St Oswald's Catholic Primary SchoolOur blogs
Year 6 Blog Friday 3rd February 2023
Date: 3rd Feb 2023 @ 6:33pm
Welcome to the Year 6 blog.
This week, a team of Year 6s were chosen to be dance leaders to learn the new Dance From the Heart Roadshow dance. There were 10 songs in total to learn and now the team have the challenge of perfecting it before teaching the rest of the school.
On Friday, Year 5s and 6s cross country team headed out to Hutton Grammar to compete in a tough running race against other schools in the area. Over 200 children entered but with great determination, we ended up coming in 1st place. An excellent achievement from all the runners!
REMINDER
For our PE lessons this term, which will include cross country and orienteering (weather depending), please bring in extra trainers (preferably old ones) that you do not mind getting dirty and a plastic bag to keep them in. You may take them home each week, if you prefer to clean them.
Our learning in Year 6 this week:
- In Maths, we have learning how to use our place value knowledge to round decimals to whole numbers, tenths and hundredths. We then investigated negative numbers and used number lines to find the difference between a positive and a negative number.
- In English, our novel, The Good Thieves, has introduced us to Victor Sorrotore, an evil character who has stolen Vita’s Grandpa’s castle. We used the text to find specific quotes as evidence for each impression of him.
- In Geography, we continued our mapping work by exploring how scales work. We used a scale map of London to find specific distances with the scale 1cm:10km. We then used this knowledge to create a scale map of our own Year 6 classroom.
- In PSHE, we learn about cyberbullying and the difference between being a bystander and an upstander. We then came up with a few ideas of how we stand up to cyber bullies.
- In PE, we continued working on evaluating our attacks in invasion games. Moving into space, feinting and making decisions quicker seem to be the best tactics.
- In French this week, we started to learn the alphabet in French. The letters are the same but they have different names. We then continued to write our own version of a story using weather and clothes vocabulary, trying to remember to place the adjective in the correct place in the sentence and make it agree with its noun. Not easy but we'll get there!
- In Music, we learnt as new strumming pattern on the ukuleles, as well as practising the C, F. Am and G7 chords to play the lion sleeps tonight.
- In Science, we recapped all our learning about Light before moving on to start a new topic called Exercise, Health and the Circulatory System. If children have phones or fitbits, it would be great if they could download a free Heart Rate Monitor app to measure their pulse in science lessons over the next few weeks. (Please check that it will allow multiple uses - some want money after a few free goes. But you do not need to pay for one; they should be free). We will get more accurate pulse rates if we use these rather than trying to count. If children do not have a phone or fitbit, or you prefer not to send one in, it is not a problem. We can always share. Many thanks.
Home Practice all relates to this week’s learning. These are the tasks needed to be completed:
Reading
- Please keep reading every day to build up stamina. A great idea is to read 20-30 pages a day (you can read more) in one sitting, as this will build up your ability to read at length for long periods of time.
- Spellings
- Sumdog (-gue / -que Sp1 wk 6)
league, tongue, antique, grotesque, cheque, guess, guest, argue, queue, request, dialogue, technique, unique, sequence, consequence
- Maths challenges:
- Counting:
- This week we have been counting in single digit steps to prepare us for future division learning. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
- Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
- Start with these numbers: 1, 2 and 3 and count up 10 times then back again in 4s:
- Counting:
1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, etc
and in 7s :
1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 36, 43, etc
- Number facts:
- To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 6 + 8 = 14, 8 + 7 = 15.
- The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (8 + 6, 6 + 5, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
- Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.8 + 0.6, 0.06 + 0.05, 0.3 + 0.8, etc)
- Sumdog (Times tables Sp1 wk 6)
- These questions relate to division so focus on speed, if you can. This will help with our short division learning coming soon.
- Sumdog (Negative numbers Sp1 wk 6)
- This week, we have used number lines to add and subtract negative numbers but this challenge will help to practise adding negative numbers. Give it a good go and let me know how you get on.
Year 5 Blog Friday 3rd February
Date: 3rd Feb 2023 @ 3:50pm
Happy Friday and welcome to your Friday Blog.
We have had a great week in Year 5.
In maths we have been using different strategies to divide a four-digit number by a one-digit number. It is really important that we know our times tables.
In English we finished reading Street Child. We were so excited to find out that Jim Jarvis is based on a real child and that he was helped by the real Dr Barnardo.
For our writing we have been looking at similes and different ways to start sentences. We will use these next week to describe the circus that Jim Jarvis visited.
Mrs Cliff came to our class one afternoon to answer some questions we had about our current PSHE topic - How can we help in an accident or emergency? Mrs Cliff used to be a nurse so was able to answer lots of our questions and share her experiences. One of the most important things we found out is that we should always find help in an accident or emergency.
In Computing we learned about some different camera techniques to use when making a video. We worked in pairs to try out some of these different techniques.
In French this week, we started to learn the alphabet in French. The letters are the same but they have different names. We then practised choosing the right verb ending for the different subject pronouns using the verb manger, to eat. We are gaining confidence with this.
Home Practice
Reading
Read out loud every day for 20 minutes. Talk about what you have read.
Times Tables
You will be given your new tables target on Monday. make sure you practise every day. Your times tables really help with all of your maths.
Counting
Count out loud in:
6s from 0 to 72 and back again 0, 6, 12, ...
7s from 0 to 84 and back again 0, 7, 14, ...
9s from 0 to 108 and back again 0, 9, 18, ...
Spellings
Here are your spellings this week. They are some of the words you need to know by the end of Year 5.
curiosity desperate determined persuade soldier disastrous rhyme rhythm
nuisance lightning privilege environment government explanation
pronunciation
Sumdog
Spelling challenge
Times tables challenge
Division challenge
Year 4 Blog Friday 3rd February 2023
Date: 3rd Feb 2023 @ 3:37pm
Year 4 Blog
Friday 3rd February 2023
Welcome to the Year 4 blog. Here is a summary of our learning this week:
In English, we wrote a postcard from Barry (one of the evacuees) to his mum back in London. We needed to think carefully about each word we wrote as we only had limited space to explain what we had been up to! In addition, we experimented with different adverbs to describe how to walk.
In Maths, we continued learning about 3D shapes. We consolidated our learning about pyramids and also learnt some new vocabulary (congruent and apex). We also learnt how to identify and describe the properties of 3D shapes.
In RE, we finished our ‘Community’ topic by considering how the family and parish community come together and prepare to celebrate a person’s life at a funeral mass. We also explained the importance of symbols used at a funeral. Following this, some of Year 4 led an Act of Worship which reminded us of our learning from this topic.
In French this week, we started to learn the alphabet in French. The letters are the same but they have different names. We then continued our learning about adjectival agreement , looking at adjectives that end in -eux and the feminine form, -euse eg courageux - courageuse. It was lovely to hear some children saying that this was easy! I didn't think it was for Y4!
In Science, we continued our learning about states of matter by looking at the change from liquid to solid. We froze lots of different liquids and will make observations and comparisons once they have frozen. We then planned a comparative test about melting different kinds of chocolate. This was a good opportunity to plan a whole investigation using our super science skills.
In History, we learnt the names of the 5 main kingdoms in AD600 and how Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were organised.
In Art, we learnt what ‘illuminated letters’ are. We cut out some pictures of illuminated pictures and described what we especially liked about them. We also used our own initial and ‘illuminated’ it in our own style using coloured pencils.
In PSHE, we discussed what the right to privacy means and when it is appropriate to keep or tell a ‘secret’.
Home Practice
Reading
Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening. Focus on fluency and understanding. If you find any new words, make sure you find out what they mean – write them in your reading diary and try and use them in your own writing.
Counting
This week, please practise counting in fractions
For example, start at ½ and count up to 6 and back again
½ 1 1½ 2 etc 6 5½ 5 4½ etc
Times tables
You should know your individual tables target. These will be tested next Wednesday (8th February 2023).
Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk
Spellings
Next week’s spellings are all irregular plurals. Each time the word ending ‘f’ or ‘fe’ changes to ‘ves’ to spell the plural. You will be tested on these next Friday (10th February 2023).
calf calves half halves knife knives
leaf leaves shelf shelves thief thieves
yourself yourselves themselves
Sumdog challenges
You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:
- A spelling challenge based on the spellings above.
- A times tables challenge based on the 7 and 11 times tables
- A 3D shape challenge – matching 3D shapes to definitions / properties
Please make sure you log on and have a go! Little and often is the key to success!
Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can. Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.
Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds. Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.
Have a lovely weekend
The Year 4 Team
Year 2 Blog Friday 3rd February 2023
Date: 3rd Feb 2023 @ 2:49pm
A very busy week in year 2. In English, we continued to read Fantastic Mr Fox and wrote a diary entry about the foxes being trapped in the tunnel. Everyone’s handwriting is really improving and the children have been using super sentence openers and connectives. In Maths, we are working on place value by placing two-digit numbers on a number line, sorting/sequencing numbers and rounding numbers to the nearest 10. In RE, we thought about the Last Supper and how Jesus gave thanks to God. The children wrote the things Jesus said at the Last Supper in speech bubbles. They noticed that the Priest also says these words during Mass. In French this week, we recapped the vegetable words by singing a favourite song, Merci Dieu pour les fruits et legumes. The children are really good at this song. We might even perform it in assembly if we can perfect it next week. We also talked about the fact that French people eat pancakes on the 2nd February, the feast of Chandeleur. We practised counting pancake flips. In science, the children sorted food on a venn diagram and some children did a hand span investigation. During Geography, they started to make Lake District leaflets and looked at the importance of light when taking photos in Computing.
Forest School
One of our sessions was talking about trees and how we respect them. We either decorated trees in our nature area or carried on making nests from last week.
In our second session we built dens-our skills and ideas are developing so much.
We also had a hot chocolate with marshmallows!
Reading
In Year 2, children should read for at least 15 minutes every night and talk about the book. This will help with understanding the text and learning new words.
Please date, sign and leave a small comment when you have read with your child and make it clear that you have finished a book, then we know we can change it. For Example - 14.01.22 Max’s Box. Read to page 6, really enjoying the book or finished the book. MG.
Reading books are changed every Wednesday. You will receive 2-4 books depending on their length, they should last the week, if you read a little each night. However, if you need to change a book at any other time, we will change it as needed.
Reading resources:
Oxford Owl – This resource has an exciting range of carefully levelled books to help children learn to read and really enjoy it.
If parents and children decide to use this resource, we ask they access phase 5 books. Go to https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ and select ‘my class login’. Scroll down to the ‘eBook Library for Letters & Sounds’. You could also explore the rest of the site and read books from the Oxford Owl eBook library or listen to audio books.
Username: sto2
Password: 1234
Resources for questioning your child while they are reading - https://www.literacyshedblog.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/12572836/ks1_reading_vipers.pdf
In addition to this, reading a good bed time story to your child is so worthwhile and really helps towards a lifelong love of reading.
Spelling
Please practise these spellings for your quiz on Friday (10.02.23). A sheet will go home every Friday with the spelling list on. This is for home practise only and can be kept with you.
You will have a Sumdog challenge on these words to complete by Friday 10.02.23.
This week’s spellings:
Homophones. Including two words from the Year 1/2 spelling list.
see night
sea son
here sun
hear old
knight cold
Maths
Amazing effort learning your division facts for the x10 tables, you all did so well, this will really help you get better at Maths.
Next week for our quiz (10.02.23) we will be learning the x5 tables in order. You have a x5 tables poster to stick up at home and learn.
Count in 5’s forwards and backwards, see how quickly you can go, but it must still be accurate. Chant/sing the x5 tables. Ask an adult to quiz you on them. Write them down, what patterns do you notice?
You will have a x5 tables and a place value challenge on Sumdog to complete by Friday 10.02.23.
Here are some links to other maths games/apps the children can play to help them learn their number facts.
Topmarks.co.uk also have and English section for phonics/spellings games. If you explore the site you will find lots of different games that are relevant to Year 2.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
https://whiterosemaths.com/resources/1-minute-maths
(I believe this app is free to download.)
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/counting
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/multiplication-and-division
Sumdog
Log in at www.sumdog.com
Folders are available at the office to book a slot for Parent’s Evening - 22/23 Feb.
We will have a Y2 Assembly (Lent theme) on Thursday 2nd March at 2.40pm, all welcome to come along.
Please send in your trip slips. We will be going on a trip to Bring Yer Wellies on 14th March.
Have a lovely weekend.
Year 2 Team.
Year 3 Friday 3rd February 2023
Date: 3rd Feb 2023 @ 12:42pm
Welcome to your weekly blog
This week we have finished our novel, The Butterfly Lion, we really enjoyed this story, especially the ending which turned our to be a little spooky. We learned how to write compound and complex sentences and used them in our writing. We also read some book reviews and wrote our own. Here are some quotes from Year 3.
'The Butterfly Lion is an amazing story' - Casper
'It is a must read story for children!' - Ebba
'The pictures really bring the book to life; - Florence
'The Butterfly lion is a really good book' - Sam
'Michael Morpurgo is a great author' - Milana
'It is a perfect book if you like adventure and animals' - Alfie
'I recommend this book, 100/100!' - Darcey
In Maths we have been continuing our multiplication learning by multiplying 2digit numbers by one digit, using the partitioning and grid methods. We found finding the missing number problems difficult but showed great understanding on how to use our number facts to help us.
In Computing we are enjoying our digital media learing. This week we used our prior knowlege on positioning and layout to create some powerpoits using 3D models. Have a look at some of our creations here.
In PE we have been using balance, travelling, levels, turns and stillness to make up our own villan dances. Mrs Wood was very impressed with what the children have been working on. Next week they will finish their dances and perform them for the class.
Home Practice
young
touch
double
trouble
couple
country
cousin
courage
encourage
flourish
nourish
southern
In Maths we have set two challenges on Sumdog. Keep up with your number practice. We have seen huge progress over the year so far and everyone is growing in confidence in their number work.
Our class came 5th in the Lancashire competition and a special well done to Bella, Libby, Dominic nad Eliza who finished in the top 20 from over 300 pupils across lancashire.
Have a great weekend everyone
From the Year 3 Team
Reception Blog - Friday 3rd February 2023
Date: 2nd Feb 2023 @ 4:06pm
We have had another great week learning about Space!
In writing we have been sequencing the story of te Smeds and the Smoos. We have been using our sounds to write sentences about the pictures. We have watched videos of the International Space station and Astronauts taking off and livinginto space.
In Maths, we have continued to learn our numbers from 11-20, singing, counting, using numicon and finding the numbers.
In PSHE we have talked about saying kind things to our friends and how we can help everyone in our class.
In French this week, we recapped the vegetable words by listening and joining in with a new song, Je suis une pizza. We also talked about the fact that French people eat pancakes on the 2nd February, the feast of Chandeleur. We practised counting pancake flips.
In Music we went on a sounds walk listening to what we could hear outside. We then looked at pitch, and in pairs we made a high and low sound, using the words high and low. To finish we all sang the song, 'If you're happy and you know it.'
In Art, we finished our Under the Sea Pictures from the story the Snail and the Whale and we did Tots on Tyres for PE.
Next week we will be doing a story about Pirates!
Year 1 Blog - Friday 3rd February 2023
Date: 2nd Feb 2023 @ 10:09am
Welcome to your Friday blog!
English
This week our learning was through the story of The Enormous Turnip. We automatically realised that the story is very similar to The Big Carrot that we listen to during snack time! We talked about working as a team, we found synonyms for enormous, we spotted the rhyming words in the story and predicted what could happen next.
Phonics
We have been revising ai as in rain and learning a-e as in cake,ay as in play,ey as in grey
eigh as in weight.
Maths
We have been learning about adding and subtracting 10- numbers within 100. We have been representing these numbers using base 10 and 10 frames.
R.E.
