Week Beginning 21st January 2008

Hi there, welcome to another busy week in Year 5/6.

Just a couple of dates for your diary to begin.

On Monday the Year 6 children will be going to the Peace Centre at St Gregory's to take part in the Young Citizen Programme. They will be attending lots of different workshops including road safety, bicycle safety, fire safety etc. This is a valuable experience for the children and also an enjoyable one. We still have a few permission slips outstanding. This is becoming a real problem now, please encourage your child to give you any letters that have come home from school straight away and get them to put them straight back in their bags ready for school the next day. Previously we have rang parents on the morning of the trip and asked for their permission. We will no longer do this, so if your child does not have a slip then they cannot go out of school.

The Year 6 children will also be going out on Friday Morning. They are going to St Gregory's to watch their performance of 'Grease'. Please ensure that your child has brought in the reply slip for this trip. Thank you.

Now for the Curriculum.

Literacy
This week in literacy we will be starting a new theme, Stories From Other Cultures.
In week one we will be presenting our own views on a text, sequencing points logically and defending views with evidence and also grouping and classifying words and phrases according to their meanings (e.g. idioms).Making notes on and using evidence from across a text to explain events or ideas. Comparing different types of narrative and information texts and identifying how they are structured.
Distinguishing between everyday use of words and their subject-specific use.
Exploring how writers use language for dramatic effects.
Comparing how a common theme is presented in poetry, prose and other media.
Reflecting independently and critically on their own writing and edit and improve it.Vary the pace and develop the viewpoint through the use of direct and reported speech, portrayal of action and selection of detail.
If you have any stories from other cultures at home please use this opportunity to share them with your child.
Try these websites:-

http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/literacyresources/index.php?category_id=25&s=!B121cf29d70ec8a3d54a33343010cc2 Chinese folk and fairy tales. http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/cinderella/other.html Stories similar to Cinderella http://www.candlelightstories.com/Stories.php Lots of stories to read together. http://www.dreamtime.net.au/creation/index.cfm Stories from Australia to watch and read.

Numeracy

This week Miss Wright's and Mrs Morgan's group will be using rounding to add near multiples of 10 to 2 and 3 digit numbers and mentally adding and subtracting pairs of decimal numbers.

By the end of the week they:-
Must be able to round numbers to multiples of 10 and use strategies to add them to 2 and 3 digit numbers.
Should be able to add pairs of decimals numbers.
Could to do both must and could rapidly and accurately.

Try these websites:-

http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/rounding/nearest10.swf rounding to the nearest 10.
http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/rounding/nearest100.swf rounding to the nearest 100.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/shockwave/games/roundoff.html rounding game.

Mrs Millington's group will be looking at multiplying by partitioning and multiplying using closely related facts. Times tables skills are really important for this topic so keep practicing. Just because you have received a gold award in your tables doesn't mean you should stop practicing - remember, use it or lose it!

Science

This week we will be continuing our topic of 'Keeping Healthy'. Last week we introduced the topic by discuss what the important factors are in keeping us healthy and also looked at the 5 food groups.

This week we will be learning to understand how a scientific idea can be tested and the evidence used to support the idea.

We will be looking at the story of 'Scurvy' and thinking about experiments that could be done with regards to this.
Please see previous blogs for websites.

Topic
This week in our topic sessions we will be developing a clear picture of the life of Adolph Hitler & the beliefs that shaped his life. Identifying & describing reasons for, & results of historical events. Finding out about people from an appropriate range of sources of information.

Please see previous blogspots for websites.

Can we also say a big thank you to all the parents and children that have brought in things to do with our topic, it is much appreciated.

ICT
The children have finished their work on spreadsheets with Mrs Jackson and have moved on to designing their dream bedroom using a programme we have. They are having great fun including their own hot tubs and things in their bedrooms.

Homework will go out as usual this week. The Year 6's revision books are on order and when they arrive the Year 6's will have revision for their homework. We will let you know more details nearer the time.

That's all for now. Have a good week.

