Week ending 24.10.14

It was lovely to meet you all at our parents’ consultations this week. We’re sure you’ll agree that the children have made a brilliant start to the year in their LKS2 classes. We hope you enjoy a well-deserved rest over the coming half term week and look forward to seeing everyone back, refreshed, revitalised and ready for some more exciting learning! If anyone is going out ‘Trick or treating’ on Friday, please remember to stay with an adult and be careful while you’re enjoying yourself! There will be no formal homework over the half term but make sure you keep going with reading, tables practice and spellings. Perhaps you could do a diary of what you get up to during the week too! After half term, as the weather gets colder, please remember to put some jogging bottoms and a sweatshirt in your PE bags as we will still go outside for these lessons. You may also want to have a spare pair of trainers that you don’t mind getting muddy for games lessons on the field. These should be brought to school in a plastic carrier bag.

Literacy Maple Class: This week we have been doing some follow up work from our visit to Kew. We combined our literacy learning about description using the senses to write about the day. Here are some extracts from those pieces of work, can you spot which sense the authors were using?   “When I first went in the Palm House I felt the humidity striking me.”    Olivia   “I learnt that the fan shaped leaves are spread out so they can get more sunshine.”   Ben   “I couldn’t believe that Cacao pods were orange, I thought they would be brown!”   Iona   Lime Class: When did you last write a thank you letter ? In Lime Class we discussed why people write thank you letters and how receiving them makes you feel.  We wanted to write thank you letters to the people who lead our workshops at Kew.  We began planning and drafting our letters this week.   Poplar Class: We have also been writing thank you letters to the people at Kew Gardens. We told them how much we had enjoyed our visit, what had impressed us and asked questions about future plans for Kew gardens.   Useful Websites: http://www.kew.org/

Mathematics   In Mrs Prowle’s group, we have been learning about 2D shapes. We found out that shape names come from Ancient Greek and Latin and that polygons are straight-sided 2D shapes. Some of us found it a bit tricky to sort regular and irregular shapes but got there in the end with some practise.  We also spent some time learning about the different triangles and their properties. Can you identify these triangles from their descriptions: 1.     3 equal sides & angles 2.    2 equal sides & angles 3.    All sides and angles different Some of us challenged ourselves to label different properties of triangles as well.         In Mrs Williams and Mrs Gilder’s group, we have been continuing our work on 2D shapes.  We discussed when a shape is regular (equal length sides and angles) and when it is irregular, and also whether we were able to spot right angles. Ask your child the names of the different triangles (right angled, equilateral, scalene, and isosceles). http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2numeracy-shape-and-weight.html#quad Crickweb | KS2 Numeracy Shape & Weight   We also began exploring 3D shapes. We used terms FACES, EDGES and VERTICES (corners) to discuss the properties of the shapes. http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/longshape3d.html http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/3d/index.htm   What 2D and 3D shapes can you spot at home ? or outside ? We would love to display some of your photos of your half term findings !    In Mrs Roche’s group we have revisited subtraction this week. The children have worked really hard to try and improve on this difficult area.

Topic In Maple and Poplar we completed some follow up work from our visit to Kew Gardens last week and learned more about the ‘deadly and disgusting’ plants we’d found. We were horrified by some of the effects of these plants and surprised that some of them could actually be used as medicines in small doses.

Art LKS2 used photographs from Kew to create rainforest pictures. We stuck the photograph in the middle of a piece of paper and used clues from it, as well as our memories and imagination to extend the picture. We are really pleased with the results !

We all enjoyed Lime Class’s Sharing Assembly this morning and I’m sure you’ll all agree that the children have learnt a lot since September.  For those of you who couldn’t be with us, here is a video clip :

Kew Trip   Thank you to the parents who joined us on our trip to Kew Gardens. We had a fantastic time and hope you enjoy looking at the photos with the children. The hands on workshops really informed us about what the rainforests provide.           Here is what some of the children learned from or thought about the trip:   Poplar class: ‘At Kew I enjoyed going into the Palm House where I was wacked in the face by a banana plant! The amount of spikes on the cacti in the Princess of Wales Greenhouse astonished me. It was such a lovely experience going to Kew and I think everyone else who came would agree.’   ‘Kew Gardens is full of fascination to giant standards. I couldn’t bear to close my eyes.’   ‘The whole place was super but the one thing which really stood out for me was the work shop. It was such fun and we were able to test our taste buds.’   ‘The most fascinating bit about Kew was the banana plant. It hung down on quite a hard looking vine. There were amazing carnivorous plants like the Pitcher Plant and Venus Fly Traps.’   ‘I enjoyed searching in the green house for the poisonous plants because it was fun searching for them.  What I found most interesting was that monkeys prefer papaya more than bananas!’

