Return to Children

Year 5

Staff: Mrs Littleford / Mrs Reed /  Mrs McLoughlin 

Contact info. – amanda.reed@panshanger.herts.sch.uk    laura.littleford@panshanger.herts.sch.uk

Spanish is taught by Ms Fernandez on a Monday and Music is taught by Mr Mitchell on a Tuesday.

Welcome to Panshanger School and to our Year 5 class. On this page, we post photos every half term sharing updates on the activities and learning the children are completing. 

Spring 2

Geography – To introduce the topic ‘Rivers’ the children had to create/build a model of a river showing all the different course and some other key features such as a waterfall, a meander and an estuary. It was noisy, team work but great fun.

Year 4 & 5 Production – A huge well done to all the children for their performance of ‘Hoodwinked’. They all performed with confidence and enthusiasm. It was a great show.

Spring 1

Fitness sessions – During our sessions with the Stevenage coaches, we focused on fitness. The children explored the use and benefits of strength and power. The children also took part in a mental health awareness workshop with a focus on self-esteem.

Trampolining – This term, we started weekly trampolining sessions, delivered by a specialist instructor who brings in all the equipment. The children have worked hard but its great fun! They have been learning how to gain control when jumping and stopping, trying out some simple shaped jumps and seat landings. We will continue into next half term.

Art – Cats, cats, cats! – Yes you’ve guessed it, our topic was cats which we linked to our class reader Varjak Paw. The children explored how different artists such as Paul Klee have depicted cats. They explored continuous line drawing and press printing. The outcomes were very effective and the children used techniques and materials well!

DT Cams – The children had great fun creating their moving toys with a cam mechanism. They had to plan, measure, saw, build the frame out of wood and then evaluated their final product. It was hard work and took a while but I am sure you would agree that they look amazing! Every year the designs get better and better.

Autumn 2

PE – Dance – The children have loved learning a range of dances from different eras including the Hand Jive, Rock and Roll and the dance from Saturday Night Fever!  They picked up the mini routines very quickly and were a delight to watch!

English –The children wrote a story based on the book ‘The Promise’ and later shared their final work with Year 4. The children were so engaged. All the children were able to practice their speaking and listening skills. Mrs Burt was very impressed with the children’s complex vocabulary. Well done!

Reindeer Dash for Isabel Hospice – The children had great fun and lots of enthusiasm during the reindeer dash this year. It definitely got us in the Christmas mood. Well done Year 5!

Lego Workshop – The children were lucky to take part in a Lego workshop where they worked with a member from the Lego team to created their own Lego magazines. It was a great experience and as a reward all children received a Lego Creation Box set.

Autumn 1

DT- Crackers

The children really enjoyed their DT unit exploring savoury crackers. This included a taste test of shop bought crackers, a class survey to inform our decisions on what type of cracker to make, baking our own versions culminating in a class competition (won by Azeen, The Star Baker!). We finished the topic by looking at packaging and creating our own designs.

Incredible Viking Models

We have been learning about the Vikings in history. The children created incredible models of Viking Longboat or a Viking Longhouse. They obviously took time to plan, find materials and construct this models. You could see their excitement to show their peers their hard work and any extra detail they add like fires, a tambour drum and animal skins. They made a great display outside of the classroom for everyone to admire them. Well done!

Art

We have been looking at how artists suggest motion in their work by using different styles and techniques. A focus artist was Keith Haring and his colourful lively ‘jelly baby’ figures. The children worked over a few weeks to complete their group collages in his style. We also explored body art (in the style of Heather Hansen) using large symmetrical arm movements to create large pieces of art. It was messy but great fun and the outcomes were amazing!

Basketball House Competition

The children took part in a basketball coaching session followed by an intra-school tournament between the different houses. During the morning session, the children learnt the key vocabulary, the different passes, and the tactics of the game before playing mini matches in the afternoon.

Tag Rugby Sessions

We worked with a coach from Stevenage FC this half term focusing on tag rugby. Throughout the sessions the children explored the basic skills or passing, making a try, footwork and playing mini matches. We also looked at the Premier League Primary Stars core values-to be fair, be ambitious, be connected and be inspiring.

Anti-Racism Workshop

The children were luck to participate in a Premier League Primary Stars Anti-Racism workshop ran by Stevenage F.C. It was an informative and interactive session that also included meeting and hearing from some of the Under 18s player (Demi & Rylee).