Our RE learning this half term is focused around the enquiry question, ‘Why is the Torah so special to the Jewish community?’ To add some real-life experience to our learning, we visited Exeter Synagogue this week. We came away with countless facts about Judaism, the history of the Synagogue and the beliefs and traditions of Jews in Exeter and around the world. We’re sure the children had lots to share at home! Take a look at the pictures below:

This week’s home learning has been phenomenal in Year 5. As part of National Careers Week, all children were given a unique task that would help them reach their individual career goal in the future. We had a raft of excellent videos, presentations, displays, stories, fact-files, teaching episodes, stop-motion animations, sporting demonstrations and even more wonderful creations. The teachers have been extremely impressed with the effort and time that has been given to create these pieces of home learning – there is no doubt that this determination will see our children reach their dreams! We look forward to receiving even more terrific home learning (focused on Neurodiversity Celebration Week) next Thursday.

Next week, we have our trip to the synagogue, as part of our Judaism topic. On Tuesday, 5GT and half of 5MW will visit; on Wednesday, 5LS and the other half of 5MW will have their turn. Please check the MCAS app for further information and filling out permission forms. If you have any questions, please email the school office or the Y5 home learning email.

Last half term, we began the mammoth process of creating pop-up book structures as part of our DT project on mechanisms. The children have worked incredibly hard on what has been an ambitious (and fiddly!) project, and can’t wait to share their final designs with some of our EYFS and KS1 children on World Book Day, as well as at parents’ evening. Take a look at a selection below!:

Year 5 have thoroughly enjoyed our topic on forces this half term. They would like to share some of the forces they have been learning about with you:

Year 5 have experimented with gravity and air resistance this week. We have studied forces and made and launched plastic bag parachutes- we had a blast! The children each had a role including; runner, timer, dropper and recorder, all of which were important to ensure a fair test. Air resistance is a force that slows objects down when they fall. We found out that objects with a greater surface area have more air resistance. 

Lexi and Felix E, 5MW

In Science, we have enjoyed all the investigations into different types of force. One activity that we did was to explore up-thrust. We used blu-tack and checked to see if it floated – it didn’t because the weight of the blu-tack was not equal to the force of upthrust, so it sunk. We also found out that when the blu-tack was in water, its mass stayed the same but its weight lowered! 

We then put various objects into the water tank to see if they floated or not, thinking carefully about whether the materials had high or low density. 

This learning on forces will help us with our next Science topic, Earth and Space, which we start after half term!

5GT

Recently, we have had a lot of fun in science and we have enjoyed lots of different investigations. When we were exploring the effects of gravity and air resistance we found out that if you drop a feather and hammer on Earth, the feather would fall slower . This is due to the air resistance. However, we saw an astronaut do the same thing on the moon and they fell at the same time, this is because there is no air resistance. We also explored the non-contact magnetic force and found out that strangely, magnets are placed in cows stomachs to catch metals!

Alex O and Chris 5LS

Here are a few examples from some of our fantastic Year 5 poets for you to enjoy.

The Exwick Heights 1st team have had a stunning start to the league! After losing their first match in a tight 2-0 game, the team knew that they had to pull out all the stops in order to climb up the league table. They came back with a fighting spirit and did not concede a single goal in their following three games, winning all with comfortable margins! They won 6-0 against Cranbrook A, 7-0 against Broadclyst and 6-0 against Cranbrook B! Impressive victories!

There have been so many highlights. Theo and Raff have both scored impressive goals from the half-way line earning the absolute respect of their team and coaches. In our most recent game, defending remained strong with Brody and Daniel steady at the back, keeping the ball far from Louis who was ready and fearless in goal. The team even encouraged another of our superb goalkeepers – Noah – to try his luck upfront where he successfully scored two superb goals showing his impressive range and skill as a player. Wilf and Brad, who have played many games for Exwick, kept a cool composure, making clean, confident passes whilst also scoring themselves. Riley, who the players voted as their captain for the game, controlled the game well with a calm and encouraging demeanor, passing the ball beautifully and scoring some stunning goals.

The team are a close-knit, talented group who display excellent teamwork, game on game. They are a pleasure to watch and I have every confidence that they’ll progress well through the tournament.

Congratulations Exwick 1st Team!

