Reading – Viking Boy
This week in Reading, we have been focussing on our new class novel for this term: Viking Boy by Tony Bradman.
On Thursday, we created Top Trumps cards about the characters that we have met so far. We used our retrieval and inference skills. Retrieval to create a fact file about the person and inference to rate them in each category (strength, bravery, Viking skill, loyalty and importance to the story).
We then played a game of Top Trumps. The children really enjoyed it!
Help at home: Can your child summarise what has happened in the book so far? Who are the main characters?
Spring term after-school clubs
UPDATE
The following clubs have availability and can still be booked.
The after-school clubs for next term will be available for booking on Monday 29th December ready to start w/c 12 January.
We hope your child/children can get involved with our extra-curricular activities. We will update you with club availability after the holidays.
Please contact the office if you have any queries about the after-school clubs.
Food technology – tomato and lentil soup
On Monday this week, Year 5 made tomato and lentil soup! We worked in small groups to prepare the ingredients and then cook them. We made sure that we washed our hands and wore our aprons for hygiene reasons.
We used the bridge cutting method and the claw cutting method to cut up our ingredients. These methods are the safest way to cut food as they help us from hurting ourselves.
After the soup had simmered, we all had a taste and the reaction was, on the whole, very positive!
Help at home: Have your child show you the bridge and claw cutting methods. Why not try making the recipe at home? It has been sent home with your child.
Guided Reading Week 6
This is the last week we our group reading books. All books need to be read to the end by Wednesday 17th December.
Thank you.
Basketball Christmas camps
City of Leeds Basketball Club, who run one of our after-school clubs, are holding Christmas camps locally over the holidays.
Leeds Rhinos festive match
The annual Wetherby Whaler Boxing Day Challenge against Wakefield Trinity is back again this year; and alongside the match children and families can experience family friendly festive fun as Father Christmas will once again take over game day proceedings before returning to the North Pole.
The match day will also feature Santa’s elves and a sing along with Frozen Princesses Anna and Elsa. Plus children can also take part in our half time snowball fight lead by a certain Christmas loathing Grinch!
Use the link to find out more and purchase tickets.
Writing
This week we had some visitors in to the classroom. Year 3 had been writing a narrative and Year 5 were their audience. We were very happy to welcome our Year 3 friends into the classroom and to listen to their writing.
I was really impressed with how the Year 5 children showed maturity, kindness and patience when listening to the Year 3’s read their work. They made some fantastic positive comments on their work .
Elsewhere in writing we have been looking at the 4Ps of handwriting: pencil grip, posture, paper position and pressure. We all checked our pencil grip and our posture before handwriting. We made sure our paper was positioned at a slight angle and we applied the right amount of pressure to the paper with a sharp pencil.
Help at home by asking your child to explain to you what the 4Ps of handwriting are. Maybe they could check that you follow them all?
Guided Reading Week 5
Here are the target pages for this week’s guided reading. These need to be read by Friday 28th November.
The Girl of Ink and Stars – up to page 201 (Chapter 23)
Kensuke’s Kingdom – finish the book.
Extra time – up to page 181 (Chapter 39)
Flood and Fang – finish the book.
Rooftoppers – finish the book.
Art: Soap carving
This week, we started our soap carving. The children were very excited to get going. They created a design, which was inspired by the sculptures of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Afterwards, we learnt how to use spoons, paper clips and a wet paper towel to create shape, form and texture in our soap. We were really focussed and created some brilliant sculptures.
Some parents even came in to help!
Help at home – talk to your child about the visual and tactile elements of art. How did they create texture? How did they use form and shape?
Living and Learning: Identity and Self Respect
This week – in Living and Learning – we focussed on our identities (what makes you you) and self respect. In assembly, we talked about what we can do to show respect to ourselves. The children thought of some ideas:
- going to bed on time
- saying positive things about yourself
- having a healthy diet
- exercising and staying fit.
We also completed an identity map (a drawing of what makes you you). I was really impressed with how much the children had to say about themselves. They brought their identity maps home – is there anything they could add?
Help at home: Discussing the most important parts of their self identity. Could you complete a family identity map? What makes your family special and unique?