We read a Bible passage from Luke about Jesus returning to the Temple as a twelve year old. We acted this scene out and then learnt about the special parish people that volunteer in Church.
Geography
We learnt about the difference between human features (made by humans) and physical features (made by God) in the UK. We talked about mountains, rivers, buildings, and wildlife. We then sorted examples into either human or physical.
Science
We had so much fun this week! We tested some materials to see whether they were opaque or transparent and whether they were waterproof or not. We practised using our fine motor skills to squeeze the pipettes, we loved doing this!
P.S.H.E.
We explored the risks that are involved with having medicine in the house or school. It was great to see how aware the children were of the dos and don'ts! We had a true or false quiz, discussed some rules regarding medicine and then made our own information posters about medicine safety.
Computing
We typed our story about Patch the teddy on a Word document. Patch was being taken on so many different adventures!
Art
We learnt about an artist called Giuseppe Arcimboldo who used fruit and vegetables to create portraits of people. We then used some of our own fruit and vegetables to print into our sketchbooks. Our favourite to print with was...
French
We recapped the vegetable words by listening and joining in with a favourite song, Je suis une pizza. We also talked about the fact that French people eat pancakes on the 2nd February, the feast of Chandeleur. We practised counting pancake flips.
Music
We practised singing The Wolfie Blues with Mrs Wood. We then performed the song to Mrs Corbett and Miss Fisher.
Forest School
One of our sessions was talking about trees and how we respect them. We either decorated trees in our nature area or carried on making nests from last week.
In our second session we built dens-our skills and ideas are developing so much.
We also had a hot chocolate with marshmallows!
Thank you to those who came to our Phonics evening on Thursday! The PowerPoint slides are below for anyone who couldn't make it.
Don't forget to book an appointment for Parents' Evening on Wednesday 22nd or Thursday 23rd February.
Home Practice
Phonics - ay and a_e words
Maths - Adding 10 to numbers under 100
Please continue to read for at least 10 minutes every night with your child, it really will make all the difference to your child's progress.
Year 2 Blog Friday 27th January 2023
Date: 27th Jan 2023 @ 4:52pm
Another super week of learning Year 2, a huge well done to everyone. In Maths, we have done some arithmetic and problem solving quizzes. The children did so well, we are very proud of them. They also had the opportunity to play maths games using base ten and numicon equipment. In English, we read to chapter nine of our novel – Fantastic Mr Fox. The children wrote sentences about the story using great openers and conjunctions. In French this week, we recapped the words for some vegetables. We talked about strategies for remembering new vocabulary. Some words sound like English eg carottes; others eg haricots verts, we already knew the word vert so that helped us remember. We played a game and listened to a new song to reinforce the vocabulary. We joined in with actions to show our understanding. We listened to the story of Le Navet Geant (The Enormous Turnip) in French - tres bien Y2! During Gymnastics, we looked at different ways to travel, jump and balance. The sequences where the children demonstrated a travel, balance, travel, balance were excellent. In Science, we thought about what humans would need to survive on Mars. Year 2 came up with some great ideas! In RE, we learnt about the different books we find in Church and what they are used for.
One of our sessions this week was making some feeders for the birds. We talked about why we need to make feeders again. This time we threaded Cheerios onto pipe cleaners. We then hung the feeders up in our school grounds. We also looked at a bird identification sheet to find out the names of the birds which might eat the food.
In our other session we listened to a story called "Robin's Winter Song". We also listened to the real call of a robin. We looked at photographs of a robin's nest to see the structure and what materials it might be made from. Robins make their nests anywhere but we went into our nature area and had a go a making our own. Great teamwork was shown!
Reading
In Year 2, children should read for at least 15 minutes every night and talk about the book. This will help with understanding the text and learning new words.
Please date, sign and leave a small comment when you have read with your child and make it clear that you have finished a book, then we know we can change it. For Example - 14.01.22 Max’s Box. Read to page 6, really enjoying the book or finished the book. MG.
Reading books are changed every Wednesday. You will receive 2-4 books depending on their length, they should last the week, if you read a little each night. However, if you need to change a book at any other time, we will change it as needed.
Reading resources:
Oxford Owl – This resource has an exciting range of carefully levelled books to help children learn to read and really enjoy it.
If parents and children decide to use this resource, we ask they access phase 5 books. Go to https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ and select ‘my class login’. Scroll down to the ‘eBook Library for Letters & Sounds’. You could also explore the rest of the site and read books from the Oxford Owl eBook library or listen to audio books.
Username: sto2
Password: 1234
Resources for questioning your child while they are reading - https://www.literacyshedblog.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/12572836/ks1_reading_vipers.pdf
In addition to this, reading a good bed time story to your child is so worthwhile and really helps towards a lifelong love of reading.
Spelling
Please practise these spellings for your quiz on Friday (03.02.23). A sheet will go home every Friday with the spelling list on. This is for home practise only and can be kept with you.
You will have a Sumdog challenge on these words to complete by Friday 03.2.23.
This week’s spellings:
‘n’ sound spelt ‘kn’ and ‘gn’ at the beginning of words.
Including two words from the Year 1/2 spelling list.
knot gnat
knit gnaw
knee gnome
know only
knight both
Maths
Great effort learning your division facts (x10). These can be tricky but once you have spotted the pattern they will become much easier to remember.
Next week for our quiz (03.02.23) we will be learning the division facts for the 10 x table again, but in a random order. The children have got a worksheet to help them which can be kept at home.
Count in 10’s forwards and backwards, see how quickly you can go, but it must still be accurate. Chant/sing the division facts x10 tables. Ask an adult to quiz you on them.
You will have a division fact/10x table and a measures challenge on Sumdog to complete by Friday 03.02.23.
Here are some links to other maths games/apps the children can play to help them learn their number facts.
Topmarks.co.uk also have and English section for phonics/spellings games. If you explore the site you will find lots of different games that are relevant to Year 2.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
https://whiterosemaths.com/resources/1-minute-maths
(I believe this app is free to download.)
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/counting
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/multiplication-and-division
Sumdog
Log in at www.sumdog.com
Have a lovely weekend.
Year 2 Team.
Year 6 Blog Friday 27th January 2023
Date: 27th Jan 2023 @ 4:40pm
Welcome to the Year 6 blog. This Friday we welcomed Year 3 to show us their war stories (about their novel, The butterfly Lion) they had planned and written. You can see the pictures on both the Year 3 and Year 6 gallery page.
REMINDER
For our PE lessons this half term, which will include cross country and orienteering (weather depending), please bring in extra trainers (preferably old ones) that you do not mind getting dirty and a plastic bag to keep them in. You may take them home each week, if you prefer to clean them.
Our learning in Year 6 this week:
- In Maths, we have been using our recent learning to answer arithmetic and reasoning questions in timed conditions. Your child will come home with these, to see how they have progressed in their learning so far.
- In English, our Wonderful World assembly we learnt about the story ‘The Proudest Blue’, where a young girl is proud of her sister wearing a hijab for the first time. We discussed how important it was for the sister to wear it with pride.
- In Geography, we used the Digimaps website, which uses Ordinance Survey maps, to add symbols to a map of our local area.
- In PSHE, we helped a fictional character, Sita, with online friendships, and gave her advice on how to keep the friendship safe.
- In PE, we completed our gymnastics routines, linking everything we had learnt with various travels, rolls, jumps and group balances. Then, groups videoed each other to give specific feedback, just like a coach.
- In Computing, we continued 3D modelling using Tinkercad. This week we learnt to draw 3D objects, and modified them with our own names to create a 3D name badge.
- In French this week, we practised our phonics in the context of Le Nouvel An chinois - Chinese New Year. Adding actions really helps us remember the different digraphs. We were able to add adverbs of frequency (normally, sometimes) into our sentences to extend them! We then began to write our own version of a story using weather and clothes words. I look forward to reading these!
- In Science, we rounded off our topic on light by researching some scientists from the past who have made great discoveries about light, and looking at current research. We realised that science understanding is changing all the time. We then explored refraction by making rainbows and optical illusions with jars of water. Next week we will sum up the light topic and move on to our next one all about Exercise, Health and the Circulatory System.
