28thOctober 2013

Welcome back to another hardworking half term.

This week sees the first of our Parent and Teacher consultations. You should have received your appointment time before the holidays if one was requested. Please remember these times are 10 minutes each, so if you require longer, you may be asked to make an additional appointment to ensure that other parents are not kept waiting.

English

This week in English we will start a unit on Poetry. As this time of year has lots of interesting and exciting events what better than to write poems about them! We will begin this by writing about Autumn and all the changes which are happening to the trees and animals at the moment. We will be looking at the type of verbs (action words) which could be used to make our poems more interesting.

We will also be working on basic skills in reading and writing including developing comprehension skills and the correct use of capital letters and full stops.

Some websites to help:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/magickey/adventures/patch.shtml

http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/content/games/writingRepeater_v6_withloop.html

http://www.rhymezone.com/

http://www.saintambrosebarlow.wigan.sch.uk/Infant_activities/rhymingwords.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/starship/english/games/blast_the_rocket/small_no_sound/standard2.shtml

http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/media/services/thechildrensuniversityofmanchester/flash/adjective_detective_stamp.swf

http://pbskids.org/lions/games/wordplay.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/magickey/adventures/lug_game.shtml

http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/literacy/lit_site/lit_sites/alpha_drag/widepage.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/magickey/adventures/hms.shtml

Maths

This week in Maths we will be learning about measuring length. The Year 1 children will compare two or more lengths or heights by direct comparison and measure lengths using uniform non-standard units.

The Year 2 children will estimate, measure and compare lengths in centimetres and metres and use a 30 cm ruler.

Some websites to help:-

 

http://mathszone.webspace.virginmedia.com/mw/ruler/ruler_cm_easy.swf

 

http://www.funbrain.com/measure/

 

http://www.taw.org.uk/lic/itp/itps/ruler_1_2.swf

 

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/measures/index.htm

 

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/book7/bk7i19/bk7_19i1.htm

 

Topic –Famous People- Vincent Van Gogh

The children will be starting a new topic about the famous artist “Vincent Van Gogh.” This week the children will be talking about famous people that they have heard about and why they are famous. The children will be looking at the life of Vincent Van Gogh through a variety of power points and reasons why he became famous.

Below are a variety of websites that could help your child to discover more facts about the artist.

 

Vincent van Gogh web links

 

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/

Great free site on van Gogh: includes everything from letters, biography, timeline of his life, pictures you can examine in detail, criticism of his work and embedded links to other artists whom he influenced and was influenced by.

 

 

http://www3.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?lang=nl

The van Gogh museum site (change the language to English).  Offers decent biography broken down into discernible periods in his life, access to decent quality images of his work, including drawings, sketches, late and early paintings, and most importantly an incredible audio-visual animated overview of his life and work.

 

 

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/

Vincent van Gogh at the WebMuseum: this incredible resource has everything you could ever want to know about Vincent van Gogh, including many decent resolution images of his work.  It also contains embedded links to just about every significant artist throughout history, artistic movements, traditions and events.  This resource is a must for all art lovers!

 

 

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/V/vangogh.html

Vincent van Gogh at the Archive: another good and comprehensive site, with lots of quality images and bibliographical extras.

 

 

http://www.vggallery.com/

The Vincent van Gogh Gallery bills itself as ‘the most comprehensive’ van Gogh resource on the internet and it is not far wrong: here you will find fully 100% of all the artist’s paintings, drawings, water colours, sketches, graphic works, letter sketches and letters. 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh

Wikipedia offers its usual slice of excellence with this entry on the famous Dutch artist.  Embedded links, audio-visual resources, critical works; there’s not much else you could want.

 

 

http://www.abcgallery.com/V/vangogh/vangogh.html

Another great art site in general, with excellent entry for the Dutch Master (not Dennis Bergkamp!); lots of images.

 

 

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/van_gogh_vincent.html

Vincent van Gogh at the Artcylcopedia: basically a links portal for all things van Gogh.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/vincent-van-gogh/9079.html

 

Have a good first week back.

 

1/2 team

 

 

14th October 2013

Well can you believe that we have been in school for a whole half term already? The children have worked extremely hard and are looking forward to their week off. This week is known as ‘Assess and Review’ week, where we see how much the children are able to recall and understand about the work we have covered so far. Please do not think your child will have to complete lots of written tests and assessments! There will be lots of practical activities and observations to help us check for their understanding, particularly for numeracy.

This week’s blog is part of that review. It would be fantastic, if you could spend some time this week, working with your child on some of the links and activities that we have included. Just count how many times you hear the phrase, ‘Oh yes...I remember that!’ You will be amazed at just how much they have managed to get through!

Fiddler's Ferry Trip

These will take place on Wednesday this week for Year 2 and Friday for Year 1. Final details will be sent out this week, so please do look out for the letter in your child's bag.

My Maths homework

Unfortunately, there has been a problem with the My Maths website this weekend, and so some classes have been unable to allocate homework this week. We will of course allocate extra time for this week's work. In the meantime, remember you can still use the rest of the website - click on number 2 on the main page for appropriate activities.

