Top tips for reading
The children’s reading and writing in Year 2 is coming on well. Remember to keep checking your child’s understanding of what they are reading. Here are some tips to help you:
- Find the word / phrase that tells me that…
- How is the character feeling on page _? How do you know?
- What is the problem in the story? How do you think it will be solved?
- Why are there words in bold / capitals / italics?
- Was there a meaning / moral to the story?
What do you treasure?
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to become artists using photography. Our iPads will be used to record treasures that are important to us. We will use these photos to create collages of our treasures. Please can your child be ready to bring in two or three items that are important to them and be ready to explain why it is a treasure. Children may want to bring in a certificate, a medal, a photograph, a souvenir or perhaps a toy that has a special meaning. Please make sure children have their treasures in school by Friday 08 March. They will be returned to you at the end of the day on Friday. Thank you.
School Council elections 2013
Today, during our whole class assembly, we launched our annual school council elections.
Our current school council feel these qualities are very important in a school councillor:
- Good listener
- Confident speaker who is prepared to contribute in school council meetings and feedback to their class
- Has lots of realistic ideas and suggestions to improve the school
- Good decision-maker
- Works co-operatively with others
Other key points about the election include:
- Two members of each class, including Reception, make up the school council.
- Current and previous school councillors are welcome to stand again in the elections.
- Children can vote once for one person.
- Children can vote for themselves – just like in a UK election.
- Vote for the candidate with the best qualities to make a good councillor – don’t just vote for a friend.
- Good school councillors represent the class well – always!
If your child is interested in representing their class on the school council, they need to prepare a speech to present to their class. This will be the homework for this week.
Here are the key dates for the election process:
Friday 01 March
Homework to prepare a speech for those children interested in becoming a school councillor.
Wednesday 06 March / Thursday 07 March
Speeches from all the candidates to their class.
Thursday 07 March
Children vote for their chosen candidate. Results counted.
Friday 08 March
New school councillors announced.
Good luck to all children who choose to stand as candidates and thank you to the current school council for their valuable contributions and decision-making over the last year.
Green screen news reporting
Before half-term, we went to the City Learning Centre (next to Allerton Grange) to create some news reports based on an alien crash landing which happened in the school field. The children had to write a script which they performed whilst being recorded. They then had to edit the videos and add titles and credits to them.
Marvellous Maths
We’ve been learning about 3D shapes. You might be surprised when you discuss shapes with your child, but remember it’s important for them to know mathematical vocabulary.
Do you know how many vertices a cube has?
Over the next few weeks, there’ll be a lot of reasoning about numbers and some problem-solving. This will mean deciding which calculation to do, following sequences and working out number patterns. Symmetry and handling data will also be featuring in our learning towards Easter.
Is this Easter egg symmetrical?
What do you treasure?
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to become artists using photography.
Our iPads will be used to record treasures that are important to us; the photos will then be used to create collages to show ‘Hidden Treasures’. Instead of ‘show and tell’ this week, we’d like your child to bring in two items that are really important to him / her, and be ready to explain why it is a ‘treasure’. These objects will be photographed so they can be brought home the same day. If you’d like to send any photos in of other treasures, eg family, then these can be used in the collage also.
Please make sure they have their treasures and photos this Friday (01 March). Thank you.
Movie making
Year Six spent a very productive day at the North East City Learning Centre (CLC) filming and editing their theme park films using iMovie.
Staff at the CLC were very complimentary about the ICT skills, acting and behaviour of the children.
The films that the children made were great fun – Hollywood here we come!
Using a dictionary
We’ve been learning to use dictionaries.
Supporting your child with writing
This is the Early Learning Goal for writing. Children are expected to achieve this goal by the end of Reception.
Children use their phonic knowledge to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible.
Here are some ideas to help you support and encourage your child to write:
- write a reply to a letter or invitation together
- write a birthday card or send a card on-line, working out the message together
- write a shopping list together
- make a message out of magnetic letters on the fridge
- read food signs, road signs advertising and labels. Talk about the purposes of writing
- add messages to a board or calendar and talk about why you have written them. Explain that the messages remind us what to do
Happy Healthy Learning
Look at all the fun we had in the front playground. It might look like we were just having fun but we were also developing all our muscles which will help us when we are writing, drawing and painting.
