Welcome to Teak 5!
2024 - 2025
Mrs Brennan/Mrs Davis - Class Teachers
Mrs Komuszynska/Mrs Stubbs/Mrs Crosby/Ms Winsloe-Warder/Mrs Calloway/Mrs Shaw - Teaching Assistants
Summer 2
Ancient Egypt
What an amazing day we had for our sports afternoon! The sun was shining, spirits were high, and every child gave it their all. From sprints to sack races, the energy and enthusiasm were incredible! Well done Year 5!
Teak class had great fun designing, making and decorating their own canopic jars. These jars were used in Ancient Egypt to store the vital organs of a mummified Pharoah. There were some excellent creations which used fantastic Eygptian hieroglyphs and pattterns.
To immerse them into our setting description of Ancient Egypt, Teak 5 completed a Now Press Play experience. There was also lots of history learning that they could revise using this!
Teak 5 have been working hard to complete a DT and engineering project over the last couple of weeks. They had to use many skills such as measuring accurately, cutting wood carefully and safely using a hacksaw and then using their knowledge of science to create a successful circuit with a homemade switch.
Summer 1
Take One Author : Kwame Alexander
Year 5 enjoyed taking part in our sponsored walk/run. They all showed perseverance and determination to gain as many stamps on their cards as possible. Well done Year 5!
In Science we have been learning about living things and their habitats. To deepen our understanding of the life cycles of plants and how plants reproduce, we dissected a flower and identified and labelled the parts.
Teak 5 visited Polesworth Library on Tuesday 20th May. Following on from our recent History learning about Polesworth in the past, we referred to a map of Polesworth in the late 1800s and identified some landmarks that were still visible today on our walk to get there. Upon entering the Library, we were signposted to the Local History section and some of us enjoyed researching further. We then enjoyed relaxing with our friends and a good book, with lots of us taking one home with us to enjoy over the half term holiday. A lovely afternoon and the sunny walk made it all the better!
Year 5 had a great time visiting the North East for their residential trip last week. It was a very busy couple of days!!
After a long coach journey, they arrived at the Angel of the North. It was the perfect weather for a picnic and a play in the fields! After this, Mr Bailey shared some interesting facts with us about the Gateshead Angel and a brilliant Geordie poem about this fantastic piece of art. Next, we went on to Durham to visit their beautiful cathedral. As well as learning about the building and its history, we were fascinated to hear that films (including Harry Potter) were filmed in this ancient building. Next stop... Pizza! We visited Ask Italia for a delicious meal, where the waiting staff commented on the politeness and respect of the Birchwood children. After this, we went to Lanchester EP Primary School to get settled for the night, visiting their local park and sleeping in their school for the evening.
The following day, we started with a delicious breakfast before going into Newcastle. Here, Mr Bailey shared with us some interesting facts about the River Tyne and its bridges. From here, we went on to visit the Life Science Centre - a fun, interactive science experience, including a live science show.
A brilliant couple of days, where the children got to experience lots of new things and certainly came back ready for their beds! Their behaviour and manners were, as always, excellent and made us extremely proud during our visit.
Spring 2
Polesworth and Coal Mining
On Wednesday, Year 5 enjoyed a history visit to The Black Country Living Museum. The children enjoyed a trip down the mine, learning about the conditions that miners faced during Victorian times and the long hours of work they faced and the dangerous conditions. They also enjoyed a visit to the Victorian School and learned how arithmetic, writing and reading were the three most important subjects taught during the era. They learned how handwriting was taught using ‘Hooks’ and ‘Hangers’. Pupils enjoyed time exploring the village and seeing what life was like back then. A fantastic day was had by all!
Year 5 enjoyed taking part in 'The Biggest Ever Football Session'. We got to dress up in our football kits and sportswear as we joined in the fun. Each class had a 20 minute session with Jack, our PE coach from Aston Villa FC where both experienced players and those new to the sport got to learn new skills.
Teak class love World Book Day! We started with a special assembly with Mr Coleman, we took part in DEAR sessions (Drop Everything and Read) initiated by the ringing of a bell by Mr Coleman and Miss Lowe, and we spent the afternoon sharing our poem performance and stories with Reception.
Spring 1
English Civil Wall
Year 5 have read 'Spaghetti and Meatballs' as part of their number day. As people keep joining Mr and Mrs Comfort's party, the tables have to keep being rearranged to seat everyone around them. We used cubes to help us to visualise this. We also created equations using the numbers that we were wearing.
On Monday 3rd February, Teak 5 took part in a Storytelling Workshop with author Tola Okogwu, which they thoroughly enjoyed. It was an interactive workshop, where the basis for a shared story was created. Some of the children have since gone away and written their own story based on this, which we will submit to the National Literacy Trust.
This half term, we have been working with Mrs Fiu on our percussion unit 'Rosewood Gratitude' and making amazing progress, accompanying the piece both with claves and glockenspiels - it sounds fantastic!
Year 5 have began learning about the history of Polesworth this week. Today, they visited Polesworth Abbey, where they learned about the history of the Abbey and how it has changed since it was first built 1500 years ago.
Autumn 2
The Solar System
Year 5 had a great visit from WonderDome this week. This immersive experience took Them into outer space to complete their learning about the solar system. They learnt lots of new facts about the planets and the exploration of space.
Year 5 enjoyed making and decorating cupcakes as their DT project this half term. They also sold them at the Christmas fair to raise money for Team Birchwood.
Teak 5 have been exploring aerial photographs in Geography.
Autumn 1
Marvellous Mechanisms
Year 5 have been making toys involving a cam a follower to create a moving mechanism. They designed and made this for a target audience that may visit Drayton Manor theme park's gift shop. Have a look at our brilliant final designs and how we worked as part of a team to design, make and evaluate our final products.
On Friday 25th October, Year 5 visited Drayton Manor Theme Park. Not only was this extremely fun, but we also learned lots about forces too.
Year 5 had great fun completing the Now Press Play experience all about forces. This was a great opportunity to revise what we have been learning, and to immerse us into our next piece of writing - a non-chronological report about forces, including gravity and friction.