Parent’s Evening

After the holidays, we hold the first of our parent’s evenings for the year. It is a chance for us to meet with you to discuss how your child has settled into their new year group and the progress they have made so far. You will receive a list of targets for reading, writing, and numeracy. Although this may seem a lot, please remember that these are the targets they will be working on until after Christmas, so there is plenty of time to get through them.

For parents of children who are new to Year 1, the parents meetings are slightly different those in Foundation Stage. They are held in the hall, with appointments being made at 10 minute intervals. As you can appreciate, this is a very short amount of time. It can be a good idea for you to write down any questions you may have to ask us, prior to the appointment, as the time can go very quickly. We are very good at sharing the information in the allocated time, but please be aware that we may need to make a further appointment with you, to avoid other parent’s running over their time slot.

Literacy

The children will complete a piece of writing this week, based on their own experience. The children will be asked to ‘check’ their own work, seeing if they have included the following:

Year One -

I used a capital letter for the word ‘I’

I used a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence

I used a full stop at the end of each sentence

My work makes sense

I wrote as if ‘telling the story’ of what happened

Year Two –

I used verbs in the past tense

I wrote a description of . . .

I wrote about a character in the third person

I began sentences with time phrases to move the story on: ‘Sometimes’, ‘Now and again’.

I used powerful verbs to show how characters were acting

I used the phrases . . .

I used exciting verbs

I used exclamation marks after exciting sentences

I tried to use . . .

I included a change of setting

The children will also be tested to see if they are ready to move onto the next book-band level. This includes seeing how well they can decode the words (match the letters to the sounds they make) and how well they have understood the story (comprehension). Although it may appear that texts are easy for your child, it may be that they need more practice in their comprehension of what is happening in the text. It is a combination of BOTH of these factors which determines their readiness to move on. Why not try asking your child to retell the events of the story either to you, or to a younger sibling. Also, get them to make up alternative endings for the story, by using sock puppets...a great use for those single socks that we all have in our cupboards!


http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/hfwords/index.shtml a great site, where you have to match the shape of the HFW
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/cvc/index.shtml choose any of these activities to help with CVC words (cat, hat, mat etc)http://www.ictgames.com/dinosaurwordsrepeat.html you need to turn the volume up for this one! Click on the dinosaur egg to hear the word and then click on the written word that matches it.http://www.ictgames.com/lcwc.html I love this one! You can either choose from the lists of prepared words, or you can type in the words that your child is working on. You need to click on start to begin ‘look, say, cover, write, check’.
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=stickyl drag and drop the letters on the green letter rack at the top of the page and then click on the ‘Send’ button to send it to the word bank
http://www.ictgames.com/wordreader.html listen to the word and then click on the matching flower
http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/games/airport_xray.html this may bring back memories of your holidays (doesn’t it seem a long time ago?!) Scan the suitcase to find the high frequency words

Numeracy

We have been really pleased with how well the children are working numeracy and know that many of the children are going to fly through the assessments this week!

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 number

Knowledge 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.

We are also keen to develop the children’s scissor skills this week, so any help at home, cutting out shapes etc. would be a big help!

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. Have a look through previous blogs to revisit some of the ideas that were suggested.



Spanish


For those of us who are learning alongside the children (and I DO include myself in this!) I have included a couple of links below which will help with pronunciation etc.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/ this is a site for adults who are new to the language. You can download lots of mp3’s for your iPod and then amaze your child by asking them some questions in Spanish (before they ask you!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryspanish/ a great site for the children to use. There are also lots of downloadable activities, again for practising those scissor skills!
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/spanish_songs_ks2 I loved these! There are some great Karaoke songs to download, along with some matching activities for the children.
http://gamequarium.com/spanish.htm a great site for help with pronunciation!
http://www.studystack.com/menu-21283 again this is another site for adults, but the matching game is a great one for testing yourself! It does take quite a while to load, so you need to be patient before hitting the back button!

Finally, a thank you from all the staff for encouraging your children to come into school independently this week. It really has reduced the congestion in the area and the children are getting into their classrooms a lot quicker, ready to start work. We would also encourage children NOT to play on the patio area before school in the mornings. The children cannot be easily supervised there and so the children should remain on the playground until staff collect them at 8.45am.

Have a happy and safe half term!

1/2 team.

