16 November 2020
We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. You can email me at
benparker@spherefederation.org.
This week’s maths learning is linked to addition and subtraction
These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class:
Lesson 1: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 2: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 3: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 4: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 5: video, worksheets and answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Spelling
- Day 1: Write the words and draw shapes round them to show the ascenders and descenders. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 2: Write the words using rainbow writing. (Try some of the other activities in our Super Spelling Strategies guide.)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
This is the text we’ll read in class to to build up fluency skills this week.
In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: We will be using this RIC lesson in class. RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
Day 2: Watch this video and learn about the ‘th‘ digraph.
Day 3: Watch this video and learn about the ‘oa‘ digraph.
Day 4: Watch this video and learn about the ‘ar‘ digraph
The three videos above were made by one of our teacher friends from another school in the federation.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this grid.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Activity 1
Finger strengthening activities support the development of fine motor skills needed for writing.
Challenge your child to have a go at 3 or more of these activities: practise tying shoe laces, fasten and unfasten buttons, attach nuts and bolts, separate dried pasta and dried peas (or similar) into two separate piles, do some mindfulness colouring in, do a jigsaw, cut up drinking straws and thread them on to a shoe lace, attach clothes pegs (the squeezable type) to a shoe box or similar, use a paint brush and water to make pictures or words on a wall, chalk words or pictures on the ground, make a Lego model.
Activity 2
Talk to your child about a picture or photograph you choose. Write three words or phrases to label different things in the picture (eg ‘a car’ or ‘a red car’). Your child should aim to spell in a sensible way and use finger spaces between the words, joining up letters if they can (use our handwriting guide to help).
Topic
We’re continuing our new topic learning about The Great Fire of London.
This week, we’re looking at how the fire was put out. This Oak National Academy lesson will really help to support learning at home. Once your child has watched the video, try the quiz that follows.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
Science
This half term, we’re learning about animals including humans. This Oak National Academy lesson will really help to support learning at home. Once your child has watched the video, try the quiz that follows.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
16 November 2020
We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. You can email me at
benparker@spherefederation.org.
This week’s maths learning is linked to addition and subtraction
These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class:
Lesson 1: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 2: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 3: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 4: video
Lesson 5: video, worksheets and answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Spelling
- Day 1: Write the words and draw shapes round them to show the ascenders and descenders. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 2: Write the words using rainbow writing. (Try some of the other activities in our Super Spelling Strategies guide.)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
This is the text we’ll read in class to to build up fluency skills this week.
In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: We will be using this RIC lesson in class. RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
Day 2: Watch this video and learn about the ‘oy‘ digraph.
Day 3: Watch this video and revist the ‘ue‘ digraph.
Day 4: Read about The Great Fire of London and answer the question about it.
The two videos above were made by one of our teacher friends from another school in the federation.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this grid.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Activity 1
Finger strengthening activities support the development of fine motor skills needed for writing.
Challenge your child to have a go at 3 or more of these activities: practise tying shoe laces, fasten and unfasten buttons, attach nuts and bolts, separate dried pasta and dried peas (or similar) into two separate piles, do some mindfulness colouring in, do a jigsaw, cut up drinking straws and thread them on to a shoe lace, attach clothes pegs (the squeezable type) to a shoe box or similar, use a paint brush and water to make pictures or words on a wall, chalk words or pictures on the ground, make a Lego model.
Activity 2
Year 2 children: Write three sentences about a picture or photograph you choose. Your child should remember capital letters, finger spaces, joining up letters if they can (use our handwriting guide to help), and a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?) to end the sentence.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Topic
We’re continuing our new topic learning about The Great Fire of London.
This week, we’re looking at how the fire was put out. This Oak National Academy lesson will really help to support learning at home. Once your child has watched the video, try the quiz that follows.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
Science
This half term, we’re learning about animals including humans. This Oak National Academy lesson will really help to support learning at home. Once your child has watched the video, try the quiz that follows.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
Week beginning: 09 November 2020
Good morning Y6!
I hope you’re well and enjoying our learning as much as I am. I’m especially loving our History learning.
Remember, if you want to listen along to the class novel, Wolf Brother, you can find parts one and two (and more!) on YouTube.
If you need any help or want to ask any questions, please don’t hesitate to send an email to jenwilson@spherefederation.org!
Now, onto this week’s learning.
Maths
In school, this week, we’re focusing on a range of areas: division, mental calculations, reasoning and arithmetic.