Year 5/6 Team

Week Beginning 14th January 2007

Hi everyone and welcome to the second week of the spring term!

The children came back refreshed after their Christmas break and they were really excited to talk about all the fun stuff they did at Christmas.

The weather is really bad at the moment so can you please ensure your child has a warm coat with them at all times.

As Christmas plays are over we can now do our PE lessons in the hall again so the children will not need their outdoor PE kit as often. As we cannot always predict when the hall is needed they may need an outdoor PE kit at some point so it is better to have one in school at all times.

Can we also make a plea for the children to bring as small a bag as possible to school. We are having real problems with the Year 5/6 cloakrooms. It is very difficult to find things and coats and bags are ending up on the floor which is a safety hazard.

The children should only need to bring to school their pencil case, reading book, reading diary and their lunch. Their PE kit should already be in school and therefore they do not need a large bag.

Now for this weeks curriculum...........

Literacy
This week we will be continuing with our topic of recounts. Last week we looked at Edmund Hillary and George Mallory and stories about them and their Everest expeditions.
The children really enjoyed this and they came up with many theories about George Mallory and whether he reached the top of Everest years before Hillary.

This week we will be recognising 1st and 3rd person verbs. Planning our own recount. Writing a 3rd person recount.
The children will be interviewing someone of their choice and making notes in order to write a recount about something extraordinary they may have done. So watch out parents, grandparents, friends and family, IT COULD BE YOU!!!

By the end of this week the children:-
Must be able to sequence notes collected into chronological order.
Should be able to sequence notes into an order to interest the reader ready for a recount.
Could write a recount that is interesting and informative.

Try these websites for examples of interviews.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6730000/newsid_6731700/6731793.stm?bw=nb&mp=rm BBC News report from 1953.
http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=edmund%20Hillary%20interview&tab=av&recipe=all&scope=all&edition=i Hillary Johnson interview.

Maths

This week Miss Wright's and Mrs Morgan's groups will be looking at units of time.
The will use, read and write units of time including decade, millennium and leap year. They will know the numbers of days in each month. Convert one unit of time to another. Use the time on a 24 hour digital clock and use 24 hour notation. Be able to use a timetable.

You can help at home with this by getting your child to tell the time and also getting them to look at TV listings and asking them questions such as:-
If a programme starts at 12.15 and is 1 hour and 20 minutes long, how long is the programme?

By the end of the week the children:-
Must be able to use the 24 hour clock.
Should be able to convert one unit of time to another.
Could answer question on a timetable using the 24 hour clock.

Try these websites:-

http://nwlg.org/pages/resources/ma_num/swf/24-12Game.html set the time for the departures using the 24 hour clock.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/timetables/index.htm work out the different times for the timetable.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/maven/timefor/index.htm use time to solve the crime.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/maths/trainers/index.htm work out how long it will take you to buy some trainers and also how much they will cost.

Science
In Science this week we will starting our new topic of keeping healthy. This a subject that can be discussed at home also as I'm sure a lot of people are on a health kick after the Christmas Festivities!!

This week will be an introduction into the unit and we will also be looking at what we should know by the end of the unit.

By the end of this unit the children:-
Must have identified some foods needed for a healthy and varied diet and some harmful effects of drugs. Recognise that pulse rate is a measure of how fast the heart is beating and make measurements of pulse rate.
Should identify the components of a healthy and varied diet and describe how an idea of the effect of diet on health is tested. Recognise some harmful effect of drugs. Recognise that during exercise the heart beats faster in order to get more blood to the muscles. Make careful measurements of pulse rate and represent these on a suitable graph and explain what the graph shows.
Could explain some early evidence about the effect of diet on health. explain why it is important to test the effects of exercise on the pulse rate of several people.

