Welcome back Varjak Paws!

We've had a great week welcoming the year 5 children into the Varjak Paw class. We've been finding out more about the book our class is based on and learning about the characters in the book. We have started our creative curriculum topic by creating a large scale class Tudor Rose which required super team work skills. We developed our collaborative skills further by working together to complete a 'zone of relevance' to describe the character of Varjak Paw. We are investigating in our literacy who Varjak Paw is as a character and if he has similar characteristics to us as a class. We are the Varjak Paws after all... We have also started our science topic 'Will we ever send another human to the moon?' by learning about the 1969 moon landing.

As a school we have subscribed to an exciting new maths resource which will help children with their speed of recall of multiplication facts called 'Times Tables Rockstars'. Children have already started their journey to becoming a Rock Hero! We hope you enjoy supporting your children on this fun journey at home.

Well done for a brilliant start to year 5. Keep up the hard work Varjak Paws!

The Solar System

We have created a scaled model of the solar system! We decided on which fruits could represent which planets based on their relative size. We used toilet roll to mark out the distance from the sun. We needed to calculate a suitable scale to ensure we could represent the distances accurately within the school hall. Each piece of toilet roll represented 50 million kilometres! The model was really effective in demonstrating how vast our solar system is and how close some planets are and how far away others are. Great problem solving and team work skills Varjak Paws!

The Tudor Museum

This week we began by looking at some Tudor artifacts, borrowed from Weston Park Museum, to help us learn more about the life of the Tudors. We used these artifacts to give us ideas of what we want to learn more about and what we would like to create for our own Tudor museum. 

The War of the Roses

To continue our learning about The Tudors, we have been looking at the War of the Roses and examining the symbolism of the Tudor Rose. We then used 'bubblewrap printing' to replicate the Tudor Rose as a print for our Museum. 

Making an Orrery

After our work representing the solar system's relative size, we have now worked on producing models that show that the planets orbit the sun. Most representations of the solar system involve the planets being lined up. We have produced our own hanging orrery to show that the planets orbit around the sun. We have also learnt about the historical theories of the solar system and how scientists used to believe that the Earth was the centre of the solar system.

Using Maths Manipulatives

This week we are starting looking at subtraction in maths. To make sure that we clearly understand exchanging, and to practice using mathematical language, we used practical maths equipment to prove that our calculations were correct. The Varjak Paws showed great mathematical thinking and brilliant teamwork skills! 

The Battle of Bosworth

To continue our learning about the Tudors, we have been focusing on how the Tudor's came to power after the Battle of Bosworth. We have been using different drama techniques to deepen our understanding of a very significant historical event. We first worked collaboratively on drawing what the battle field might have looked like. 

Terrific Tudor Trip with the Fabulous Fives!

Wow, what a fantastic day! Today, all the year 5 children went on a trip to Manor Lodge to take part in a Tudor Experience Day. The Varjak Paws started off with a tour of the site where they found out about the history of the buildings on the site. They then went into the Turret House where we saw what a rich Tudor family would eat and about how a typical rich family lived. We also got to dress up as rich children and poor children. We all felt it was better to be poor in Tudor times as they would be far more healthy. We met Bess Hardwick - a rich Tudor lady.

After lunch we found out about the health and hygiene of the Tudors. We discovered what medicines they used to use and about the different roles of doctors in Tudor Times. We also made a Tudor purse and a pomander. We also learned how to write with a quill and ink.

We had a brilliant time and learnt so much throughout the day. All the children were a real credit to Walkley in terms of their behaviour and their enthusiasm. 

Tudor Portraits

This week, we have used our printing skills to create Tudor portraits. We used oil pastels and traced over portraits to create a line drawing. It was a great technique to try out at home! We also looked at how the Tudor Monarchs chose to be painted and the punishments that were given if the portraits weren't up to scratch! 

Tudor Printing

This week we have looked at Tudor prints and have used a printing technique to produce tiles for our Tudor museum. The effects look brilliant so if anyone wants to put in an order for Tudor wallpaper, just let me know! 

The children will be making Tudor houses after the half term so if you have any cardboard boxes lying around, please send them in with your child. Thanks!