Home Practice all relates to this week’s learning. These are the tasks needed to be completed:
Reading
- Please keep reading every day to build up stamina. A great idea is to read 20-30 pages a day (you can read more) in one sitting, as this will build up your ability to read at length for long periods of time.
Spellings (challenge words)
- Sumdog (Spellings Sp1 wk 3 silent and unstressed letters 2)
Practice, practise, aloud, allowed, past, passed, prey, pray, course, coarse, rain, reign, knight, night, stationary, stationery,
Maths challenges:
- Maths challenges:
- Counting:
- This week we have been counting in single digit steps to prepare us for future division learning. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
- Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
- Start with these numbers: 1, 2 and 3 and count up 10 times then back again in 6s:
- Counting:
1, 7, 13, 19, 26, 31, 27, etc
and in 8s :
1, 9, 17, 25, 33, 41, 49, etc
- Number facts:
- To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 6 + 8 = 14, 8 + 7 = 15.
- The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (8 + 6, 6 + 5, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
- Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.8 + 0.6, 0.06 + 0.05, 0.3 + 0.8, etc)
- Sumdog (Sumdog Competition)
- This week is the Lancashire Maths contest. Try to get as many points as possible to put Year 6 higher up than All Hallows’!
- Sumdog (Angles challenge Sp1 wk 5)
- For this challenge, there will be questions to work out the correct degree, using a computerised, transparent protractor. It is much easier than it sounds but it will be great to identify the measurement of angles for future learning. Also, there are missing angles to find using your addition and subtraction knowledge.
Year 4 Blog Friday 27th January 2023
Date: 27th Jan 2023 @ 4:03pm
Year 4 Blog
Friday 27th January 2023
We have been entered in to the Lancashire Maths Sumdog Competition! It starts TODAY – Friday 27th January. Please log on and have a go – let’s see if we can get Year 4 on the leader board!
Welcome to the Year 4 blog. Here is a summary of our learning this week:
In English, we identified the features of a persuasive letter. Following this, we wrote our own letter to Grandpa, one of the characters in The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. We tried to use a formal tone, polite requests and well thought out reasons to persuade Grandpa to leave his home.
In Maths, we started our new topic - shape. We began by identifying, naming and describing 2D shapes. We used geoboards to investigate 2D shapes and then described carefully the properties of the shapes using mathematical vocabulary. You can see some pictures of our investigations here. Following this, we identified and named different prisms according to their properties.
In RE, we read a letter from St Paul to the Romans. We discussed what we consider to be our special ‘gifts’ and how we can live out these actions in our daily lives.
In French this week, we practised our phonics in the context of Le Nouvel An chinois - Chinese New Year. Adding actions really helps us remember the different digraphs. Then we recapped the days of the week. Our French spelling is also really improving!
In Science, we carried out an investigation into the viscosity (thickness) of liquids. We poured equal volumes of different liquids into separate cups. We then chose 2 liquids to ‘race’. Before we began the race, we made a prediction, then we carried out the race and recorded our results. We tried racing different liquids and then attempted to order the liquids from thickest to least thick. Have a look at our pictures.
In History, we looked at Anglo-Saxon artefacts and made observations about them. We considered what the object was, who it might have belonged to and what it could tell us about Anglo-Saxon life.
Inspired by our DT iron models, Eleanor has made another model at home and brought it in to show us. She made a turtle in school and at home made a baby turtle. You can see Eleanor holding her turtle here.
Home Practice
Reading
Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening. Focus on fluency and understanding. If you find any new words, make sure you find out what they mean – write them in your reading diary and try and use them in your own writing.
Counting
This week, please practise counting in 0.1’s and 100’s
For example, start at 9.5 and count up to 11.3 and back again
9.5 9.6 9.7 etc 11.3 11.2 11.1 etc
Now have a go at counting in 20’s
Start at 425 and count up to 1725 and back again
425 525 625 etc 1725 1625 1525 etc
Times tables
You should know your individual tables target. These will be tested next Wednesday (1st February 2023).
Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk
Spellings
Next week, we will be learning how to use an apostrophe correctly when it shows possession therefore there are no words to learn. We will be learning the rules for using apostrophes when the noun is plural. We will be practising this rule each day in class and you will be tested on it next Friday (3rd February 2023).
Sumdog challenges
You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:
- A times tables challenge based on the 6 and 12 times tables
- A maths challenge – identifying parallel (like train tracks) and perpendicular lines (meet at a right angle)
- A shape challenge – properties of 3D shapes
Please make sure you log on and have a go! Little and often is the key to success!
Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can. Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.
Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds. Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.
Have a relaxing weekend
The Year 4 Team
Reception Blog - Friday 27th January 2023
Date: 26th Jan 2023 @ 4:31pm
We have had a great week starting to learn about Space and the Smeds and the Smoos!
In writing we have been doing lost posters for Janet and Bill, focussing on how we descirbe them and their features.
In maths we have been doing lots of counting forwards and backwards, ordering numbers 11-20, one more and less, making them in numicon and looking at how many tens the number has in it to spot a pattern.
In French this week, we began to learn the words for some vegetables. We played a game and listened to a traditional song Savez-vous plantez les choux? to reinforce the new vocabulary. Everyone joined in well - excellent Reception!
In Art, we read the story of 'The Snail and the Whale' by Julia Donaldson. We looked at all of the different words to descirbe the sea and what was in the sea. We started the first part of our artwork, making our under the sea pictures using extra materials to add texture. Next week we will add the animals!
In RE we planned and had our own mini celebration in class to finish our topic. Our next topic is Gathering, we will be thinking of the different things we do together.
We have also looked at Space; what space is, planet earth, the sun and the moon. We found our that when you compared the sizes of the three, the sun is like a giant gym ball, the earth is the size of a marble and the moon is the size of a peppercorn.
And we had more Tots on Tyres and core strength building in PE.
Year 3 Friday 27th January 2023
Date: 26th Jan 2023 @ 4:28pm
Welcome to your Friday Blog
We have had a busy week of learning this week but everyone has shown a great attitude to meeting new challenges.
In our English we have learned a lot more about Bertie's story and how he was a war hero. We rewrote the account of his daring recue on the battlefield and used some fantastic vocabulary to bring the action to life. We visited Year 6 and read our writing to them. They were very impressed with our use of vocaulary and handwriting.
In Maths we have been learning about Venn and Carroll diagrams to sort numbers. Everyone's recall of their times tables has improved this term. Well done Year 3! Next week we are continuing to focus on multiplication.
In French this week, we practised our phonics in the context of Le Nouvel An chinois - Chinese New Year. Adding actions really helps us remember the different digraphs. Then we learnt the days of the week
In Science, we went for a walk around school looking for signs of weathering on rocks. We really enjoyed a visit to the graveyard, spotting old head stones and deciding which rock they might be made of. The children took photos and annotated them to say what they had observed on the iPads back in class. Well done Y3. Have a look at our findings here.
Home Practice
Continue to read for 20 minutes every night.
Maths
This week we have entered everyone into the Sumdog Lancashire competiton. These questions will be on skills your child needs to practise. There is also a multiplication challenge to complete.
Spellings
This week we have been looking at words within words. We played a few games of Wordiply to help us use our suffixes and prefixes to extend words.
Next week we will be looking at the un, in and im prefixes. Your spellings all begin with 'in'
inactive incorrect informal insufficient insecure invisible incomplete insane inexpensive
Have a lovely weekend
The Year 3 Team
Year 5 Friday 27th January 2023
Date: 26th Jan 2023 @ 3:58pm
Welcome to your Friday Blog
In our English learning we have written some great descriptive pieces on Victorian Britain using the novel as inspiration. Have a look in our writing gallery here.
In maths we have been working on our arithmetic skills and multiplication and division. We have been revisiting on how we can use partitioning to help us multiply numbers to decimal places. We also revisited our division strategies including using estimation to check our answers.
