Welcome to Year 5/6- Emerald Class
Staff
Mrs V Marsh
Emerald
BA (Hons) PGCE
My name is Mrs Marsh and I currently teach in Year 5 and 6. I am the KS2 Curriculum Leader, English and History lead. I also lead on CLASP across KS2 and I am passionate about ensuring all children have access to an enriching and exciting
Mrs B Boyne
Emerald
Mrs D Weaver
Emerald
PE Day & PE Kit
PE will take place on Thursdays .
Please ensure you child comes to school in their PE Kit on that day.
What's New
Download Timetable
Please note that this timetable may change due to workshops, visitors and ongoing projects in school.
Snack Money
Morning snack can be sent from home or purchased from school. Anyone buying snack from school must commit to the whole week and pay via ParentPay on Monday morning before 8:30am. The maximum amount snack will cost is £2.50 per week. There is also an option to pay for the whole term.
Reading Books
Reading Books will usually be changed Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please read with your child every night and sign their reading record.
Knowledge Organiser
You have been given a Knowledge Organiser and Homework Grid with some tasks relating to our topic.
Homework
Spelling and times table homework will be sent home each Friday and must be returned the following Friday.
Children will get up to 20 spellings per week to learn at home.
Recent Terms Archive
Welcome to Emerald Class
Overview
Class Topics For Each Half Term
Topic
Themes to be explored
Autumn 1:
Amazon Adventure
This is a geography topic where the children will learn about the Amazon Rainforest, one of the world’s most important biomes. The children will use maps and atlases to find the Amazon in South America and understand just how vast it is. They will discover the different layers of the rainforest, from the forest floor to the canopy, and learn about the amazing animals and plants that live there. As part of their physical geography learning, the children will explore how the rainforest is affected by climate change and deforestation. They will also think about the people who live in and around the rainforest and why this environment matters for the whole world. In our writing lessons, the children will produce non-chronological reports about some of the incredible animals of the rainforest, as well as creating descriptive and narrative pieces inspired by this unique environment.
Links to support learning: Rainforests
Autumn 2:
What have the Ancient Greeks taught us?
This is a history topic where we will learn about the ancient Greek civilisation. We will explore when and where Ancient Greece was, using timelines and maps to help us place it in history. The children will find out what life was like for different people, including women and children, and how life varied between the city states of Athens and Sparta. We will also look at the legacy of Ancient Greece and how it still shapes our world today — from the Olympics and democracy to religion, myths and stories that continue to inspire us. In our writing lessons, the children will use Greek myths as a stimulus for creativity: they will write their own newspaper article, create character descriptions of mythical monsters and produce their own retelling of a myth.
Links to support learning: History
Spring 1:
Doctor! Doctor!
This is a history topic where the children will explore how medicine has changed over time. The children will become history detectives, using their enquiry skills to investigate how ideas about health and treatments developed — from the medicines and beliefs of Ancient Greece, through the challenges of the medieval period and the plague, to the impact of World War I and the advances of modern medicine. They will learn about significant changes within living memory as well as developments across a much longer period of history, helping them to see how our world has been shaped by the past. In our writing lessons, the children will create clear instructions and practise using dialogue effectively within their own pieces.
Spring 2:
Survivors!
This is a literacy topic where the children will be inspired by the non-fiction book Survivors by David Long. Through this book, the children will explore remarkable real-life stories of survival, including the girl whose plane crashed into the Amazon Rainforest (linking back to their prior geography learning), alongside many other dramatic and inspiring accounts. They will use these stories to develop their reading and comprehension skills, as well as their understanding of how people respond to challenges and adversity. In writing, the children will create their own survival guides and use the book as inspiration to craft their own survival stories, developing descriptive language, structure and creativity in their narratives.
Links to support learning: Watch a story being read Science
Summer 1
Marvellous Matilda!
This is a literacy topic where the children will be studying the modern classic Matilda by Roald Dahl. The story will provide a rich source of inspiration for their writing, including opportunities to write from different perspectives and to create their own play scripts, as well as many other creative pieces. As part of this unit, the children will also link their learning to our Year 5 visit to London, where they will experience the magic of the West End performance of Matilda. This topic develops not only reading and writing skills but also drama and performance skills, encouraging children to bring stories to life, and links to PSHE themes such as fairness, resilience and standing up for what is right.
Year 6 will also be very busy revising for their SATs!
Links to support learning: Facts about Matilda
Summer 2:
This is a geography topic where the children will learn about the features of coastlines. The children will explore key physical geography concepts such as erosion and identify coastal features including arches, stacks, stumps, cliffs and caves. They will investigate the impact of climate change and the importance of sustainability, learning how human activity can affect coastal environments. As part of the topic, the children will go on a trip to the coast to see these features in person and develop their map-reading and orienteering skills. In literacy, A Giant’s Necklace by Michael Morpurgo will inspire diary writing.
As well as this, we will be busy preparing for our leaver’s assembly as well as lots of transition activities and a hands-on D&T unit where we will make our own fairground rides like those seen at seaside fairgrounds.