In English, we have been learning all about journalistic writing. We have watched and analysed examples of TV news reports, as well as reading models of TV news scripts written for actual TV news reports. Following a series of lessons using the BBC News School Report resources, we have learned the importance of sharing the 5Ws quickly with the audience - the WHAT, WHO, WHEN, WHERE and WHY (not forgetting the HOW). Huw Edwards, the BBC news presenter, has shared with us his advice for writing TV news reports. He stressed the importance of making sure that any report is balanced - with a fair representation of different opinions and points of view about an issue. He also talked to us about the 3Cs - making sure that our journalistic writing is CONCISE, CLEAR and CORRECT! 

We have been doing some journalistic writing of our own - writing our own TV new scripts for a report about the Escape from Island Farm POW Camp, Bridgend during World War Two. Before we were able to do this, we had to research and make notes about the events of the 10th March 1943 when seventy German prisoners of war crawled to freedom along an escape tunnel. We had to gather our 5Ws - our facts about the escape from Island Farm - making sure that they were CONCISE, CLEAR and CORRECT. 

We worked with a partner on our journalistic writing. We drafted our TV news reports using a word processing program on the computer. We were then able to proof-read and edit our journalistic writing as it developed. When writing, we used some of the BBC's key technical terms and abbreviations such as:
VO: Voice-Over
SOT: Sound on Tape (an interviewee's words)
UPSOT: Sound on Tape other than an interviewee's words.
  PTC: Piece to Camera (when a journalist talks directly to the viewer/camera. 
Our journalistic writing/TV news reports are available for you to download and read below. We hope you enjoy reading them. We would be interested in your feedback about whether they effectively communicate the 5Ws to the audience in a CONCISE, CLEAR and CORRECT way.

In our History topic work this week, we have been learning all about the World War Two 'Dig for Victory' propaganda campaign which aimed to persuade people to grow their own fruit and vegetables. During the Second World War, food was rationed and in short supply as Hitler's air force and navy bombed the cargo ships and aeroplanes bringing food to Great Britain from overseas.

The British government's 'Dig for Victory' campaign aimed to persuade people to overcome the food shortages by using any spare land in their gardens to grow their own fruit and vegetables. People were encouraged to grow their own food in allotments. Suitable land such as that in local parks, playing fields and schools was dug up and used to grow vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, cabbages and leeks. People were also urged to keep their own animals such as pigs, rabbits and chickens to provide extra sources of food.  The propaganda campaign stressed how by 'digging for victory', people could have fun, keep active and spend quality time with their friends and families whilst helping the war effort.     

We wrote and illustrated our own storyboards for a 'Dig for Victory' propaganda newsreel. We had to write a voice over to accompany the images appearing on screen that would succeed in persuading the audience to 'Dig for Victory' . Here are some examples of our newsreel storyboards. We have also created our very own 'Dig for Victory' wartime garden by planting seeds in containers in order to grow vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks and even garlic! We look after them by watering them regularly. We are looking forward to watching our vegetables grow throughout the Summer term. Below are some photographs of us planting our seeds.   

In our Science-based topic this fortnight, we have been thinking about how different animals are adapted to their habitats. A polar bear, for example, has characteristics that make it suitable to live in Arctic conditions - a layer of blubber to keep it warm, thick layers of fur, large feet to provide grip on snow and to act as paddles in the water, claws to dig into the ice, and canine teeth to eat prey such as seals. We have created our own fantasy rainforest  creatures and have given details about how they are adapted to their environments. The extracts below will give you a snapshot of our fantasy creatures. We hope you enjoy reading about them.    

In PSE lessons, we have been talking and learning about medicines and drugs. We have learnt that there are important health reasons why people take medicines and how these can improve the quality of someone's life. We talked in our groups about 'why' a person might be prescribed medicines by a doctor and our ideas included headaches, tonsillitis, having a tooth out, asthma and epilepsy. We talked about how many people who have different conditions and suffer from illnesses have to take medicine everyday. These include people with heart disease, people with high blood pressure, diabetics and people who suffer from hayfever. We all agreed that it is dangerous to take too much medicine and that it is important that we follow the prescribed dosage decided by the doctor or pharmacist.

We have learnt that there are some drugs which it is damageing to take such as heroin, cocaine and ecstasy. People who abuse drugs such as these can face difficulties in their relationships with others, changes in their behaviour and character, and in some cases death. We have produced some effective, hard-hitting anti-drug abuse posters warning people about the dangers of such drug abuse. We hope you enjoy looking at them and thinking about their serious message. 

