Writing: using dialogue to convey action
In recent lessons, we’ve been learning to use speech punctuation to create dialogue.
In this lesson, we’re practising using dialogue to convey character. Working in pairs, children have rolled dice to determine the setting, characters and a character trait for each character. For example, they might be writing about a cheerful teacher and an angry robber in a bank. They’ve then written a short narrative with dialogue to convey their characters.
Science learning
Our new science topic this half term is seasonal changes. We are biologists.
Here is the related vocabulary that we will be learning. Ask your child about these words at home, to check their understanding.
When we start a new topic, we ask the children what they would like to find out. We’ve been working on asking scientific questions and here are a selection of the great ones about seasons. We’ll look forward to answering some of the questions during the topic.
Does it snow in summer?
Why is summer so hot?
What happens every season?
How did the seasons start?
Does it snow every winter?
What time is night time?
How cold can it be in winter?
Why are there seasons?
When is winter?
When is it time for seasons to change?
Welcome back!
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a very restful and healthy holiday. It’s lovely to have all the children back in school again. I have been really impressed with how the children have settled straight back into school. Their behaviour and attitude towards their learning has been fantastic. Well done, Year 5!
This half term, we are historians. We are learning about the Vikings and the Islamic Golden Age.
This is the vocabulary that your child will learn across this history topic:
chronology – arrangement of events or dates in time order
conflict – a series of battles over time
invasion – when a country or region is invaded by an armed force
golden-age – a time when an activity or society is at its best
innovation – an improvement or replacement for something
trade – the exchange of goods and services
caliph – ruler in a Muslim country
civilisation – the society considered most advanced at a time
bias – a particular viewpoint for one thing over another, especially an unfair one
We have also started a new science unit this half term all about evolution and inheritance. This half term, we are biologists.
This is the vocabulary that your child will learn across this biology topic:
evolution – change in living things over time
inherited – the way that a trait or characteristic is passed to offspring from parents
trait – a quality or characteristic belonging to something
adaptation – a small change that a living thing goes through
natural selection – a process in which living things adapt themselves in order to survive, that they don’t have any control over
prehistoric – the time classed is ‘before history’ as it was so long ago it hasn’t been recorded or written
variety – differences between things as part of a whole group
fossil – the prehistoric remains of a plant or animal
Do keep referring back to this vocabulary and asking your child if they can remember what these words mean! It will help them greatly as we progress through both topics.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to ask.
Maths learning
This half term, we are continuing our addition and subtraction learning in maths and most recently, this has included adding and taking away ten from a two digit number.
The children can resourceful by using a 100 square to support them with this learning so they can see the patterns of adding and taking away 10 visually.
In class, we might use sentence frames to explain the highlighted numbers on the 100 square above.
78 is 10 more than 68 and 58 is 10 less than 68.
See if your child can use the sentence frame below to explain some of the other highlighted numbers.
__ is 10 more than ___ and ___ is 10 less than ___
To practise this at home, have a go at the Chopper Squad game (selecting ten more or less 1 to 100).
Using Numbots at home, little and often, is a great way to practise these addition and subtraction skills. The children have a number of different levels to complete and are rewarded with certificates for each level they achieve. We continue to have our weekly leader board for the most coins achieved.
We will soon be moving onto learning about multiplication and starting to learn the 2, 5 and 10 times tables. After half term, we will be setting timetables for the children to start to learn at home using Times Tables Rock Stars(TTRS). Login and access details will be sent out nearer the time.
This week in Reception
We will continue with our mini-topic, ‘Frozen Planet’.
Phonics
This week the new phonemes are sh, th, ng and nk.
Reading
There are a few changes to how we will practise reading and sending phonic reading books home.
To practise reading in Reception, the same practice book that’s been read in school will then be available to read at home as an e-book. Because we’ve read it at least three times in school, your child should be able to read the text independently. If they’re reading it with very little help, please don’t worry that it’s too easy – your child needs to develop fluency and confidence in reading.
- Listen to them read the e-book.
- If they can’t read a word, read it to them.
- After they have finished, talk about the book together.
- Remember to give them lots of praise – celebrate their success!
Your child should have received their e-book login details. You will be able to access the e-book this week. We will inform you which day by writing in your child’s reading record.
If you have trouble accessing e-books at home, please let us know.
To develop a love of reading, your child will continue to bring home a separate book. To encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, it’s important that they learn to read for pleasure. This sharing book is a book they have chosen for you to enjoy together.
