Author: Mr Roundtree

09 June 2017

This week’s spelling activity has us making up words again and is due on Thursday 15 June.

We all know Roald Dahl’s wonderfully odd made-up words. Create a dictionary of eight words that we could try and use in class this half-term (obviously without offending anyone). Think about the most sensible way to spell them, how their meaning might link to their root words, how you could use Latin and Greek roots to create them and what word class they are.

Here’s my suggestion (and how you should lay your dictionary out):

stulty – (adjective) a bit stupid

Stultus is Latin for idiot which is what gave me the idea for the word and we could use it in class if somebody suggested a ‘stulty’ idea.

09 June 2017

This week’s homework is Practice Makes Perfect and is due on Thursday 15 June.

To be able to create a classification key.

In Science this week, we’ve been exploring classification keys as a way of sorting information. We created our own in class to sort six Liquorice Allsorts and started to discuss how we could create one to sort our whole class.

Have a go at home at creating your own classification key. Don’t forget some end up with a category: you must be a mammal, and some end on a specific item: the blue Liquorice Allsort with jelly in the middle.

Here are some suggestions for what you could sort:

  • A different type of sweet
  • Animals
  • Plants
  • Illnesses (according to their symptoms)
  • Cities
  • Continents
  • Oceans
  • People

Science with Liquorice Allsorts

Y6 have begun a Science topic this half term and begun by learning about classification keys. We began by very simply sorting the sweets in any way we chose.

We then used the Liquorice Allsorts to discuss what yes and no questions you could use to distinguish between two of the sweets. Then we used this to sort six different Allsorts into a classification key.

We finished off by starting a classification key to sort the children in the class. We very quickly realised it would take a very big classification key to end up with 30 individual children.

Safety Week – Friday at Yeadon Tarn

Thanks to Mrs Taylor’s organising and fantastic weather, Year 6 had a brilliant day at Yeadon Tarn on Friday of Safety Week, getting to put their safety learning into practice.

Throughout the day, we kayaked, took part in team-building problem-solving tasks and set out on some orienteering. Although they were very much looking forward to the kayaking, the children really enjoyed all three activities.

Problem Solving

Orienteering

Kayaking

Safety Week – Thursday

Year 6 were very busy on Thursday of Safety Week. We had a visit from Dogs Trust which was very informative: cross your arms over your chest if a dog jumps up at you and, if one knocks you over, curl up into a ball with your hands over your face. They also brought Megan with them who was a fab addition to the class for half an hour.

We then worked on a short production which informed us and our audience on top tips for how to stay safe online. We warmed up with some great drama activities about displaying emotions. Can you guess what emotions we were working on here?

Safety week in Year 6 – Tuesday and Wednesday

Still having a great time during Safety Week. We finished off the carousel lessons with KS2 teachers on Tuesday and not only were the children really positive about the sessions, they could recall all sorts of information about staying safe.

The NSPCC visited Year 6 on Tuesday afternoon, discussing a number of scenarios children may find themselves in, whether they were ok and what to do if they found themselves in such situations.

Tuesday also involved learning about how to keep our bikes and scooters in a good (and therefore safe) conditions. Many children returned to class with bike grease on their hands, having got stuck in.

On Wednesday, we had a visit from d:side which gave us the opportunity to learn more and ask questions about drugs. This was a great session and Dave, our d:side visitor, made sure the children understood that any question was ok and it didn’t matter how much you did or didn’t know already – I learnt a few new things myself, too!

We finished the day going out onto the road in small groups to do a traffic survey. Working with the council’s road safety team, we set up a speed camera and monitored how fast cars were travelling, whether drivers were wearing seat belts, how many people were in the vehicles and what distractions people allowed themselves to have while driving. The results were quite shocking: 47mph was the highest speed recorded (on 30mph Shadwell Lane) and a number of drivers were spotted not wearing a seat belt.

Happy and healthy half-term

It’s the half-term holidays!

There are lots of things going on in and around Leeds. To find out more, check out Breeze for what’s coming up right across the city for children and young people. Visit Leeds lists lots of events listed, including their Top 5 suggestions. Leeds City Council‘s own website is certainly worth a look, too.

Whatever you get up to, have a happy and healthy half-term holiday.

See you all again on Monday 05 June.

How do we respond to children’s concerns after events such as the Manchester attack?

This morning, we woke up to the dreadful news of the terror attack that took place in Manchester last night. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those that lost their lives and the many people that were injured as a result of the atrocity.

Your child may be upset or worried about news events such as this one. The following may be helpful websites may be useful:

Childline presents a general overview of worries of the world, and this includes attacks, extremism and bullying.

BBC Newsround advice is more specific to the Manchester attack, offering simple information and advice for a child or young person who is upset.

Child Bereavement UK supports families and educates professionals when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement. There’s a link on their homepage to this leaflet on supporting a child after a frightening event.

Winston’s Wish is another charity that supports bereaved children. They’re offering specific advice on how to respond to children and young people affected by the media coverage of the incident in Manchester.

Safety week in Year 6 – Monday

It was a good start to safety week for Year 6 as we all enjoyed the carousel lessons with the KS2 teachers: water safety with Miss Lake, helmet safety with Mr Owen, first aid with Mr Catherall and food safety with Miss Rushbrooke.

We’ve also discussed how we need to be more safe as we’re moving into high school as we’ll be given more independence, travelling out and about on our own sometimes. Here are some comic strips we’ve made which consider how we might feel encountering groups of older children. They also show what we might do if we found ourselves in a similar situation.

A great week back after SATs

Just a quick thank you to Year 6 for coming back after SATs ready to continue learning. The children have had a fantastic week, following instructions straight away and being proactive in their learning. I hope to see this continue into their next and final half term at Moortown Primary.

Next week is Safety Week: don’t forget to come on foot, cycle or scoot and – of course – travel safely.

The children will find out their parts for the Year 5/6 production on Monday so we’re also looking forward to getting rehearsals underway next week, too – squeezing them in around the many wonderful thing Mrs Taylor has organised for the themed week.