Corona Virus Closure - Week 20th April

PLEASE CAN YOU DROP ME AN EMAIL EARLY IN THE WEEK SO THAT I KNOW YOU ARE ACCESSING THIS WORK FOR YOUR CHILD. 
 
Hello there,
I do hope that everyone is well and has enjoyed the Easter holiday - even though it was not quite the school holiday that we are used to.  At least the sun shone for a lot of the time and it was pleasant to be outdoors. Our virtual classroom will return to 'normal' this week with Read Write Inc, maths, English and topic suggestions for you to use to support your child's learning.  From later in the day on Monday, you should also find our class newsletter and planning for the term within the Curriculum Information tab on our class page.  This will help you to see the 'bigger picture' for the coming weeks.  Obviously, we do not know at the moment how much of the term will be spent out of school beyond the current three week lockdown now in place. However, rest assured that we will continue to do everything that we can to support you and your child in these challenging times. 
 
So, keep the photos and updates on your child's learning coming through and there will be another gallery next week.  But, in addition to this, if your child is struggling with any aspect of the work or is finding the current restrictions and changes to normal routine difficult on an emotional level, get in touch - we're here to help. 
 
Read Write Inc
 
As we did in the week before the holiday, I will attach a short ditty to read each day and that will also have a 'hold a sentence' activity that you can complete and some red words to read.  You can also encourage your child to watch the speed sounds video that I posted before the holiday.  However, in addition to this, the company that produces the Read Write Inc scheme will be streaming a phonics session each day on their YouTube channel.  I can recommend this to you but do advise that to ensure online safety, you watch with your child so that they don't visit any other videos that you may not want them to access!  You can find this resource at 
I recommend the Set 2 sounds lesson which is at 10.00am every morning for the children who usually do their RWI with Mrs Vicky, Mr Rose or with me and the Set 3 sounds lesson at 10.30am for the children who work with Mrs Snowdon.  I hope this is a useful addition to your daily routine!  Let me know how your get on. 
 
Mathematics
 
Our themes for this week will be:
Doubling, making and sharing equal groups and halving
The children have already learnt double numbers up to to double 5 but we haven't done any work yet on sharing. 
 
In school, we follow planning produced by the White Rose Maths Hub and they have now begun to put daily lessons online.  These are of a very good quality and come highly recommended from me!  I have added the link and you can choose to follow the Year 1 plans or the Early Years (Reception) plans as appropriate.  The plans for Year 1 follow the themes for the week set out above however, the Reception plans are a little more general.  So, I have also added work related to this week's themes of doubling and sharing below. Please pick and mix from all of this to suit what you and your child can manage and get in touch if anything is not clear.  
 
Monday:
Let's begin our week by having a quick recap with double numbers.  You can start with a quick 'fingers' game.  Get your child to put their hands behind their back and you say, "show me double 3"  (this could be any number between 1-5).  Your child must then show that double on their fingers.  We usually have lots of fun with finger combinations but be sure that their double shows "the same on both sides."
The children are pretty confident with double numbers up to double 5 so today, see if you can increase your child's fluency with double numbers up to double 10.  You could do this by:
  • halving a piece of paper and painting 6-10 spots on one side, then folding it over to find the double
  • Getting out 6-10 building blocks of one colour and then getting the same amount out with a different colour
  • Creating a ladybird with 6-10 spots on one side and drawing the same amount on the other side to double the number
  • Completing the double numbers activity sheet which I have attached
Tuesday and Wednesday: 
 
To begin with, see how many of our double numbers up to double 10 you can do off by heart.  Really eager learners may like to extend their knowledge - if you know that double 2 = 4 then you might also know that double 20 = 40!
 
Now, let's begin making groups!
Get out some pairs of socks - ensure that each pair looks a bit different.
Jumble all of the socks up and get your child to group the socks into pairs. Repeat this activity with a different amount of socks each time.
Get your child to answer these key questions:
How many socks are there?
How many socks are in a pair?
How many pairs are there altogether?
 
Now, get out 12 coloured blocks, lego bricks or something similar.
 
How many groups of 2 can you make?
How many groups of 3 can you make?
How many groups of 4 can you make?
How many groups of 6 can you make?
Ensure that you emphasise that the groups are equal each time - they have the same amount in them. 
Can you make equal groups of 5?  If not, why not?
(This is a great opportunity for your child to use their mathematical knowledge to give an explanation.  We place great importance of giving explanations in the classroom as this is a chance to really show what you understand!)
I've attached an activity card sheet if you would like to use it.  Or, you could draw similar activities on paper for your child. 
 