Try these websites:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/9_10/keeping_healthy.shtml BBC Science Clips investigating the heart.
http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/Activity.aspx?siteId=3&sectionId=37&contentId=55 sort the food into the correct food groups.
http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/Activity.aspx?siteId=3&sectionId=37&contentId=56 design a healthy lunch box.
http://exhibits.pacsci.org/nutrition/nutrition_cafe.html games in the nutrition cafe.
http://www.sycd.co.uk/good-to-eat/index.htm for all you Mancehster United fans Fred the Red will help you choose what to eat.

Topic
We began this week to look at World War 2. The children have studied World War 2 before but as we are coming up to Holocaust Memorial day we will be looking at this side of the war.
We began last week by looking at which countries were involved in World War 2.
The children are really interested and enthusiastic about this subject.
This week we will be looking at the events that started World War 2.
We will be combining History and Design and Technology we will use paper construction, cutting & folding to create a zigzag book with information on how the war started.

Try these websites:-

http://usd230.k12.ks.us/espictt/timeline/timeline.htm
A useful timeline for use throughout the topic.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/war/timeline.htm
A timeline created for children outlining the main events.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Nazi_Timeline
Early Nazi developments timeline.


Here I Am
This week in Here I Am we will be continuing the topic of Celebrations. We will be continuing with the recognise and reflect section of the topic as show in last weeks blog.

That's all for now, have a good week.


Year 5/6 Team

Week Beginning 7th January 2008

Happy New Year everyone, we are looking forward to a hardworking and successful year.

This is a short term but we really do have a lot to fit in so let's not waste any time and have a look at what we will be doing this week.

Literacy
This week in literacy we are looking at recounts. Our recount work will be based around mountains and exploration.

In week one we will be comparing different types of information texts & identifying how they are structured.
Making notes on & using evidence from across a text to explain events or ideas.
Inferring writer’s perspectives from what is written & implied.
Presenting a spoken argument sequencing points logically, defending views with evidence.
Reflecting on how working in role helps to explore complex issues.
Using & recognising the impact of theatrical effects in drama.
Adapting sentences to different text types/ purpose/readers.
Identifying different question types and evaluating their impact on the audience.
Comparing the usefulness of techniques such as visualisation and empathy when exploring texts. Adapting non-narrative forms to write factual texts, e.g. interviews.


By the end of this week the children will have used their research skills and interview skills to collect information to write a recount.


They must be able to find information from different sources and use note taking skills to record their information for future reference.
Should be able to construct a set of questions to interview someone and obtain the information needed to write a factual text.
Could be able to adapt non-narrative forms to write factual texts.

Try these websites.

http://www.geocities.com/bhutiahoo/everest.html information on Everest.


http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/englishD6.htm information on what is included in a recount and examples of recount writing.


http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/literacyresources/index.php?category_id=78 a recount based on World War 2.



Numeracy


Let's aim this term to get everyone an award in their times tables. Only you can do this by working hard.


This week Miss Wright's and Mrs Morgan's group will be relating fractions to division.They will also be using decimal notation for tenths and hundredths.


By the end of the week they must be able to use division to find fractions, including tenths and hundreds of numbers and quantities.
Should be able to know what each digit represents in a number with up to 2 decimal places.
Could order a set of decimal numbers.


Try these websites

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/activities/decimals.shtml ordering decimals.

http://www.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/tens.cgi place value with decimal places game.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/shockwave/games/laddergame.html Help builder Ted with his ladder to rescue the dog. Be warned if you get it wrong he will fall off and watch out for the builders bum!!



This week Mrs Millington's group will be looking at co-ordinates. They will be learning to read and plot co-ordinates in all four quadrants and the will be able to recognise where a shape is after translation.



Science

The week in Science we will be completing our topic on the Earth and Beyond and we will get to teach our lessons to year 1/2, something we all really look forward to.

Topic

We will be starting the topic of World War 2 this week and this will involve lots of subjects including history, geography, music, dance, art, PHSE.

