English and Maths
This week the children completed their chronological reports describing a mountain environment. They used expanded noun phrases to beautifully describe the environment and tried hard to create cohesion in their texts by using adverbials, repetition and synonyms throughout. They always choose great vocabulary and are very good creative writers; we now need to work on their punctuation and spelling by proof reading carefully so that their writing is clear for their reader. We have begun a new unit in maths this week - Fractions. We started by finding equivalent fractions. We were reminded that equivalent means equal to or of the same value rather than exactly the same. We used fraction bars to compare fractions but have also been using multiplication and division to find equivalent fractions. Science and Computing We are continuing to learn about sustainability and this week we compared the environmental impact of paper coffe cups compared to reusable plastic ones. We concluded that the plastic reusable ones are better for the environment as long as they are reused 20 to 100 times. The children used Tinkercad to make a 3d model of a pencil tidy. They had to use the programmed to combine 3d shapes and create holes to make cylinders look like tubes. RE and PSHE We began finding out about how people from different religions believe in God - we will continue with this next week and have a go at some role play in R.E. next week. In PSHE we began thinking about peer pressure and will be sharing strategies for dealing with unwanted peer pressure next week. The children have missed Miss Ruby this week but were still able to enjoy the lessons she planned with Miss Penny and Miss Keen at the helm. They had their normal PE session with Coach Edwards, Geography with Miss Penny and learnt about Pablo Picasso in art with Miss Keen on Friday. Ollie is our star of the week this week. Well deserved for his excellent writing and confident reasoning in maths this week. Have a great weekend everyone - As December approaches, we will start feeling a bit Christmassy next week! Today the children were allowed to come to school dressed in their own clothes or in fancy dress for a donation of £1 to Children in Need. They donated another £1 each to do a fun run in their fancy dress. We had fun while playing running games!! You can also see us singing to the Children in Need song on Class Dojo. I hope you can watch tonight to see how your generous donations help children less fortunate than ours. On Friday, Officer Young came to talk to us about road safety. He reminded the children of the importance of being road safe. Please teach your children the Green Cross Code, explain road safety rules, teach children to use crossings and obviously always set a good example when walking around with them beside roads. Please make sure children always wear helmets when cycling or scootering or skateboarding and that they continue to apply the rules they learnt this week in Bikeability.
Homework Update
The homework topic web for this half term can be downloaded from this page but children will bring home a copy this week too. Please support and encourage your child to complete at least three of these projects and encourage them to spend time to complete quality work. We have tried to include some diverse and interesting ideas but are happy for children to be creative and do any home learning that links to our topics this term that interests them. We feel it is more important than ever for children in year 6 to complete homework regularly as we are preparing them for the expectations of secondary school. Additionally research has shown that: "Homework encourages self-development and self-discipline. Students who complete regular homework don't just perform better at school and during exams, they learn broader life skills and associate hard work with long term rewards. Homework has also been found to improve parental relationships." (https://blog.teamsatchel.com/research-into-the-importance-of-homework) We hope you can spend some quality time with your children finding out about their learning at school through their homework projects. Science Our new science topic is all about sustainability - really relevant at the moment with the COP26 climate change conference happening. This would be a good opportunity to discuss some of the issues in the news and perhaps to take some action at home to reduce your families' impact on climate change! World Views and Religion In RE we are asking why some people believe in God and some don't by exploring different faiths and non faiths. In our first discussion the children agreed that it is important to learn about what other people believe so that we can respect them, their culture and beliefs. English We have started a new unit of writing and are basing chronological reports on a text about the Simpson Desert in Australia. This is a beautifully written text that uses powerful vocabulary to bring the desert alive. The children will be writing to similarly captivate, amaze and inform their readers! Maths This week we have focused on the skills needed and methods used in long division! It really has been a tough week with the children all feeling at some point 'stuck' in the learning pit. However, as the week has progressed and with practice, support and resilience progress has been made and we have begun to hear shouts of 'Yes, I did it!" and "Now I understand." This is the first time the children have been really tested in maths this year as it's a totally new concept. Well done to them all for not giving up and for really focusing and working together with this. Art This week we have had two 'one off lessons' totally different to each other. On Thursday we designed and created our FONTS Christmas cards and on Friday we began our Remembrance Day art for a big display. Once complete I shall post a photograph for you all to see. Computing The children were very excited about using the 3d computer modelling website, tinkercad, this week. They can explore this website for free at home either using their school account or by signing up for their own free account with your permission. Link to our class page: https://www.tinkercad.com/joinclass/GL6M16BYT2G9 Finally... Congratulations to Eva our Star of the Week! She has produced some fantastic writing this week and has been a really good partner, supporting her peers. She's been really focused and worked hard all this week. Christmas card replies due back on Monday 8th! Cross Country replies for half of the class due back. Watch this space for a different activity for the half in school! Have a fantastic weekend and if you are having or watching fireworks please stay safe! Thank you, Mrs Ware and Miss Ruby |
AuthorWelcome to the blog of Sycamore Class at North Tawton Primary School Archives
October 2024
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