Author: Mr Catherall

27 January 2017

Homophones

This year, we’ve already had a two-week spelling focus on ‘homophones’ (words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings). However, because homophones can be really confusing we’ll be practising (or should it be practicing?) these words again. Also, as a class, we often choose the wrong homophone in our writing.

For this week’s spelling activity, children should choose three homophones. They could choose homophones that they know they often get wrong, ones they find tricky or words that we have not focussed on yet this year.

For each homophone they should do the following:

  • Give a definition of each meaning.
  • Use both words in a sentence.
  • Practise spelling each one in two different ways (use the sheet in your book for inspiration)
  • Come up with a method for remembering witch won is witch which one is which that might help someone else remember.

They should use the spelling page of their (or there?) homework book to record their (or they’re?) practice.

*Disclaimer: any incorrect uses of homophones throughout this post are intentional.

Help at home: spelling

When you’re helping your child at home with their spellings this week, use our spelling display to help. It has the learning points we’ve discussed in class and some examples of the kinds of questions we use to challenge pupils understanding. 

Spelling is really important and we must ensure that children are learning and applying spelling conventions/rules instead of just remembering spellings for the test on a Friday.

IMG_1318

20 January 2017

Times Tables

Year 5 are generally pretty good at recalling their times tables up to 12 x 12. Starting this week, we will focus on one times table each week. This week we will focus on the 3 times table. However, children will not be tested on questions like “What is 3 x 5?”. Instead, we will focus solely on related facts. Here are some examples of the kind of questions children may be asked:

  • What is 2100 ÷ 3?
  • What is 15 x 0.3?
  • What is the product of 0.3 x 0.8?

These questions can be tricky so we’ll focus on manipulating numbers using facts we already know in class. Please ensure your child is applying this knowledge when they are practising at home.

20 January 2017

‘ably’ or ‘ibly’ words

We have been focusing on learning how to spell words ending in ‘ably’ or ‘ibly’.

Here is a list of words that can be changed to end in ‘ably’ or ‘ibly’. Children should learn how to spell these words and be comfortable choosing and spelling the correct word ending.

eg For the word possible children will be asked to spell possibly in the test.   
possible
sensible
reliable
incredible
respectable
agreeable
adorable
comfortable
preferable
visible

20 January 2017

This week we have two pieces of homework. Both are due on Thursday 26 January 2016.

The first piece is Creative:

I can present my family history. 

This week, we started our Time Travel topic. Although we’re focusing on entertainment, the main driver for the topic is history. This homework gives children the opportunity to do a little research of their own. We’ve discussed some ways to respond to this homework creatively in class:

  • create a family tree
  • write a short report based on your family
  • celebrate your family’s cultural roots through a poster, song or video
  • create a presentation board about your family’s history
  • research one family member’s life in detail and write about this person

The second piece of homework is Practice Makes Perfect:

I can make inferences. 

Have a go at the comprehension activity at home before we go through in class on Thursday.

Remember to read the text thoroughly and try to back up your answers using evidence from the text when necessary. Also, check your own understanding by seeing if you can explain your answer to somebody else in your family. To make sure this impacts on your learning, notice what you’re confident with and what you might need to practise so that we can discuss this in class and you know yourself what to work on.

13 January 2016

For the next two weeks, we will focus on the ‘ably’ and ‘ibly’ word endings. To help them learn when to use the correct ending, children should complete the following activity by Thursday 20 January.

Earlier in the year, we learnt about the able and ible word endings and identified some rules and conventions to help us spell these words correctly. Children should reflect on this learning and investigate the following questions:

  • True or false…all words that end in ‘able’ can be changed to end in ‘ably’?
  • True or false…all words that end in ‘ible’ can be changed to end in ‘ibly’?
  • Can you spot a pattern, rule or convention when changing words to end in ‘ably’ or ‘ibly’?
  • Is it always, sometimes or never true that words ending in ‘ably’ or ‘ibly’ are adverbs? Prove it.

06 January 2016

‘Rare GPCs’

We have been focusing on strategies to help you remember how to spell words with an usual grapheme-phoneme correspondence (words that are tricky to spell because they don’t follow more conventional rules/patterns).

Children should learn how to spell these words in preparation for a test on Friday 13 January.
wrapper
guard
guide
receive
guarantee
bruise
queue
vehicle
yacht
immediately

06 January 2017

This week, as normal, we have two pieces of homework. Both are due in on Thursday 12 January 2017.

The first piece is Creative:

I can see science all around me.

Science is everywhere. We see loads of examples of science in action without even realising; we take it for granted when we drop something and it falls to the floor.

Our Creative homeworks are always great and I know that the children will have some great ideas. However, if they are struggling for inspiration, here’s a few ideas:

  • take pictures of everyday things and explain the science behind them. For example, why does a ball roll down a hill?
  • create a video diary of all the examples of science you can see in your home.
  • conduct a scientific investigation about a common event.
  • prepare a practical demonstration of ‘everyday’ science.

We also discussed others in class.

The second piece of homework this week is Practice Makes Perfect:

I can proof-read for spelling mistakes. 

Children have been given a passage of text with numerous spelling mistakes. Children should read the text and correct any spelling mistakes they can find (many of which are common in our writing).

As usual, if there any problems, please do not hesitate to contact me. Early in the week is best as it allows us time to find a solution that is best for your child.

What’s the matter?

We have started our new mini-topic: What’s the matter? In this chemistry based topic we will focus on materials and their properties. We’ll also ask ‘What’s the matter?‘ as part of our current SEAL theme: Good to be me.

Today, we revised some prior learning about the states of matter (ask your child what these are) and learnt about some examples of reversible changes (ask your child to give you an example of a reversible change). We focused on water as it can be a liquid at room temperature, a solid and a gas (ask your child how water becomes a gas).

Later in the week, we’ll focus on irreversible changes like burning – safety goggles at the ready!