Children should use these resources:
- Division video, worksheet, answers
- Division – part two video, worksheet, answers
- Arithmetic worksheet with answers at the bottom
(Let me know your score via an email. If there’s one you don’t know how to do, leave it and move on. We will be practising these papers on roughly a weekly basis and they test areas of maths we haven’t covered yet in Y6; it is good to get used to them! We will be doing this paper in class, too.) - Mental calculations video, worksheet, answers
- Reason from known facts video, worksheet, answers
You don’t have to print the worksheets. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. We’re concentrating on a mix of times tables, so your child should focus on the times table they find most difficult. Email me if you need your child’s login and password details.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)
Spelling
Look on the spelling section of the website for this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.
- Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. (You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our learning.)
- Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies Guide . (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
This is the text we’ll read in class to build up fluency skills this week.
In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: Read the pages of Wolf Brother on our homework page this week, completing this grid.
We’re then going to be reading two famous poems this week:
1. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth
Follow these slides on the poem and complete the lesson explained on them.
2. Matilda, Who told Lies and was Burnt to Death by Hilaire Belloc (it’s a comedy, honest!)
Follow these slides and complete the lessons explained on them.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this grid.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
We’re continuing to think about promotional writing and we’ve read Torak’s Weapons in class as an example of what we want children to write.
This week, we will be answering the questions on this sheet to plan our writing, before then writing our own promotion of an Ancient Egyptian pyramid.
Have a look at this example of how we might start it (yellow words are highlighted to show expanded noun phrases, which we’ve been revising recently).
Watch this video on expanded noun phrases. Try to include these in your writing!
Topic
This week’s topic learning is about history. We’re continuing our topic all about prehistoric Britain compared to advanced ancient civilisations.
In class, we’re going to research facts about:
- Indus Valley
- Ancient Rome
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient Egypt
- The Shang Dynasty
Your task is to do the same. You need to find out three facts about each of the advanced societies above.
Then, answer these questions:
- What makes the advanced societies similar to each other?
- How are they different?
- What makes them similar to prehistoric Britain?
- How are they different?
- Which advanced society would you have lived in and why?
(Suggested time: 30-40 minutes)
Science
We’re starting a new topic of forces. This lesson from Oak National Academy links closely to what we’ve been doing in class.
Email me to let me know how you got on!
Week beginning 09 November 2020
Hi everyone
We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. You can email me at paulwilks@spherefederation.org.
Here’s a short video from me introducing the week.
Maths
This week’s maths learning continues our unit on addition and subtraction. Please use the following resources:
Lesson 1: video worksheet answers
Lesson2: video worksheet answers
Lesson 3: video worksheet answers
Lesson 4: video worksheet answers
Lesson 5: video worksheet answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. In Y4, we’re concentrating on the 6 times table. Email me if you need your child’s login and password details.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)
Spelling
Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.
- Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our science topic of Living Things and their Habitat.
- Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
Click here for this week’s fluency text to build up fluency skills. In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: We’ll be using the fluency text for our RIC lesson this week. Click here for the questions.
RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
Day 2: Agree with your child three words from any text they’ve read which they’re less familiar with. Your child should find out what they mean (eg by checking an online dictionary or simply discuss with you) and how to use them in sentences (both when speaking and when writing). Challenge your child to write a sentence with each word in, or to drop the words into conversations at home.
Day 3: Read this article from First News, a newspaper for children, and complete the activity.
Day 4: Read your fluency or RIC text again. Next, do one of the following:
- Your child could list at least ten facts they’ve read in the text. (If it’s a fiction text (a story), then the facts would be based on the story, like ‘Harry Potter picked up his broomstick’, rather than actual facts from the real world.)
- Your child could create questions and answers for what they’ve read. (For example, it could be a TV or radio interview based on what they’ve read.)
- Your child could create their own ‘RIC’ questions.
- Your child could draw and label a character or setting that they’ve read about.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this sheet.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Activity 1: Complete this lesson about similes from Oak National Academy.
Activity 2: Complete this lesson from Pobble 365.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Topic
Click here for our next Ancient Greek history lesson. It’s an Oak Academy lesson which is very similar to what we’ll be learning about in school.
Science
Click here for the second lesson about sound.
(Suggested time: 45 minutes)
Week beginning 09 November 2020
Hi everyone
We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. You can email me at paulwilks@spherefederation.org or Mr Wain at oliwain@spherefederation.org
Here’s a short video from me introducing the week.