Literacy Maple Class wrote up their talk homework on the subject of which animal they would like to be. The children wrote about a wide range of animals from lions to snakes and even a sloth! Here are some extracts of their work; can you guess what animal they are writing about? ‘It would be amazing to see all the types of coral and fish. I could glide through the silky water and dodge the powerful currents as they sweep past me.’                                                                                          Hannah   ‘My straw-like tongue injects itself into the flower and sucks the sweet nectar into my mouth.’                                                                         Ellie   ‘The smell of bamboo to us is as special as diamonds and as rare as rubies. My muzzle would twitch at the smell.’                                            Isabella   ‘I would dive all day surrounded by glimmering ice-bergs.’                 Joshy   Poplar Class also wrote up their talk homework and here are some extracts from their work: ‘We would travel far and wide in our area, jumping logs, hiking mountains, walking through rivers.’                                                                   Skye ‘Catching juicy rabbits would be a walk in the park as I am so silent, quick and deadly, nothing has time to notice me’.                                       Enya ‘I would see a myriad of fish.’                                                           Isaac ‘I would see slimy shipwrecks or the colourful coral or the snapping sharks.’                                                                                           Jessica ‘I would be able to fly over snow-capped mountains and scorching barren desserts.’                                                                                        Dylan ‘I would move by swaying my black tail (called a fluke) back and forth as fast as you can imagine.’                                                                    Mia   Lime Class have written some recounts on our visit to Kew Gardens.  We have also been busy designing invitations for our Cookie Kingdom café.  Please look out for these invitations and remember to RSVP!   Homework: The children will be practising their use of clauses and phrases. They should do their homework in their green books with the usual high standards of presentation.

Mathematics   In Mrs Prowle’s group, we have been practising our multiplication skills and working on our targets again this week. Do you know your 2,3,4,5, and 10 times tables really thoroughly? Are you getting more confident with your 6 and 8 times tables? Can you recall the related division facts just as quickly?   In Mrs Williams and Mrs Gilder’s group we began working on 2D shapes. We look for them around the school and compared them using their properties. Have a look around your house or garden for some shapes. Can you name them? How many sides do they have? Are they regular? Useful Websites: http://www.innovationslearning.co.uk/subjects/maths/information/shape_facts/shape_facts.htm     http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/3d/index.htm   In Mrs Roche’s group we have been looking at halving and doubling numbers. We have asked the children to set out their work very neatly and show every step of the operation. When you double a number, will it be odd or even? Or does it depend what the number was first? When you halve an odd number will you have a whole number as your answer or will there be a fraction?   Homework: Mrs Prowle’s group: Due to my absence today, the children should complete another page in their Schofield & Sims book.   Mrs Williams and Mrs Gilder’s homework   Mrs Roche’s group: halving and doubling to be completed on the sheet. Complete as much as possible.

TOPIC Following our trip to Kew we have been doing some writing based on our trip.

RE We have continued to look at the life of Muhammed.

MUSIC This week we have been learning about Ostinato alongside the work on Pitch, Duration and Dynamics that we have already been practising.  Maple class used xylophones to play the ostinato in the Canoe Song that we learned earlier in the term. We also really enjoyed learning a great new ‘call and response’ song called ‘Kye Kye Kule’

 

Week ending 10.10.14

Literacy In Lime class we managed to finish watching the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We had a drawing masterclass (virtually live) with Quentin Blake and learnt a lot about Roald Dahl and how he found the ideas and inspiration for many of his characters and stories. Chef Justin Gellatly shared his Just Desserts recipe for The Purple Violet Blueberry Cream Doughnut of Joy... http://www.roalddahl.com/blog/2014/august/just-desserts-with-justin-gellatly …maybe you could try making this at home! In Maple class we have been thinking about how film producers create atmosphere in films using music, lighting and camera angles. We watched some clips from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and had a great discussion about how everything combines to make the audience feel a certain way and how much harder this is in writing when an author can only use words to describe a scene. Here is a still from the film…how would you describe it? Homework: This week’s talk homework asks the children to think of an animal they would like to be and to explain their reasoning. As always, please ensure they make notes on your conversations so they have plenty to write about next Monday!
Mathematics In Mrs Prowle’s group, we have been thinking about our targets and doing some problem solving activities based around multiplication. We found out that from a simple multiplication fact we can create lots and lots of other facts. I am aware that many of you found last week’s homework challenging. Apologies for this but I’m still assessing all of the children’s abilities and trying to find the right pitch! The children should have used their number bonds to 100 as a starting point and, having spoken to a couple of parents I think some of them were trying to over-complicate it. I have spent Friday’s lesson going through this sheet with the children so please ask them to explain when they get home!! In Mrs Williams and Mrs Gilder’s group we have been working on subtracting numbers. We made sure that we took the smaller number away from the larger number.  Partitioning the number we were taking away let us take the number away in stages. Some of us found using a 100 square useful. Here are some subtraction games you may like to try. http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/interactive/subtraction.htm In Mrs Roche’s group We have been looking at 2d shapes and their properties, how many right angles, how many lines of symmetry, how many sides does the shape have? What is its name? Homework: Complete the next sheet of the Schofield work book
Topic In Lime class, we have been comparing the weather between London and Manaus (Brazil) and have drawn graphs to represent the rainfall data.  Last week we went in the computing suite and produced line graphs to show the temperatures in Manaus and London. We have been answering questions based on our data. Next week we will be starting to write our own weather reports. May be you could watch some weather reports and make some notes on how they are presented. Some of the children have suggested they bring an umbrella in to help them with their report. What else could you bring in? In Maple class we have using computers and books to research different aspects of the rainforest so that we can produce our own informative fact-files. In Poplar class we have been looking at the weather in different countries with rainforests. The children have then written a script and filmed a weather forecast for the coming days.
Art We have been getting into the Christmas spirit already! Our Christmas card designs will be coming home soon. We think you will agree that the children have produced some impressive designs this year. Please remember that ordering your cards through school raises much needed art funds for the school.
Science In science we have been carrying out investigations into air.    We made some interesting discoveries!

