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This week in Year 5, we have been exploring explanation texts. We wrote a guide on how to be a good friend, focusing closely on the importance of being kind, listening and offering support, as well as being honest and trustworthy. This work has linked closely with Wonder, the book we are currently reading, as we have been discussing the importance of kindness, empathy and treating others with respect.
Whilst we have been reading We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, we have explored all of the environments that the family discover on their walk. We thought mud was brilliant but not half as exciting as creating our very own swirling, whirling snowstorm!
To start with, we watched how snow calmly and gently falls from the sky. Then we watched a storm and talked about why the snow was moving around in different directions. Jacob was able to tell us that it was because the wind was blowing it.
Yesterday the children had practised their cutting skills and snipped up lots of tiny pieces of white paper. Blake gave it a blow but it just wasn’t enough. What could we do?
We needed something that we could ‘waft’ to create lots of ‘wind’ so we decided to use our clipboards. The results were amazing!
Watch the videos below to see how we retold some of the story, with some of us trying hard to use British Sign Language at the same time, and then creating our amazing swirling, whirling snowstorm.
A great day in F1!
We have really loved reading the story ‘Jack and The Beanstalk’ this term!
Click the link below to take a deep dive in to all of the exciting things F2 have been getting up to explore this story.
Lesson 3
To use drama and performance methods to portray the thoughts of a character.
In today’s lesson, we listened to the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. We explored the lyrics and the message that the artist was trying to convey. We thought about what this would be performed like if it were to be performed on stage as a monologue.
Taking inspiration from this song, the children then prepared their own monologues in the role of the boy from Little Freak. These were predominantly improvised monologues with the children only having made minimal notes beforehand.
Here are a few examples. We think you’ll agree that the children have worked really hard to portray the inner thoughts and feelings of the little boy and have applied what they learned about expression, emphasis of words and tone.
Lesson 2
Today, we took turns to sit in the hot seat, improvising the character of the boy from Little Freak. Our classmates asked questions about his life and the relationship with his father. We then switched the character to the father and then some people who have been to see the little boy in the show.
We then worked on reading the script of the video clip “Little Freak”. We practised reading with expression.
Lesson 1
This week, Year 5 have had a drama focus in their English lessons. We have been learning all about monologues, reading with expression and performance techniques such as emphasising words and altering the tone of our voices.
We started the week by taking part in an online lesson with Hull Truck looking at drama techniques for performing monologues. We learnt how shifting the emphasis onto different words can completely change the perceived meaning.
Try reading the following sentence, shifting the emphasis to the word in capitals each time:
I didn’t say she stole YOUR money.
I didn’t say SHE stole your money.
I didn’t say she stole your MONEY.
I didn’t say she STOLE your money.
Do you notice how although the words are the same, the meaning changes?
We learned all about monologues and their purpose in plays and performances – to show a character’s inner thoughts and feelings. We explored how song lyrics can be performed as monologues.
Here is an example from Phoebe:
Today’s school day began with a mystery. As the children arrived, they were greeted by an unexpected orchestra of noises echoing from every corner of the classroom. It didn’t take long for curious faces to turn into puzzled ones as we set off to investigate.
In the winter garden, we discovered a very sleepy bear snoring loudly. Out in the garden, we could hear a group of tooting owls hooting away. As we moved into the main classroom, the air was filled with the cheerful tweeting of morning birds. Mrs Wilkinson’s room had a persistent drip-drip-drip from a leaky tap, while Miss Carrick’s classroom was ruled by a very annoying tick‑tocking clock. It was so noisy that many of the children covered their ears as they tried to make sense of it all.
To help us understand this strange, noisy morning, we gathered together and introduced our new story Peace at Last. As we read, the children quickly noticed that the sounds around school were just like the ones poor Mr Bear had to endure when he was trying to sleep. Suddenly, the mystery made perfect sense.
After the story, we talked about why sleep is important and shared ideas about how we can help ourselves and others get a peaceful night’s rest.
The children have really loved reading this story!
Watch the video’s below to see our amazing sound walk!
Click the link to see what the children have been doing whilst reading our new book the Three Little Pigs! We’ve had so much fun.