Maths
This week’s maths learning continues our unit on addition and subtraction. Please use the following resources:
Lesson 1: video worksheet answers
Lesson2: video worksheet answers
Lesson 3: video worksheet answers
Lesson 4: video worksheet answers
Lesson 5: video worksheet answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. Email me if you need your child’s login and password details.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)
Spelling
Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.
- Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our science topic of Living Things and their Habitat.
- Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
Click here for this week’s fluency text to build up fluency skills. In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: We’ll be using the fluency text for our RIC lesson this week. Click here for the questions.
RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
Day 2: Agree with your child three words from any text they’ve read which they’re less familiar with. Your child should find out what they mean (eg by checking an online dictionary or simply discuss with you) and how to use them in sentences (both when speaking and when writing). Challenge your child to write a sentence with each word in, or to drop the words into conversations at home.
Day 3: Read this article from First News, a newspaper for children, and complete the activity.
Day 4: Read your fluency or RIC text again. Next, do one of the following:
- Your child could list at least ten facts they’ve read in the text. (If it’s a fiction text (a story), then the facts would be based on the story, like ‘Harry Potter picked up his broomstick’, rather than actual facts from the real world.)
- Your child could create questions and answers for what they’ve read. (For example, it could be a TV or radio interview based on what they’ve read.)
- Your child could create their own ‘RIC’ questions.
- Your child could draw and label a character or setting that they’ve read about.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this sheet.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Activity 1: Complete this lesson about similes from Oak National Academy.
Activity 2: Complete this lesson from Pobble 365.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Topic
Click here for our next Ancient Greek history lesson. It’s an Oak Academy lesson which is very similar to what we’ll be learning about in school.
Science
Click here for the second lesson about sound.
(Suggested time: 45 minutes)
Week beginning 09 November 2020
We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. You can email me at
benparker@spherefederation.org.
Here’s a short video message from me introducing the week.
Maths
This week’s maths learning is linked to addition and subtraction
These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class:
Lesson 1: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 2: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 3: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 4: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 5: video, worksheets and answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Spelling
- Day 1: Write the words and draw shapes round them to show the ascenders and descenders. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 2: Write the words using rainbow writing. (Try some of the other activities in our Super Spelling Strategies guide.)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
This is the text we’ll read in class to to build up fluency skills this week.
In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: We will be using this RIC lesson in class. RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
Day 2: Watch this video and learn about the ‘ir‘ digraph.
Day 3: Watch this video and learn about the ‘ou‘ digraph.
Day 4: Watch this video and revisit all phase 5 sounds
The two videos above were made by one of our teacher friends from another school in the federation.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this grid.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Activity 1
Finger strengthening activities support the development of fine motor skills needed for writing.
Challenge your child to have a go at 3 or more of these activities: practise tying shoe laces, fasten and unfasten buttons, attach nuts and bolts, separate dried pasta and dried peas (or similar) into two separate piles, do some mindfulness colouring in, do a jigsaw, cut up drinking straws and thread them on to a shoe lace, attach clothes pegs (the squeezable type) to a shoe box or similar, use a paint brush and water to make pictures or words on a wall, chalk words or pictures on the ground, make a Lego model.
Activity 2
Year 2 children: Write three sentences about a picture or photograph you choose. Your child should remember capital letters, finger spaces, joining up letters if they can (use our handwriting guide to help), and a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?) to end the sentence.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Topic
We’re continuing our new topic learning about The Great Fire of London.
Why did the fire spread so quickly?
Look at the diary extract from Samuel Pepys and the photographs and suggest reasons why the fire spread so quickly.
Have a go at completing this sheet.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
Science
This half term, we’re learning about animals including humans. This Oak National Academy lesson will really help to support learning at home. Once your child has watched the video, try the quiz that follows.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
Week beginning 09 November 2020
We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. You can email me at
benparker@spherefederation.org.
Here’s a short video message from me introducing the week.
Maths
This week’s maths learning is linked to addition and subtraction
These five video lessons will roughly match the teaching and learning happening in class:
Lesson 1: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 2: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 3: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 4: video, worksheets and answers
Lesson 5: video, worksheets and answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Spelling
- Day 1: Write the words and draw shapes round them to show the ascenders and descenders. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 2: Write the words using rainbow writing. (Try some of the other activities in our Super Spelling Strategies guide.)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
This is the text we’ll read in class to to build up fluency skills this week.