In History we have continued our work on chronology and focused on the chronology of the victorian era. We also researched what it was like to be a child living in Lancashire during this period.
In French this week, we practised our phonics in the context of Le Nouvel An chinois - Chinese New Year. Adding actions really helps us remember the different digraphs. We were able to add adverbs of frequency (normally, sometimes) into our sentences to extend them - Great progress, year 5! We recapped using the correct part of the verb 'manger' in sentences. It's lovely to hear the children being increasingly confident to speak spontaneously. Well done Y5.
In Science we have strarted our topic on The Earth, Sun and Moon. We discussed the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the Sun in the solar system. We also described the Sun/Earth/Moon and their relative sizes. Next week we will be exploring the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and how the Earth spins once around its own axis in 24 hours, giving day and night. Super Science!
Home Practice
Reading
Read out loud every day for 20 minutes.
Spelling
Please continue to practise the homophones from last week. You need to know how to spell each word and also the meaning of each word and how to use it in a sentence.
steal steel
knew new
know no
through threw
caught court
weight wait
guest guessed
queue cue
If you are already confident with the spellings and meanings, you can choose to practise some of the words from the list attached.
Times Tables
You each have your own times table target. Practise every night. As we move onto division of a four-digit number by a one-digit number, it is crucial that you know your tables.
Sumdog
Spelling challenge
Times Tbales Challenge
Maths Challenge
Have a super weekend
Year 1 Blog-Friday 27th January
Date: 25th Jan 2023 @ 6:06pm
Welcome to your last Friday blog of January!
English
This week our learning was through the story of The Elves and the Shoemaker. We compared different versions of the story. We used words such as first, next and finally in our writing. We are trying really hard to form our letters correctly and make our writing look beautiful on the page. We designed and drew our own shoes and described them-fabulous creations!
We also had lots of fun trying to catch the elves that kept appearing in our classroom. We set up the iPad and we heard their bells jingling.
Phonics
We have been revising oo as in zoo and learning ew as in screw.
Maths
We have been learning about fewer,greater and equal when comparing numbers.We have been looking at and making representations of numbers using Base 10 and ten frames. We are taking care to write our numbers correctly.
Play the missing number game on the 100 square.
P.E.
We didn't manage to get into the hall this week to do gymnastics so we did lots of Joe Wicks exercises together. Our heart rates increased a lot and we got very sweaty!
R.E.
We recapped the words spoken when making The Sign of the Cross (as we say it so many times during the day!) and then we learnt about The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. We learnt that Jesus is one of the most special people we have in our lives.
Geography
We learnt what a landmark is this week and how they tend to be in the capital cities. We explored the landmarks that we can find in London (London Eye, Buckingham Palace and The Tower of London) then looked at some landmarks in the North West - Blackpool Tower and even Preston Bus Station!
Science
We recapped the properties of materials from last week before sorting materials into different groups, just like we did with our toys in our History lessons. We sorted them into hard/soft, plastic/not plastic and even their size big/small. We also learnt that we can have materials that maybe come under both categories - my pencil is both hard (the wood) and soft (the rubber at the end).
P.S.H.E.
We learnt that to be healthy, we also need to have healthy teeth. We learnt why we need to brush our teeth and we wrote simple instructions for others to follow.
French
We began to learn the words for some vegetables. We played a game and listened to a traditional song to reinforce the new vocabulary. We joined in with actions to show our understanding. We listened to the story of Le Navet Geant (The Enormous Turnip) in French.
Art
We focused on monoprinting which means that an image can only be made once. We used different shape sponges to print into our sketchbooks.
Forest School
One of our sessions this week was making some feeders for the birds. We talked about why we need to make feeders again. This time we threaded Cheerios onto pipe cleaners. We then hung the feeders up in our school grounds. We also looked at a bird identification sheet to find out the names of the birds which might eat the food.
In our other session we listened to a story called "Robin's Winter Song". We also listened to the real call of a robin. We looked at photographs of a robin's nest to see the structure and what materials it might be made from. Robins make their nests anywhere but we went into our nature area and had a go a making our own. Great teamwork was shown!
Don't forget to book an appointment for Parents' Evening on Wednesday 22nd or Thursday 23rd February.
Home Practice
Phonics - Words ending in -y
Maths - Days of the week and months of the year
Please continue to read for at least 10 minutes every night with your child, it really will make all the difference to your child's progress.
Year 6 Blog Friday 20th January 2023
Date: 20th Jan 2023 @ 7:18pm
Welcome to the Year 6 blog. This week, some of our Year 6s (along with a team of Year 5s) took part in a swimming competition at Hutton this Friday after school. It was a tough competition but our team managed to come 2nd in our Penwortham/Longton area. A fantastic result!
REMINDER
For our PE lessons this half term, which will include cross country and orienteering (weather depending), please bring in extra trainers (preferably old ones) that you do not mind getting dirty and a plastic bag to keep them in. You may take them home each week, if you prefer to clean them.
Our learning in Year 6 this week:
- In Maths, we have learnt how to accurately measure, draw and estimate angles using a protractor. We have started to find missing angles but this learning will continue into next week.
- In English, we have begun our new novel, The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell, by predicting the plot and themes based on clues of the four main characters. We then met the novel’s main protagonist, Vita, which we described using our knowledge from the text.
- In Geography, we investigated the similarities and differences between three digital maps: Google Earth, Google maps and Ordinance Survey maps (through the digimaps website). Next week, we will look into more detail of how an Ordinance Survey map is useful, using our local area of Longton.
- In PSHE, we helped a fictional character, Sita, with online friendships, and gave her advice on how to keep the friendship safe.
- In PE, we were joined by Year 5 to work together for improving our stamina in cross country, learning different tactics in tag rugby and creating new sequences in gymnastics.
- In Computing, we continued 3D modelling using Tinkercad. This week we learnt to add 3D shapes to a project and modify them.
- In Science, we investigated the reflection of light with mirrors and tin foil. The children were then able to use their understanding of reflection to invent a periscope using junk materials. Some worked better than others, but everyone could say how they could improve their design next time.
Home Practice all relates to this week’s learning. These are the tasks needed to be completed:
- Reading – Continue to read every night for 30 minutes. You can now change your book on any day – in Year 6 we aim to change it every week.
- Spellings (challenge words)
- Sumdog (Spellings Sp1 wk 3 silent and unstressed letters 2)
guide, history, knee, know, lamb, often, parliament, recognise, rhyme, sign, separate, surprise, vegetable, weight, wrong.
- Maths challenges:
- Counting:
- This week we have been counting in mixed number steps. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
- Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
- Start with these numbers: 4/5, 4 1/5, 3 ½ , 8 ½ and count up 10 times then back again in 3 1/5 and 3 2/5:
- Counting:
4 1/5, 7 2/5, 10 3/5, 13 4/5, 17, 20 1/5, etc
and in 4 ½ :
8 ½, 13, 17 ½, 22, 26 1/2, etc
- Number facts:
- To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 7 + 8 = 15, 9 + 7 = 16.
- The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (7 + 8, 9 + 7, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
- Another great way is to use HIT THE BUTTON which you can access by clicking here
- Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.7 + 0.8, 0.09 + 0.07, 0.3 + 0.8, etc)
- Sumdog (Times tables Sp1 wk 3)
- Sumdog (NEW diagnostic test)
- For this week’s Sumdog challenge, I have asked Sumdog to retest everyone. Questions may vary from person to person. The result will benefit all children, when they use Sumdog outside of the challenges I provide. Please let me know if there are any issues with it.
