25th February 2013

How does this work?

 

Welcome back after the half term break. The teachers have been really busy planning some exciting new learning for the children for this, the second half of the Spring term...can you believe we are half way through the year already?!

Literacy

This week’s question - HOW DOES THIS WORK?

We will be starting a new topic this week of Instructions. Sounds uninspiring? Not at all! This is a great topic to get the children’s creative juices really flowing. We will start by playing some games, which the children will have to follow the instructions to. Then, make sure they remember to bring their dancing shoes, as they will have to follow the instructions to a new dance (mmm...might bring in my Brits CD for this one!)

We will also have lots of fun, by asking the children to make something – but they will told the instructions in the wrong order. When we have done this in the past, it has made us giggle, but the children learn how important it is to read and write instructions in the correct sequence.

By the end of the week, the children:

MUST be able to follow a simple set of oral instructions

SHOULD be able to give oral instructions in the correct sequence

COULD be able to write labels on equipment to instruct someone how to use it

This will definitely be a Green Hat week!

How can you help at home?

Could your child programme the DVD player to record your favourite programme before you? If that sounds familiar, then you are not alone! Children are fantastic at working things out, but they learn through experience...pressing the buttons to see which one works! See if they can explain to you how to program the recorder, by giving you step by step instructions. Then, say them back to your child in the WRONG order. See if they notice the mistake!

Another really good way to help children understand instructions, is to bake with them. You could make cakes from scratch, (which would also help to develop the children’s measuring skills), or you could buy one of the cake mix packets when you do your weekend shop. Green’s cake mixes have some really clear instructions on the back, that are presented with diagrams and simple sentences, plus the cartoon characters help to make it memorable!

http://www.popandco.com/archive/moab/ this is strangely fascinating! It shows how a Lego brick is made, giving step by step instructions from granules to the bricks we know and love (and end up under the sofa!) If you have Lego bricks at home, maybe you could get your child to write the instructions to build a scene from a Fairy Tale.

http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/Sheet.aspx?siteId=12&sectionId=47&contentId=122 these are some great recipe sheets for you to download, which are great for showing how useful instructions are

http://www.hitentertainment.com/artattack/artattacks.html ooh I can just see the glitter and pom-poms! The children will have seen the programme Art Attack and this site has the instruction sheets for all the activities that have been broadcast from this series.

http://www.makersgallery.com/joanirvine/howto.html very simple instructions on how to make a pop-up book. This is also a great idea if you feel like making some of your Christmas cards this year.

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=teaseq can you make Gran the perfect cup of tea?

Reading

As part of our continuous drive to raise standards, we have included a couple of links to sites which can be used both online and give you some ideas of reading materials which you could look for in the library, or add to your own collection at home.

The children are progressing really well with their reading and we are grateful for the support which you are giving up at home with this. In the last week of the half term, the percentages for each class regarding comments in their diaries were:

Mrs Worrall’s class – 80%
Mrs Malone’s class – 85%
Mrs Pinto-Edwards class – 85%

When we assess the children’s readiness to move onto the next colour book-band, we assess their ability to decode the words, or sound them out AND their understanding of the text. It would be a real help if you could refer to the targets which are in your child’s diary to help you make a comment regarding your child’s reading. We are also in the process of compiling some ‘prompt’ questions to help you support your child when they are reading at home.

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f some excellent interactive texts, which also have pre-reading activities to show the children how to decode some of the more difficult words.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/dynamo/parents/books/index.shtml a list of recommended reading materials for Year 1-2 and beyond.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/kids/bigtoe/ listen to favourite stories read online. These are particularly good at stretching the children’s comprehension skills, as the written texts are quite difficult.

Phonics

This week, we will be reviewing the letter patterns from the last half term and introducing four new ones, which they will be expected to be able to blend for reading and segment for spelling.
Some of the children will learn:

‘ay’ and talk about the difference between this and ‘ai’ and that ‘ay’ usually comes at the end of a word.

‘ou’ and compare to ‘ow’. Explain that ‘ou’ rarely comes at the end of a word.