7th October 2013

 

Information	arvest Homework Many thanks to all of you who supported your child with their homework this week. We were really pleased with the support that you have given with this. Could we remind you that it should be completed in HB pencil and any lines are drawn with a ruler. Numeracy work should be completed online, using the My Maths website. Login details are stuck into your child's diary. Unfortunately, the site uses FLASH technology and so is unavailable on iPads or iPhones. We would like parents to sign their child’s homework too every week, so we know you have seen the work your children is expected to complete. If you child experiences any difficulties with homework, please feel free to make a comment in their homework book or their diary. Fiddler's Ferry trip Please return all reply slips this week please. A reminder We have noticed quite a few children playing on the equipment outside Foundation Stage in a morning and again after school. Could we ask that you refrain from playing on the equipment during these times please. Many thanks. Congestion A big thank you to those parents who drop your children off on the playground in a morning. It really does help them to become more independent and ensures that they are ready to start work much more quickly. From this week, particularly all of our new foundation stage children are now in full time, we politely request that parents do not come into the area or cloakrooms during morning or afternoon sessions. Thank you for your understanding with this. In addition to this, mornings are an extremely busy time, and we politely request that if you have an urgent message to pass onto staff, please either write a message in your child's diary or telephone the school office. A member of staff will return your call on the same day. As I am sure you agree, the children's learning and safety is paramount. Thank you for your support with this important matter. AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS You will have read on this week's newsletter, that ALL children MUST now be collected from the main entrance door ONLY after any clubs. The person in charge of the club will bring your child to the main entrance, and hand them over to yourselves, or someone whom you have nominated in advance. This also applies to Football after school - parents are asked NOT to go onto the school field - instead, please arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before the end of the club, and you will be able to collect them from the main entrance. As this is in the interests of all the children's safety, we thank you for your understanding and co-operation.
Literacy	This week, we are continuing with our work on Information texts. The children will work in co-operative learning teams with the teacher giving each group an area to present (this will be dependent on the suggestions of the children in the input, but could include areas such as: What is a shark? Do sharks have babies? What do sharks eat? Are there different sorts of sharks? etc.). Each group should produce: a subheading (in large lettering) facts presented as full sentences, with appropriate detail and vocabulary at least two illustrations to exemplify their facts e.g. if the subheading is What food do they eat? an illustration could include examples of food eaten by a great white shark one illustration with a caption one illustration with labels.   We will also be looking at alphabetical order.   http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/magickey/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/literacy/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/digger/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/starship/english/index.shtml http://www.schooljotter.com/showpage.php?id=35517   Spelling games and online activities can be found by clicking on our ‘links’ menu on the left hand side of the screen, or by going to http://www.topicbox.net/English/word_spelling_activities/   A big thank you to everyone who has commented on their child’s reading in the diaries. It really does make such a difference to the progress your child can make during the year. We would ask that you make a comment at least twice per week in the diary and value your support with this.
Numeracy	Maths This week in Maths we will be learning about number bonds. Year 1 children will know addition facts for pairs that total up to 6 and relate addition facts to an understanding of addition, including + and = Year 2 children will rehearse addition and subtraction facts for pairs that total up to 10 and relate addition and subtraction facts to missing number sentences. Some websites to help:-   http://www.ictgames.com/beaver.html   http://baileytraining.co.uk/resources/ma_num/swf/make10.html   http://www.ictgames.com/brilliant_beadstring.html   http://www.interactivestuff.org/sums4fun/colquiz.html   http://www.interactivestuff.org/sums4fun/colquiz.html   http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/851/Hitthebuttonv7.swf   http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/850/calcbalancev3.swf
Science	In Science this week, the children will be putting their listening skills to the test and we will be checking if they can remember how to make a circuit. They will also all have the chance to see if they can make the boy’s nose light up in the area (if you have a look at the interactive display in the area, it all makes sense!) http://www.topicbox.net/science/physics_electricity/ some of these are based in KS2, but many of the children will be able to access them when working alongside an adult. Have a go at making an electrical circuit! What does your child know about electricity? Where does it come from? How many objects in the house use it as a power source? Why is it dangerous? This is our first science topic of the year, so why not see how much your child already knows?
Come and See	This week we are moving onto our Signs and Symbols theme. Have a look with your child at the many different signs and symbols they encounter on their journey to school.
TOPIC	What are buildings used for in our local area?? The children are following a school project about Warrington. The whole school are covering different aspects of the local area. The children will be learning a lot about Warrington and its special features including the history of the local area. This week the children will be learning about the uses of different local buildings. The children will look at a variety of local building and write about what they are used for. Eg the Co-op is used for retail.
Web-links	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.ictgames.com/postletter.html fancy a challenge? Listen to the number and post the letter in the correct letterbox. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/hfwords/index.shtml a great site, where you have to match the shape of the HFW to its spelling http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/cvc/index.shtml choose any of these activities to help with CVC words (cat, hat, mat etc) http://www.ictgames.com/dinosaurwordsrepeat.html you need to turn the volume up for this one! Click on the dinosaur egg to hear the word and then click on the written word that matches it. http://www.ictgames.com/lcwc.html I love this one! You can either choose from the lists of prepared words, or you can type in the words that your child is working on. You need to click on start to begin ‘look, say, cover, write, check’. http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=stickyl drag and drop the letters on the green letter rack at the top of the page and then click on the ‘Send’ button to send it to the word bank. http://www.ictgames.com/wordreader.html listen to the word and then click on the matching flower http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/games/airport_xray.html this may bring back memories of your holidays (doesn’t it seem a long time ago?!) Scan the suitcase to find the high frequency words