Welcome to year 5W's blog of the week and the start of our Advent month.

Maths

We have continued our work on multiplication this week. We have looked at different methods to help us to work out multiplication questions. Some of us looked at short multiplication method, long multiplication method and the grid method. By the end of the week some of us could use the long multiplication method to multiply 4 digit numbers by 2 digits numbers! Maths has been very tricky this week so well done all of 5W for not giving up and having a go at all the work. 

We would really like to see as many children possible getting their times tables bands. Children need to know their multiplication facts but also the corresponding division facts. It would be fantastic if the children could practice at home in order to help them to achieve their bands. 

Here's a great game to play at home to test their skills.

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

English

This week the children have been studying poetry and writing their own poems about Dragons. They looked at poetic features such as similes, rhyme, alliteration, personification and metaphors. They had a go at writing their own and then analysed poems to find these poetic features. The children began to write some amazing poems and I am looking forward to seeing the final pieces next week. Well done 5W. 

Topic

The children looked at how the Vikings used to write. We learnt that unlike us the Vikings didn't use the alphabet but instead used symbols for letters, which were called Runes. We had a go at writing our own names in Viking Runes and then they wrote each other a secret message in Runes which the other had to decode. 

At the start of the week we finished off our Alien masks, I must say they all look brilliant. The pictures of which will be on next weeks blog! 

In French the children have been learning a Christmas carol. The carol though however is not in french, it is in Swedish. Mrs Carlson has been teaching the children the carol as she is in fact from Sweden. It is called Stilla Natt, hope you can all remember it for next's weeks lesson! 

Our certificate winner this week is Ethan. This is for persevering in maths this week and never allowing himself to become disheartened. You are a perfect example of when we find something difficult we do not give up but we keep trying and trying! Well done!

I hope everybody has a lovely weekend and I will see you all on Monday!