‘ie’ and compare to ‘I’. I is a word on its own, ‘ie’ makes the sound in other words – usually at the end.

‘ea’ and compare to ‘ee’

Why not try some spelling investigation games at home, seeing if they can identify the sound they can hear in the word and whether it is at the end or the middle of the word. Then have a go at writing it out, seeing which sound ‘looks’ right! The children are familiar with these kinds of activities in school on the Interactive Whiteboard and it is VERY popular!

http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/games/phaseThreeAS1_v2.html the children will be using this in school this week to practice segmenting words to spell new ones. Click on the arrow on the rainbow to see all the sounds.

http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/games/poopDeck_v3.html quite a simple site, but a fun way of practising blending 3 and 4 letter words. Keep the ‘good’ coins and throw away the ones that are wrong.

http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/games/phonemeChecker.html this is a great site where all the sounds that the children have learned so far, are in one place. This would be a great place to start if you wanted to try some of the spelling investigations!

http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/games/airport_xray.html click on ‘new bag’ to get a new HFW. Then click on the speaker to hear the word being said. Select the tick for the correct word.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/phonics/sandcastle/flash/game.shtml choose the correct phoneme to complete the spelling of the word. A good site for Year 2’s particularly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/spelling/spelling.shtml drag the correct phoneme to complete the word.

Numeracy

We begin by looking at addition and subtraction facts to 10 and 20 and also by the end of the week, the children should be able to mentally add 3 one digit numbers.

The children will seem quite daunted when we tell them they are going to add these numbers mentally, but they will be let into a trick!

7 + 4 + 3 = ??

First, find the largest number...in this case, 7.

Does it have a partner to 10? Yes! So, 7 + 3 = 10

Then, add the 4 by counting on and the answer is 14.

You could try this at home, by choosing 3 playing cards from a deck. Then add the three number together, using the same method.

Also, we are trying to broaden the children’s mathematical vocabulary, so they will come home with a mathematical bookmark each week in their diaries, which explains different ways of saying ‘add’ ‘subtract’ etc.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/numbers/ch1.shtml look carefully at the sign!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/numbers/ch2.shtml subtraction questions

http://www.mathsyear2000.org/games/circus/climber.html the children have used this before, but this time we are trying to increase the speed of their answers!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime/games/test.shtml solve the problems to make the toad jump along the line

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/mathsC1.htm we have been asked if we are able to provide links to where parents can find some ‘sheets’ to print off at home for addition and subtraction. This site is used by teachers to support children’s learning in all areas, but the hyperlink may not work properly. If this is the case, then just cut and paste the above link into the address bar and it should work!

http://nwlg.org/pages/resources/ma_num/swf/y2d2a3.html a good site for developing children’s understanding of mathematical vocabulary

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/add/add.html I like this game although it will require some patience and a bit of explanation!

http://www.eduplace.com/kids/mw/swfs/rockhopper_grade2.html make the frog jump to the other side by the smallest number of jumps. This helps the children to develop both addition and subtraction facts.

Both of the following websites have links up to Year 6 level, so you will have to choose level 1, 2 or 3 in each of the links.

http://del.icio.us/mathslinks/Addition_Mental lots of links for supporting addition

http://del.icio.us/mathslinks/Subtraction_Mental lots of links for supporting subtraction

Lent activities

During Lent, as a school, we raise funds for the Nugent Care Society, to help those less fortunate than ourselves. The children in Key Stage 2 have been raising funds for the last couple of weeks, by setting up a variety of stall on their playground at morning breaktime. The children are so keen to take part in this, so maybe send in some loose change for them to buy a little something, or take part in the lucky dip etc. It is also a great way to give them a little independence with money and certainly helps, as they can all calculate their own change!

Websites to support Numeracy

Number Bonds

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/units120.html how many questions can you answer in 2 minutes?

