Homework

04 March 2022

Posted on Friday 04 March 2022 by Nicky Russell

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

I can say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and show good manners in other ways, too.

Showing good manners costs nothing but can make a big difference to a person’s feelings. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are just two of the ways you can show good manners. How else could you show good manners? Think about actions as well as words. You could talk about things you can do or say at home, at school or out and about. Remember, saying things like ‘please’ and ‘excuse me’ aren’t just means for getting what you want.

Our school rules might help you to remember times when you’ve used good manners or seen others using them:

  • We respect everyone and everything.
  • We follow instructions.
  • We keep hands, feet and objects to ourselves.

11 February 2022

Posted on Friday 11 February 2022 by Nicky Russell

With it being Safety Week at school, this Talk Time brings together lots of the learning that has taken place.

I can show different ways to stay safe including how to seek help.

Because safety covers so many areas, your discussions could centre around these forms of safety as well as any others that you know of:

  • Online safety (e-safety)
  • Fire safety
  • Road safety
  • Electrical safety
  • Water safety

For each type of safety, talk about different settings and examples of when you might be faced with risks and how you’d safely deal with them. In each situation, it’s crucial you discuss the help you’d need if something goes wrong. Imagine that you’re in different places and with different people in each scenario. Perhaps you’re with family, friends or on your own. Are there any services that you can contact?

Here are some R2s to help you stay safe:

  • Think before you act.
  • Assess the risks. Is it safe?
  • If something goes wrong, again, think before you act.
  • Who can help you and how can you reach them?

04 February 2022

Posted on Friday 04 February 2022 by Nicky Russell

We are being historians through our topic learning this half term. Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to be around during historic events like the Great Fire of London? For this week’s Talk Time, we’d like you to do exactly that.

Would it be good to travel back in time?

Would it be good to travel forwards, into the future?

When talking about travelling back in time, you could use these question prompts to support discussions at home:

  • What time period would you travel back to?
    • a time from recent history (eg your lifetime)
    • a point from your parents’/grandparents’ lifetimes
    • over 100 years ago
  • Where in the world would you like to be at that point in time?
    • Does it relate to an important historical event?
    • What have you learnt in a current or past history topic that you’d like to experience?
  • Who would you like to meet?
    • What historical figures have we learnt about at school?
    • Are there people you’d meet who aren’t famous eg family members?
  • Is there anything about the past that you’d try to change?
    • If so, how would you go about it?
    • Would you realistically be able to make that change? Would you need help?

Many of the points above will also help you to discuss travelling into the future. As well as those, it’s important to think of what would be gained from travelling forwards in time. When coming back into the present, would you tell people what the future is like (good and bad things) and why?

These R2s will get you thinking critically about your own ideas:

  • What reasons can you think of in support of time travel?
  • Are there reasons why you might be against it?
  • Challenge: Rank your ideas by importance. Imagine you could only do five, or maybe even three things.

 

28 January 2022

Posted on Friday 28 January 2022 by Nicky Russell

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

It is a waste of our time to learn about the past as it has already happened and we can’t change it.

This is a very topical statement given that we’re currently in the middle of a history topic. You may already have an opinion on this but it’s always worth pausing to consider a range of viewpoints.

This week’s R2s will help you to provide a balanced argument before you reach a conclusion:

  • What are the reasons for (the pros) learning about the past?
  • What are the reasons against (the cons) learning about the past?
  • Reach a decision. Is it valuable to learn about past events?
    • 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. The last half term’s focus 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. The oracy focus for this half term is 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…

21 January 2022

Posted on Friday 21 January 2022 by Nicky Russell

Our Talk Time this week relates to the vocabulary that we’re learning about in our current History topic.

