Here is how long it takes each of the planets in our solar system to orbit around the Sun (in Earth days):
Mercury: 88 days
Venus: 225 days
Earth: 365 days
Mars: 687 days
Jupiter: 4,333 days
Saturn: 10,759 days
Uranus: 30,687 days
Neptune: 60,190 days
Earth takes 365¼ days to complete its orbit around the Sun.
The Earth rotates (spins) on its axis every 24 hours.
As Earth rotates half faces the Sun (day) and half is facing away from the Sun (night)
The children looked at how the earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth. The children made moving pictures to show how these rotate.
There is an imaginary line running through the UK called the Prime Meridian. It runs through a place in London called Greenwich.
The Prime Meridian splits the world into eastern and western hemispheres.
We looked at the different zones and how this changes the time compared to England.
- Understand the difference between a fact and an opinion;
- Understand what biased reporting is and the need to think critically about things we read.
- Define the terms loan, credit, debt and interest;
- Suggest advice for a range of situations involving personal finance.
- State what is meant by community;
- Explain what being part of a school community means to them;
- Suggest ways of improving the school community.
Mrs Gould asked the children to fold a sheet of A4 paper lengthways to make two columns. In the left-hand column, she asked them to write (in note form) things that they like about their school community. In the right-hand column, she asked the children to note things that they dislike about their school community.
The children then chose one of the ‘dislikes’ they had listed and thought about how they could change it for the better.
Throughout life, young people will develop relationships. These relationships will be with peers, friends, parents/carers, extended family, coaches, teachers, faith leaders, medical professionals etc.
Hopefully, most of these relationships will be healthy where the young person feels respected, cared for, loved and supported.
However, not all relationships are healthy. It is important for young people to recognise and understand what an unhealthy relationship is so they can deal with it in an appropriate way. They should feel able to end relationships or know how to work on the relationship if they wish to.
A change is called irreversible if it cannot be changed back again.
In an irreversible change, new materials are always formed. Sometimes these new materials are useful to us.
Reversible and irreversible reactions are different.
A reversible change is a change that can be undone or reversed.
If you can get back the substances you started the reaction with, that's a reversible reaction.
A reversible change might change how a material looks or feels, but it doesn't create new materials.
Examples of reversible reactions include dissolving, evaporation, melting and freezing.
We experimented with some different changes.
PHSE - to respect and tolerate different
What is Neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is the concept that all humans vary in terms of their neurocognitive ability. Everyone has talents and things they struggle with - we're all familiar with that part! However, for some people, the variation between those strengths and weaknesses is more pronounced, which can bring talent but can also be disabling. Although technically, we're all neurodiverse - no-one's mind works in exactly the same way - it's mostly people who have this more profound difference between strengths and weaknesses that are known as 'neurodivergent'.
Neurodiverse or neurodivergent people (both terms are used) tend to find some things very easy and other things incredibly hard. This usually leads to an inconsistent performance at school or work due to the mismatch between the two. However, on the flipside, neurodiversity can be a competitive advantage when the individuals are in the right environment, making use of their strengths, instead of constantly trying to overcome challenges. To achieve this, we must create inclusive spaces to work and learn that reduce disabling factors and amplify diverse abilities.
What kind of conditions are considered to be neurodivergent?
Well, as we've already mentioned, under the neurodiversity model, everyone's technically neurodiverse - although most folks fit into a band with a comparatively narrow amount of variation. While these people experience differences in strengths and weaknesses, they tend to be much less dramatic, so they tend to have a more 'standard' shared way of viewing the world and tackling tasks. This majority group is what's sometimes referred to as 'neurotypical' people.
Neurodivergent folks are those whose skills have a lot more variation, and this variation can manifest in wildly different ways. One neurodivergent person might be a maths genius who's also hopelessly disorganised and can't tie their own shoelaces, another might be a social butterfly and very skilled at spatial reasoning, but really struggle with basic literacy and maths skills. Neurodiversity recognises that all these millions of different ways of thinking and doing are equally important and valuable.
Neurodiversity is a very broad group, and neurodivergent individuals can have any one (or even a combination) of many different conditions that fall under the neurodiversity umbrella - which is always growing. Here are some that you might have heard of:
- ADHD
- Autism
- Dyslexia
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyspraxia
- Developmental Language Disorder
- Tourette's Syndrome and other Tic disorders
However, this isn't a fixed list, there are people with other conditions who may also consider themselves neurodivergent.
The Red Chilli and The Green Peas use fresh ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, meats, pulses, herbs and much more to cook the best balanced healthy meal in just 15 minutes.
The children enjoyed the experience and got to taste some of the cooking.
- The start of the Anglo-Saxons: The Anglo-Saxons were the various groups of Germanic-speaking people who inhabited England from the 5th to the 11th century. They consisted of a mix of Jutes, Angles and Saxon tribes and their ancestors who were predominantly from the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. The Anglo-Saxons first tried invading in the 4th century, but the Roman army were quick to send them home again! Years later – around 450AD – the Ancient Romans left Britain, the Anglo-Saxons seized their chance and this time they were successful!
