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The Good Shepherd

Catholic Primary School

“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my own and my own know me”. John 10:14"

Year 5 - St Thomas More

English - Freeze Frames with Ali Baba

Today, we read Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and worked in groups to create freeze frames, bringing key scenes to life.

DT - Building the Strongest House!

In today’s DT lesson, we explored different ways to make structures sturdy using only limited materials. We put our skills to the test by building the strongest house possible, getting creative with every resource we had. It was a hands-on challenge that taught us the power of design and problem-solving!

Geography - Teacher Tryouts: Our Turn to Take the Class!

With our Year 5 teacher moving on, we had a blast stepping into her role! We wrote resumes, planned lessons, and one group got “hired” to teach an awesome geography lesson about African mountains. We learned so much, created a booklet, and challenged ourselves with step for depth—all while having tons of fun playing teacher!

RE - Parable Relay: Writing Together to Show the Great Commandment

We created parables about the Great Commandment through a relay writing activity, adding to each other’s stories as we moved seats. I learned that loving our neighbors means collaborating, sharing ideas, and showing kindness, just as we did in this activity.

Science - Exploring Air Resistance

RE - Reflecting Christ’s Love Through Service

We gathered as a community during the Advent season to reflect on Christ’s teachings of love and service. Through readings from the Gospel of Matthew, we were reminded of the importance of serving others and how these acts bring us closer to Jesus. As a symbolic activity, we created a sun from written acts of service, emphasizing that Jesus is at the center of our mission to spread love and continue His work in our daily lives.

RE and DT - Metacognition Frame for Mardi Gras

Computing - Sphero

Geography - Mountains

International Day of Persons with Disabilities - St. Margaret of Castello

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. We learned about the Rosary and focused on the Joyful Mysteries.

 

As part of our activity, we explored what it might feel like to be blind. Some of us gave instructions while others, blindfolded, worked to pick up information and pictures from a hoop and match them to the correct Joyful Mysteries.

 

We also learned about St. Margaret of Castello, a remarkable woman who was blind and physically disabled but lived a life filled with faith, love, and kindness. Her story reminds us that every person is a gift from God with their own unique strengths and abilities.

 

Through this activity, we deepened our understanding of the Joyful Mysteries while gaining greater empathy for the challenges faced by people with disabilities.

 

We reflected on Catholic Social Teaching, especially human dignity, and how we are all created in God’s image and deserving of respect. Inspired by St. Margaret, we also remembered the option for the poor and the importance of caring for those who are vulnerable.

RE and Art - Exploring Psalm 23 Through Abstract Art

This half term, we are exploring Psalm 23 and connecting it with our art lessons. While learning about abstract art, we took time for quiet reflection, listening to calming music, and thinking about how Psalm 23 describes the Lord as our shepherd, always protecting us through both joy and sorrow. Inspired by our feelings, we created abstract paintings, choosing colours and shapes that reflected the message of Psalm 23. Afterward, we shared our artwork with the class, explaining the meaning behind our choices and how they connected to the Psalm.

RE and History - Seasons of Change

We celebrated the Word by connecting it to our current history topic, Ancient Greece. The event began with a reading from the Book of Daniel: "He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. The Word of the Lord." In response, we stood in a line, holding hands, and collaboratively created a story. Each person contributed a sentence, building on the previous one, while incorporating keywords related to themes of change. The story highlighted that, despite life's changes, God's love remains constant. We reflected on the importance of seeking God's guidance, thanking Him for His unchanging power, and allowing this time to help us grow in wisdom while staying connected to Him throughout the day.

RE - Advent Journey

Advent is here, and we’ve started our Advent calendar! Each day, we enjoy a Bible story and come together for a special prayer. Here’s how we’re celebrating each week:

  • Week 1: We’re praying for hope—a renewed spirit of anticipation as we prepare for the coming of Christ.
  • Week 2: Our focus is on peace—asking Christ’s message of reconciliation to inspire leaders and bring harmony to our world.
  • Week 3: It’s all about joy—praying to feel God’s presence in our lives and to share His happiness with others.
  • Week 4: At home, the children will pray for love—a love that brings families, schools, and communities closer together.

Advent is such a meaningful time, and we’re making every moment count!

RE - Gregorian Chant

Today, Luke taught us about Gregorian chant, explaining how it evolved from ancient Jewish chant into what we now know as Gregorian chant. We explored its history in the Church, practiced singing it in Latin, learned the English translation, and reflected on its meaning. It was a fascinating session, and we learned so much!

Science - Thermal Insulator

In this experiment, we investigated how changing the materials used as thermal insulators affects the temperature of water. We tested various materials to observe their insulating properties and measured how each material impacted the rate of temperature change in the water. The goal was to determine which material provided the best insulation, keeping the water's temperature as stable as possible.