This week will be an introduction into the topic we will begin to understand the involvement of European countries during WWII. Identify & describe reasons for, & results of historical events, situations & changes. Find out about the events, people & changes from a variety of sources.Understand that Europe is made up of a number of countries that are unique in many ways. Identify how & why places change. Describe where places are. Identify & describe what places are like. Describe how places are different.
I f you want to get a head start try some of these websites

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/history/worldwar2audioclipslibrary.shtml
Hear the sounds of WWII; famous speeches, news reports of the time, actual accounts

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/europe/02/euro_borders/html/15.stm
Map of Modern Europe.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/european_union/newsid_2138000/2138993.stm

information about the EU. Easy to read & child-friendly.

http://europa.eu/europago/explore/welcome.jsp
Official site of the European Union for children. A good place to start researching.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participants_in_World_War_II
Background information for teachers and parents. Who was involved and why.

Here I Am

This week we will be starting the topic of celebrations. We will be working on the recognise section of the topic and the children will need to recognise that people need celebrations.

The children will reflect on how they would feel if nothing was ever celebrated.
The children will appreciate that people need to celebrate important moments in life.

This is a very fitting start to the topic as we have just left the Christmas season. Have a chat with your child about the celebrations throughout the year and why we need them.

That's all for this week folks, I'm sure we will all be shattered by the end of it, I know I am just thinking about it!!

Year 5/6 Team.

p.s could we also say a very big thank you to all of you and your parents for the beautiful cards and gifts we were given at Christmas we really do appreciate it. Thanks.

Week Beginning 17th December 2007

Well, we're nearly there, the end of a very long and hardworking term.

This week is our last week in school in 2007 but as usual shows no signs of us slowing down. We have another packed week in store!


Let's start with the diary this week:-

On Tuesday pm the Year 6 children will be going to St Gregory's to video tape the drama they have been working on for the last few weeks. They will leave school at 12pm and have their luch at St Gregory's, therefore they will need a packed lunch. Your child has a sticker in their diary explaining this, please ensure you sign the sticker to give your child permission to leave school.


On Wednesday am we will be walking up to Church to practise our Carol Service. We will spend the morning in church but will return to school by 12pm. Please ensure your child has brought in a permission slip so that we can take them out of school. On the original permission slip this was going to happen on Tuesday am but we have had to change as there is a funeral in Church on Tuesday morning. The original permission slip will still be used for your child's permission to leave school.

On Wednesday Key Stage 2 will be holding their annual Christmas parties. Your child should have brought home a letter informing you of what they need to bring for the party. The children are also allowed to wear their party clothes.

On Thursday the Year 6 children were supposed to fo to St Gregory's to watch their Carol Concert, unforunately they have had to cancel this so we will no longer be going.

Friday sees our annual Carol Service with a twist this year as we will be up at Church. Parents are welcome to attend but there will be limited space as the whole school will be there. If any parents want to help with walking the children up to Church on Wednesday or Friday then this would be a big help.

With such a busy week there is not a lot of time for the curriculum but in the time that we do have we will be using it to go through the tests that the children completed last week. We will also be having some science review by getting the children to finish the planning of their lessons for the Year 1/2 children.
We also need to fit in making Christmas Cards, so it is going to be a very busy week.

Finally we wish you a very Happy and Holy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.
See you in January.

Year 5/6 Team

Week Beginning 10th December 2007

Hi everyone,

First of all we would like to say thank you to everyone who came and supported us at the Young Voices Concert on Monday, the children really enjoyed themselves and their behaviour was excellent. It is a great experience for them to have and it's also a great charity to contribute to, they were very tired though and most of them were alseep on the way home!

Also thank you to everyone who came and supported the Christmas Fair on Saturday, the Christmas Fair hasn't happened at the time of writing the blog but I'm sure it will be an enjoyable day.

We really appreciate you sending reply slips back to school so quickly, there have been a lot around lately, we are very popular and are going to lots of places. Just incase you have not sent some back here is a quick reminder of what is needed.


Year 6
Reply slip for the Catherdral on Thursday 13th December.
Reply slip for the Carol Concert at St Gregory's on Thursday 20th December.
Reply slip for walking the children up to Church for our Carol Service practice on Tuesday 18th and for the actual Carol Service on Friday 21st December.