- Towards the end of Roman rule, Britain was being attacked by the Picts and Scots from the north, and the Anglo-Saxons from the sea. The Picts caused trouble for the Britons but they did not stay around. We don't know if this was because they lost battles and were pushed back or if they chose not stay around. They may have just been raiders, attacking Britons to steal from them and then going home.
- One of the most well-known kings from Mercia was Offa. He declared himself the first ‘king of the English’ because he won battles involving kings in the surrounding kingdoms, but their dominance didn’t really last after Offa died. Offa is most remembered for Offa’s Dyke along the border between England and Wales – it was a 150-mile barrier that gave the Mericans some protection if they were about to be invaded.
- Settlements: The Anglo-Saxons didn’t like the stone houses and streets left by the Romans, so they built their own villages. They looked for land which had lots of natural resources like food, water and wood to build and heat their homes, and Britain’s forests had everything they needed. Lots of Anglo-Saxons lived in wooden homes with thatched roofs. The whole family shared one room and the floor was mostly earth. The less fortunate would share their huts with animals, with nothing but a screen to divide them. They surrounded each village with a high fence to protect cattle from wild animals like foxes and wolves, and to keep out their enemies, too!
- We know how the Anglo Saxons lived because archaeologists have found old settlements and excavated artefacts like belt buckles, swords, bowls and even children’s toys. A famous Anglo-Saxon archaeological site is Sutton Hoo, where a whole ship was used as a grave! An Anglo-Saxon king was buried inside the ship along with some of his possessions, such as his helmet and sword.
- We can also read about what happened during Anglo-Saxon times in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.
- Religion: In Roman Britain many people had been Christians but the early Anglo-Saxons were not Christians, they were pagans. After the Romans left, Christianity continued in places where Anglo-Saxons did not settle, like Wales and the west. However, when the Anglo-Saxons came to Britain they brought their own gods and beliefs with them. Like the Vikings and the Ancient Greeks, the Anglo-Saxons believed in many gods and had many superstitions. Anglo-Saxons were superstitious and believed in lucky charms. Around the 7th century many converted to Christianity after the arrival of the missionary St. Augustine from Rome. Augustine built Canterbury Cathedral and consequently became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Anglo Saxon Runes: Runes are symbols just similar to the letters we use. Rune literally translates to 'secret' or 'mystery'. The runes are known together as the futhorc. They form the language often described as Old-English. The runes were used to write things like significant names, places, spells and religious rituals. The runes within the Anglo-Saxon alphabet are made of combinations of straight lines so that they could easily be carved into wood or stone. Many runes have been found carved into stone, which are known as runestones. When many Anglo-Saxons became Christian, more people began writing and speaking using the alphabet we use today.
- End of Anglo-Saxon Rule: From 793AD, the Vikings invaded Anglo-Saxon Britain several times, plundering and raiding towns and villages along the British coastline. The Anglo-Saxons tried to hold them back but groups of Vikings eventually settled in different parts of the country, especially York.
- Edward the Confessor was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. He was certainly a popular choice for king having been elected by the witan, or royal council, and had the backing of the people. He was respected for his religious faith and people believed that he could cure the sick through the king’s touch. Edward could also be seen as a weak and indecisive and sometimes a violent leader whose failure to leave an heir led to the Norman invasion of Britain and the end of Saxon rule. The next invasion came in 1066AD, in one of the most famous battles of our history – the Battle of Hastings. This led to the end of Anglo-Saxon rule.
What are Anglo-Saxon runes?
Anglo-Saxon runes were symbols used by the Anglo-Saxons as an alphabet in their writing system. All runes were known collectively as futhorc in Old English.
The English language developed from the West Germanic dialects spoken by the Angles, Saxons, and other Teutonic (another word for regions of Germany) tribes who participated in the invasion and occupation of England in the fifth and sixth centuries.
The first people to be called 'English' were the Anglo-Saxons, after the Romans had withdrawn from Britain.
Much of the English language derives from Anglo-Saxon and many place-names in England have the same origin. Understanding the links between history and language is crucial in helping KS2 children develop their English skills.
The children in 5GH had a go at writing in runes.
Key learning points
- Adolescence is the stage of growth and development between childhood and adulthood
- Puberty is when a child's body begins to develop and change as they become an adult and are able to reproduce
- Puberty usually happens between ages 10 and 14 for girls, and ages 12 and 16 for boys
- Signs of puberty for girls include changing body shape, additional body hair and starting periods
- Signs of puberty for boys include changing body shape, additional body hair and a deeper voice
- Identify people who can be trusted;
- Understand what kinds of touch are acceptable or unacceptable;
- Describe strategies for dealing with situations in which they would feel uncomfortable, particularly in relation to inappropriate touch.
- Use a range of words and phrases to describe the intensity of different feelings
- Distinguish between good and not so good feelings, using appropriate vocabulary to describe these;
- Explain strategies they can use to build resilience.
As a class we briefly described one or two different feelings experienced during the day, for example, feeling excited by an invitation from someone; feeling disappointed that there were no bananas for packed lunch so had to have an apple and really prefer bananas…
The class began a discussion about the many different emotions people might have experienced already today
PHSE - To know the difference between safe and unsafe secrets
Children will be able to:
- Explain the difference between a safe and an unsafe secret;
- Identify situations where someone might need to break a confidence in order to keep someone safe.