Year 2 Blog Friday 20th January 2023
Date: 20th Jan 2023 @ 5:02pm
Year 2 have been working so hard this week, every minute of the day has been used for learning something new and the children are always very enthusiastic and positive about the tasks they are given. In English, the children explored the snow and wrote descriptive snow poems. They also learnt how to make paper snowflakes to decorate their work. In Maths we continued our Money topic where we added amounts (£/p) with two 2-digit numbers. For example, £22 + £36 and 59p + 45p. We started our topic on Capacity/Volume and looked at the units, millilitres and litres and when we would use them. For example, litres to measure how much water in the bath and millilitres to measure a mug of tea. In French, we played games and learnt a new song to reinforce the vocabulary of fruit. Mrs Quilliam heard children asking for their fruit snack in French - well done Y2! During RE, the children heard the Bible story of Jesus’ Baptism and sequenced/illustrated it beautifully. In PE we learnt to jump correctly and worked on star, tuck and twist jumps. In Art, we made Chinese New Year rabbit silhouettes. The Lake District is our new topic in Geography. We gathered facts about the Lake District on a mind map. Keep working hard and enjoying your learning Year 2, well done.
Forest School
One of our sessions this week was to make a spotter. These help us to really focus on what we are looking at. We looked at the buds on the trees and we used the picture on our spotter to identify the trees. We realised that we have a great number of different trees in our grounds.
Our other session was to investigate bubbles. We made a bubble mixture and tried to blow bubbles through a shape made from string. The first group realised this wasn't working and started using willow.... this worked brilliantly! We also tried blowing bubbles by making shapes with our hands.We showed great perseverance!
We also had some free play in the Nature Area. We noticed there is a lot of new growth and we found ice!
Reading
In Year 2, children should read for at least 15 minutes every night and talk about the book. This will help with understanding the text and learning new words.
Please date, sign and leave a small comment when you have read with your child and make it clear that you have finished a book, then we know we can change it. For Example - 14.01.22 Max’s Box. Read to page 6, really enjoying the book or finished the book. MG.
Reading books are changed every Wednesday. You will receive 2-4 books depending on their length, they should last the week, if you read a little each night. However, if you need to change a book at any other time, we will change it as needed.
Reading resources:
Oxford Owl – This resource has an exciting range of carefully levelled books to help children learn to read and really enjoy it.
If parents and children decide to use this resource, we ask they access phase 5 books. Go to https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ and select ‘my class login’. Scroll down to the ‘eBook Library for Letters & Sounds’. You could also explore the rest of the site and read books from the Oxford Owl eBook library or listen to audio books.
Username: sto2
Password: 1234
Resources for questioning your child while they are reading - https://www.literacyshedblog.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/12572836/ks1_reading_vipers.pdf
In addition to this, reading a good bed time story to your child is so worthwhile and really helps towards a lifelong love of reading.
Spelling
Please practise these spellings for your quiz on Friday (27.01.23). A sheet will go home every Friday with the spelling list on. This is for home practise only and can be kept with you.
You will have a Sumdog challenge on these words to complete by Friday 27.01.23.
This week’s spellings:
‘s’ sound spelt ‘c’ before ‘e’, ‘i’ and ‘y’. Including two words from the Year 1/2 spelling list.
ice celery
face circle
city Cinderella (remember the capital C!)
race once
pencil most
Maths
The children are really enjoying the focus on times tables and have done very well again this week.
Next week for our quiz (27.01.23) we will be learning the division facts for the 10 x table in order.
The children have brought home a fact poster with the division facts for the 10x table. Please pin them up on the wall or fridge and learn them.
They also have a little worksheet with multiplication and division facts for 10 to have a go at. This can be kept at home, no need to send them back in.
By the end of Year 2, children should know fully the x2, x5, x10 and x3 tables and the corresponding division facts. This will really help with their learning when they move up to the juniors.
At home, count in 10’s forwards and backwards, see how quickly you can go, but it must still be accurate. Chant/sing the division facts x10 tables. Ask an adult to quiz you on them.
You will have a division fact/10x table and a money challenge on Sumdog to complete by Friday 27.01.23.
Sumdog
Log in at www.sumdog.com
Just to let you know, our PE day has changed from Friday to Wednesday for the rest of this term.
Have a lovely weekend. Year 2 Team.
Date: 20th Jan 2023 @ 4:06pm
Welcome to your Friday Blog
We have had a super week of learning this week!
We have loved reading more of our novel Street Child. We wrote some super descriptive pieces with Mrs Wood and have been working hard on thinking about how our sentences sound when they are read.
In maths we have been reviewing our mental maths strategies and working on our number facts. Everyone is really working on their explanations and reasoning. Well done Year 5!
In Art we have been exploring the art of William Morris. We have been exploring his textiles looked at how we might replicate his work.
In French, we conjugated a regular -ER verb (manger - to eat) for the first time, then practised adding the correct endings for a range of subject pronouns. Well done, Y5. Great grammar!
Home Practice
Reading
Read out loud to somebody every day for 20 minutes. Look out for new words and find their meaning.
Times Tables
Continue to practice your tables target for your test next week. A little practice every day will do the trick!
Counting
Count out loud in 1,000s from 24,105 to 42,105.
What pattern do you notice?
Count out loud in 30s from 0 to 360 and back again.
0 30 60 ...
Count out loud in 40s from 0 to 480 and back again.
0 40 80 ...
Spellings
Check Sumdog for your spellings this week.
Your spellings this week are homophones. Homophones which sound the same but which have different meanings and spellings. Please make sure you practise the spellings every night and understand the meaning of each word.
steal steel knew new know no through threw caught court
weight wait guest guessed queue cue
Sumdog
Complete the Sumdog challenges:
Times tables
Maths Challenge
Spelling Challenge
Have a super weekend.
Year 4 Blog Friday 20th January 2023
Date: 20th Jan 2023 @ 3:46pm
Year 4 Blog
Friday 20th January 2023
Welcome to this week’s blog. Here is a summary of our learning this week:
In English, we continued reading our class novel, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. We used ideas and vocabulary from the story to write our own diary account. In addition, we learnt more about verbs and adverbs and how choosing words carefully can really enhance our writing.
In Maths, we learnt more about time. We read time on both an analogue and a digital clock to the nearest minute. We also learnt how to tell the time on a 24- hour clock, as well as converting between analogue, digital, and 12 and 24 hour clocks. As highlighted last week, time is a tricky concept and needs lots of practice. Why not ask someone at home to help you tell the time – you might find this resource helpful if you want to practise at home.
In RE, we learnt about the local parish and church. We discussed the name of the parish and activities in the church which spread the Good News. We also considered how the school and parish link up and why the local parish community is important.
In Science, we began a new topic about States of Matter by looking at the properties of solids, liquids and gases. We then classified a range of items using a Venn diagram, explaining why we knew, for example, that shampoo was a liquid. There was a lot of really good discussion using the new vocabulary.
In PE, we continued with our swimming lessons. We are becoming more confident in the water, and much faster at getting changed and remembering to organise our clothes in our lockers!
In History, we started our new topic about the Anglo-Saxons. To begin with, we learnt who the Anglo-Saxons were, where they came from and why they came to England.
To celebrate Chinese New Year which falls on Sunday 22nd January, we had a visitor who came in to tell us about life in China. Our visitor (James) taught us a few words in Cantonese and how to count to 10. He also answered lots of questions about his time living in China.
In PSHE we discussed our rights and responsibilities. Rights are the basic things that we are all entitled to – such as freedom, equality and the right to be treated fairly. However, for each right, there is a responsibility placed on us. For example, although we have the right to education, we also have a responsibility to work hard and do our best in school.
Home Practice
Reading
Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening. Focus on fluency and understanding. If you find any new words, make sure you find out what they mean – write them in your reading diary and try and use them in your own writing.
Counting
This week, please practise counting in 2’s and 20’s.
For example, start at 184 and count up to 210 and back again
184 186 188 etc 210 208 206 etc
Now have a go at counting in 20’s
Start at 240 and count up to 360 and back again
240 260 280 et 360 340 320 etc
Times tables
You should know your individual tables target. These will be tested next Wednesday (25th January 2023).
Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk
Spellings
This week’s spellings are all homophones.
scene seen mail male bawl
ball waist waste guest guessed
new knew to two too
These spellings will be tested next Friday (27th January 2023).
Sumdog challenges
You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:
- A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
- A times tables challenge based on the 2, 5 and 10 times tables
- A time challenge – estimating time and reading analogue and digital clocks
Please make sure you log on and have a go! Little and often is the key to success!
Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can. Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.
Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds. Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.
Have a relaxing weekend
The Year 4 Team
Year 3 Friday 20th January 2023
Date: 20th Jan 2023 @ 2:39pm
Welcome to your Friday Blog
This week we have enjoyed our new story The Butterfly Lion. We have been describing Bertie's home and retold the story where he saved the little lion from the hyenas. Everyone has been working hard to improve their writing this week and taking care with their presentation.
In our maths we have been learning a new strategy to add more efficiently. When adding 19, we can add 20 and take away 1, when we add 39, we can add 40 and take away 1. We have also been practising our x8 tables. Keep working on these as well as our x2, x5, x10, x3 and x4.
In Art, as part of our textiles learning we have been exploring African patterns and colour. Inhis topic we will be experimenting with different fabric paints and dyes. We will be designing and creating our own African cloth bag. Have a look at our gallery here.
Home Practice
Reception Blog - Friday 20th January 2023
Date: 20th Jan 2023 @ 11:29am
We have had another great week doing about the story of Zog. We have been labelling pictures of Zog using describing words and putting them into sentences!
In phonics we have played cross the river, we have done this reading or writing words with our new digraphs in. These are sh, ch and qu.
In maths we have been subitising - saying what the amount is without counting. We have also been sorting random amounts from 6-10 and counting to and from 20.
On Tuesday afternoon we had snow and ice on our school grounds, so we got our wellies on and went for a walk all the way to our pond, which we discovered was frozen!! On our way we talked about what we could see and hear. We saw frost on the trees, but we could also hear it melting, as it was dripping on the ground.
In Come and See we did the story of Jesus meeting Simeon and Anna at the temple, we made our own candles to show Jesus being the light of the world.
We have really enjoyed celebrating Chinese new year too! We looked at how it is celebrated and planned our own celebration. We had dragon dancing, food tasting and we even made our own flags and chinese lanterns. We even looked at the Atlas's and talked about what we could see on the maps, we saw rivers, mountains, the sea and much more!
In PE we have started our Tots on Tyres progamme and we have also done yoga.
A big well done to everyone on another super week!
Year 1 Blog - Friday 20th January
Date: 18th Jan 2023 @ 5:42pm
Welcome to your Friday blog!
English
We have continued to learn through the story of Hansel and Gretel. We wrote some sentences about how the characters might be thinking and feeling. We described the setting of the story in terms of our senses... I can see, I can hear... We listened to a different version of the story - 'Trust Me, Hansel and Gretel Are Sweet' and compared the two.
Phonics
We have been learning about all the ee sounds again.We also revised oo as in zoo and moon and learnt ew as in screw.
Maths
This week we have been learning about measuring time. We have learnt about seconds, minutes and hours, days of the week and months of the year.The vocabulary we have also been using is before and after.
We have continued to practise counting forwards and backwards in 2s, 5s and 10s from different starting numbers.
R.E.
We learnt about the special people that work and volunteer in Church. We identified them in pictures and built our own Churches our of lego!
P.E.
We learnt two new gymnastic movements (crab walk and bear walk) and learnt to star jump effectively. Our confidence is growing each week!
Girls - please try to wear long socks on Wednesdays so that they can be taken off for gymnastics.
Geography
We learnt about the four countries that make up the UK in more detail. We labelled each country on a map and added on their capital cities. This was quite tricky for us, especially the spelling!
Computing
We are becoming whizzes on the laptops! We remembered how to open up a Word document and we typed our own lost poster for the teddy. We've learnt how to use the space bar, enter key, backspace, caps lock and even the arrows to navigate around the document.
P.S.H.E.
We learnt about medicines and how they help our bodies. We talked about moderation, different types of medicine and who can give us medicine.
Science
We continued to learn about materials. This week, we described their properties - are the materials opaque? Transparent? Strong? Light?
Each night, Patch the class teddy will be sent home as a part of our Science lessons. This is to test seasonal change. If you are chosen to take the teddy, please write the time that the sun goes down (Patch needs to go to bed then!). Hopefully we will see a pattern and a change in the times.
Forest School
One of our sessions this week was to make a spotter. These help us to really focus on what we are looking at. We looked at the buds on the trees and we used the picture on our spotter to identify the trees. We realised that we have a great number of different trees in our grounds.
Our other session was to investigate bubbles. We made a bubble mixture and tried to blow bubbles through a shape made from string. The first group realised this wasn't working and started using willow.... this worked brilliantly! We also tried blowing bubbles by making shapes with our hands.We showed great perseverance!
Click here to see some photos.
We also had some free play in the Nature Area. We noticed there is a lot of new growth and we found ice!
French
We played games and sang songs to reinforce the vocabulary of fruit.
Music
We have been learning about another traditiional tale called Little Red Riding Hood.
Click here to listen to the story and sing the songs.
Home Practice
Phonics - oo words and ew words
Maths - Sequencing events
Please continue to read for at least 10 minutes every night with your child, it really will make all the difference to your child's progress.
Year 2 Blog Friday 13th January 2023
Date: 13th Jan 2023 @ 4:20pm
A fantastic week in Year 2. The children are putting 100% effort into all their learning. I’m very impressed with the work they are producing and all the extra learning they are doing at home! Keep up the great work everyone. In English, we are reading Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl, we looked at the interesting/ambitious vocabulary that he used and thought about using it in our own writing. The character descriptions of Boggis, Bunce, Bean and Mr Fox were excellent. In Maths, we have worked hard on time all week. The children learnt to tell the time to; o’clock, half past, quarter to and quarter past. Please reinforce this at home by asking your child to tell you the time. In RE the children made beautiful Bible bookmarks and during Science they started their new topic on ‘Animals including Humans’. In French this week, we recapped the words for some fruit from year 1 and added some new ones to extend our French vocabulary. We focussed on whether the nouns are masculine or feminine in French and played games to help us remember the words. We enjoyed doing the conga to a fruity song - J'aime les fruits! The children really enjoyed doing Braille Art, they wrote their names in braille and decorated it colourfully. We discussed the different jobs people do in PSHE and understood that people get paid for doing these jobs.
Click here to see some of our Outdoor Learning
Reading
In Year 2, children should read for at least 15 minutes every night and talk about the book. This will help with understanding the text and learning new words.
Please date, sign and leave a small comment when you have read with your child and make it clear that you have finished a book, then we know we can change it. For Example - 14.11.22 Max’s Box. Read to page 6, really enjoying the book or finished the book. MG.
Reading books are changed every Wednesday. You will receive 2-4 books depending on their length, they should last the week, if you read a little each night. However, if you need to change a book at any other time, we will change it as needed.
Reading resources:
Oxford Owl – This resource has an exciting range of carefully levelled books to help children learn to read and really enjoy it.
If parents and children decide to use this resource, we ask they access phase 5 books. Go to https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ and select ‘my class login’. Scroll down to the ‘eBook Library for Letters & Sounds’. You could also explore the rest of the site and read books from the Oxford Owl eBook library or listen to audio books.
Username: sto2
Password: 1234
Resources for questioning your child while they are reading - https://www.literacyshedblog.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/12572836/ks1_reading_vipers.pdf
In addition to this, reading a good bed time story to your child is so worthwhile and really helps towards a lifelong love of reading.
Spelling
Please practise these spellings for your quiz on Friday (20.01.23). A sheet will go home every Friday with the spelling list on. This is for home practise only and can be kept with you.
You will have a Sumdog challenge on these words to complete by Friday 20.01.23.
This week’s spellings:
‘j’ sound spelt ‘ge/dge’ at the end of words and ‘g’ elsewhere in words before ‘e’, ‘i’ and ‘y’. Including two words from the Year 2 spelling list.
jog edge
join giant
huge gerbil
age wild
badge climb
Maths
The children did really well with their first times table quiz (x10), well done everyone.
Next week we will continue to learn the x10 tables but this time the children need to learn them in a random order, rather than as they appear on the list. This is to learn for next week’s quiz on Friday 20.01.23.
