01 April 2020: Home learning
Morning, everyone!
April already – where does the time go?
A word from Mr Wain…
Hello again, everyone! I just wanted to say thank you for all the lovely emails you have sent – you have all been keeping really busy doing loads of fun and exciting stuff! From origami hats for pets to practising Pogo-stick skills, I’ve been amazed!
I myself have been exercising regularly using things around my home – resourceful! I’ve also been practising on the piano, refreshing my German speaking skills and baking cookies (inspired by you lot!) see below:
To the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
#HoHLF – Head over to the class news section of the website to check out our very first Hall of (Home Learning) Fame – congratulations to all of you who have claimed your place on the legendary, first-ever #HoHLF!
Keep safe and well guys and keep spreading the positivity! Remember, I’m only an email away at: oliwain@spherefederation.org
A word from Miss Wilson…
Hi guys! Hope you’re all doing well and you’re not missing school too badly.
Thanks to everyone who sent an email updating me with what you’ve been up to. There were so many with such detail so I’m sorry if your reply took a little while! It was great to see the fab things you’ve been doing including some brilliantly creative learning.
Check the class news page for Y6 for the grand opening of the Hall of (Home Learning) Fame and congratulations to all who have nabbed a highly coveted place on the list!!!
I’ve been keeping busy with walks/cycles around Roundhay Park, a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it) and honing my FIFA skills – although, I am the second best out of a two person household. This time away from school seems to have flown for me and I think it’s down to a positive mindset and keeping busy. If you’re feeling lonely, reach out to someone and talk! If you’re feeling great, reach out to someone and spread the positivity!
Take care, guys!
Now, to today’s learning…
Year 5 Maths – LO: number sequences
Today’s learning is all about counting in fractions.
Challenge:
Year 6 Maths – LO: subtracting fractions
Challenge:
Year 5 and 6 Reading – FirstNews
Today’s task for reading is to read the following FirstNews paper! Click here to access it: FirstNews paper – Wednesday.
Like we do in class, you could discuss your favourite articles with people in your home, research something that has caught your interest further, or simply read for pleasure.
It would be really cool if you could share your favourite articles with us and why you liked them!
Year 5 and 6 Writing – LO: audience and purpose
Today’s writing task is to write to persuade.
This is to convince someone to do or think something/change their mind about something.
You need to have a think about something that you have done at home over the last few weeks, have just started recently or are planning to start soon.
This could be: baking, exercising, practising an instrument, practising a language skill, practising a sport (like kickboxing), speaking with family members over FaceTime, speaking with friends, playing a game, meditating etc…
Let’s say that you have been practising an instrument. You need to convince the reader that during this uncertain time, the one thing they must do is to practise an instrument, too. Whatever you want to persuade your reader about, you have to write in a persuasive way by providing benefits they can’t argue with!
Remember back to when we wrote persuasively in class:
Y5 – We wrote to Mrs Weekes persuading her about what to do with the plot of land behind school.
Y6 – We wrote to Theresa Villiers about stopping the use of palm oil.
R2s for persuasive writing:
- Formal language: I implore you/without a doubt/although…I firmly believe that…/
- Flattery: Surely someone as forward thinking as yourself would agree that…
- Rhetorical questions: Do you not want to become impress your friends and family with your new skill?
- Facts: these could be found by doing some research
- Opinions: be careful – we want the reader to take this seriously -As a result of practising the violin, I have experienced great joy and pleasure
Can you include any of the following, too:
- Parenthesis: – , ( )
- Relative Clause: Cycling, which is my favourite hobby, is a great way to keep healthy.
- Colons to introduce a list: Cycling, which is my favourite hobby, has many benefits: increased cardiovascular fitness, increased muscle strength, improved posture and reduced stress.
- Semi colons to separate items in a list: Cycling, which is my favourite hobby, has many benefits: increased cardiovascular, muscle and joint fitness; increased posture, coordination and mental well-being; and opportunities for fresh air.
As always, if you have any questions about any of the learning, please don’t think twice about sending a quick email and we will try our best to help you!