RE - The Prophecies Corridor

We explored Old Testament prophecies about Jesus as the promised Messiah. In the corridor, we searched for key prophecies from the Book of Isaiah, Book of Jeremiah, and Book of Micah, deepening our understanding of how Jesus was foretold. We also realized how intricately God's plan was woven through history! 

RE - Building a Timeline of God’s Promise

We worked together to create a timeline of biblical characters, with each of us representing an important figure in God’s promise. We secretly wrote descriptions of our characters (like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Joseph, or Jesus) but didn’t include their names. Without speaking, we had to figure out the correct order and arrange ourselves in a line. It was challenging but exciting, and we learned how teamwork helps us achieve goals. We also thought about how each person has a unique role in God’s plan. 

RE - Discussion on Prophecies and Promises with Father Mark

Today, Father Mark visited our Year 5 classroom, and we had a great discussion about prophecies and promises. We talked about many important topics, including the Bible, King David as both a shepherd and king, and how Jesus fulfils the promises made to David. We also discussed sins, the significance of Babylon, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, as well as figures like Saul, Samuel, and the act of anointing. This conversation helped us understand how the Bible connects the past to the present, and how God's promises unfold throughout history. It was a thoughtful and engaging discussion that deepened our understanding of the key themes in the Bible.

PSHRE - Anti-Bullying Week and the Dignity of the Human Person

This week is Anti-Bullying Week, and our whole school took part in creating anti-bullying posters, each including a thoughtful prayer. Year 5 children not only made their posters but also gave an amazing presentation to share their work and ideas with the rest of the class.

Guided by the Catholic Social Teaching of the Dignity of the Human Person, we reflected on the importance of treating everyone with respect and kindness. This activity reminded us that every person is made in the image of God and deserves to be treated with love and compassion, helping to create a school environment where all are safe and valued. 

Amelia in our class also brought in a giant rosary bead, and together we prayed the rosary, lifting up our prayers for peace, unity, and kindness within our school community. 

RE - Feast Day of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

Today is the feast day of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, a very special occasion for us as Clemmie in Year 5 is a relative of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne. Reception invited Clemmie to their class,  

where she gave a presentation about her connection to St. Rose and shared fascinating facts about her life. It was inspiring to learn how St. Rose Philippine Duchesne dedicated her life to helping others, bringing education and faith to those in need. Reflecting on her story reminds us of the importance of courage, kindness, and perseverance in following God’s call. 

RE and Science - Vessels of Honor

In our "Vessels of Honour" celebration, we gathered to reflect on purpose and readiness to serve God. As a response, each student drew a vessel they aspire to be, symbolizing commitment to be "set apart for honourable use" in God's service. For our mission, we agreed to daily prayer and Scripture meditation, beginning each morning and after lunch to stay spiritually prepared. We then read from 2 Timothy, reflecting on how each of us can be a "vessel for honourable use," dedicated and ready for every good work.

Exploring the Prophets

We researched the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah at home and created presentations to share what we learned. It was a great way to explore their messages and the impact they had on the people of Israel. 

Science - Exploring Material Properties in the Playground

In our first science lesson, we explored the playground to find materials with different properties like solubility, flammability, and opacity. We even discovered that some materials have more than one property. It was a fun and hands-on way to learn about different materials!

Christmas Shoebox Project: Sharing Joy with Children in Need

As part of the Christmas Shoebox Project, we gathered new or gently used toys, stationery, and hygiene items from home—things we no longer need but that could bring joy to children in difficult circumstances. With so many unused toys at home, this project gave us a chance to share our blessings with children who have so little.

 

These simple gifts will reach children in countries affected by poverty, bringing smiles to faces who may never have received a gift before. This experience reminded us of the importance of kindness, generosity, and helping those in need. By participating, we embraced the values of compassion and "option for the poor," showing that even small acts of giving can make a big difference in the lives of others.

PSHRE - iCommunicate

RE - David the Shepherd King

PE - Outdoor Adventurous Activities

RE - Worship (The Little Light of Mine)

Everyday, children have the opportunity to nominate a worship song. Today, we gathered as a community to sing 'This Little Light of Mine,' a beautiful reminder of our call to let our faith shine brightly in the world. The children participated with great enthusiasm, embracing the message of sharing God’s love and light with others.

RE - The Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Today, we celebrated the Feast Day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux through a special "Celebration of the Word" service. The children reflected on her life of kindness and simplicity, learning how even small acts of love can have a big impact. Together, we prayed and shared how we can follow her example in our own lives.