In class this fortnight, we have been writing in Welsh about our heroes. We have used Welsh language patterns to describe our heroes and also to explain what qualities we admire about them. We have been learning how to share our opinions using the Welsh patterns "Yn fy marn i....." and " Dw i'n meddwl bod....."  We hope you enjoy reading some of the descriptions of our heroes below. 

Dyma fy arwr i - Athletwr Tae-Kwon-Do, Jade Jones. Mae hi'n dal a dalentog. Un deg naw oed ydy hi. Mae gwallt brown a syth da' hi a mae llygaid gwyrdd 'da hi. Fel arfer, pan mae hi'n wneud Tae-Kwon-Do, mae Jade yn gwisgo crys-T gwyn, glas a choch, a throwsus glas.
       Yn ei hamser sbâr, Mae Jade yn mwynhau wneud Tae-Kwon-Do Olympaidd. Mae hi'n gallu wneud Tae-Kwon-Do yn dda ond dydy hi ddim yn gallu chwarae pêl droed. Eleni mae hi wedi cystadlu yn y Gemau Olympaidd yn Llundain. Ennillodd hi medal aur yn y Gemau! 
           Yn fy marn i, mae Jade yn tyff achos mae hi'n ymladd. Dw i'n meddwl bod arwr ydy Jade achos mae hi'n cymryd risg.
           

Dyma fy arwr i - seren canu, Louis Tomlinson. Mae e'n olygus iawn. Dau ddeg un oed ydy e. Mae gwallt brown a syth 'da Louis. Fel arfer, pan mae e'n perfformio yn y grŵp pop 'Direction Un', mae Louis yn gwisgo siwt posh, bresys, trowsus du ac esgidiau du hefyd. 
                         Yn ei hamser sbâr, mae Louis yn hoffi siarad a'i cholomen, Kevin. Mae Louis yn gallu canu yn dda ond dyd e ddim yn gallu wneud gymnasteg. Mae e'n dalentog iawn. 
                         Yn fy marn i, Mae Louis yn garedig achos mae e wedi codi llawer o arian i Affrica yn gweithio gyda 'Comic Relief'. Dw i'n meddwl bod arwr ydy Louis achos mae e'n helpu bobl eraill. Gan/by Shannon Treharne 

Dyma fy arwr i - cyflwynwr teledu, Helen Skelton. Mae hi'n bywiog a denau. Dau ddeg naw oed ydy hi. Mae gwallt melyn a syth 'da Helen. Mae llygaid brown tywyll 'da hi. Fel arfer, pan mae hi'n gweithio ar y rhaglen teledu 'Blue Peter', mae Helen yn gwisgo trowsus du, crys-T a threinyrs. Yn ei hamser sbâr, mae hi'n dwlu ar ddawnsio. Mae Helen yn gallu nofio yn dda ond dydy hi ddim yn gallu wneud jiwdo.
                                          Cyflwynwr teledu ydy Helen a mae hi wedi gweithio ar y rhaglen teledu 'Blue Peter' ers 2008. 'Daredevil' ydy Helen a mae hi'n hoffi sialens. Yn 2010, caiacodd Helen ar hyd yr afon Amazon dros 2000 milltiroedd! Wedyn, yn 2012, hirdeithiodd hi bum cant o filltiroedd i'r South Pole am 'Sport Relief'. Yn fy marn i, mae Helen yn garedig achos mae hi'n helpu bobl eraill. Dw i'n meddwl bod arwyr yn ddewr. Gan/by Aliyah Ackbarally.   

Dyma fy arwr i - chwaraewr pêl droed, David Beckham. Mae gwallt brown a syth 'da David a mae llygaid brown 'da fe hefyd. Pan mae David yn chwarae pêl droed, mae e'n gwisgo crys-T gwyn a siorts gwyn. Mae e'n olygus a dalentog. Tri deg saith oed ydy e. Mae David yn gallu chwarae pêl droed yn fendigedig. 
             Yn ei hamser sbâr, mae David yn hoffi wneud pethau gyda ei deulu e. Dw i'n meddwl bod arwr ydy David achos mae e'n rhoi arian i elusennau yn aml. Yn fy marn i, mae David yn dalentog achos mae e'n chwarae pêl droed yn dda iawn.
Gan/by Lucy Nota.    

Dyma fy arwr i - plismon ydy e; fy nhad. Mae e'n dal ac yn olygus. Pedwar deg tri oed ydy e. Mae llygaid brown 'da fy nhad. Mae e'n moel. Fel arfer, pan mae e'n arestio bobl sy'n cyflawni trosedd, mae tad yn gwisgo jins du, fest amddiffynnol a weithiau cot.
                   Yn ei hamser sbâr, mae fy nhad yn mwynhau gwylio'r teledu. Mae tad yn gallu arestio pobl sy'n cyflawni trosedd yn dda a mae e'n gyrru'r van heddlu yn dda hefyd. Yn fy marn i, mae fy nhad yn ddewr achos mae e'n arestio bobl drwg. Dw i'n meddwl bod arwyr yn ddewr. Gan/by Mia Thomas.
          