Keep well and stay safe – good luck!
30 March 2020: Home learning – answers
Year 5 and 6 Reading – Monday’s answers
You can find the answers for the FirstNews comprehension by clicking this link: comprehension answers to Monday’s task
Year 5 Maths – Monday’s answers
Year 6 Maths – Answers
31 March 2020: Home learning
Morning, everyone!
Thank you for sending over emails telling us what you have been up to and how you are – it was really lovely to hear from you!
If you haven’t done so already, don’t worry! Feel free to let us know what you’ve been up to and how you are by sending an email.
It seems the Joe Wicks workouts, baking treats – such as scones – (which has inspired me to do the same) and using Duolingo to practise language skills have been very popular; keep it up!
Today’s tasks…
Year 5 Maths – LO: improper fractions to mixed numbers
Challenge:
Year 6 Maths – LO: adding fractions
Challenge:
Year 5 and 6 Reading – LO: FirstNews debate
Today’s reading task is to conduct a debate based around the question:
Should the government do more to reduce food waste?
By clicking on this link: First News debate – Tuesday, you will be able to access the information based around our question.
Here’s what you need to do:
First, click on the link to open up the document.
Once this is open, you will read through the different sections which are:
- background information
- facts and figures
- environmental impact
- individual/government action
- arguments for and against the question
After you have read through these sections, you will be presented with a series of question cards (this is found on the last page).
These question cards are to be discussed with somebody in your home. If this isn’t feasible, then you could write down your thoughts in your home learning book.
R2s for a debate:
- Form your arguments based on the information provided
- Listen to any opposing arguments with respect
- Don’t interrupt – wait your turn to speak
- Try your best to speak clearly and confidently – this is a great skill to practise
- Have fun!
Here are some sentence openers to help you form answers to the questions:
Year 5 and 6 Geography LO: 8 points of a compass
Let’s journey back to our topic before Christmas: Geography – Where in the World?
Today you will be creating your own treasure hunt. This could be given to someone else in your family or for you to complete yourself!
Your task is to create an algorithm, that, if followed, will lead to a piece of treasure hidden somewhere in your home!
However, when creating your algorithm you must use points of a compass such as ‘north, north east, east, south east, south etc…’.
Here are a few example steps in an algorithm:
- Starting next to the front door, move north 5 steps.
- Now you’re here, move north-east 6 steps.
- Turn so that you are facing west. Move 8 steps.
Although you will need use of a compass in order to create your algorithm with north, north east, east, south east, south etc…, if you don’t have access to one, you can make up and agree on these points in your home.
As always, we would love to see how you’ve got on with any of the learning you have done!
Good luck, everyone!
30 March 2020: Home learning
Y5 Maths – LO: equivalent fractions
Today we are venturing back to the start of this half term and looking at equivalent fractions – fractions that have the same value but look different.(e.g. 1/2 = 2/4)
Challenge:
Year 6 Maths – LO: compare and order fractions
Challenge:
Year 5 & 6 Reading – LO: comprehension
Your learning today is a comprehension task.
You should read the FirstNews task by clicking on this link: FirstNews comprehension – Monday (it will open as a separate page in your browser when you click the link). Once you’ve read it, answer the questions on page 2 – these questions will help you practice a range of reading skills.
Challenge 1: create your own questions for someone else to answer.
Challenge 2: ask someone in your house to help – they’ll need to be able to read so maybe not your pet dog or your favourite teddy bear. One of you is going to play the role of a ‘journalist’. The other person will play the role of an ‘expert’. The journalist should ask the expert questions that they can answer using the text. The expert uses the text to answer them. You could swap roles, too. Why not go BIG and put on a different voice, dress up or use a hairbrush as a microphone. You could even film it and send it in to us!
Year 5 & 6 Science – LO: materials and their properties
Task 2:
Email a picture of yourself to your teacher with your chosen object.
The more obscure the object (with correctly identified properties), the better your chance of possibly featuring on our #HoHLF – good luck!