In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: We will be using this RIC lesson in class. RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
Day 2: Watch this video and learn about the ‘ure‘ digraph.
Day 3: Watch this video and learn about the ‘er‘ digraph.
Day 4: Watch this video and learn about the ‘air‘ digraph.
The two videos above were made by one of our teacher friends from another school in the federation.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this grid.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Activity 1
Talk to your child about a picture or photograph you choose. Write three words or phrases to label different things in the picture (eg ‘a car’ or ‘a red car’). Your child should aim to spell in a sensible way and use finger spaces between the words, joining up letters if they can (use our handwriting guide to help).
Activity 2
Finger strengthening activities support the development of fine motor skills needed for writing.
Challenge your child to have a go at 3 or more of these activities: practise tying shoe laces, fasten and unfasten buttons, attach nuts and bolts, separate dried pasta and dried peas (or similar) into two separate piles, do some mindfulness colouring in, do a jigsaw, cut up drinking straws and thread them on to a shoe lace, attach clothes pegs (the squeezable type) to a shoe box or similar, use a paint brush and water to make pictures or words on a wall, chalk words or pictures on the ground, make a Lego model.
Topic
We’re continuing our new topic learning about The Great Fire of London.
Why did the fire spread so quickly?
Look at the diary extract from Samuel Pepys and the photographs and suggest reasons why the fire spread so quickly.
Have a go at completing this sheet.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
Science
This half term, we’re learning about animals including humans. This Oak National Academy lesson will really help to support learning at home. Once your child has watched the video, try the quiz that follows.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
Week beginning: 02 November 2020
Good morning Y6!
I hope you’re well, staying happy and healthy and you had a relaxing and fun half term.
If you need any help or want to ask any questions, please don’t hesitate to send an email to jenwilson@spherefederation.org!
Now, onto this week’s learning.
Maths
In school, this week, we’re focusing on a range of areas: division, prime numbers, arithmetic, squares & cubes, and orders of operations.
Children should use these resources:
- Prime numbers video, worksheet, answers
- Long division – part two video, worksheet, answers
- Arithmetic worksheet with answers at the bottom
(Let me know your score via an email. If there’s one you don’t know how to do, leave it and move on. We will be practising these papers on roughly a weekly basis and they test areas of maths we haven’t covered yet in Y6; it is good to get used to them! We will be doing this paper in class, too.) - Square and cube numbers video, worksheet, answers
- Order of operations video, worksheet, answers
You don’t have to print the worksheets. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. We’re concentrating on a mix of times tables, so your child should focus on the times table they find most difficult. Email me if you need your child’s login and password details.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)
Spelling
Here are this week’s spellings:
- practise
- practice
- licence
- license
- advice
- advise
- device
- devise
Your child should complete one task each day.
- Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. (You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our learning.)
- Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies Guide . (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
This is the text we’ll read in class to build up fluency skills this week.
In school, we generally follow this sequence:
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
We’re starting to read a new book this week: Wolf Brother, by Michelle Paver. It’s a really famous book for a good reason – it’s great! You can read the first few pages here and we’ll use this to do some of the lessons this week.
Days 1-4: Follow these slides and complete the lessons explained on them. You’ll need this RIC and an exploring grid.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this grid.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
We’re starting a new unit of work linking to our new learning about the Stone Age and Ancient Egypt. We’re going to promote our very own pyramids!
Follow these slides as much as possible at home, completing the activities explained for each day. The model text that we’ll read in class is Torak’s Weapons.
The slides we’ll use to learn some new vocabulary on are here.
Topic
This week’s topic learning is about history. We’re starting a new topic all about the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages plus Ancient Egypt!
In class, we’re going to read this website from BBC Bitesize. Have a go at the activities at the bottom.
(Suggested time: 30-40 minutes)
Science
We’re starting a new topic of forces. This lesson from Oak National Academy links closely to what we’ve been doing in class.
Email me to let me know how you got on!
There’s lots to learn, too! For an extra challenge, have a look at these clips from BBC Bitesize and create a poster or PowerPoint presentation to show what you’ve learnt.
Week beginning 02 November 2020
Hi everyone
We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. You can email me at paulwilks@spherefederation.org.
Here’s a short video message from me introducing the week.
Maths
This week’s maths learning is a new unit on addition and subtraction.
