By Mrs Martin (Head of Year 5)

This week, Year 5 launched their new Sharing the Planet Unit of Inquiry through a powerful provocation designed to spark curiosity and challenge assumptions.

At the heart of the unit is the Central Idea: Children around the world experience different challenges and risks, which influence their rights and opportunities.

The girls explored a series of mystery bags containing everyday objects representing different global contexts. Using the visible thinking routine See, Think, Wonder, they observed, discussed and questioned what the items revealed about daily life, access to resources and potential challenges.

Rather than focusing on ‘right’ answers, the activity encouraged thoughtful questioning and meaningful connections. These discussions introduced the three Lines of Inquiry: Perspective (how experiences differ), Function (how access to resources shapes opportunities), and Change (who helps improve children’s lives and how).

By starting with tangible objects, the girls moved from observation to deeper conceptual thinking, recognising how materials can influence safety, shelter, education and opportunity.

This provocation has laid strong foundations for the weeks ahead, as the girls explore material properties, test how materials behave, and consider how creativity and design can transform resources into solutions.

Most importantly, it highlighted that powerful learning begins with thoughtful questions.