Top vegetable choices
If your child chooses school dinners, they are served two portions of vegetables or vegetables and a portion of salad with each meal. As we are all aware of the importance of eating vegetables, all children have been consulted on their favourite vegetables based on the vegetables that currently feature on the school dinner menu. The most popular choices will now feature more regularly on the menu.
We would also like your views on school dinners. Look out for the school dinner survey due to be sent out next week.
06 November 2015 – practice makes perfect homework
As always, Year 5 have a practice makes perfect homework due on Wednesday 11 November.
To show I can improve on my writing target.
Each child has written their writing target into their book and need to show (in any way they choose) that they are aware of what this is and can practise improving on it. You might want to write a paragraph that demonstrates you are considering your target, or you could write individual sentences to help you practise. It’s up to you. Here are the different targets with an example to help.
- To be able to use expanded noun phrases – In front of him stood a long, dark corridor that was full of shadows.
- To be able to use relative clauses – Tim Peake boarded the rocket, which was ready for lift-off, and buckled himself in for a bumpy ride.
- To be able to add detail to openers – Beyond the Milky Way, where the stars shone brightly, a comet flew through space.
- To be able to use a range of openers – ‘ly, ‘ing, conjunction, preposition
06 November 2015 – creative homework
This week’s homework is creative and is due on Wednesday 11 November.
To show what I know about the Solar System.
We’ve had a fantastic start to our new topic, Mission to Space and this week’s learning has centred around the Solar System.
- How many planets are there?
- What are their names?
- In what order are they from the sun?
- Which is the biggest and which is the smallest?
- What orbits Earth? How long does it take?
- What does Earth orbit? How long does it take?
- How long does it take for the Earth to spin on its axis?
- What else would you find in our Solar System?
- Where is the ISS?
…Just a few questions we’ve been answering through a research-based topic where the children are taking lots of responsibility for their learning. Here are a few suggestions of ways the children could present their learning this week:
- Draw and label a diagram of the Solar System
- Write a story, travelling through the Solar System on a rocket
- Create a model of the Solar System
- Present information about the planets using mathematical facts and figures
As usual, you can use one page in your homework book. For this topic, Year 5 will also be using a website called Makewaves to share the work we’re doing in class with other people taking part in this national project. If you want to upload your homework to your Makewaves site, it will add to your portfolio and we can have a look at it in class.
06 November
We have been learning about shape this week. We have looked in detail at the following four basic shapes and so your child should be able to fill in the following table which can be found in their homework books. Please note that we’re learning that a circle has no sides but has a curved edge.
06 November 2015
Our homework this week is practice makes perfect. In English this week, we’ve been focussing on our own targets for writing and your child’s homework reflects that target. Your child has got one task to do, depending on their group.
To accurately spell high frequency words
This group have been looking at spelling rules and ways to practise their spellings. Their homework is to Look, Cover, Write, Check a group of high frequency words. Once they have practised these, they need to use them in sentences to describe fireworks.
To use ‘middlers’ effectively
‘Middlers’, which can be used to add extra information, are a type of subordinate clause. They’re placed in the middle of a sentence and are usually punctuated with commas either side. (Did you spot the middler in the first sentence?!) This group have to punctuate a group of sentences and then write their own sentences with middlers. When your child has completed this task, ask them if their sentence would make sense if the middler was removed – if it doesn’t, they’ll need to rewrite it.
To choose adjectives for impact
This group have been discussing how to use adjectives effectively. In their writing, they’re using an impressive range of adjectives but these adjectives do not always match the noun they are describing (I drank a colossal glass of water would usually not work as well as I drank a full glass of water).
To help with this, we’ve used target grids in class to rank adjectives for different purposes. On the grid, the best possible adjectives go in the middle and less effective adjectives are placed further away. Your child has a group of adjectives that describe fireworks and must rank them using this grid. They must then use the best adjectives to describe some fireworks.