Year 5
Reply slip for walking the children up to Church for our Carol Service practice on Tuesday 18th and for the actual Carol Service on Friday 21st December.
Reply slip for any children that have been chosen for Basketball with Mr McGreal.


This weeks curriculum....

Literacy
This will be our last week of myths and legends and we will be moving onto phase 3.
Where we will make comparisons between oral and written narratives. The teacher will demonstrate effective note-taking techniques. Children will make notes on visual and oral performances before working in small groups to prepare and present an oral retelling of the legend of Robin Hood for an audio or digital video file.

By the end of this week the children

Should begin to make simple notes; use these notes to retell a legend orally (teacher observation, self-assessment).
Could make simple notes; use these notes to retell a legend orally (teacher observation, self-assessment).


Maths
This week in maths Miss Wright's and Mrs Morgan's group will be multiplying HTU x U using standard written methods and multiplying TU x TU using formal written methods.
This quite a difficult concept for the children to get their heads around so please work on it with them at home.
Try these websites to help
http://www.mape.org.uk/startower/sums/index.htm
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/3_num_multiply/eng/Introduction/default.htm
http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/long_multiplication/long%20multiplication.swf
http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/short_multiplication/3x1contents.swf



Mrs Millington's group will be continuing with revision in preparation for their test. They will be working on mental maths skills and completing mental maths assessments.

Keep going with your tables you are doing fantastically.


Science
This week the children will starting to create their resources for their lessons for year 1/2. So if you are looking for some ideas on the Earth and Beyond try these websites.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/revision/Science/night.html
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/moon/moon_challenge/moon_challenge.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/9_10/earth_sun_moon_fs.shtml
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/science/what_shape_the_moon/index.htm
http://www.prongo.com/space/index.html
http://www.echalk.co.uk/Science/Physics/solarSystem/SolarSystemGames.swf
http://www.scienceyear.com/planet10/solar_preload.html


Here I Am
This week in Here I Am we will be carrying on our topic of Visitors and looking at the Nativity Story.


Topic
Topic time this week will be spent learning the songs and readings for the Carol Service next week.


On Wednesday this week there is a production company coming into school to perform the patomine Jack and the Beanstalk.


On Thursday this week we will going to Liverpool Cathedral with the Year 6 children and reception for their annual Carol Service. The children are asked to bring a present with them to present at the Cathedral for children in the area who won't get any presents this year. They have been asked to leave the present unwrapped.
We will arrive back at School and approx 4pm.


That's all for this week.

Year 5/6 Team

Week Beginning 3rd December 2007

Hi everyone and welcome to December!!


On Monday this week we will be travelling to the MEN to take part in the largest schools concert in the world. You should have recieved a letter with the details of what will be happening on Monday but just incase it didn't find it's way home here are a few key details.

The children will need their lunch and tea for Monday. If they have a packed lunch, they will need a packed lunch and a packed tea. If they have a hot dinner then they will have this as usual and they will also need a packed tea to eat when we are at the MEN.

You should have been given your t-shirts to wear on Monday and you need to bring it with you in a bag with your name on.

We will be travelling to the MEN in our uniforms. This is because there will be over 8000 children there and if we are all wearing white Young Voices t-shirts then we may well come home with the wrong children!!

It says on the letter to bring a dark pair of trousers or a skirt but the children can leave on their school trousers or skirt of they want to. This is the easier option as it will save lots of clothes getting lost.

The children will be travelling back to school on the coach with the teachers. There are simply too many children around therefore it is easier if we keep them all together and return to school together, at least then we know we have all the children together in one place. We will return to school at approx 10.30pm.

Last time we went to the Young Voices Concert at the MEN lots of parent were stuck in a traffic jam in the car park and we were back at school a lot earlier than they were. If this is the case again, we will wait with the children until they have all been picked up.

The downside to this is that some of the children will have a really late night and for that reason they will not be expected into school until 10.30am on Tuesday morning.