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

Years 1 and 2 History vocabulary:

  • past – something that has already happened
  • present – something that is happening now
  • ancient – very old
  • modern – the present day
  • similarity – when something is the same
  • difference – when something is different
  • sequence – put in the correct order
  • put in the correct order – the buying or swapping of products and services
  • timeline – a list of important events arranged in order

Years 3 and 4 History vocabulary:

  • chronology – arrangement of events or dates in time order
  • empire – a large group of countries or states ruled by an emperor or empress
  • invasion – when a country or region is invaded by an armed force
  • settlement – a place or area where a group of people live
  • to resist – to stand up to or fight back against something
  • primary source – a source of evidence created at the time of the event (eg diaries, letters, photographs, newspaper article, artifacts, ruins)
  • secondary source – a source of evidence created after the time of the event (eg replica objects, text books, illustrations)
  • prehistory – before written records
  • kingdom – an area of land ruled by a monarch (a king or queen)

Years 5 and 6 History vocabulary:

  • 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
  • civilization – the society considered most advanced at a time
  • caliph – ruler in a Muslim country
  • golden-age – a time when an activity or society is at its best
  • innovation – an improvement or replacement of something
  • trade – the exchange of goods and services
  • impact – the effect one thing has on another
  • bias – a particular viewpoint for one thing over another, especially an unfair one

Some of the words may not have been covered in class as of yet so be sure to refer to the definitions for words your child seems less confident about.

Encourage your child to think back to their history learning so far. The following questions might prompt your child to remember even more about the vocabulary:

  • What does this word mean?
  • Can you use the word in a sentence?
  • Can you (where possible) give an example of this?
  • Can you link this word to one or more of the other words?
  • Which of these words would you group together?
  • Are there any synonyms (words with the same or similar meaning)?
  • Are there any antonyms (words with the opposite meaning)?

This Talk Time provides the perfect opportunity to apply some of the oracy skills that we’ve been working on so far this year. These R2s will help your child to speak about the vocabulary confidently, fluently and at a good pace:

  • Make eye contact and have good posture when speaking (and listening).
  • Recall learning from class to help you remember the words you’ve used so far.
  • Take time to think about each word before trying to explain it.

Challenge yourself to play the ‘Erm…’ game. Start a stopwatch when you begin talking about a word. Keep the time running until you say a filler phrase like ‘erm’, ‘umm’, ‘you know’, ‘like’ or pause for more than a few seconds. Have a couple of attempts for each word to see if you can improve on your timings. How long can you talk for?

14 January 2022

Posted on Friday 14 January 2022 by Nicky Russell

The Talk Time this week links to what we’ve been working on in our living and learning lessons.

I know that having rights comes with having responsibilities.

Rights are the things that all people are entitled to. Every right can only be guaranteed when certain responsibilities are taken. Here are some examples…

  • We all have the right to be respected, and we’re responsible for making sure we respect everyone and everything (one of our three school rules).
  • We have the right to play, but we have the responsibility to play safely.
  • We have the right to learn, and the responsibility to get to school on time.

When having your discussions at home, these Remember 2s will help you to link rights to responsibilities:

  • Think of something that you’re entitled to (a right).
    • Remember that some rights are based on your basic human needs.
    • A right is NOT something you’d like to have – It’s something that everyone should be guaranteed.
  • For the right you’ve chosen, what part do you play to make sure that it is observed (responsibility)?
    • Who else is responsible?
    • Does age impact on a person’s level of responsibility?

How many right and responsibility pairs can you think of? If you’re struggling to think of many or would just like to find out more, check out this useful BBC Bitesize link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zvypmfr/articles/z7bfhbk

07 January 2022

Posted on Friday 07 January 2022 by Nicky Russell

Our first Talk Time of 2022 has a reading and oracy theme.

I know a poem.

This week, you’re going to be learning a famous poem. It takes great resilience and remembering skills to be able to learn a poem – two of our 8Rs for learning.

Y1,2: Growing by Tony Milton

Given the length of this poem, this chunk of the first verse is what we’d like you to learn.

Today

you may be small.

But one day

you’ll be tall,

like me,

maybe taller.

You won’t

fit into your bed.

Your hat

won’t fit on your head.

Your feet will fill up the floor.

You’ll have to bend down

to come through the door.

 

Y3,4: The Romans in Britain by Judith Nicholls

The Romans gave us aqueducts,

Fine buildings and straight roads,

Where all those Roman legionaries

Marched with heavy loads.

 They gave us central heating,

Good laws, a peaceful home…

Then after just four centuries

They shuffled back to Rome.

 

Y5,6: From a Railway Carriage by Robert Louis Stevenson

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle,
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And there is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart run away in the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone for ever!

