Homework

23 September 2022

Posted on Friday 23 September 2022 by Mr Roundtree

This week’s Talk Time brings together the learning that has happened in our Reading sessions last week. The Acceptable Use Agreements have been used in all classes as the stimulus for the reading lessons, as well as a copy being sent home to be agreed and signed.

Check out the KS1 and KS2 agreements.

After reading and discussing these agreements, do you feel these rules could apply outside of school too (e.g. at home or using the internet on your mobile phone)?

 Do you think it’s a good idea to have agreed rules in place when using the internet?

 

16 September 2022

Posted on Friday 16 September 2022 by Mr Roundtree

There’s a social theme to this week’s Talk Time.

In our school, we have 3 school rules:

  1. We keep our hands, feet and objects to ourselves.
  2. We follow instructions.
  3. We respect everyone and everything.

Is it important to have rules to follow in and outside of school? Is there a rule that we’re missing?

This week’s R2s (‘remember tos’) will help you to provide a balanced argument before you reach a conclusion:

  • What are the reasons for having rules to follow (the pros)?
  • What are the reasons against having rules to follow (the cons)?
  • Reach a decision. Is it valuable to have rules to follow?
    • One list may have more points than the other.
    • Some points have a greater importance than others.

One way to approach this Talk Time is to have a debate with people in your household. This will not only help you generate ideas but also practise a range of oracy skills. Last year, one of the oracy focuses was building on the views of others and reasoning. When someone raises a point that you’re in agreement with, use one of the following phrases to start your response:

  • I agree with you because…
  • That’s a good point. I also think that…
  • Furthermore, I’ll add that…

On the other hand, you may disagree with a point made by a family member. When that’s the case, it can be hard not to interrupt them. Another oracy focus from last year was turn-taking. To be respectful of others’ opinions, wait until a person has finished speaking and then respond using one of these sentence starters or one of your own:

  • I hear what you’re saying but…
  • That’s a good point. However…
  • I take your point but…

09 September 2022

Posted on Friday 09 September 2022 by Mr Roundtree

Vocabulary is the focus of this week’s Talk Time.

We’ve just begun a new Science topic and with it comes new Science vocabulary.

This half-term, we’re all biologists, learning specifically about Living Things and their Habitats. Here’s a list of key words that are being learnt and applied as part of our learning. Over the half-term, practise using these words with your child.

Years 1 and 2 Biology vocabulary:

alive a living thing; not dead
dead no longer alive
habitat the place where an animals or plant lives
basic needs the things that a plant or animal need to live
food chain shows who eats who in a habitat.
predator An animal that hunts and eats other animals
prey An animal that is eaten by another animal

Years 3 and 4 Biology vocabulary:

vertebrate an animal with a backbone
invertebrate an animal without a backbone
warm-blooded animals that can control their body temperature (birds and mammals)
cold- blooded animals that cannot control their body temperature; their body temperature changes with the air or water temperature (all animals except birds and mammals)
organism a living thing, animal or plant
insect an invertebrate with six legs
classification key a set of questions about the characteristics of organisms; used to identify a living thing or decide which group a living thing belongs to.
environmental danger something that can threaten a habitat

Years 5 and 6 Biology vocabulary:

taxonomy The science of naming, describing and classifying organisms
organism a living thing, animal or plant
kingdom The highest division in the classification system; there are five kingdoms (animals, plants, fungi, protists, monera)
flora Living things that are plants
fauna Living things that are animals
bacteria Single-celled organisms; most or which can only be seen with a microscope
fungi Organisms that can feed on the remains of other living things; can be single-celled or multi-celled (eg mushroom, yeast, mould)
micro-organism An organism that can only be seen through a microscope

Some of these words have been introduced already this week but there may be others that are going to be covered in the coming weeks.

15 July 2022

Posted on Friday 15 July 2022 by Nicky Russell

This final Talk Time of the academic year relates to your end-of-year report.

I can talk with adults at home about my report, recognising successes and strengths.

It’s important to remember that your achievements come in many forms. Your key strengths could relate to your learning behaviour, your attainment in a particular subject or your speed of progress.

This is also a great opportunity to apply your understanding of the 8Rs for learning:

  • responsive
  • ready
  • (safe) risks
  • responsible
  • resourceful
  • resilient
  • remember
  • reflect

Being reflective will be the most prominent of the 8Rs in your conversations as you’ll identify successes recognised by your teacher in the report but also other strengths that you’re aware of. Consider which of the other 8Rs you currently excel at the most. Perhaps you’re a very responsible individual who always demonstrates good learning behaviour. Maybe you’re extremely resilient and have a never-give-up attitude. It could be that you’re very resourceful, using what’s around you to support your learning and not always seeking help right away.

08 July 2022

Posted on Friday 08 July 2022 by Nicky Russell

I can share my views about health.

We’re proud to be a happy and healthy school.

Each year, we ask you to complete a short health questionnaire. Your views can help us to become even happier and healthier.

Parents/carers: please complete this survey with your child, to find out their views on some of our key health issues at school, and comment at the end.  You can find the link to the survey in the Homework page of our school website.