To celebrate National Poetry every class learnt a poem off by heart.  LKS2 did extremely well - we are very proud of them. 

Lime class performing their poem. 

Maple performing their poem.

 Poplar class performing their poem.

 

NEWS This week we are completely back to normal and the Junior Library is operational once more.   Well done to all of the children for learning and performing your poems. You did a fantastic job.  Lego club started this week – it proved to be very popular with lots of children from LKS2 attending.  Year 3 swimming – lots of children were presented with certificates this week.  Don’t worry if your child did not receive one – some children who didn’t get one have already achieved their 10 metres and will be getting a certificate soon.  Welcome back to school Charlie – it is great to have you back.

Literacy In our talk homework this week, we wrote about being a star and what we would see from above. Here are some extracts: LIME I can see tornadoes as they rip through the Earth. Oliver K I could see the rockets zooming by me quicker than I could watch. Joshua W If I was a star I would be a dazzling, gold glittery star up in the sky watching all the woolly, candy clouds floating underneath me. Ruby L I will also see earthquakes cracking through the ground and making houses fall. Jimi I would be able to see the deep, blue sea as it swishes around. Holly MAPLE As I look down at Earth the clouds move slowly in all kinds of patterns, spirals, dots and shapes. Lais Everywhere seems so small when you’re a star! Charlotte I see a bubble of pollution. I wish people wouldn’t make pollution. Sam I see the ocean glistening where the sun reflects off the waves. Oliver The mountains look like sharks’ teeth. Cameron W Half of the Earth is dark with lots of twinkly lights, the other side is blue and green with everybody awake. George Imagine you were a star, how wonderful it would be to see the amazing view from up above! Rosie A long, thin line of grey was stretching itself across the middle of the Earth, marking dusk. Ellie The breath-taking lights were shimmering in a golden haze. Each light has its own unique glitter. Isabella Pearl white cloud formations covering the Earth like a soft duvet. Lucy Please ensure that your child completes their literacy homework and hands it in on a Monday.  It really helps them to have some background discussion about the talk homework topic before they begin their writing. All children should also make notes in their green book about the discussion to aid their writing in school.

Mathematics In Mrs Prowle’s group, we have been continuing to practise our investigative skills with addition and sequencing problems. We discussed different ways to record our ideas and solutions and tried hard to work systematically although some of us found this to be quite challenging! Try this challenge at home! The number 1 is doubled until it reaches a number over 100 000 (a six-digit number): 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16 384, 32 768, 65 536, 131 072 Start a similar chain with each of the numbers 1 to 9. Write the first four numbers in each chain, then cross out any numbers that appear in another doubling chain. What do you notice about the numbers you have left? In Mrs Williams and Mrs Gilder’s group we started the week rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000. We wrote some rules to help us: -5, 6, 7, 8, 9 round up (the 5 sometimes confused some of us as it is right in the middle). -1, 2, 3, 4 round down The children used number lines to help them see where the number sat and whether it was over half way or not.    Useful Websites: http://mathszone.webspace.virginmedia.com/mw/rounding/nearest10.swf http://mathszone.webspace.virginmedia.com/mw/rounding/nearest100.swf NB type the number and then press return to move to the next stage in the game.

RE We have been discussing Muhammad’s life. Can you remember any of the events that happened to Muhammad?

Art We have been looking at Mola patterns.   Mola is a word used to describe colorful panels made of cotton fabric and thread created by the Kuna women of Panama. We have begun to make our own Mola patterns using rainforest animal shapes and coloured paper. Here are some examples of our work in progress. Maple have now finished their Molas and the time has come to begin this year’s Christmas card designs! Watch out for these in your child’s bag next week and get those orders in!

Science Lime have been carrying on with our investigation into ice.  Last week we designed a fair test to see what affects the rate of ice melting.  We tested different temperatures, shapes and sizes.