World Book Day Visit - Ymweliad Diwrnod Y Llyfr 
Today and last week, we enjoyed visiting Cefn Glas Infants School to read stories to the children there as part of 'World Book Day' celebrations. At one o' clock, we set off down the hill, looking forward to our seeing the Infants and their teachers. We have fond memories of our time there. 

Before long, we arrived at Cefn Glas clutching our story books. We were welcomed to the school and Mrs. Keeping asked us about which classes we'd like to visit to share our books with the children. Some of us wanted to read to our younger brothers and sisters at the school. We split into groups - some of us visiting the Nursery, some of us visiting Reception and others visiting Years 1 and 2.

We all thoroughly enjoyed reading to the infants. We tried to read the stories with as much expression as we could to bring them to life for the children. The children enjoyed looking at and talking about the colourful pictures in the books. The smiles on their faces and sparkle in their eyes showed how much they were enjoying listening to us read. We were impressed by how brilliantly the infants sat and listened to the stories. They enjoyed talking about what happened in the stories and asked lots of interesting questions. Mr. Evans thought many of us would make excellent teachers in the future!

We enjoyed catching up with Mrs. Henderson and our teachers from Cefn Glas. They remembered us all and told stories about our happy times at the school. After reading to the children, we were treated to squash and biscuits in the school hall. We had a wonderful afternoon and really enjoyed reading to the children at Cefn Glas. Many thanks to Mrs. Henderson, Mrs. Keeping and all the staff and children at Cefn Glas for inviting us to the school and for making us feel so welcome. Diolch i chi gyd.  

Today Mrs. Davies put her feet up, had a well-earned rest and handed over the running of the school to Paiton and her management team (Aliyah and Abby) as she became 'Head for the Day', Pennaeth am y dydd. Paiton and her team did a great job and had put so much thought and effort into planning an exciting day during which we would all have fun whilst learning. Here she is in her office doing some very important work on the computer.  

One of the first jobs of the day was to lead the staff meeting in the staffroom. Paiton, assisted by Aliyah and Abby, told the teachers what lessons she expected them to teach throughout the day. She had organised the timetable and had also photocopied many of the resources she wanted teachers to use. She also talked to the teachers about changes to the school timetable and the timings of special events such as the cake sale.

At 8.55 a.m, the bell rang and the school day began. During first lesson, Paiton wanted the children to do a DT activity where they designed the packaging for an Easter egg. Everyone really enjoyed this activity and some amazing Easter egg designs were produced throughout the school. Our new headteacher wanted this to be organised as a competition and had bought prizes for the winners in each year group. Bendigedig!  

At ten o' clock the school bell rang. End of first lesson! Time for the charity cake sale and chocolate fountain! Paiton and her team, with some help from members of staff, had set up the cake sale and chocolate fountain in the school hall. Before long, there were queues of excited children buying cakes and fruit dipped in chocolate. Thanks to Paiton, Paiton's mum and everyone who brought cakes in for the sale. The cake sale raised a large sum of money for Cancer Research, a charity close to Paiton's heart. 

It was soon time for Paiton to take assembly. The school sang some hymns chosen by Paiton. She then thanked everyone for supporting the cake sale and talked to the school about why she had decided to raise funds for the charity Cancer Research. Paiton then made some special announcements and shared with us all her plans for the rest of the day.

Throughout the day, all sorts of exciting activities took place in classrooms and around and about the school. These included parachute games, making Mother's Day cards in art and craft, using the I-Pads to produce Powerpoint presentations, and 'Teacher versus Pupils' quizzes (the teachers won, naturally!).

Of course, throughout the day, Paiton had to make several important telephone calls to some very important people. She was rushed off her feet! Roedd Paiton yn brysur iawn! 

At the end of the day, Paiton held a special assembly where she announced the winners of the 'Easter Egg' competition and presented the winners with their prizes. She also asked everyone if they had enjoyed the day to which we all said a resounding "Yes!". Paiton talked about how much she had enjoyed the experience of being 'Head for the Day' and encouraged Year 5 to think ahead to next year when they will have the opportunity to run the school! When asked what advice she would give next year's 'Head for the Day', Paiton said, "The key is to be organised and to plan the day carefully but most importantly of all - to enjoy the experience." Congratulations to Paiton for doing such a fantastic job as our headteacher today and also to her amazing assistant headteachers - Aliyah and Abby. Llongyfarchiadau iddyn nhw!

