After taking part in a gallery walk of photographs taken from the local area, our year 5 geographers were able to distinguish clearly between human and physical features and explain how the latter has influenced the former. They are then going to build on this learning next week by creating a model land form and using the physical features of the land to inform their human settlements and land use. Super work year 5!

As we begin our spring expedition, the children have been transported into the depths of the Amazon rainforest as they start to explore our guiding question: ‘Why should we help our planet survive?‘ During hook week, the pupils were first immersed in the wonder of the Amazon, from the rainforest layers to the biodiversity of the species that reside there. To celebrate this, our class designed and created an incredible door display, complete with indigenous species from the rainforest canopy. As the week has progressed, the children have gradually been introduced to the issue of deforestation and have produced some thought-provoking news reports to highlight different perspectives on the subject.

As part of our Christmas Expedition slice, year 5 have stepped into the streets of Dickensian London where they have encountered the covetous, old sinner, Ebenezer Scrooge! After recreating the famous character description of A Christmas Carol’s frightful protagonist, the pupils have worked collaboratively to generate powerful vocabulary that will enable them to produce a contrasting description, following Scrooge’s transformation at the end of the novella. What better way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas!