Well, we hope you all had a good rest over the half term break and are ready and raring to go on the run up to Christmas...(I won’t tell you how many shopping days are left as I heard on the radio over the holidays!!)
The last week of the half term was Assessment and Review week, where the children were assessed on how much they had learned since the start of the new school year. There are still a few remaining checks to be done for children who were absent, but these will be completed by Wednesday.
Diary
On Thursday of this week, we shall be having Mass at 9am in the hall for All Saints Day. You are most welcome to attend, although please do remember, as always, space will be at a premium!
Literacy
We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to develop the children’s poetry skills this week, with Halloween and the approach of Bonfire Night, but they will be looking at it through their senses.
Why not try some of these questions in preparation for the week ahead:
What are your senses?
What would happen if you couldn’t smell anything? (Try doing a taste test for this with lots of the children’s favourite foods, but get them to hold their nose whilst they swallow it...talk about what happens!)
What are the colours, smells and sounds associated with Halloween/Bonfire Night?
Ultimately, by the end of the week, the children should have written a poem, which goes something like this:
Green is .... the colour of spring.
Green is .... renewal.
Green is .... the colour of envy.
Green is .... a new crayon.
Green tastes like .... a crisp apple.
Green smells like .... fresh cut grass.
Green sounds like .... a croaking frog.
Green feels like .... soft, velvety moss.
Green looks like .... shiny emeralds.
Green is .... my favourite colour.
Have a go with other colours. If you do have a go at home, please do bring them in for us to see. You could even practice the children’s keyboard skills, by getting them to produce it on the computer!
The children will be encouraged to check for the following in their writing:
I used adjectives to add detail
I used alliteration (gooey green gloop!)
I used onomatopoeia (BANG! VROOM! FIZZ! CRACK!)
I used capitalisation for effect
My writing makes sense
I used capital letters at the beginning of each line
To gather inspiration (and some are just for fun!) have a look through some of these sites:
http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/literacy/lit_site/html/fiction/my_monster/index.htm try writing your very own monster poem
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/20050415/English/Keystage1/Rhymingwords/Canyourhymeit/Introduction/default.htm if the children want to make their poem rhyme, this activity has got some good ideas
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/starship/english/spacespins.shtml the children have used the spaceship before, but this helps with alliteration
http://www.whiteheadm.co.uk/html/poem_index.htm#menu lots of poems to read and enjoy. There are even some examples for colours!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/literacy/rhyme/index.shtml activities for rhyming practice
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poetryfun/poetryfun.html I love this site!
http://www.theoworlds.com/halloween/ carve your very own pumpkin!
Numeracy
How did the number bonds games go over the holidays? Please do let us know if you need any more copies of the game or the rhyme, as it really does form the basis of lots of number work as the children move through the school.
For example, if they know that 8 + 2 = 10, then they can apply this to know that:
80 + 20 = 100
800 + 200 = 1000
Can they see the pattern?
This week is one of my favourites, where we introduce money to the children. They will become financial experts and will definitely be able to calculate the value of their pocket money by the end of this topic!
Particularly in these days of ‘plastic money’, it is more important than ever, that children are given the opportunity to explore money through experience. Why not set up a shop in your kitchen for them to use? Give them a sheet of sticky labels and allocate prices for all the items in your cupboard, up to the value of £1. Then ‘buy’ 1, 2 or 3 items and ask them to calculate the total. For older children, ask them to find the total AND give you the change from the money you give them. Why not start saving all your own change in a money jar for your child?
The children:
MUST be able to recognise all coins and be able to put them in order
SHOULD be able to exchange coins for their equivalent in 10p and 1p coins.
COULD Find the total of 2 or 3 sets of coins and be able to pay an exact amount for totals up to £2
http://demo.iboard.co.uk/screens/thread_home.htm?thread_id=14# although this is an evaluation copy, you can still get the idea. Click on the coins icon and press start.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/money/index.shtml choose the right coins to play for items in the shop.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/maths/counting_with_money/index.htm counting to 10p. This is easy for the children, but good for confidence building in recognising coins
http://www.ictgames.com/moneypayer.html pay for the items on the trolley with the coins available
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=MMATCH match coins to the values and calculate the correct change
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/clickon/virtualshop/shop1.htm use this as a virtual shop. The instructions on the site will enable you to try a different method of introducing money.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/working_with_coins/eng/Introduction/default.htm
http://www.ictgames.com/moneypayer50p.html adding coins to 50p
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/dynamo/den/snap/index.htm play snap with money
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/lets_party/eng/Introduction/default.htm this is a real challenge and aimed more towards Year 3/4 but I think some children could rise to the challenge! Become party planners...I shall say no more!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/dynamo/den/shopping/index.htm drag the correct coins to the till to pay for the items on the conveyor belt. Will they pay for it in time?
http://www.origami-club.com/en/halloween/index.htm fancy using some of those newly developed scissor skills? Why not try making some of these origami pictures?
Here I Am
We continue our theme of Signs and Symbols, with the Relate section. The children will learn about the signs and symbols associated with Baptism. Father Richard will be working with the children after Mass on Thursday, to talk about the importance of all the symbolism in Baptism. Maybe this could be a great chance to look back on the Christening photographs, bring down the Christening robe and maybe have a meal with your child’s Godparents.
Science
We begin our new topic of ‘Using Electricity’ this week.
The children will learn about how many appliances use electricity and that electricity is carried by wires and cables. They will find out where electricity comes from and some of the dangers associated with mains electricity.
You could help at home, by talking about the difference between mains-powered appliances and battery-powered items, such as toys.
Why not have a go at these:
Find out which room in your house has the greatest number of mains-powered appliances?
Find out where electricity comes from?
Why do all the lights go off in the house when one bulb ‘pops’?
Design a poster warning children of the dangers of using water near electricity.
http://www.ictgames.com/electricity.html click on which items use electricity
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/using_electricity/eng/Introduction/default.htm can they identify which items use electricity in the home and which do not.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/electricity.shtml experiment with which materials will complete the circuit or not.
http://www.edfenergy.com/powerup/ although this is aimed at Key Stage 2, the information in Cedric’s house is very relevant.
http://www.angliacampus.com/tour/pri/science/elecsafe/index.htm electrical safety in the home
Homework
The children should be used to handing homework in on a Monday by now, but as we come back on a Tuesday this week, children will need to had it in then. We will endeavour to turn the homework around as quickly as possible, but it will be sent out on WEDNESDAY this week.
Finally, many we take this opportunity to thank all of you who attended the parent’s evenings in the last week of term. We hope that you found the information you received useful and that you were given ideas of how to work towards those targets. This blog goes a long way to helping us work together to achieve those targets and also, as many of you pointed out, ensures that we are both ‘teaching it the same way!’ Updated targets and ideas are also written into your child’s diary, so please check those too on a regular basis. It would also be helpful, if you could indicate when you have worked with your child at home, by signing the diary. Many thanks for your co-operation with this.
Here’s to a great week!
Year 1/2 team
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