term.
Assembly, art and boat making
Red Kites Class Update: 11th October 2024
This week has been filled with exciting learning across all our subjects!
In Maths, we've been sharpening our mental maths strategies, helping us to tackle problems more efficiently. In English, we've focused on honing our inferring skills, becoming detectives in reading comprehension.
Science saw us diving into the fascinating topic of water resistance, where we started our investigations into how objects move through water. In Computing, we've been learning all about websites, and in Music, we're making great progress with our ukulele lessons, learning new chords.
Our Geography lessons took us back in time as we explored Anglo-Saxon place names, discovering the origins of familiar locations. We’ve also been working hard on our performance of the autumn poem, and it’s came together beautifully!
A big thank you to the PTA for subsidising our upcoming trip to the Chiltern Open Air Museum. We’re all very excited!
Lastly, as part of our ongoing Science investigations into water resistance, we will be using our junk modelling skills next Friday. Please set aside any useful recyclables over the coming week and bring them in to support our experiments.
We loved seeing Fig in the Nest today.
Week 4
This week, in addition to our regular timetable, Red Kites had an exciting time participating in Languages Day on Wednesday! The children explored a variety of languages, including Japanese, Filipino, and Ukrainian, and enjoyed learning about different cultures.
In English, we have been working on developing our understanding of expanded noun phrases and exploring different word classes. In maths, the focus has been on investigating and working with numbers up to one million, helping the children strengthen their number sense and understanding of place value.
Our geography lessons have taken us back in time as we studied Anglo-Saxon settlements, and in computing, the children have been refining their skills by learning how to improve their internet searches.
The coming week's Spelling Shed homework is now available, words ending '_tial'. The expectation is that this is completed by Thursday evening each week.
It has been a productive and engaging week, and we are looking forward to continuing our learning journey!
Week 3
This week we have been developing our understanding of place value and powers of 10. In science we investigated gravity and how objects impacts differ depending on the size and shape of the object. We have been exploring how systems work both involving humans and digital systems in computing, and looking at similarities and differences between growing up in different religions in R.E.
Maths, Science and P.E.
Fantastic netball skills Red Kites this week! The children learned how to stop on two feet or one foot at speed and how this helps with the rule of not moving with the ball. They also practised the shoulder pass and chest pass and put it into practise in a game situation too~well done!
Week 2
This week the children have been working with Miss Sharman on arithmetic and strengthening their number bonds as well as looking at place value to 100,000. We have started our exploration into forces in science as well as creating dragon eyes in Art.
All the children now have their logins for Atom Learning and Spelling Shed to allow home learining to take place.