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/numberskills.html click on any of the timed activities to help with number bonds knowledge.

http://www.wmnet.org.uk/resources/gordon/Hit%20the%20button%20v9.swf select the number bonds activity and then make 10 or 20. How many can you get right before the clock runs out?

http://nwlg.org/pages/resources/ma_num/swf/make10.html%20make%2010

http://www.ictgames.com/funkymum20.html make 20 - the dance will really make you giggle!

http://www.ictgames.com/brilliant_beadstring.html move the beadstring to make patterns to 10 and 20

http://www.ictgames.com/save_the_whale_v4.html match the pipes to make the number bonds to 10

http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/numberbond.html make up your own number bond games

http://www.interactivestuff.org/sums4fun/colquiz.html for each question you get right, it colours in a part of the picture!

Number knowledge – can they match the correct digit to the correct number of objects?

http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/850/calcbalancev3.swf click on the number names in the middle of the scale to match the number name to the digit. This will be a really useful site to bookmark, as we will be using it regularly throughout the year.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/ngfl-flash/numbers_eng/numbers_e.html this site is useful for practicing the formation of each of the numbers. The first slide is VERY fast, so click on the green arrow on the bottom right-hand side to practice the numbers individually.
http://www.numbernut.com/basic/activities/number_mem20_1-10words.shtml play a memory game and match the number names to the digits at the same time!http://www.sums.co.uk/playground/n2a/playground.htm click on the ‘continue’ button to start the activity. This activity looks at the number names up to 100, so give it a go if you fancy a challenge!

http://www.primaryonline.co.uk/sitetour/pol/blastoff1.html a lovely game in which you have to launch 5 spaceships! Remember that the number name won’t always match a spaceship, so you have to click on ‘next’ until you get a match. This game is most suitable for Year 1, as it covers numbers up to 20.

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=washindex For those children working or ordering numbers to 20

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/ngfl-flash/place_value/place_value.html a great way of explaining place value. Select Level 1 for Year 1 children and for a challenge, why not have a go at level 2? Even more of a challenge is Level 3, when it asks you to order 1000's!
http://www.ictgames.com/dinoplacevalue.html can you 'partition' the numbers into tens and units?

http://www.ictgames.com/postletter.html fancy a challenge? Listen to the number and post the letter in the correct letterbox.

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/bgfn/number.cfm Choose how many tens and how many units make up the target number. If you click on 'check' it will even mark it for you!

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=Toolkit index2a The children are used to using a 100 square in school, so this will be a big help at home, particularly when doing numeracy homework.

http://www.ictgames.com/football2.html kick the ball that shows 10 less than a given numberKnowledge of 2D and 3D shapes

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/maths/maerdy_2d/e_index.html guess the name of the 2D shape by listening to the properties

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/build_it/eng/Introduction/default.htm what can you build using these shapes and blocks? Encourge the children to describe the properties of the 3D shapes too!

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/mathsE3.htm you will need to be selective from these ideas, but there are lots of sheets, activities and powerpoints for you to use at home to support your child with both 2D and 3D shapes. Be aware, that some of them are for Key Stage 2, but give them a go if you fancy a challenge!
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=MatchingPairs3Dshape why not try a memory game with 3D shapes. Some of these shapes are quite difficult to name, but you could ask your child to describe the properties them - how many faces/edges do they each have? Remember to click on start a new game to begin the activity.

Measurement

http://www.edukate.net/special_files/ruler.swf use this site to practice measuring the ‘red bar’. If you can though, measuring objects around the house is a much more practical way of measuring in centimetres.

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/measures/index.htm click on Reading Length.

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=ntrack ordering numbers on a number track. Can your child recognise the numbers? Are they able to order them? Can they locate the missing number?http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/ruler/ruler_cm_easy.swf measure the length of the lines using the on screen ruler

http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/ruler/ruler_cm.swf move the ruler to the line to measure it in centimetres

http://www.counton.org/games/circus/ just as a bit of a continuation of the circus theme...choose the Pole Climber, Maths Pairs or Shapes and Numbers activities. With the Pole climber activity, start on level one and then see how high you can go – subtraction begins at Level 3!

http://www.numeracyworld.com/addition%20worksheets.html I have been really pleased with the number of children who have been printing off some of the activities from the websites on the blog, so this is should be a big help! It has lots of printable sheets for you to print off and practice at home for all areas of numeracy. Some are more difficult than others, but have a look through for the topic we are covering this week for some extra practice.

