Year 5 English Curriculum Overview 2014-15
Term
AUTUMN TERM 1
Topic 1
Topic
Fiction
Book:
Friend or Foe
or
The Wreck of the
Zanzibar
By Michael Morpurgo
Unit Overview
Children will read an exciting Michael Morpurgo book
about two young boys living in the war. They are
evacuated from London and the story follows their
journey to the countryside in Devon.
Children to do lots of short writing tasks.
Eg: letters home about events as they happen, diary
entries of sighting the German plane, David falling into
the river, etc
Lots of opportunities for Speaking and Listening: discuss
whether the boys should have helped the German.
Topic 2
Non -Fiction
Michael Morpurgo
Children will Watch video clips and carry out research
about Michael Morpurgo. They will also study the features
of biographies in preparation for writing their own.
Topic 3
Poetry
Poet's Voice
Michael Rosen
Children will be given the opportunity to learn poems off
by heart and perform them. Teachers will aim to
encourage a love of poetry.
Children will read Michael Rosen poems and watch him
perform others on his website.
Write a conversation poem between child and parent in
the same style as Rosen. Also try what parent's say
format for a poem.
HALF TERM
Opportunities for Assessment Activities
Narrative Recount - Diary entry
Last boys to be picked or day of evacuation
Narrative - Writing new scene
to include dialogue
David tells Mr Reynolds about finding the
airman.
Narrative:
Informal letter from Laura to Billy after
he has left
Newspaper report
About the shipwreck
Biography
Michael Morpurgo
Year 5 English Curriculum Overview 2014-15
AUTUMN TERM 2
TO LINK WITH EARLY
WORLD HISTORY
LEARNING JOURNEY
TOPIC
Topic 1
Non-fiction
The Shang Dynasty of
Ancient China
In this unit children will learn and research about the
Shang Dynasty of Ancient China . What evidence is there
that it really existed?
Non-chronological report
Children will use their nmon-fiction
knowledge to write a non-chronological
report on The Shang Dynasty
Topic 2
Narrative Poetry
The Highwayman
Children will study the famous Highwayman poem. They
will be learning parts of the poem off by heart and
unpicking the technical language used. This is a poem that
can be linked to a reading comprehension about Dick
Turpin.
Instructions
How to be a Highway Man or
Recount of part of the poem from the
Highwayman's point of view.
Topic 3
Fiction
Shakespeare: The
Tempest
Narrative
Describe the fictional island where the play
takes place.
Topic 4
Christmas Book
Children will be getting to grips with Shakespeare’s story
of The Tempest. They will Perform parts of script, read
easier text versions of the play and watch Animated
Shakespeare Tales of The Tempest.
Planning and activities to follow
Year 5 English Curriculum Overview 2014-15
SPRING 1
Topic 1
Topic 2
TO LINK WITH
SOUTH/NORTH AMERICA
LEARNING JOURNEY
TOPIC
Non-fiction
Ultimate Explorers
Fiction
Oranges in No Man's Land
SPRING 2
Topic 1
Non-fiction
Animals on the Move
Topic 2
Fiction
The Pearl Diver
Children will be reading an e-book about famous explorers.
This will link with their Learning Journey topic of
South/North America.
Can be done on IPads
Persuasive text
Write a persuasive text to attract people
to become explorers
A gripping story about a young girl who loses her Parents
in a civil war. She is left with her grandmother, who
becomes very ill, and her siblings. The story follows her
problems as the war in Beirut unfolds.
Newspaper report
Beirut - another night of fighting or
Girl saves her Granny.
HALF TERM
Children explore the migration of animals through reading
the e-book. Watch clips about migration on You Tube.
Children research animal of choice to complete a
chronological report..
Can be done on IPads
Children will read the first part of the story ‘The Pearl
Diver’ where a young boy goes out to see with his father
and the rest of a pearl diving team. He is about to take
his first dive and experience the amazing underwater
world.
Narrative from a different character's
point of view
Write Samar's story
Chronological Report
that explains the migration of a chosen
animal.
Narrative
Finish the story describing where Saeed
finds the pearl.
Year 5 English Curriculum Overview 2014-15
SUMMER 1
Topic 1
Non-fiction
The Museum of Fun
E-book about the Museum of Fun. The screens contain
historical information about different types of
entertainment. Children will study persuasive features
and analyse some example letters before writing a
persuasive letter of their own.
Formal persuasive letter
To write a letter to the head teacher to
persuade her to organise a school trip to
the Museum.
Topic 2
Live Unit
Pitch It
Children will take on the exciting task of designing a
product for younger children and then they will have to
pitch it.
They will be looking at successful techniques and trying to
use these in their own pitches to their audience.
Informal pitch
Children top-copy their pitch.
This will be filmed.
HALF TERM
YEAR 5 TRIP
SUMMER 2
Topic 1
Poetry
Tell me a Story
Charles Causley
Topic 2
Non-fiction
Balanced argument texts
Children will be reading a selection of narrative poems by
Charles Causley and discussing the stories behind them.
‘Whatever happened to Lulu’ will be used as a back
narrative : children will have to tell her story -- why did
she leave? What happened to her?
OPTIONAL SATs
Each class will choose topic to debate and discuss: use of
IPads in school. mobile phones, etc.
They will then be studying the features of a successful
balanced argument before having a go at writing their
own.
PERFORMING ARTS WEEK
Narrative
Lulu's story
Balanced argument
Topic chosen by the children