We do realise that some parents will have to bring their children in at normal time due to work commitments therefore the teachers will be in school at normal time, although we cannot promise that we won't be asleep in a corner somewhere!!!!

The Young Voices Concert is a truly remarkable experience and we are lucky to be taking part in it. We will have a fantastic time and if you are coming to the concert you will be amazed!

Now for the rest of the week.....

We mentioned last week that the children will be doing assessments in school and this week will be mostly filled with revision and the completion of the tests. We would usually do this in the last week but in the run up to Christmas and with so much going on we feel that it will be better to do them before things start to get too hectic.

Literacy

We have completed our assessed piece of writing on Myths and Legends and this week we will be using our editing skills to improve that writing. We will also be using peer and self assessment when looking at the writing.
Peer assessment is when we get a friend to look at our work and give 3 stars and a wish. That means that they have to make 3 positive points and something that can be improved.
Self assessment is when we look at descritions of levels, decide what we think our writing is and then set ourselves targets to improve.
The year 5's have completed their reading tests but the year 6's still need to do theirs so this will take place sometime this week.

Numeracy

Numeracy this week will be focused around revision. We will be reviewing what we have covered from September. So have a look through your homework books and on previous blogspots to remind you what sort of things we have been learning.

We will also be reviewing our targets, remember them? You should know them off by heart now but here's a quick reminder:-
YEAR 5 Targets
MUST = I can add and subtract 2 digit numbers rapidly and accurately.
SHOULD = I can find doubles and halves of 2 digit numbers.
COULD = I can find doubles and halves of decimal numbers (to 2 decimal places.)
YEAR 6 Targets
MUST = I know all my multiplication facts to10 x 10
SHOULD = I know all my multiplication facts to 10 x 10 and the corresponding division facts.
COULD = I can multiply and divide decimal numbers.

We also have lots of children getting certificates for their tables. The children that have gained gold will now be completing a series of division questions to gain another certificate. Keep it up children we can see you are really trying hard with this.

Science

As we are nearing the end of our topic on 'The Earth and Beyond' we will be reviewing what we have learned so far and then we will begin the process of planning a lesson for the year 1/2 children.
This proved to be a very successful exercise last time we did it and all the children got something out of it.
The best way to ensure you have learned something really well is to teach it to someone else.
So get thinking children, I'm sure there are loads of exciting activities to come up with to do with Space.

Here I Am

We are still on our topic of visitors but this week a lot of Here I Am time will be spent looking at the Christmas Story and finding readings from the Bible to read at our Carol Service at Church on 21st December. We will also be practising carols for the serivce and are going to be very traditional this year. You could get the whole family round the piano for a sing-a-long in preparation!!

On Saturday this week it is time for our annual Christmas Fair, this is a time when the whole school community can get together and have some fun, it really is a fantastic day, so please come along and support our school.
The School Council still need any items you no longer have use for, for their bring and buy sale. Anything in a reasonable condition will be accepted.

As we are at the MEN on Monday no homework or spelling will be sent out on Monday. You could take this oppotunity to revise homework that has been done in previous weeks in order to prepare for the assessments. You could also use this time to come up with ideas and make resources for the science lesson for year 1/2.

That's all for this week, 3 weeks to go!!

Year 5/6 Team.

Week Beginning 27th November 2007

Hi everyone, nearly the 1st of December, doesn't time fly when you're having fun?


We had a really busy week last week and in the run upto Christmas things seem to be speeding up rather than slowing down!!

The children got very muddy when doing orienteering with Mr McGreal and as a result a lot of them will have brought home their outdoor PE kits to be washed. Please ensure that they are back in school this week, year 5's will need them on Monday for Rugby Training.

On Friday Father Richard came into school to speak to the children about signs and symbols. This was very interesting and the children asked some interesting questions resulting in some deep discussion. We would like to thank Father for taking time out of his busy timetable to come and speak to us.


Literacy


Last week we had a great time reading and responding to myths and legends and also telling ones of our own.