In English this week, we have been reading an exciting multimedia, science-fiction text - 'Planet Prison'. This is a non-linear, multi-modal text in which there are options to follow different reading routes. At one point in the story, for example, we had to decide whether Cad (the heroine) should jump on the two-headed monster's back or push it down a ravine! We have discussed the characteristics of the science fiction genre such as how the plot is often based on a mission with challenges along the way, settings such as stars and planets, themes such as good versus evil, characters such as aliens, space explorers and inter-galactic monsters and scientific language such as infra-red, genetic identity beams!!!! Whilst reading the interactive story, we noticed that there was a narrative pattern of introducing a problem and showing how this was overcome before introducing a new problem..... Ultimately, the final challenge is met.   

'Planet Prison' is an interactive, multimedia story with special features such as:
TEXT – dialogue, narrative, instructions to the reader, information and labels. The text has been presented in text boxes, speech bubbles, thought bubbles, within the pictures  and in pop-up boxes.
AUDIO – voiceover, dialogue, announcements, music and sound effects.
GRAPHICS – still pictures, animations.
INTERACTIVITY – the reader has to make decisions  sometimes on behalf of the character/as an independent reader), interactions where the reader is invited to click on links.

We have used the experience of reading the multimedia text 'Planet Prison' to help us analyse our reading behaviours. We have stopped at different points throughout our reading to think about how, when reading, we:
Activate prior knowledge – use what we already know about something.  
Visualise – imagine things in our heads/build up pictures  
Predict – think about what may happen next possibly using previous cues from the text.
Summarise what has happened in specific sections of the story.
Clarify – So does that mean….?
Ask questions – Is the locket important? Why did the character behave in that way? What motivated her?
Interact with the text – I think we should choose that option because….
Empathize with the characters – I think Cad must be feeling…..
Relate the text to our own personal experience – If I were in that situation, I would……
Look for patterns and links in the text – how the main character overcomes one problem only to be faced with another …..
Looking ahead, we are excited about the prospect of working in groups to write our very own science fiction stories with different reading routes.

Darllenwyr bendigedig ydyn ni! We are fantastic Welsh readers! In class this week we have enjoyed reading the Welsh texts 'Arwyr' - all about heroes. First we read the comic strip text all about Huw who became a hero when he telephoned for the ambulance when his Mum was unwell. We read the Welsh story on the interactive whiteboard and followed it in our own individual copies of the text. We then practised reading the Welsh sentences as a class, in small groups and in pairs. Mr. Evans was delighted with how well we read the Welsh story. We read sentences accurately, clearly and with much expression. We were pleased with the way in which we understood the Welsh text and followed the flow of the stories. We recognised and understood most of the Welsh words, phrases and sentence patterns used in the stories. We were also able to talk confidently in Welsh about the illustrations.

The next Welsh story was all about Otis, a dog who became a hero when he went to get help when his owner, Huw, hurt his leg in the park. Otis attracted the attention of a lady in the park who telephoned for help. Again we read the Welsh story on the interactive whiteboard and followed it in our own individual copies of the text. We then practised reading the story as a class, in small groups and in pairs. 

As a class, we agreed success criteria for effective reading aloud in Welsh. These included: pronouncing the Welsh words accurately, reading clearly and with expression. We then read the Welsh story aloud to our partner who listened carefully to our reading. We used 'Two Stars and an Action' / 'Dau o sêr a gweithred' to think about what we had done successfully while reading aloud the Welsh text and also what actions we could take to improve our reading. We are great Welsh readers! Darllenwyr Cymraeg gwych ydyn ni!

Working with a partner - Gweithio gyda partner.
In PE today, we worked with a partner to create and practise a sequence - using a selection of the eight basic gymnastic shapes we have been practising so far this term (the pike, straddle, tuck, star, dish, arch and puck). We worked in our pairs to put together a fluent sequence, moving smoothly from one shape to another in imaginative and interesting ways. We also had to consider how to start/end our sequences and how to work together in partnership. By practising these shapes regularly, we have found that our core strength has improved - the strength of the area between our shoulders and our waists.

Later we had an opportunity to show the rest of the class our sequences so far. We enjoyed watching each other perform the sequences and could identify the shapes that had been used. We used 'Two Stars and an Action' / 'Dau o sêr a gweithred' to evaluate each other's sequences, highlighting things that were successful and suggesting actions that each pair could take to help improve their sequence. Everyone had created fluent, imaginative sequences with clear beginnings and endings. We were all impressed by how well partners worked together, moving in-synch and complementing each other's movements.