27 March 2020: answers
Y6 Maths
- 212,888
- 68
- 81.015
- -72
- 486,266
- 109.705
- 179,200
- 367,470
Y5 Maths
Writing
“What are you doing Thor?” cried Loki.
A laughing Thor replied,“What does it look like?“
“Well, dancing, yes!“ said Loki, also laughing now. “But only you’re in your underwear!“
27 March 2020: Home learning
Happy Friday, everyone! Hope your week has been great and you’ve managed to enjoy the sunshine. Today’s tasks are maths, PE and writing.
Y6 Maths – LO: arithmetic
Your task today is to answer a mixture of calculations using the four operations that we’ve looked at this week.
First, though, I’d like you to hone your times tables skills using Times Tables Rockstars for at least 15 minutes.
- 9,256 x 23
- 2,856 ÷ 42
- 67.955 + 13.06
- 53 – 125
- 7,843 x 62
- 1,865 ÷ 17
- 128,356 + 50,844
- 623,952 – 256,482
Challenge
On Times Tables Rockstars, challenge someone to a battle!
Y5 & 6 PE
Let’s mix things up, today! I’m missing my fresh air/boogie/running for WUSU and I know lots of you will be as well. Today, you have two options:
Option A: Using your favourite song, create a WUSU style dance that lasts 2-3 minutes. It should take you about 30-40 minutes to choreograph and you could even post it (safely) to that website “TokTik” or whatever it’s called that you all love but I don’t get because I’m old…
Option B: Taking inspiration from people like Joe Wicks, I’d like you to make up your own fitness workout lasting 2-3 minutes. It could include press ups, star jumps, running on the spot, lunges, squats, sit ups, burpees – anything, really, as long as your audience doesn’t need any equipment so they can do it at home.
You could even get in touch with someone else from school and collaborate your efforts! As always, we would love to see how you’re getting on with your home learning so if you do video yours, we’d love to see on an email! You might go viral! Who knows??
Y5 & 6 Writing – LO: punctuate speech
Your task today is to write and punctuate speech correctly and write a dilemma for your character. This should be no longer than half a page. Following from your setting description yesterday, your character needs to run into some sort of problem. This problem must include dialogue between two characters.
R2s
- Punctuate speech correctly, using inverted commas and capital letters appropriately.
- Use the said clause in different places for speech.
- When there is a new speaker, start a new line.
Here is an example of a dilemma with dialogue.
The ship entered a dark and gloomy cave – the sea was calm and quiet. Without warning, a huge figure rose out from beneath the black water. “Prepare yourselves!” shouted Bjorn, as he unsheathed his sword.
“I am Odin,” bellowed the shadowy figure, “God of wisdom, god of magic, god of death.”
“Remove us from this cave and let us pass,” commanded Ragnar. He knew that Odin was a powerful god and would not take kindly to threats; he threw his sword onto the deck in a gesture of good will.
Odin grinned, “To leave this cave, the price of death must be paid. Sacrifice one of your men to me and I will guide you to the fame and fortune you desperately crave.”
“Do it,” hissed Floki, “Give him your son, Bjorn. You have many more sons and you will have many more!”
“You think the death of my son is worth the gold and glory?” questioned Ragnar, slowly, as he held his arm out to Floki.
“Yes,” spat Floki, clutching Ragnar’s arm. “Give him to Odin.”
Ragnar turned to look at Bjorn, then back at Floki. His eyes were full of rage. He grabbed Floki by his chest, and threw him overboard. “There is your sacrifice,” he growled.
Challenge
Correct the mistakes in the speech below. How many points will you get? There are 11 to spot!
“what are you doing Thor” cried Loki
A laughing Thor replied “what does it look like?
“Well, dancing, yes! said Loki, also laughing now but only you’re in your underwear!