English - Bringing the Script to Life: Acting Out Act 1, Scene 4

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Celebration of the Word: Meditation

Today, we had a beautiful meditation session where we reflected on a Bible verse that connects to our science lesson on the human body.

 

We focused on Psalm 139:13-15: "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth."

 

We thought about how God created each of us with unique talents and a purpose, reminding us of the positive impact we can have in this world by sharing His love. Each of us wrote down the gifts and talents we believe God has given us, and then we combined these into one larger picture—symbolizing how, though we're all different, we come together to create something greater, filled with God's love and purpose.

School Parliament Election

Year 5 students are running for school parliament in departments like Peace and Justice, Environment, and Health and Wellbeing. Their campaigns reflect Catholic Social Teaching by promoting dignity, stewardship, and peace. This activity helps them live out these values while making a positive impact in their school.

English - Prince Escalus' Monologue 1

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English - Prince Escalus' Monologue 2

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English - Prince Escalus' Monologue 3

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RE - Role-playing (Catholic Social Teaching)

PSHRE - Class Rules (Catholic Social Teaching)

RE - Class Saint (Facts and Portraits)

English - Favourite Book Sharing

We have been learning about animation in computing. Here, we are learning to use the group, copy and paste functions on ABCya to create a frame.

Think Back Project

A fantastic project completed by two Year 4 pupils all about our learning so far this term. They have even included our neurons and were able to clearly explain how our neurons become strengthened when we build on things that we have learned about before, or when we make connections to other topic areas. 

First Aid Heroes

In this week's PSHRE, we became first aid heroes. We role played scenarios and practiced staying calm, reassuring the individual and calling for help.

Discussion Circle

To link with our English text 'The Boy at the Back of the Class', we heard three stories from three real life refugees who came to the UK. Afterwards, we had a discussion about their stories. Here are some quotes from the children:

"I think these children showed great resilience. It must have been incredibly difficult to make such a long and dangerous journey only to arrive and not be able to speak the language."

"These stories made me feel sad, but also grateful. I realise that all of my life I've had everything I ever need - love and a house. "

"I think our government needs to be better. People arrive already feeling alone and lost and then our government moves them to somewhere else."

Computing - How Does Animation Work?

We have been learning about how animators create the illusion of movement. Here, we are drawing 9 frames which change slightly each time. When they change quickly one after the other, the illusion of movement is created. 

International Week

During International Week, we learned all about Eritrea. For International Evening, we dressed in a country's colours or national dress.

Science - Classifying Animals

In teams, we competed in a relay race to classify animals into two groups: vertebrates and invertebrates.

Role on the wall

We have begun reading 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' by Onjali Q.Rauf. This week, we have had an introduction to the four main characters in the book. We have shown what we know and can infer through role on the wall.

We have been learning to represent decimals in different ways.

Here is our final tomato sauce which we made, created labels for and sold after school.

We have been learning how computers store data. This week, we chose to store data about a topic of our choice. We then created a filter and used it to search for specific information. 

Now Press Play - a plot to kill Elizabeth I

​In this Now Press Play, we took on the role of a courtier of Elizabeth I. We discovered that a group of Catholics, who had to pray in secret, were plotting to kill Elizabeth. We had to stop them! 

​​​​​​Here is a selection of our Tudor projects from this half term.

We enjoyed our trip to Tudor World in Stratford-upon-Avon. In the morning, we had an Elizabethan theatre workshop, a crime and punishment workshop and a tour of the museum. In the afternoon, we had a Shakespearean tour of Stratford-upon-Avon.

We enjoyed our 'As Creatives' workshop all about electricity through time.

We used Google Sheets to store and search for data about gingerbread men. We realised that a computerised version was much more efficient!

We are enjoying our science week activities. In this workshop, we learned about how science can be used to create a more sustainable world. We were excited by some of the scientific discoveries that we may see in years to come! 

Cooking week 3

In this week's cooking lesson, we tasted some shop bought tomato sauce. We compared the taste and texture of them. Next week, we will be thinking about which ingredients we might use to create our own tomato sauce and how we would like the label to look.

How do computers store data?

We have been learning about how computers use tables store data. We learned that computers store records in a much more efficient way than humans can!

We really enjoyed our library session to celebrate World Book Day. We had the opportunity to hear extracts from many different books and have all chosen something old or new that we would like to read. We enjoyed guessing which book was being read from!

World Book Day outfits

Pitch and Volume with Miss Howard

Miss Howard joined this week's science lesson on pitch and volume. She taught us how sound can be created in lots of different ways using instruments and our voice. She also showed us how to alter pitch and volume using instruments.

In yesterday's science lesson, we took a trip to the park to measure the speed of sound. We had to use a stopwatch to time how long it took for a sound to travel across the park. We repeated the test many times to ensure it was accurate.