Thursday: 
Begin by recapping those double numbers again.  They should be getting really fluent by now!
Then, get out 3 of your favourite teddies/dollies/toys.
We are going to have a pretend picnic!
Let's pretend that your blocks/lego bricks are food for that picnic.  Maybe the red bricks could be strawberries and then green blocks could be grapes.  You choose!
Can you share 6 red blocks between your toys?  How many do they get each?
Can you share 9 green blocks between your toys?  How many do they get each?
Can you share 12 blue blocks between your toys? (maybe they could be blueberries!)  How many do they get each?
 
Can you draw the picnic with the food that each toy gets on his/her plate?
Mums and dads, you can help your child to write the story of the picnic.
 
There are _____ strawberries altogether.
Each toy get _____ strawberries.
 
There are ____ grapes altogether.
Each toy gets ____ grapes.
 
There are ____ blueberries altogether.
Each toy gets ____ blueberries. 
 
Challenge:  What happens when you try to share 10 yellow sandwiches?
(Again, this is where you child has a great opportunity to give you an explanation, showing you that they understand about making equal groups.)
 
Friday Challenge: 
 
Can you draw a lovely big pizza? Begin by drawing around something to get a perfect circle.  What toppings will you add?  Do you like pineapple on your pizza?  It's a question that divides the nation!  Just for the record, I do!  Now we are going to half that pizza so that you can share it with your favourite toy.  When you half, you make two equal parts. So, you have to make sure that both pieces are exactly the same size!  The easy way to do this is to fold it in half first and then cut down the folded line.  I'd love to see a photo of the pizza that you make for you and your toy.  Or, maybe you'll be having pizza for tea.  If so, you could cut the real pizza in half!
 
Topic Work:
 
Carrying on from our spring work, we are going to be thinking about growing this week.  You will have noticed that the buds on the plants and trees all around us have begun to open out into leaves. 
Activity 1: 
As you go out and about on your walk, look out for these.  Feel how soft and moist those lovely new leaves are.  Look at the colours of the new leaves.  Are they all green?  Can you spot different blossoms when you are out and about.  Maybe you could collect different new leaves and blossoms to make a collage back at home.  I'd love to see these!
 
Activity 2: 
Ordinarily at this time of year, we plant up our Plum Class raised bed with lots of vegetables and plants which we can look after during the summer term.  Because we are unable to do this in school at the moment, I'd like us to make a bit of a virtual garden.  So, if you are able to plant some vegetables or flowers in your garden at home, please do and share what you've planted and how things are growing with me so that I can share all that information with those who are unable to have a vegetable plot or flower bed at home.  Remember, you can plant cress seeds and lettuce crops in very small pots and keep them in your house!  I have begun to grow some vegetables and I've shared that with you in a short video. 
 
We need to understand the structure of plants.  Each new plant begins with:
  • roots - growing down
  • shoots - growing up!
I have attached a Powerpoint of a growing plant so that the children can see the main parts that they need to know.  Your child could use collage materials to make their own labelled plants on paper or you could use loose parts such as blocks, stones, shells, wool, buttons etc. to make your plant representation. Ensure that your child can name and label all of the parts. 
 
Activity 3: 
 
Some vegetables grow on plants above the ground but some grow below the ground.  Can you find and make a list of vegetables which grow below the ground?  These are called root vegetables. 
If you are feeling a bit crafty, you could make a root vegetable picture by colouring/painting the soil and the sky.  Then draw the vegetables growing underground and the plant growing above the ground.  I've attached an example to show you.  I'd love to see all of your art work!
 
Now then, I'll be adding a few more bits and bobs throughout the week and you'll see that there are some fabulous videos from Sheila with ideas for outdoor games for you to enjoy.  Also, Sheila, Mrs Vicky and I are planning a bit of a surprise for you - keep coming back to the Plum Class page to see if it arrives.  
 
As always, this is not an exhaustive list to be worked through.  Pick and mix the things that you are able to achieve and keep it manageable and fun.  The well-being of your family is paramount!
 
As always, I send my very best wishes to you all and do not hesitate to get in touch if there is anything I can help with. 
 
Have a good week. x