Mrs Whomsley (Head of Year 5)

Year 5 has had a thought-provoking start to our new Unit of Inquiry, Sharing the Planet. The girls have been set challenges including replicating the work done by environmentalists to clean up oil spills and considering the impact of these disasters on the surrounding environment and wildlife. This helped to provoke the girls to think deeply about what impact humans are having on the world and what issues we are currently facing. The girls are linking their knowledge effectively to prior learning of Sharing the Planet from previous years  and they have impressed their teachers with their insightful comments and caring attitudes about the environment.

We have started to consider how our choices directly impact the world around us by looking at our buying choices of food and fashion. We had quite a surprise when we calculated the distance our morning snacks and meals had travelled to reach our plates. As a result, the girls are already considering what changes they can make to reduce food miles, waste and packaging. The girls have also been researching how different textiles are used and how steps are being taken to look at more eco alternatives – such as clothes made from recycled plastic bottles! This also sparked interesting discussions about what we can do with our old clothes and toys.

The girls’ passion about the environment is evident and we look forward to sharing more ideas of what action they will be taking themselves and what work they can do to inspire others.