26 March 2020: answers
Y6 Maths – LO: negative numbers
- 6 – 10 = -4
- 15 – 20 = -5
- -3 + 8 = 5
- -9 + 22 = 13
- What is 6 less than 4? -2
- What is 5 more than -2? 3
- What is the difference between 3 and -5? 8
- What is the difference between -10 and 10? 20
- The temperature in Leeds is 6°C. Sheffield’s temperature is 4°C colder. Glasgow is 8°C colder than Sheffield. What’s the temperature in Glasgow? -6°C
- In a building, the basement is at level -3. The office is 16 levels above the basement. What level is the office on? Level 13
Challenge
Miss Kennedy says, “If I start at 27 and count backwards in 3s, I will say -12.”
Miss Wilson says, “If I start at 86 and count back in 6s, I will say -12.”
Miss Kennedy is correct because 27 is in the 3 times table so you’d reach 0 and then -3, -6, -9, -12. Miss Wilson is incorrect because you’d say -10 and then -16.
Y5 Maths – LO: multiplication
Reading – LO: RIC
Retrieval question: A shield
Inference question:
- Father says he chose his shield brothers carefully.
- Father says he would never have fought alongside any man who lied as you have.
Choice question: and felt a wave of hatred for Skuli sweep through him
26 March 2020: Home learning
Morning, guys!
Hope you’re doing well and you’ve managed to get some fresh air, be helpful in some way and have a smile on your face more than a couple of times! As with yesterday, Y5/6 maths will be separate and the rest is together. Stick around ’til the end of the post for today’s bonus task! (Crowd says “ooooooh”!)
As always, email me if you have any questions or want to let me know how you’re getting on – it’s been great hearing from you guys and you’ve been keeping me going in my old age!
Miss Wilson
Y6 Maths – LO: negative numbers
Your learning today is all about negative numbers. If it helps, draw a number line from -20 to 20. Using the number line, or just your brain, answer these questions.
- 6 – 10
- 15 – 20
- -3 + 8
- -9 + 22
- What is 6 less than 4?
- What is 5 more than -2?
- What is the difference between 3 and -5?
- What is the difference between -10 and 10?
- The temperature in Leeds is 6°C. Sheffield’s temperature is 4°C colder. Glasgow is 8°C colder than Sheffield. What’s the temperature in Glasgow?
- In a building, the basement is at level -3. The office is 16 levels above the basement. What level is the office on?
- Write a story that goes with Q1-4.
Challenge
Miss Kennedy says, “If I start at 27 and count backwards in 3s, I will say -12.”
Miss Wilson says, “If I start at 86 and count back in 6s, I will say -12.”
Who do you agree with? Explain why/why not.
Y5&6 – Reading – LO: RIC
Your learning today is a RIC.
Read the extract of the text and then answer the questions below. We will give you the correct answers tomorrow.
Retrieval question:
According to the text, what was Skuli not holding? (1 mark)
Interpret question:
Look at extract 2. How do you know Gunnar’s father’s and Skuli’s relationship is not a positive one? Explain two ways, giving evidence from the text to support your answer. (3 marks)
Choice question:
Look at extract 1. Find and copy one group of words that shows us that Gunnar does not like Skuli. (1 mark)
Challenge
Create your own RIC for someone at home to complete – you could have as many questions as you like.
Y5&6 – Writing – LO: setting description
Following yesterday’s character description, your task today is to write a setting description. This should be no longer than one paragraph.
For your setting description, you need to think about:
- Where is your character?
- What can they see?
- Are they going somewhere?
- Describe the setting using effective vocabulary e.g. fierce thunder, roaring wind, golden sand
Here is an example of a setting description.
The seas were rough for the first few days. Gigantic waves swept over the ship’s walls but the Vikings continued to row. Lightning bolts pierced holes on deck but the Vikings continued to row. Days and nights of torturous storms bombarded the vessel but the Vikings continued to row. With a compass in one hand, and wheel in the other, Ragnar stood fiercely and laughed in the face of the unforgiving conditions and stared out across the inky abyss, his once piercingly blue eyes now reflecting the grey, ominous sky above him. It rumbled, a deep, laughing rumble, taunting him. Domineering the landscape ahead of him was a spiky, crown-like mountain range jutting out of the land which was his target. Ragnar saw it as a sign from the Gods, that his journey would bring him fame, fortune and power. His confident mindset, however, didn’t last long.