The children have brought home a colouring worksheet with the 10x table. The sheets are to be kept at home, no need to send them back in.
By the end of Year 2, children should know fully the x2, x5, x10 and x3 tables and the corresponding division facts. This will really help with their learning when they move up to the juniors.
At home, count in 10’s forwards and backwards, see how quickly you can go, but it must still be accurate. Chant/sing your x10 tables. Ask an adult to quiz you on the x10 tables in a random order (quick fire questions).
You will have a 10x table and a time challenge on Sumdog to complete by Friday 20.01.23.
Sumdog
Log in at www.sumdog.com
Have a lovely weekend. Year 2 Team.
Year 6 Blog Friday 13th January 2023
Date: 13th Jan 2023 @ 3:31pm
Welcome to the Year 6 blog. This Friday, our football A team headed to Poolfoot Farm Sports & Leisure Complex in Thornton-Cleveleys for the Lancashire Football Finals. This is the first time we have ever achieved this, and thanks to the hard work from everyone, they achieved runners-up in the shield finals of the competition. A fantastic achievement!
REMINDER
For our PE lessons this half term, which will include cross country and orienteering (weather depending), please bring in extra trainers (preferably old ones) that you do not mind getting dirty and a plastic bag to keep them in. You may take them home each week, if you prefer to clean them.
Our learning in Year 6 this week:
- In Maths, we have learnt to find fractions of amounts using our multiplication facts, and converted between fractions, decimals and percentages.
- In English, we are nearing the completion of Private Peaceful. This week we have learnt to use new vocabulary to describe a deadly gas attack scene and used various sentence structures to write an action scene.
- In RE, we learnt that there are seventy-three books in the Bible, forty six in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. We used our school Bibles to look up references to decide what genre the writing was and a short summary of them.
- In Geography, we began our mapping work by relating our previous learning of mountains to discuss whether we would live near a volcano. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of living near one.
- In PSHE, we explored how people on social media can create identities which can affect the way other people perceive them.
- In PE, we divided the class into learning new tactics in an invasion game and prepped our gymnastics routine for our final lesson next week.
- In Computing, we began a new topic of 3D modelling, using Tinkercad, a web-based 3D modelling application. Each child has their own private log in to save work, which we will be adapting over the next 5 weeks.
- In French, we recapped weather and clothes words using the story Quel temps fait-il, Berthe? We answered questions about the text to show our understanding.
- In Science, we looked for patterns between an object, the position of the light source and the size of the shadow. We also used our knowledge of how light travels to explain why shadows are always the same shape as the object.
Home Practice all relates to this week’s learning. These are the tasks needed to be completed:
- Reading – Continue to read every night for 30 minutes. You can now change your book on any day – in Year 6 we aim to change it every week.
- Spellings (challenge words)
- Sumdog (Spellings -silent letters and unstressed letters)
answer, favourite, bruise, actually, build, guarantee, certain, guard, definite, library, difference, muscle, exercise, doubt, environment.
- Maths challenges:
- Counting:
- This week we have been counting in fraction steps. Try to do the same out loud or with paper.
- Draw a line with some marks on it like I do in class. You could write the numbers as you count up or down, then double check it to make sure you have said the correct numbers.
- Start with these numbers: 4/5, 4 1/5, 3 ½ , 8 ½ and count up 10 times then back again in one fifth and then two fifths:
- Counting:
4/5, 1 1/5, 1 3/5, 2, 2 1/5 , 2 3/5, etc
and in 2 ½ :
3 ½, 6, 8 ½, 11, 13 ½, 16, etc
- Number facts:
- To help your maths even more, please continue to learn your numbers facts, 6 + 8 = 14, 8 + 7 = 15.
- The best way to do this is to simply have someone in your home quiz you with questions like (8 + 6, 6 + 5, 3 + 8, 5 + 9, etc)
- Then get them to change the place value of these digits (0.8 + 0.6, 0.06 + 0.05, 0.3 + 0.8, etc)
- Sumdog (Times tables Sp1 wk 2)
- This week, to see how confident the children are with the lower times tables, I have set a challenge for x4, x5, x6 and x7. Try to focus on speed as well as accuracy again this week.
- Sumdog (Adding and subtracting fractions)
- For this challenge, you may need a pencil and paper to make quick jottings, especially if you have a question with same multiples, e.g. ½ + ¼ Remember that you need to convert the fractions to have the same denominator.
- Therefore, ½ = 4/8
- The question is then 4/8 + 1/4 = 5/8
- Do not try to complete each question or game quickly, focus on getting as many correct as possible.
Year 4 Blog Friday 13th January 2023
Date: 13th Jan 2023 @ 12:53pm
Year 4 Blog
Friday 13th January 2023
Welcome to this week’s blog. Here is a summary of our learning this week:
In English, we started our new novel, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo. We began by exploring the pictures on the cover, reading the blurb and looking inside the book. We found many similarities between this novel, Kensuke’s Kingdom, and other books we have read by Michael Morpurgo (for example, Toro Toro and the Butterfly Lion). We also collected words and phrases to describe Lily, the main character, and then wrote a character description.
In Maths, we learnt more about division. We consolidated the chunking method and also learnt how to record a remainder. In addition, we investigated dividing numbers by 10 and completed some word problems. We also started our time topic. Time is a tricky concept and needs lots of practice. Why not ask someone at home to help you tell the time – you might find this resource helpful if you want to practise at home.
In PE, we started swimming lessons. Our first week went very well - we are looking forward to building our stamina and becoming more confident in the water over the coming weeks.
In French, we revisited all our learning from September to remind us what we have learnt. We know all the singular parts of the verb etre and how to make an adjective feminine if necessary. We looked at how to pronounce words with an and en in them and practised listening and reading in French
In RE, we started our new topic ‘Community’. We discussed the different communities we belong to, as well as the advantages and demands of being part of a community. Following this, we considered how the apostles felt when Jesus chose them to help him in his work.
In PSHE we started our ‘respect’ topic. We considered how people’s behaviour affects us, and others, including online.
We also completed our DT project this week. This involved:
- sketching, labelling and annotating our design
- making the model, including the circuit and switch
- evaluating our final product
You can see some pictures of our finished models here.
Home Practice
Reading
Please read out loud to somebody for 20 minutes each evening. Focus on fluency and understanding, taking notice of punctuation. Remember to discuss the story with an adult.
Counting
This week, please practise counting in 7’s.
For example, start at 0 and count up to 84 and back again
0 7 14 21 etc 84 77 70 etc
Now have a go at counting in 8’s
Times tables
You should know your individual tables target. These will be tested next Wednesday (18th January 2023).
Remember you can also practise your tables playing Hit the Button and timestables.co.uk
Spellings
This week’s spellings all have the ending -ture.
mixture capture feature moisture adventure
nature picture vulture future torture
sculpture creature fracture furniture temperature
These spellings will be tested next Friday (20th January 2023).
Sumdog challenges
You have been set 3 challenges on Sumdog:
- A spelling challenge based on the spellings above
- A times tables challenge based on the 7 times tables
- A time challenge – telling the time on digital and analogue clocks
Please make sure you log on and have a go! Little and often is the key to success!
Please keep practising your times tables as much as you can. Knowing your tables off by heart is crucial and will help you in many different areas of maths.
Using Hit the Button can also help you practise your number bonds. Please have a go at brushing up your number bond skills, so that you can recall them quickly and accurately.
Have a super weekend
The Year 4 Team
Reception Blog - Friday 13th January 2023
Date: 13th Jan 2023 @ 12:48pm
We have had a great week starting our new topic of Julia Donaldson and the story of Zog. This week we have been retelling the story using story props, it was lots of fun! We have also been using our sounds to write short words on our own in Phonics.
In maths, we have been subitising when looking at different amounts. Then we have put these amounts in order, creating our own numberlines.
In Phonics we have done the sounds: x, y, z and zz and we have learnt new games to help us with our learning, called 'read, read, run' and 'phonic detectives.'
