Primary 5 Dive into World War II

Our Primary 5 pupils have been thoroughly captivated by their World War II topic this term! They’ve taken a deep dive into what life was like during the war—especially through the eyes of children living through those challenging times.

From the very start, the children have been busy sequencing key wartime events on a timeline and bringing history to life by building their own Anderson shelters. Their creativity has shone through in their powerful poetry, inspired by the experiences of evacuees and the Blitz.

Stepping into the shoes of wartime evacuees, the children wrote heartfelt letters and postcards home, imagining what it would have been like to leave their families behind. A real highlight was the Digital Schoolhouse workshop delivered by Holy Trinity College, where they explored the fascinating world of WWII cryptography. Using the Pigpen cipher, Caesar cipher, and other codes, they cracked clues during an exciting WWII-themed scavenger hunt!

The children also had great fun creating WWII-inspired artwork, including gas mask designs and dramatic Blitz scenes. They investigated how parachutes were used during the war and even conducted their own experiments to test which parachute design performed best.

In science, they constructed simple electrical circuits to send messages using Morse code, combining history and STEM in a hands-on and memorable way.

A special moment in the topic was the outreach visit from the War Museum, where the children learned about Northern Ireland’s role in the war. They were fascinated by the artefacts and loved the chance to handle real pieces of history.

We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, creativity, and hard work the children have shown throughout this topic. Their curiosity and dedication have brought the past to life in the most inspiring way!