R2s
- expanded noun phrases
- relative clauses
- figurative language: similes, metaphors, personification
- powerful vocabulary
- varied sentence openers
- varies sentences lengths
Challenge
Rewrite your description and change its tone. For example, a dark, gloomy description becomes a happy and cheerful one:
With a compass in one hand, and wheel in the other, Ragnar stood fiercely and laughed in the face of the unforgiving conditions and stared out across the inky abyss, his once piercingly blue eyes now reflecting the grey, ominous sky above him…
becomes…
With a compass in one hand, and wheel in the other, Ragnar stood proudly and breathed in the air of these triumphant conditions and gazed out across the smooth, calm sea, his piercingly blue eyes reflecting the sapphire sky above him.
Bonus Task!
Yesterday, we asked you to reach out to someone from school! Following on from that, today’s bonus task is to reach out to someone in your family, be it a grandparent, aunt/uncle or cousin. Just because we have to stay in our own homes, it doesn’t mean that we can’t still connect with our families! I heard about a boy that FaceTimed his grandma for 30 minutes every day and read his book to her! He was practising his reading and his grandma absolutely loved the company. So why not give it a go and make someone’s day?
25 March 2020: Home learning
Morning, everybody!
A word from Miss Wilson…
Hope you and your families are doing well and looking after yourselves (both mind and body!). It’s been great to receive emails to catch up with how you’re getting on with the tasks – keep them coming, guys! And as always, if you need help or advice about anything school related, do not hesitate to email me at jenwilson@spherefederation.org and I’ll reply ASAP!
My first couple of days have been good: I’ve decided to learn French seen as you lot love it so much at school (it’s tres bien so far) and I’ve also found having a check list of things to do for the day helps me keep my mind focused. Give it a try if you haven’t already. Keep up the hard work, team!
A word from Mr Wain…
Onto today’s tasks…
We’ve obviously never set tasks like this before so we have absolutely no scooby doo whether we’re doing it right. Any feedback is greatly appreciated or if we could do better, we’d love to know how. Thanks!
Today’s tasks are maths, reading and writing. Again, it will be clear which are for Y5 and which are for Y6 and there’s a bonus task at the end.
Y6 Maths – LO: rounding
Use two dice, a number spinner or a pack of playing cards (picture cards are zero) to generate two 7-digit numbers e.g. 6,527,901 and 6,420,100
Compare using the ‘greater than’ symbol (>) or ‘less than’ symbol (<) eg 6,527,901 > 6,420,100
Choose 10 more numbers to compare.
Your main learning today is rounding. Using the numbers that you have already created, round five of them of your choice to the nearest 10, 100, 1000, 10,000 and 100,000.
For example:
6,527,901
10 – 6,527,900
100 – 6,527,900
1,000 – 6,528,000
10,000 – 6,530,000
100,000 – 6,500,000
R2s
My number is 6,527,901. What are you rounding to? Nearest 10. Underline the 10s column. 6,527,901. Look next door to the right. 0-4 rounds to the floor. 5-9 climbs the line. It’s a 1 so I round down to 6,527,900.
Challenge
Whitney rounded 2,156,708 to the nearest 10,000. Her answer was 2,200,000. Explain her mistake.
Y5 Maths – LO: subtraction
Your maths task today is subtraction using column subtraction.
Using the column method for subtraction, solve the following calculations.
- 4,648 – 2,347 =
- 45,536 – 8,426 =
- 29,456 – 8,896 =
- 37,506 – 22,819 =
- There are 83, 065 fans at a football match. 45,927 fans are male. How many fans are female?
- Create word problems for Q1-4.
Challenge
Eva makes a 5-digit number. Jo makes a 4-digit number. The difference between their numbers is 3,465. What could their numbers be?
Y5 & Y6 Reading – LO: inference
Today, we’re finding out what happens with Freya after she returns to Asgard with her necklace.
Read the script (and optionally watch the accompanying video, too).