To use a wider range of conjunctions
For this target, pupils have worked on expanding the types of conjunctions they use in their writing. A conjunction is used to join two words/sentences together to form one idea/sentence. We describe this as a ‘strong join’ in class. The homework for this group is about the choice of conjunction. They’ve been given similar sentences in groups of three that must be completed with either but, and or so. The challenge is to make sure that all three sentences make sense.
To punctuate sentences
This group are focussing on using capital letters and full stops to punctuate sentences. I have given the group pairs of sentences that have been ‘squashed together’ – children must decide where one sentence finishes and the next starts.
06 November 2015
The homework this week is creative and is due in on Wednesday 11 November.
I know what a safe risk is.
The SEAL theme this half-term is the 8 Rs for learning. One of the 8 Rs is being able to take a safe risk. In this homework, I’d like children to show me that they know what a safe risk is. Examples of safe risks children make are putting their hand up in a lesson to answer a question or crossing a road at a safe crossing point.
06 November 2015
Here are the spellings for this week:
8 Rs for learning – our new SEAL theme
This half-term, we’re thinking about the ‘8 Rs for learning’. This theme is about promoting good learning behaviour for your child. Each week, we’ll focus on different ‘Rs’. We use an animal to symbolise each ‘R’, which might help your child remember all eight – can your child remember which animal matches the correct ‘R’?
You can support your child at home – we’ve listed a few ideas to help you below. Ask us if you’ve any questions or comments.
Download top tips for promoting the 8Rs for good learning behaviour.
I can show I am ready to learn.
- Make sure your child is at school for a prompt start of 08:50.
- Make sure your child has had plenty of sleep so they are alert and ready to learn at all times.
- Encourage your child to ask lots of questions – that shows they want to learn!
I take responsibility for my own learning.
- Provide time and space at home so your child is able to organise themselves: their PE kit, reading book, homework, spellings and tables… Don’t organise everything for them!
- Make a link between rights and responsibilities: your child has the right to a great education, but needs to be responsible for their own learning.
I take a safe risk.
- Talk about the difference between a safe and unsafe risk. At school, we want your child to take a safe risk by having a go at answering, even if unsure; trying something new and attempting harder learning.
I am resilient.
- Encourage your child to keep going! Set a tricky challenge or puzzle for your child to do.
- Encourage your child to think of different ways of doing things.
- Don’t let your child win when they play a game – they need to experience losing, too!
- Celebrate mistakes as opportunities to learn – be happy that your child found some learning hard and encourage them to ‘bounce back’ and learn from the experience.
I respond to feedback.
- Ask your child if they remember their ‘stars’ and ‘steps’ in English and Maths.
I am resourceful.
- Encourage your child to be organised so they can play with a range of different toys.
- Encourage your child to try new ways to solve a tricky problem.
I remember.
- Make sure they have time to learn spellings, number bonds and times tables – a little practice daily is best.
Play memory games:
- Kim’s game: show them objects for 30 seconds… can they remember all the objects?
- Can they build up the sequence, ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple and a bike.’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple, a bike and a cucumber.’ etc … Take turns!
I reflect about my learning.
Talk with your child about what they’ve learnt, asking questions about:
- how they learnt
- why they learnt it
- when they’ll use their learning
- how they would teach this to someone else
- what learning might link with what they’ve learnt today
- etc
Some great PE
With a new half term, we’re changing focus in our PE lessons. Students from Leeds Beckett University joined us today and we really enjoyed their session. It tired us out and was great fun, too! We look forward to working with them each Wednesday this half term. 
Don’t forget to always have your PE kit in school on Mondays and Wednesdays.
What’s cooking?
Lots of cooking skills were practised this afternoon with Mrs Taylor. The wraps looked delicious and very healthy! I’m sure your child can now be a great help in the kitchen!
Also, tomorrow is our class assembly. It would be great for you to see how hard the class have worked!
