Year 5 English – Monologues and Drama

By Sophie Porteous12th February 2026

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.

Year 5 English – Monologues and Drama

By Sophie Porteous12th February 2026

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.

Year 5 English – Monologues and Drama

By Sophie Porteous12th February 2026

Lesson 2

Here are some clips of us reading with expression:

Harry & Millie reading with expression

 

Children’s Mental Health Week – THIS IS MY PLACE

By Miss L STEWART12th February 2026

In HUB 2 today, we have talked about the word BELONGING and the different ways we can feel that we belong. From this, we created our own unique maps, entitled THIS IS MY PLACE, which identify the places, groups, activities including our interests that provide us with a sense of belonging.

As you can see, our hobbies, interests, pets, families, friends alongside our special places ( school, home and favourite restaurants) all have a special place in our daily lives as they all make us feel that we belong.

 

Year 5 English – Monologues and Drama

By Sophie Porteous11th February 2026

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:

 

Y56 Safer Internet Day 2026

By Sophie Porteous11th February 2026

Safer Internet Day is held every February all around the world. Last year, over 170 different countries celebrated the day! Safer Internet Day is a chance to think about any worries we might have about using technology and the internet, but it’s also about celebrating all the fantastic things technology can help us with. Last year, over half of the children in the UK heard about or joined in with Safer Internet Day.

To mark Safer Internet Day this year, the Year 5/6 children took part in a whole-phase assembly. 

This year for Safer Internet Day we were thinking about an exciting type of technology: AI.

AI stands for artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is a type of computer system, which has been designed to try and do some of the things a human brain can do. Over time, computer scientists have developed AI to try and do some of the amazing things our brains can do. AI uses information too, but it’s normally called data. AI can be trained to spot patterns and make certain decisions, and as the technology improves, it is being used in all kinds of exciting ways.

AI is like any technology – we can use it to do amazing things, but we also need to remember to use it safely and responsibly, in a way that makes you and other people feel good.

Here are some important things to remember when using AI technology:

  • It can be fun to create jokes, images and videos with AI. But we must always make sure we are being kind to others. Even if something is made with AI, it can still hurt somebody’s feelings.
  • If you are researching or finding information, AI can be a great tool! Just remember, sometimes it can get it wrong. If you are unsure about the information you have been given, it is always best to check it, for example by asking a trusted adult.
  • If you see a new AI tool you would like to use, ask a trusted adult before using it so they can make sure it is safe for you.
  • Sometimes AI might show us something we didn’t want to see. If that happens, it’s not your fault! You can always talk to a trusted adult if you ever feel worried, upset or unsure when using AI. They can give you support and help you with any problems you are having.

Persuasive letters

By Etienne Hull29th January 2026

In English this week, Year 5 have been learning how to write effective persuasive letters. Working in pairs, the children wrote letters to Mrs Marson, trying their very best to convince her that our class should be allowed to have a class pet.

Y6 Design and Technology: Truffle Making – Focused Practical

17th December 2025Miss L STEWART

Year 6 are in the process of preparing to be chocolatiers this week to create a produce (truffles) with a purpose (a gift) for a person of their choosing.

This week we took part in a focused practical activity and observed the process of how to make the truffles using a simple recipe. With a little assistance and guidance from Miss Stewart, some children weighed, snapped, crumbled and added the necessary ingredients to create a batch of delicious truffles, which were shared and devoured before being evaluated.

Our next step is to be the chocolatier and independently create and design our own truffles so watch this space…

HUB 2: FESTIVE BISCUIT DECORATING

12th December 2025Miss L STEWART

In HUB 2 this week, we demonstrated our creative flair and decorated some homemade shortbread biscuits with a range of Christmas themes alongside some of our own personal interest.

We persevered, focused and carefully concentrated on the task to ensure that our designs were delectable masterpieces.

And voila…from Christmas Trees, Christmas Stars and Snowflakes to Sonic, Batman, Spiderman and the Joker, we certainly enjoyed the task before devouring and sharing our fine creations with our loved ones.

Merry Christmas everyone!

PSHE – JIGSAW: CELEBRATING DIFFERENCE – RUMOURS AND NAME CALLING

By Miss L STEWART3rd December 2025

Y5H discussed the emotional and physical impact of spreading rumours and calling people names in our Jigsaw lesson today.

We began the lesson by playing the game ‘WHISPERS’ around the class to show how a simple statement can be altered, changed or become misconstrued.  This activity helped the children identify that rumours are often stories which are circulated that are not always the true as they can be altered in the way they interpretated by the receiver.

We then discussed and debated a scenario based upon a girl called ‘Carol’ who had started a new school but felt isolated by a group of girls as they would not accept her as part of the group and they began to give her nasty looks. Carol then began receiving anonymous text messages calling her nasty names which resulted in Carol feeling sad, lonely and worried about attending school.  From this, the Y5 children identified what Carol both should and should not do to help her situation:

  • Speak to a trusted adult (Parent/Carer, Teacher, Friend or a trusted relative) – Never keep it to yourself or ignore when someone is being unkind to you
  • Call Childline (0800 1111) or the NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000)
  • Show the text messages to a trusted adult  – Never delete them as the situation may not just go away – the messages need to be reported
  • Never retaliate as the situation could become worse
  • Be an Upstander not a Bystander – if you see or hear that someone is being unkind to another person – SPEAK UP and TELL A TRUSTED ADULT
  • If the situation escalates, call the non-emergency number 101 for help and support

The children then created a ‘Snakes and Ladders’ board game related to Carol’s scenario highlighting 4 things that we should do to help a situation like Carol’s as well as 4 things that we should not do as they could make the situation worse.

We are looking forward to playing each other’s games next week!