We completed phase 1 of our literacy unit, having a lot of fun and are now ready to move onto phase 2.

In phase 2 the children will continue familiarisation with the text-type. Discuss and investigate the effect of different techniques used by the author. Work in a group to explore and empathise with characters through drama activities. Children use a reading journal to record inferences and demonstrate understanding of characters by writing in the first person

By the end of this week they:-
must begin to identify different features of legends and identify and comment on narrative viewpoints; (teacher observation, response partners).
Should identify different features of legends and identify and comment on narrative viewpoints; (teacher observation, response partners).
Could identify different features of legends and identify and comment on narrative viewpoints; compose and manipulate more complex sentences within a given context as part of shared and guided writing (teacher observation, response partners).

See last weeks blog for the websites we will be using including the website where you can create your myths and legends, I'm sure we can do much better than the ones that are on there.

Numeracy

This week Miss Wright and Mrs Morgan's groups will be continuing with their work on Fractions. We did start this last week but feel that the children need more time to work on this as it is a difficult concept to get their heads around.
Especially changing mixed numbers into improper fractions and vice versa.

Mrs Millington's group will be continuing their revision on adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, focusing especially on long multiplication and division.
They will be going through all the different method of doing this and choosing the one that suits them the most.

As we are continuing with last weeks work then please look at last weeks blog for websites.

Science

This week in science we will be looking at 'The Changing Position of the Sun'.
The children should learn that the Sun appears to move across the sky over the course of a day and evidence may be interpreted in more than one way.
We will be asking the children about where the Sun shines into the school (or their homes) at different times of day. Reminding them of earlier work on shadows and ask them to suggest what this evidence shows. Observing the length and position of the shadow of a stick set up in the playground at different times of day over successive days.
By the end this week the children:-
must be able to describe how the apparent position of the Sun changes over the course of a day.
Should be able to clarify that this does not mean that the Sun is moving.
Could explain how we know that the Sun is not moving and how we can prove this.

Again please see last weeks blog for websites.

Here I Am
We continue our topic of Visitors this week, looking at the RELATE section. The children will
learn that their own exploration of VISITORS is enriched by learning about preparations made during the four weeks of Advent to welcome Jesus at Christmas.

As we are going to the MEN Arena a week on Monday a lot of our topic time this week will be spent singing the songs without the words, as we are not allowed to have the words when performing the concenrt.
We will also have to start learning some Christmas Carols for our Carol Concert in Church on the last day of term.

On Friday we will be lucky enough to watch the infants dress rehersal, we cannot wait as we have heard the songs floating around school and we are really excited to see it in action!

The School Council would like to make a plea for any old games, books and other stuff for their bring and buy stall at the Christmas Fair on Saturday 8th December.
This is the ideal time for the children to sort through all their old toys and things to make way for the new things they will get for Christmas.
Please ensure that if you do bring anything in it is a good working condition.
Please support the Christmas Fair by coming along and joining in. It really is a lovely day with a great sense of St Vincent's School Community coming together and having fun.

Assessments
Over the next week or so, your child may come home telling you they have done some ‘tests’. We need to see how much the children have progressed since September and also form judgements about how we can move our planning forward in the new year.

Finally, I know some parents and children are starting to think about SATs already. For those of you who want to make an early start on getting yourselves used to the format of the test the following website will be useful.

http://www.st-josephs-pickering.n-yorks.sch.uk/past_test_papers.htm you can downloads SATs papers from recent years in all 3 subjects, you can also download the mark schemes.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/revision/Science/index.html past SATs questions and also some great revision games.

http://www.sparkisland.com/public/articles/howto_sats_parents/ this site offers some handy hints for the tests and also some papers to download.

http://www.parentsintouch.co.uk/fulltimeschool/introductiontosats.htm?gclid=CNj_17bn9Y8CFSiWEgodPBMWNA help and advise for parents of children in year 6.

http://www.grumbles.me.uk/ test questions organised in areas.

Have a great week and remember to wrap up warm.

Year 5/6 Team.