Hi everyone.
Hope we are now really back into the swing of school. It will be half-term before we know it! Friday in fact!
We are still missing Mrs Morgan who will not be back in school yet! She is still busy recovering after her operation. It was lovely to read her comments (last weeks blog).
Last week was a fantastic busy week! A big THANK YOU for being so supportive with the new homework procedures.
Parent’s Evening:
Hopefully you have all been given an appointment time for Parent’s Evening. If not, check in the murky depths of your child’s bag where it as probably found a new home!!
Reminder dates for Parent’s Evening are THIS WEEK,
Tuesday 16th October & Wednesday 17th October.
Mrs Morgan will arrange appointments with any parents who want to see her, when she returns to school.
MEN Arena:
Just a quick reminder, that all outstanding money for the MEN Arena ‘Young Voices’ concert is needed in school ASAP. We do understand that this is a large amount of money (it is hard to believe that coaches and t-shirts cost so much, but they do), however we genuinely believe this to be a fantastic opportunity for your child that they will never forget. The total amount is £20.00
Literacy:
We continue into the 3rd week of our unit on significant children’s authors, in particular Roald Dahl. We will be drawing on our research skills this week, and finding out all we can about Mr Dahl himself, as well as other significant authors. The website we gave last week should have prepared the children well for Dahl research. Here it is again…
www.roalddahl.com
Our targets for the week are that the children…
Explore the idea of a 'significant author' by collecting information about an author.
Draw on children's own responses, survey popularity in the class or school and collect background information.
Children work collaboratively in groups to research an author of their choice and make a presentation to the class.
Should work as part of a group to research a significant author and make a presentation to the class (teacher observation, feedback from groups).
Could work as part of a group to research a significant author and make a presentation to the class; individuals take on a specific role in the group and play a role in planning what needs to be done and negotiating problems (teacher observation, feedback from groups).
Mrs Millington’s Maths Group will this week be focusing on Data Handling, in particular, Constructing and using grouped frequency tables and Drawing and interpreting bar graphs using grouped data.
By the end of the week your child should be able to….
Group discrete data in equal intervals
Construct a grouped frequency table.
Draw and interpret a bar graph based on grouped data.
Even though these skills are taught in Maths, they are also extremely important for Science, as children are tested just as much on interpreting scientific data, as learning scientific facts.
Listed here is a list of websites to support this topic, and to further general learning in Maths. Don’t forget the websites published on earlier blogs!
www.mathstories.com
Will help children to improve their mathematical problem solving and critical thinking skills. There are more than 4,000 word problems to enjoy. Rated as the top US website.
www.stfx.ca/special/mathsproblems
Is a superb site which contains a range of carefully selected problems to help improve children’s problem-solving skills.
www.fpsp.org
Is the website of the Future Problem Solving Program. It is designed to engage children in creative problem solving to stimulate both their critical and creative thinking skills.
www.japanese-online.com/math
Contains 225 logic-based story problems. The site’s aim is to provide quality mathematical content based on world standards.
www.rhlschool.com
Features original mathematical problem-solving worksheets which can be used as tools for reinforcement or review.
www.mathpuzzle.com
Contains a massive collection of puzzles as well as links to other relevant sites. This is an enormous website for serious mathematicians.
Science:
We are really placing a big emphasis on Science this year and are calling on all parents to help us on our mission as much as possible. We have found that our children are particularly good at their analysing skills (strange in that this goes against the trend in other schools). Our children however seem to struggle with remembering facts that they have learnt in their Science lessons. It is really important that children are asked to review their learning again and again so that the facts finally stick. You can help at home in lots of ways, for example if you are baking a cake together, talk about the irreversible changes taking place.
Look at the phases of the moon together and construct an observation chart over the 28 day cycle.
Chat about the different parts of the body and what they are used for.
When your child takes any prescribed medication, talk about what the medicine contains, and how it makes the body better.
Here is a list of some informative websites that you can use to support your child’s learning. We will be publishing more over the coming weeks.
General
http://www.digitalbrain.com/digitalbrain/web/subjects/1.%20primary/ks2sci/?verb=viewKey Stage 2 Science Activities
Plants and animals
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case4/c4m1.htmlShows the parts of a flower and pollination. Children are asked to label the diagrams.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/Great plant escape. All aspects of plant growth. Ideal for Science KS2 revision if used on whiteboard.
http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/explorer/Key stage 1/2 – a site for exploring different environments
http://www.cadburylearningzone.co.uk/env2/index.htmKey stage 2 – Exploring different environments in UK and around the world
http://www.hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk/habitats/index.htm Looking at animals in the local environments
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/revisewise/science/living/index.shtmlA range of activities on living things
http://www.sunshine.co.nz/nz/kia/coolstore/v2/17/Discovery/kzoo1.htmllower key stage 2 – Korky’s Virtual Zoo – looking at animals in different environments
Human body
http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/downloadcentre/downloadslist.php?categ=6Teeth & Nutrition: Games and puzzles to download.