These talking points could be used to support your initial reading and understanding of the poem:

  • What’s the poem about?
  • Can you work out the meaning of tricky words and phrases by using the clues in the poem?
  • What’s the rhythm of the poem? Where do you pause for breaths?
  • Are there any rhymes (words ending with the same sounds (eg cat and hat)?
  • What other patterns do you notice (repeated words/lines, line lengths, themes/key messages)?

When you have a sound understanding of your chosen poem, turn your attentions to reading it aloud with confidence and clarity. This week’s Remember 2s (R2s) will help with that:

  • Speak clearly in a loud voice without shouting.
  • Pause for breath at the right places to make sure you read at an appropriate pace.
  • Face the reader as often as you can.

Here are some creative strategies that you might use to help you remember the poem – do what works best for you:

  • Create actions to go with certain words or phrases.
  • Draw a series of pictures to help you remember what comes next.
  • Say or sing the poem in a unique or funny voice.
  • Echo phrases/lines with someone at home.

10 December 2021

Posted on Friday 10 December 2021 by Nicky Russell

Living and learning is the theme for this week’s Talk Time.

I can talk through a ‘recipe’ for how to be a good friend.

Being a good friend requires a number of key ingredients. When discussing how to be a good friend, think about the qualities that you have and that you value in your friends, too. How many adjectives can you come up with to describe a good friend?

This week’s Remember 2s provide some useful top tips for being a good friend:

  • A good friend is someone that you can have fun with and makes you feel good about yourself.
  • You don’t need to spend all of your time with one person to be a good friend.
  • Your friend might not always agree with you but they will still respect your opinions.

One of the qualities in your good friend recipe is likely to link to honesty.

Discuss and come up with as many reasons why telling the truth is important.

For the second part of this Talk Time, come up with a list of reasons why telling the truth is important.

Think about a time when someone didn’t tell you the truth. How did that make you feel? Even if the truth might not be what you want to hear, is it better to hear the truth than it is to hear a lie?

03 December 2021

Posted on Friday 03 December 2021 by Nicky Russell

This week’s Talk Time poses a moral dilemma that links to our current Art topic.

Is it right that a painting can cost a million pounds?

In fact, only weeks ago, Banksy’s ‘Love is in the Bin’ sold at auction for a record £16 million.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58908768

The question does not have a right or wrong answer. You may already have a strong view on this but a key part of your discussions at home will be taking others’ views into consideration. Following this week’s Remember 2s (R2s) will help with that:

  • Why would someone pay a million pounds for a painting? Think about what the painting represents and how it could make a person feel.
  • Why might it be considered wrong for a painting to cost a million pounds? How else could that money be spent?
  • What is an acceptable amount of money to spend on a single painting?

Your discussions will build on the skills gained through this half term’s oracy focus: building on the views of others and reasoning. If you agree with someone else’s comments, you could respond with one of these sentence starters:

  • Picking up on what’s been said, I’d add…’
  • ‘As well as that…’
  • ‘In addition to that…’
  • ‘Furthermore…’
  • ‘Moreover…’

It might be that you disagree with the views of people in your household – that’s okay but it’s important to remember to respect their views, too. Whatever your opinion, using ‘because’ in your discussions will help you to put forward a strong argument.

26 November 2021

Posted on Friday 26 November 2021 by Nicky Russell

The Talk Time for this week leads on perfectly from the previous week’s statement.

I am confident that I would tell someone if I felt bullied, or if I know someone who was being bullied.

I can name people I would go to, and can explain why I’d choose them for help.

During last week’s discussions, you recalled the two meanings of ‘STOP’: Several Times On Purpose (our definition of bullying) and Start Telling Other People (our response to bullying).

We suggest approaching this Talk Time in two steps.

First, discuss why it is important to tell someone if bullying is happening. Remember, everyone is responsible for helping to prevent bullying. If you see someone being treated unfairly, don’t assume someone else will report it or that it’s a one-off.

How many reasons can you think of to tell someone if you feel bullied or know someone else is being bullied? On the other hand, why would not telling someone be a bad idea?

Second, come up with a list of people you could go to. Consider what makes someone a good person to talk to.

This week’s Remember 2s are question prompts to help you when creating your list:

  • Who can not only help you feel better, but also help to explore and solve the problem? (Think of people outside of school as well as people at school.)
  • What do we mean by ‘trusted adult’?
  • Is talking the only way you can alert someone to a problem like bullying?