There are lots of practical activities that you can do at home to support all of these areas and we will try out some of those at the workshops on Thursday . It will be very useful I’m sure!

TOP TIP!

Does your child get mixed up with with left and right? (don’t worry – many do!) Ask them to hold out their hands flat in front of them (palms down). Then move their thumbs down, so that they make a corner or right angle to their first finger. The side that makes a capital letter L is the left!!

We looked at right angles, quarter turns, clockwise and anti-clockwise before the holidays.

A really fun way to introduce this is through dancing! No I haven’t gone mad! Think about all of the dances that you have done in the past, usually at weddings...the Macarena, Locomotion, Ketchup Song?? Can anyone actually remember the order of the hand-jive type dance that goes with it? Neither can I!

The children will be doing these dances (with staff!!) in class, but we will teach them how to turn in quarter turns – first clockwise and then anti-clockwise! Why not look at the way the minute and second hands on the clock move? See if they are able to make to connection between turning to right being clockwise and turning to the left being anti-clockwise.

By the end of the week, the children:

Must be able to identify left and right, up and down

Should be able to identify a right angle and locate them in the classroom

Could be able to turn an object clockwise and anti-clockwise through a quarter turn

These are a few suggestions of sites that can support our teaching objectives for this week, but the best way is by experiencing this practically.

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/jeux.lulu/html/anglais/flcoccin/coccinel.htm# get the ladybird to eat all the flowers but be careful she doesn’t fall down the holes!

http://www.lgfl.net/lgfl/leas/haringey/web/teachers%20section/KS2/ICT/Links%20%26%20Resources/documents/clowns.swf quite a complicated one at first, but ok when you have had a couple of goes! The children need to rotate the car 90 degrees ( a right angle) and make it moves forwards to pop the balloons. Type 90 into the turn box and the distance in metres into the ‘how far’ box.

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/jeux.lulu/html/anglais/flvoyage/fleches4.htm click the arrow to get Lulu back to his spaceship.

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/navigation/navigation.html use the arrow buttons on the keyboard to try and find the virus before it destroys the island!

Some advance notice...


You will have received a letter this week, informing you of our Easter celebrations. Just as a reminder...

EASTER BONNETS – the children will be having their annual Easter bonnet parade in the last week, so start getting creative now! Prizes will go the bonnets which display both creativity and evidence of the children’s own work.

EGG ROLLING – this too will take place in the last week, but please try to do this just one day in advance – 120 children – one hall – 120 hard-boiled eggs...mmm...need I say more!!

Book Fair Open - World Book Day – 7 March 2013

Our School Book Fair will be open from Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 March – 3.00 to 3.45 pm. Please come along and support your school. School will benefit from commission on every book purchased. The £1 World Book Day Vouchers may be used at the Fair.

PUNCTUALITY

Children should arrive on the playground at 8.40 am ready for a prompt start to the day. People who arrive late are not ready to learn and latecomers disrupt the learning of others. School starts at 8.45 am. Thank you for your support.

Mornings

The children have been in school for over a term and a half now, and they are becoming more independent. In order that you can support us with this, we would ask that you leave your child at the area door, for them to come in with the rest of their friends. There is limited space in the cloakrooms, and the children are able to start their day much more promptly if they are able to hang their coats and bags up independently. Thank you for your support with this.

Traffic and Parking

Once again, can I appeal to you NOT to drive your cars into Ditchfield Road and Finlay Avenue and onto the school premises. To ensure the health and safety of our children and the good will of our neighbours please use the parking facilities open to us on the Co-op Car Park. Please pass this message on to anyone you arrange to collect your children.

We have received a complaint from a local resident regarding dangerous and inconsiderate parking.

 

We look forward to a happy and hardworking half term.

 

Year 1/2 team