Our task today is to infer how characters would be thinking and feeling at different stages. In your home learning book, draw a table with the headings event, character, feelings and thoughts like this:
Your task is to write a feeling or emotion and then explain, using first person, what they’d have been thinking about. For example, using yesterday’s script:
event – Freya kissed the goblins
character – Freya
feelings – disgusted/revolted
thoughts – “Oh my goodness, deary me! Just look at those ugly things! Are they seriously asking a god from Asgard to do this? Yet, I must! I want – no… I need that necklace. Yuck! Here goes…”
Challenge
Write a script to show the conversation and what happened between Odur and Freya when he returned. You could use Loki as the narrator like we’ve seen in the past few days but that’s optional. Remember to set out your script like the ones we’ve read so far and include thoughts and feelings.
Y5 & Y6 Writing – LO: character description
Your writing task today is to write descriptively – a character description of your choice. This should only be no longer than one paragraph. By the end of the week, you will have created a story involving a character, a setting and a dilemma.
For your character description, you need to think about:
- character appearance
- What do they sound like?
- What features do they have that stand out?
Here is an example of a character description.
Ragnar Lothbrok was a leader of men, a lethal Viking legend in his own right and a father to many sons. He was a distinctive man to say the least, who could not be mistaken for any other; he was often the last, terrifying thing many warriors saw. Ragnar’s eyes were blue seas, clouded by a thunderous frown. An uncut, ragged ponytail hung from his head, with markings of snakes and war printed across his skull. Scars were littered across his skin, each a tiny victory amidst a gruesome patchwork that nodded towards his battle prowess. Silver shafted, a sword hung from a sheath buckled at his muscular side: Death Bringer. Echoes of this fighter’s fearsome roar could be heard across oceans, leaving enemies fleeing for their lives.
R2s
- relative clauses
- similes/metaphors
- powerful vocabulary
- range of punctuation
- different openers – adj/verb/noun
- alternative nouns/pronouns for your character eg he/Ragnar/this fighter
Tip: When choosing the right vocabulary, think about who your character is and when they are set. Don’t write about your character having a computer if he/she is set in the Viking Era!
Challenge
Draw your character and label the key parts. Challenge someone else to draw your character without seeing yours. If they’re similar, your description was successful!
Bonus Task
I’d like you to do something really important: reach out to a friend from school. Use whatever technology you can to speak to someone from school. Even better – someone you haven’t spoken to yet. You could ask them what they’ve been doing or how they’re feeling (or how much they’re missing school, ha!). We might feel a little lonely/frustrated/bored over the coming weeks but staying in touch will make people feel connected/happier/valued – promise! Give it a go!
Don’t forget, there’s plenty of other things you can be doing at home, too. This web post from Mr Roundtree has loads of great information and ideas for things to do at home.
24 March 2020: answers
Maths – LO: arithmetic
- 145 and 646
- 27 limousines are needed.
- 196 bundles with 4 left over.
- 4,263
- 691,247
- 16,539
- £1,140,697.25
- 650 divided by 12. She needs 54 boxes and there are 2 eggs left over.
- false, false, false
- 145,078
- 222,358
- 6 x 35 = 42 x 5
- difference = 4,950
Reading – LO: retrieval
- What did Odin want Freya to do? Command the weather and seasons.
- Why was it considered an important job? She had to get just the right amount of sun, snow, wind and rain.
- What was the name of Freya’s spouse? Odur
- What adjective was used to describe the cave/tunnel? dark
- True or false:
The sapphires in the cave were dazzling. false
The goblins’ skin was bumpy. true
The goblins gestured to the object on the floor. false - Find and copy a word which shows the goblins were stood together. huddled
- List two tools mentioned in the script. picks and shovels
- Match the adjective to the noun:
wet damp strange
noise air walls
damp – air
walls – wet
strange – noise - What garment is mentioned in the script? dress
- What event were Freya and her husband going to attend? a magnificent feast at Odin’s palace
- What was Freya’s intended destination when she left Asgard? Midgard
- List two ways from Loki’s speech that shows Freya did not want to kiss the goblins.
Freya was well shocked!
The thought of kissing those revolting faces!
Yuck!
she ran