Learning in Oak Class
About Our Class
Welcome to Oak Class! Mrs Lancaster is the class teacher Tuesday to Friday and Mr Lewis teaches the class on a Monday. Our TA is Mrs Davis.
We are encouraged to always be kind and to respect each other, as well as to always have a positive approach to our learning and do our very best.
Homework is given out on a Thursday and due in the following Wednesday. It consists of Reading, Spelling, Times Tables and Maths, linking in to our learning in class.
We follow the Twinkl Spelling scheme and learn a different rule each week. Our spelling tests are on a Thursday.
A few Forest School sessions for Oak Class will be led by Mr Lewis on a Monday afternoon during the Summer Term.
PE is on a Friday afternoon. This term’s focus will be Hockey and Gymnastics.
Information for Autumn Term 2025
English
Our class text for this term is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and we will also be reading Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean in the afternoons. Much of our writing will be linked to our texts and topics for the term. We will be covering several genres including descriptive writing, play scripts, diary entries and balanced arguments. We will be exploring some of Aesop’s fables and writing a fable of our own. Some of our writing will be linked to our studies of Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Geography and Living Things and Their Habitats in Science. To improve our speaking and listening skills we will continue to have class debates from time to time.
Children are regularly taught punctuation and grammar skills and are encouraged to use these skills accurately in their written work.
Reading is so important. Children are given the opportunity to read at school daily, both individually and with reading buddies. In addition, Mrs Lancaster reads to the children every day.
Comprehension work is completed every week with Mr Lewis. Children read and analyse a range of texts and answer questions, further developing their deduction and inferential skills.
Maths
We follow the Hamilton Trust scheme of work for Maths.
This term we will be focussing on Place Value (to tens of millions), Addition and Subtraction, Decimals, Multiplication and Division, Fractions and Shape.
Quick recall of times tables facts is so important and children are encouraged to practise regularly at home.
Science
Our topics for this term are Living Things and Their Habitats and Animals Including Humans. We will begin by focussing on Life Cycles of both animals and plants before moving on to studying the Human Body with a focus on the circulatory system and keeping healthy. The children will also be encouraged to research other areas linked to our topics this term.
Humanities
We will begin the term with learning about the Ancient Greeks. Much of our studies will be linked to other areas of the curriculum, including Art and DT. As part of our studies, we will learn about City States in Ancient Greece, the history of the Olympics and Greek gods and goddesses.
Later in the term, in Geography, we will move onto learning about Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Again, some of our learning will be linked to Art, DT and Science. We will be looking at types and shapes of volcanoes, why volcanoes and earthquakes occur and at the city of Pompeii in particular. We will also revise our knowledge of continents, oceans and mountain ranges.
Our two topics in RE this term are Creation and Science and Why do some believe in God and some not? Much of our RE will be learnt through class discussions.
Art and DT
Art and DT will be linked to our topics in Humanities. Some of our projects this term include exploring Greek patterns, creating a Greek wall hanging, sculpting a clay volcano and cooking some Greek food.
Computing
This term's topics are Computing Systems and Searching and Creating Media. Computing will be taught by Mr Lewis on a Monday afternoon. We will also be focussing on Health, Well-being and Lifestyle, Online Relationships and Self-image and Identity. Much of this will be taught as part of our PSHE circle times.
French
We will begin the term with the topic Getting to Know You before moving onto the topic All About Me.
PSHE
This term we will begin by focussing on Looking after our Mental Health before recapping our knowledge of British Values and Black History.
Included in our PSHE lessons is our Values Education. The Values for this term are:
September - Enthusiasm
October - Confidence
November - Peacefulness
December - Joyfulness
Music
Recorders and Singing will be the focus for this term in Music and will be taught by Mr Lewis on a Monday afternoon. We will also be putting on a musical performance at Christmas.
Please see below for the topic plans for Oak Class for the whole academic year.
Oak Class Plans
Expectations in Mathematics for Year 5