Miss Baxter

We have enjoyed another busy week. Ashton and Toby from 5 MW would like to tell you about our post today:

We have been learning about haikus, where you have to write a poem which is 3 lines long. The first line is 5 syllables, the second is 7 and the third is 5. To check if you have the right number of syllables, you can clap whilst saying the word. When writing a haiku, you can describe emotions or words like snow, monkeys etc. You can make your haiku rhyme if you want to, but you don’t have to.  Here are some of our modern haikus:

Fear

Body is trembling

Biting my lip really hard

Filling up with tears

Ella, 5MW

Boredom

Keep slumping over

Lost in a drought of nothing

I do not like this

Finley, 5MW

Angry

I was aggressive

Degusted, infuriated

In despair, felt betrayed

Jack 5LS

Powerful

Like a stampede

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide

I need help, help me

Ruby 5LS

Here are some extended haikus we wrote too:

Anger

It smells like ashes

Here comes the hellish torture

Always attacking me.

My hope is long lost

I wish that no one was here

Come true, I need this

It tastes like a lime

Always bitter to me

I am mad at it

Sabela 5GT

Boredom

Nothing to enjoy

tastes like loneliness and guilt

I go to play games

Like devil’s murder

smells like a rainy weekend

sat there all alone

Misty and cloudy

horrible and deafening

stressed and wretched

Mason 5GT

We have thoroughly enjoyed our first full week back at school and we have been really busy. This week, we wanted to share some of our English work with you. We have loved exploring poetry this week , through the book- Cloudbusting, by Malorie Blackman. Here are some examples of our masterpieces based around a fire. The ones we have chosen show how we have used repetition and similes as poetic devices:

Fire is…

Like a herd of cows

Like a storm crashing

Like an angry bull

Like a steam room

Like a hot summer day

Like a red diamond

Like a rushing stream of swelling lava

Ashton, 5MW

Fire is…

Like a volcano explosion 

Like an angry storm

Like a rocket launching

Like a toxic bomb

Like a firework of doom

Like a spark of poison

Like a tsunami in the forest

Lexi, 5MW

As life-ending as a bulldozer rampaging through your family home

As heart-crushing as eternal torture, tearing you to shreds

As fierce as a tank storming towards you

As consuming as an ash cloud from a volcano suffocating you of life

As destructive as depression engulfing all your happy thoughts

Mason 5GT

I am as frightful as the ongoing pit of worry

that engulfs your every thought

I am as heart-crushing as losing

everything you’ve ever loved

I am as vile as a bee’s fresh poison

instantly entering your frail body

I am as fearsome as the soul-stealing Grim Reapers

waiting to take you next

Pollyanna 5GT

The flames…

Like an oppressive, crimson asteroid spitting in fury

Like a tsunami over your surroundings

Like a cosmic flame raining down on earth

Like a rising cloud of mist  filling the atmosphere

the burning trees fell like ashes falling to the ground

By Will 5LS

Fire is…

Like a flood as deep as an ocean

Like a billowing blanket that covers your entire soul

Like falling ashes to the hot, steamy ground- burning like an incinerator 

By Eva 5LS

Red Badge Treat

In Year 5 we will be watching a film for our red badge treat. This will be held on Thursday 15th December and the children are welcome to bring in pajamas to wear whilst we watch the film. Please be aware that the children won’t be able to bring in snacks due to allergies within our year group.

Carols on the Playground

We welcome you to watch our Christmas Carols, which will be held straight after school on Thursday 15th December. The children have been busy practicing and are excited to share their hard work with you, whilst spreading some Christmas cheer!

This week in Year 5

We have enjoyed writing narratives in English. This week we have been designing our own and we have been given different options of settings to describe. In D&T, we have been planning to make spaghetti bolognaise in different groups. So far we have learnt about a healthy, balanced diet, recipes and designing our own sauce label. In our history lessons about Benin Kingdom, we had a debate about whether Benin’s artwork should be returned to Nigeria or stay in the UK. We have also thought about what would happen if trees didn’t exist and how it would effect us. In RE, we have been thinking about how the world was created and if we believe it was science or God’s doing.

Amelia & Parker, 5LS

We have enjoyed writing a narrative story about a rainforest in 1st person and using show, not tell. In reading, we have been looking at a picture book called ‘The Wolves in the Walls’, which was fun and different. Our class book at the moment is ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’. It’s about a boy called Tom who spends time in a garden next to his aunt and uncle’s flat (which they don’t know about). He meets a girl called Hatty and they have had an argument in the garden because they think each other are ghosts because no-one can see Tom in the garden but Hatty. We’re excited to find out what’s going to happen next!

Max & Sienna, 5MW

In RE, we have been understanding the importance of the 5 Pillars of Islam and pilgrimage (hajj) to Muslims. In maths we have been adding and subtracting fractions. It was fun but we did have to remember several steps to get the the right answer! In English, we have been writing a piece of a narrative based in the rainforest, using our senses to describe what we experience.

Olly & Leila, 5GT