- Don’t expect your child to read this alone – read it to them or with them.
- In a fiction book, enjoy the story, predict what might happen next, use different voices for the characters.
- In a non-fiction book, explore the facts.
- Discuss the book’s cover and the title, and discuss the pictures or diagrams.
- With this sharing book, the main thing is that you have fun!
Any questions, please ask!
Stay and Learn Sessions
Unfortunately, we have had to cancel the sessions on 20/01/22 and 07/02/22.
PE
This half-term, PE will be on Wednesday and Thursday. Please send your child in their PE kit on these days.
eBooks
This evening you will have received a letter in your child’s book bag explaining how to log on to Collins eBooks. Your child will has been assigned a book that they can read at home through this website (link here). These books match our phonics teaching in school and your child will have practised reading it three times this week. Therefore, they should be able to read it with fluency. After having heard them read, focus on reading with expression (prosody) and comprehension. At the back of each book there are some tips to help with this.
Your child will also have brought home a book to share from the library. This book is intended to inspire a love of reading and is for sharing with an adult at home. You can read this with them and talk to them about the story or non-fiction book.
Further information regarding this will be sent in an email from Mr Roundtree.
If you have any problems logging in please let me know as soon as possible.
Thank you for your support with this and have a restful weekend.
Mr McGriffiths
Rekenreks!
Today we got a delivery of Rekenreks today. These are to help us with our Maths fluency skills and we were excited to try them out! The idea is that you can represent the number using one push rather than counting. This practice then cements these number bonds and relationships. You can ask your child how it works and have a practice at an online version here.
First week back!
Hello!
Year 4 have just left school for the weekend after our first week of the Spring Term. I want to say a huge well done to all the children for settling straight back into school after a well deserved Christmas break. They’ve remembered their manners, speaking and listening skills and have been ready to learn. This tied in well with our Living and Learning statement – I don’t interrupt (with my voice or my hand) – in which they demonstrated perfectly!
We also began our new Topic, which is History – Romans and the Anglo-Saxons. The class were really engaged and were overflowing with facts and information that they already know about these time periods. Some of these had come from our Latin lessons too!
You can help at home by visiting BBC Bitesize and looking at the history surrounding the Romans.
I hope we have carry on to have a fantastic Spring Term!
Thanks,
Miss Birch
City of Leeds Basketball
Happy New Year!
Welcome back! We hope you had a great holiday.
This term in Reception, our themes will be ‘Fire and Ice’, ‘Superheroes’ and ‘Chinese New Year’.
Frozen planet
Our return to school often coincides with frosty weather. We use this as a stimulus for learning. As a scientist, your child will investigate ice: making it and melting it. They will use their senses to describe how the weather has changed and the effects on their environment. Linking to Geography, your child will find out which are the coldest regions on Earth, using globes or maps of the world. They’ll learn about animals which live in these places and what it’s like to live there.
Superheroes
This theme is all about different superheroes! At first, your child will use their imagination to create their own fictional superhero stories using small world resources to develop their ideas. Your child will then learn that superheroes are in their lives every day. Developing their drama skills, they’ll take on the role of doctors, paramedics and police during role-play times. Your child will also consider what makes them special, learning how important and individual we all are.
Chinese New Year
This theme takes place during the week that Chinese New Year occurs each year. As a geographer, your child will find China on a globe or world map. They will find out about the story relating to Chinese New Year, learning about customs and traditions. They will watch dragon dances and create their own versions of these with their friends.
Phonics
We will continue to learn digraphs(two letters that make one sound) in phonics. This week the new phonemes are sh and ch. The children will be learning how to blend plurals eg cats, naps, hits.
Literacy
The children will be encouraged to continue to use their phonic knowledge to write labels and captions for their drawings. They will begin to write sentences.
These are the main books we will be reading and retelling this half term.
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson
Supertato by Paul Linnet and Sue Hendra
Maths
The children will be encouraged to continue representing quantities in different ways, including by showing amounts on 1 hand ‘all at once’. There will also be a new focus on the symbolic representation of number and the children will work on their recognition of numerals to 5, matching numerals to correct quantities in various games.
They will play games which involve counting on and use number tracks (with numbers placed in equal spaces in ascending order) to play dice-based games. Playing games with dice will consolidate the children’s understanding of the stable order of numbers.
Why not play some board games at home?