http://www.bhf.org.uk/cbhf/A British Heart Foundation website for 11yrs and under with information and activities.
http://exhibits.pacsci.org/nutrition/default.htmlNutrition café – lots of information, quizzes and activities linked to healthy eating
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/kids/Explore the body’s muscles, skeleton and organs.
http://www.healthykids.org.uk/Key stages 1 and 2 –Health and growth – Teeth and eating – Keeping Healthy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/revisewise/science/living/05_act.shtmlKey stage 2 – Keeping healthy
Materials
http://ambleweb.digitalbrain.com/ambleweb/web/primaryportal/1.%20primary/ks1sci/su3/?verb=view Materials -Properties
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/Materials/page5.htmlSorting and using materials
http://www.hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk/Materials/index.htmlSorting and using materials
http://www.welltown.gov.uk/teachers/pupilintro.html
Keeping healthy and staying safe
Electricity
http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/3/physics/circuits/QCA Unit 6G:Interactive Circuit challenges aimed at Year 5/6
http://www.learn.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=Unit&WCU=11203Key stage 2 –4F – Circuits and conductors
The Earth and Beyond
http://www.icteachers.co.uk/children/cyberhunts/solar_system/sosystem.htmKey Stage 2 –5E – Earth, Sun and Moon – A cyberhunt for children.
At present our topic is Light and Shadows, but we still have a Practical Science session each week, and a review session. Both of these sessions are usually revising another Science topic, and at this point in your child’s learning this review is very useful because as you will no doubt be aware year 6’s will be sitting a SAT in Science, and year 5’s will also complete a Science test at the end of the year.
In Light and Shadows this week, our objectives are…
To understand that shiny surfaces can be used as mirrors but dull surfaces cannot.
To understand the use of reflective materials for safety.
Topic:
Our Lights, Camera, Action topic is even more exciting this week, and we cannot wait. We will be evaluating some movie trailer clips, and then trying to create some movie clips of our own. We will maybe even try to film them! Our objectives will be to….
Use internet & appropriate search terms to find & evaluate ‘movie trailers’.
Develop a storyboard to outline main ideas to create a ‘trailer’ for a new movie.
Develop understanding of the functions of a video camera & use to film a short video clip.
Write, rehearse & perform a script for a movie trailer to be filmed on video.
This is such an interesting topic that we couldn’t help but publish a few more websites so that you can support at home. We love the Movie Trailer links. All that is missing is the popcorn!!
Early Movie Clips
http://www.buyoutfootage.com/pages/subtops/pd_classiccuts.html
Very short, classic movie clips are available to watch.
http://www.eztakes.com/store/genres/Silent-Movies.jsp
Watch video clip from the silent movie ‘The Lost World’!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4172449.stm
Click on the link to watch a two and a half minute documentary about the finding of some turn of the century film footage discovered in a shop. Includes lots of the actual footage recovered. (Searching the BBC’s Audio and Video library for things like ‘early film footage’ or ‘silent film’ will also throw up a few items.)
http://course1.winona.edu/pjohnson/h140/early%20film.htm
Brief profiles of the early film makers, Thomas Edison, August and Louis Lumière, George Méliès, Edwin S. Porter and D.W. Griffith, includes short clips of some of their most famous movies.
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/il/baboon_1
Two early movies involving animals available for viewing here for free (second movie on page two). Using the ‘See, Hear and Sing button on the top right gives access to many other early clips and recordings, such as early cartoons and ‘disaster movies’ (real life disasters caught on film as well as fictional movies inspired by them).
Early Movie footage/ The Lumiere Brothers
http://www.holonet.khm.de/Visual_Alchemy/lumiere.html
http://www.holonet.khm.de/Visual_Alchemy/lumiere-x.html
http://www.earlycinema.com/pioneers/lumiere_bio.html
http://www.terrace.qld.edu.au/academic/lote/french/yr5lumi.htm
Movie Trailers
http://movies.yahoo.com/trailers/
http://video.google.com/movietrailers.html
http://www.english-trailers.com/index.php
http://www.apple.com/trailers/
Other ‘film’ websites of interest
http://uk.imdb.com/
http://www.bfi.org.uk
How to use a Camcorder
http://www.getvi.com/eng/e-camtechnic.
Nice introduction to using a camcorder; general tips & cartoon images.
Anyway, enough for this week! Have a great half term break and we will see you on Tuesday 30th October (Please remember that we have an inset day on the first Monday back.)
Until next time, the year 5/6 Team.
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