We have been learning about space in art this half term. We have learned how artists make artwork look 3d. Here, we are creating cardboard reliefs to show background, middle ground and  foreground.

English - Hot seating

In today's lesson, we came up with questions that we would like to ask the main character in our new book, Jub. We worked in groups to come up with questions and had the opportunity to ask them to her.

Computing - binary code

In computing, we are learning about data. This week, we learned how computers use binary code to store information. We learned that computers do this much more effectively than humans could!

In our cooking lesson this week, we made savoury dishes like vegetarian shepherd's pie, focaccia and garlic bread. 

PSHRE - bullying

In PSHRE this week, we spoke about bullying and things that we say that can make others feel bad. We played games and role played scenarios to help us to develop our sense of empathy. We also talked about how to practice resillience.  

Science - making string telephones

In this week's science lesson, we made strong telephones to show how sound travels. We learned that sound travels faster through solids, because the molecules in a solid are closer together.

Presenting data

We have been learning about presenting data in maths. Here, we are working together to create bar charts which accurately show the amount of runs scored in a cricket match. 

Conductors and insulators

This week, we have been working scientifically. We created circuits and added different materials to test which are conductors of electricity and which are insulators. 

This term, we are learning about how artists create space in art. We are learning from the work of Millet and Brugel the Elder. Using cardboard, we will be creating a piece of art which clearly shows background, middle ground and foreground. Here, we are preparing the background for our pieces of art, where things will be shown further away (smaller and less detailed). 

Multiplication and division

We have learned a variety of methods to show how to multiply and divide. Here are some examples of our partner work this week.

We have been exploring how to multiply using lots of different methods. 

We created a role on the wall based on Mrs. Tredegar. On the outside, we wrote all of the things that we know about Mrs. Tredegar. On the inside, we inferred what her thoughts and feelings were. 

We created electrical circuits in this week's science lesson to show how electricity flows. 

The Green Ship role-play

This half-term, we are exploring 'The Green Ship' by Quentin Blake. Here, we are role-playing the children's exploration of their new discovery, a green ship. 

In this week's lesson, we learned about variables and that Sphero has sensors. We programmed a true or false quiz - if the answer was true, we shook Sphero, if it was false, we kept Sphero still. If we got the answer correct, an achievement sound was played. If the answer was incorrect, an error sound was played.

In this week's lesson, we had to program Sphero to navigate its way through a maze. We learned that there were more than one algorithm that could be used to solve this problem. Some groups even managed to add penalties when Sphero bumped into the side. 

Now Press Play - the water cycle

In today's Now Press Play, we took on the role of a water droplet as it journeyed around the water cycle. 

King Canute

We worked in groups to create poems about King Canute. We then presented them to the class. Here is an example:

King Canute

Long, long ago about 1000 years from now,

a great, strong king would show the English how.

In 1016 he became a king,

peace, power and religion he would bring.

Travelled on a longship across the vast North Sea,

for 19 years, King Canute he would be!

King of an Empire for England, Denmark, Norway,

with an army on the ground, they were sure to stay.

He taught his subjects to show them wrong from right,

but one day they would have such a fright.

“You are a God,” his subjects would say,

but they didn’t know that the sea would not obey.

He threw his crown on the sand,

to show he could not control the sea with his hand!

We have been learning about how authors build tension in their writing. We worked in groups to create our own myth where a king or queen needed saving from a monster. We have been learning from the writing style of Rob Lloyd Jones.

Water cycle in a jar

We recreated the water cycle in a jar to show how a water droplet heats, cools and changes state as it moves around the atmosphere. 

In this week's computing lesson, we had a dance party! We used the 'loop' block when programming so that Sphero could create a dance that was repeated. We planned our code using psuedocode. We loved dancing to the music!

Conflict with Racha

In this week’s workshop, Racha and Miss Jackson had an argument while looking at the number 9. Miss Jackson thought it was a 6. We helped them to see that they were looking at the number from a different angle, just like how in a conflict, we can look at it from different sides. We then came up with some advice on how conflict can be solved, using a song to help us.

We have been using lots of different methods to show multiplication and division!

Visit from Neal Zetter

Today, we had a visit from Neal Zetter who is a comedy performance poet, author, and entertainer. We were inspired by his work and creativity!

 

Here are our final shell structures. We created trinket boxes. 

Friendship with Racha

In this week's workshop with Racha, we discussed friendship. We listened to the song ‘Count on Me’ and talked about what makes a good friendship. We created friendship recipes, which included all of the things that we felt was important in a strong friendship.

 

In this week's lesson, we programmed Sphero, a robotic ball, to move in different directions and to change colour.