Add and subtract 1s, 10s, 100s and 1000s video worksheet answers
Add two 3-digit numbers – not crossing 10 or 100 video worksheet answers
Add two 4-digit numbers – no exchange video worksheet answers
Add two 3-digit numbers – crossing 10 or 100 video worksheet answers
Add two 4-digit numbers – one exchange video worksheet answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. In Y4, we’re concentrating on the 6 times table. Email me if you need your child’s login and password details.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)
Spelling
Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.
- Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our science topic of Living Things and their Habitat.
- Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
Click for this week’s fluency text to build up fluency skills. In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: We’ll be using the fluency text for our RIC lesson this week. Click here for the questions.
RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
Day 2: Agree with your child three words from any text they’ve read which they’re less familiar with. Your child should find out what they mean (eg by checking an online dictionary or simply discuss with you) and how to use them in sentences (both when speaking and when writing). Challenge your child to write a sentence with each word in, or to drop the words into conversations at home.
Day 3: Read this article from First News, a newspaper for children, and complete the activity.
Day 4: Read your fluency or RIC text again. Next, do one of the following:
- Your child could list at least ten facts they’ve read in the text. (If it’s a fiction text (a story), then the facts would be based on the story, like ‘Harry Potter picked up his broomstick’, rather than actual facts from the real world.)
- Your child could create questions and answers for what they’ve read. (For example, it could be a TV or radio interview based on what they’ve read.)
- Your child could create their own ‘RIC’ questions.
- Your child could draw and label a character or setting that they’ve read about.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this sheet.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Activity 1: worksheet
Activity 2: worksheet
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Topic
This half-term, our topic is a history driven one about Ancient Greece. Complete this introductory lesson on Oak National Academy and the second lesson.
(Suggested time: 45 minutes)
Science
In science lessons this half-term, we’re learning about sound. Complete this lesson from Oak National Academy.
(Suggested time: 45 minutes)
Week beginning 02 November 2020
Hi everyone
We’re really missing you in school and we can’t wait to have you back. We hope you’re managing to stay happy, healthy and safe while you’re not with us here in school. You are still very much a part of our school community so please get in touch with us. You can email me or Mr Wain at paulwilks@spherefederation.org. or oliwain@spherefederation.org .
Here’s a short video message from me introducing the week.
Maths
This week’s maths learning is a new unit on addition and subtraction.
Add 3-digit and 1-digit numbers – crossing 10 video worksheet answers
Subtract a 1-digit number from 2-digits – crossing 10 video worksheet answers
Subtract a 1-digit number from 3 digits – crossing 10 video worksheet answers
Add and subtract 3-digit and 2-digit numbers – not crossing 100 video worksheet answers
Add 3-digit and 2-digit numbers – crossing 100 video worksheet answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. In Y3, we’re concentrating on the 2, 5 and 10 times table. Email me if you need your child’s login and password details.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)
Spelling
Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. Your child should complete one task each day.
- Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our science topic of Living Things and their Habitat.
- Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
Click for this week’s fluency text to build up fluency skills. In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
Day 1: We’ll be using the fluency text for our RIC lesson this week. Click here for the questions.
RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
Day 2: Agree with your child three words from any text they’ve read which they’re less familiar with. Your child should find out what they mean (eg by checking an online dictionary or simply discuss with you) and how to use them in sentences (both when speaking and when writing). Challenge your child to write a sentence with each word in, or to drop the words into conversations at home.
Day 3: Read this article from First News, a newspaper for children, and complete the activity.
Day 4: Read your fluency or RIC text again. Next, do one of the following:
- Your child could list at least ten facts they’ve read in the text. (If it’s a fiction text (a story), then the facts would be based on the story, like ‘Harry Potter picked up his broomstick’, rather than actual facts from the real world.)
- Your child could create questions and answers for what they’ve read. (For example, it could be a TV or radio interview based on what they’ve read.)
- Your child could create their own ‘RIC’ questions.
- Your child could draw and label a character or setting that they’ve read about.
Day 5: Book Club. Once a week, we have a relaxing lesson where we sit and read quietly, often with an adult. At home, we’d like you to read your favourite book or text, too. If possible, discuss the book with an adult, talking about some or all of the sections of this sheet.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Activity 1: worksheet
Activity 2: worksheet
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Topic
This half-term, our topic is a history driven one about Ancient Greece. Complete this introductory lesson on Oak National Academy and the second lesson.
(Suggested time: 45 minutes)
Science
In science lessons this half-term, we’re learning about sound. Complete this lesson from Oak National Academy.
(Suggested time: 45 minutes)