Please submit before Friday 15 July 2022.

01 July 2022

Posted on Friday 01 July 2022 by Nicky Russell

This week’s Talk Time has a Living and Learning focus:

I can talk about how to be safe near drugs (over-the-counter medicines and prescription drugs, for example).

A good starting point for your discussions could be to identify the drugs you’re aware of that have the potential to be helpful. Then, you could discuss a range of scenarios, establishing what being safe around drugs does and does not look like.

The following R2s will help you to stay safe around drugs:

  • Only take drugs as detailed by your doctor and/or in the instructions (if an over-the-counter medicine).
  • Do not take drugs that are prescribed for someone else.
  • If you’re not sure what the drug is or how much you can have, don’t take it.
  • If you need any medicine or have any related questions, ask a trusted adult.

This week’s message (Friday 24 June 2022)

Posted on Friday 24 June 2022 by Mr Roundtree

Thanks to everyone who responded to this year’s annual survey. We’ll spend the next few weeks reviewing the responses and building in some action points to our School Improvement Plan.

This week’s message is a little different: it comes from our Junior Leadership Team…

JLT stands for the Junior Leadership Team. The members of the team are voted for by the other kids in their class. All members are committed to their responsibilities.

As part of the JLT, we help to decide which charity the school should support. Each class puts forward a charity and the JLT make a democratic decision.

In meetings, we talk about the school’s safety and what needs improving. The JLT did a safety audit last term and looked at what could be improved or changed in school.

We discuss the school lunches and sometimes we get to choose which meals stay on the menu. We listen to our classmates for ideas and that really helps to improve our school.

As members of the JLT, we take on board all the suggestions that have been put in the Living and Learning box. It is important to listen, share and discuss classmates’ ideas, not just our own.

Friday 24th June

Posted on Friday 24 June 2022 by Mr McGriffiths

This week’s spellings are practising the  ‘al grapheme which can make the /l/, /or/ and /ar/ sound.

medal

talk

walk

calm

half

The spellings will be tested on Friday 1st July.

24 June 2022

Posted on Friday 24 June 2022 by Nicky Russell

During this week’s Talk Time, you’ll explore an important moral dilemma.

Shops should try to sell clothes as cheaply as possible.

When discussing the statement, there are a number of factors to take into consideration. Your conversations at home may begin by attempting to answer the following questions:

  • Who would benefit from clothes being sold as cheaply as possible?
    • Bear in mind that not everyone shares the same level of wealth.
  • How would this impact on the amount of clothes people own?
    • Would people buy more clothes than they actually need?
  • How would lower prices impact on the shops themselves?
  • If more clothes are needed in shops, how would that impact on the manufacturers?
    • in terms of issues such as workload and pay

The following R2s will help your child to reflect on the discussion points:

  • What are the reasons for (the pros) selling clothes as cheaply as possible?
  • What are the reasons against (the cons) doing so?
  • Reach a conclusion – Do you take one particular side or is there a compromise that could satisfy everyone?

 

17 June 2022

Posted on Friday 17 June 2022 by Nicky Russell

We’re now a couple of weeks into our final topic of the school year, Design and Technology.

Thinking about the new topic vocabulary, I can begin to use these words at home.

Years 1 and 2:

  • design process: the steps that need to happen for something to go from an idea to a finished product
  • to plan: to think about and decide how you’re going to do something
  • to evaluate: to decide, after careful consideration, how good or bad something is
  • felt: a kind of cloth made from wool
  • needle: a thin piece of metal or plastic with a point at one end and a hole or eye for thread in the other, used in sewing
  • thread: a long, thin strand of cotton used in sewing or weaving
  • over stitch / whip stitch: a stitch that circles the edge of a piece of fabric

Years 3 and 4:

  • product: something that is designed and made
  • function: the purpose of something
  • design brief: a description of what a new product should do
  • design criteria: the precise features a product must have to be successful
  • annotated sketch: a detailed sketch labelled with notes (eg dimensions, materials)
  • fabric: cloth or other material produced by weaving or knitting fibres
  • binka: a firm piece of fabric with holes in to help beginners to sew and embroider
  • over stitch: a stitch that circles the edge of a piece of fabric
  • running stitch: a line of small even stitches
  • template: a tool used to mark out shapes repeatedly

Years 5 and 6:

  • design criteria: the precise features a product must have in order to be successful
  • innovative: an adjective to describe new or original ideas
  • sustainable material: a material is sustainable if it comes from renewable sources and it does not damage the environment
  • dimension: a measurement of something in a particular direction (eg height, length, width)
  • aesthetic: something about the appearance (eg something can be aesthetically pleasing)
  • running stitch: of a line of small even stitches
  • back stitch:  a method of sewing with overlapping stitches to form a solid line of stitching
  • applique: pieces of fabric sewn or stuck on to a larger piece to form a picture or pattern
  • pattern: a repeated decorative design

When having your discussions at home, you could start by explaining the end goal of this topic. What product are you designing and then making? What materials and skills will be required? Refer to the definitions provided when you’re explaining new vocabulary Challenge yourself to see if you can explain them in your own words.