Corona Virus Closure -Week 11th May

 

Don't forget that it's really helpful if I can have an email from you each week letting me know that you've been able to access this work and that you're getting on OK at home.  Please get in touch at 

annemarie.grimes@school360.co.uk

 

Thank you!  

 

Welcome back to a new week in Plum Class.  I hope that everyone had a lovely long weekend.  It was nice to feel the sun’s warmth at the end of the week and join in with some ‘socially distant’ VE day celebrations!  As always, thanks to everyone who sent me an email with details of how you got on last week.  I think everyone enjoyed Jack and the Beanstalk and I was particularly impressed with all of the lovely castles that were made. I hope they were fun to play with!  Kamil is our Star of the Week for his wonderful castle model.  Well done Kamil, a certificate will be coming your way!

 

As is our usual routine, I've planned for three days of Read Write Inc, there is a maths activity for each day and some topic ideas to keep you going throughout the week.  This week, we’re thinking about minibeasts and I hope that the weather will be kind so that it’s pleasant to go out and do some investigating!  I’m working in school this week so I’ll not be in my emails until the evening time each day.  Please do continue to send your round-up of the week and your pictures.

 

So... on with the week!

 

Read Write Inc

 

As last week, I have attached a ditty and activity for each day.  I've introduced a new sound to the children aw – yawn at dawn. This appears in our Monday session!  Or, you're welcome to follow the daily lessons online at: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo7fbLgY2oA_cFCIg9GdxtQ

It's 10.00am for Mrs Vicky, Mr Rose and my group and 10.30am for Mrs Snowdon's group. 

Don't forget that the RWI sounds packs that I gave out at parent consultation meetings will be really handy for going over sounds and green words. 

Enjoy!

 

Mathematics

 

This week, in our mathematical work we are going to think about time.  We will sort times of the day that we do particular things and we will learn to tell the time on a clock to the hour and half past the hour. We’ll also recap the days of the week. To support this work, you might like to play games such as ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’.  Each day, it would be helpful if you did some counting forwards and backwards and recalled those number bonds of 10 and 20 just to keep all those skills fresh!

 

Monday: 

Activity: Times of the day

Let’s think about the times of the day that we do things.  As you do this activity, it might be nice to think back to ‘normal days’ before lockdown!

What do you do in the morning, the afternoon and the evening?

Divide a piece of paper into three sections (morning, afternoon, evening) then draw and write ‘normal’ activities for each time of the day. So for example, morning could include, getting up, eating breakfast, cleaning teeth, walking to school etc.

 

Tuesday: 

Activity: Days of the week

Can you say the days of the week in order?  Again for this activity, it might be helpful to think about ‘a normal’ week! So, order some days of the week cards (I’ve attached a sheet in case it’s helpful) and then think of activities or events that happen on each day.  You could draw and write these if you’d like to.  The children might refer to the day of the week they normally have a swimming lesson, go to a particular club, the day of the week that we normally do PE in school (Thursday), the day of the week that we normally have a roast dinner at school (Wednesday), the days that we normally do RWI (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), the days of the week that we don’t usually go to school, the possibilities are endless! Once you have done this, you can introduce the words ‘tomorrow’ and ‘yesterday.  Play a game – If it’s Monday today, what day was it yesterday?  If it’s Wednesday today what day is it tomorrow? And so on…

 

Wednesday: 

Activity: Making a clock face

First of all, go on a clock hunt around your house.  How many clocks can you find?  What is the same/different about the clocks?

Now, let’s make a clock!  Talk about the numbers that we have on a clock and how they are spaced out. Talk about the two hands on a clock – one is longer and one is shorter.   I’ve attached a sheet for making a clock but I think it would be far more fun to make your own. You can make it as big or small as you like and use whatever colours you like.  I’d love to see the pictures of the clocks you make.  If you have a paper fastener, you could use it for the hands of the clock but if not – just stick them on with blue tac or something similar so that you can move the hands of the clock to different times over the next few days. 

When we begin making clocks at school the children are not usually satisfied with just making one clock.  So over the course of the week, if your child is interested, pop out some paper, scissors and glue and let them make watches, big clocks, phones with clocks on… whatever they want!  Give the children some independence in this too – just let them create!

 

Thursday and Friday: 

Activity: Telling the time to o’clock and half past

So, over the course of the next few days, introduce your child to telling the time to the hour.  Talk about the position of the big hand.  When it’s at the 12 we know it’s o’clock.  The little hand tells us what hour it is. Once your child understands o’clock you can move on to half past with the big hand down at the 6.  You can re-call our halving work from the other week – the big hand has moved half way round the clock, it’s half past.

Use the clock made on Wednesday to support this work.  I have also attached some telling the time sheets or you can make your own. It is also important to attach meaning to the times on the clock.  So, talk about the time that the children get up, go to school, have lunch, come home from school, go to bed etc.

Extra Challenge:  Can you tell the time to quarter past and quarter to?  Link this with our work on quartering the other week.

 

Topic: 

 

Activity 1: We’re Going on a Minibeast Hunt!

Use your garden if that’s possible or use your daily walk to have a minibeast hunt.  In their previous years at school, the children have learnt to name these creatures and will probably be able to recall the number of legs and other key features.  Now, we need to focus upon their habitats and I’d like you to introduce this word to the children as the place that has the necessary conditions for that creature to live in.  You can use the sheet that I’ve attached or you can make one of your own.  If you find mini beasts that I’ve not included on the sheet – add them on!  When you find the creatures, look closely at the places that they are found.  Why might this be a good habitat for that creatures?

 

Activity 2: Minibeast Habitat Scene

To demonstrate what your child has learnt about minibeasts and their habitats, I’d like them to make their own scene showing a range of minibeasts within their habitats – so, in shrubs and bushes, underground, on trees etc. They can do this by drawing or painting it on paper, by using materials to make a scene outdoors, by using junk materials to make a 3D habitat model or by any other way they come up with!  I’d love to see what the children make!  Remember, talk is so important in these activities and your child’s ability to explain what they know. It is also really useful for your child to talk about similarities and differences between the minibeasts found – so refer to wings/no wings, legs/legs legs etc.

 

Activity 3: The Bad-Tempered Ladybird

This story fits in perfectly with our minibeast and telling the time theme!

If you’ve got a copy at home, great! If not, here’s a version that you can enjoy…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH6UIYCRmAE

 

As you listen to/read the story, notice how the creatures get bigger each time and enjoy telling the time on the clocks.

Then, can you make your own bad tempered minibeast story.  Who will your minibeast be?  It doesn’t have to be a ladybird.  Can your minibeast meet at least three other animals?  I wonder what time your minibeast meets these animals?  What happens at the end of your story? You can draw and write your creation! Don’t forget your lovely neat writing, your finger spaces,  your tricky red words and your letter sounds!

 

Other good minibeast stories you might like to enjoy this week are: What the Ladybird Heard, Argh Spider! The Hungry Caterpillar and Mad About Minibeasts.  There are versions of all of these on YouTube.  Enjoy!

 

Activity 4: Music Time!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X14kC-sEH0I

 

Here is a really great piece of music to listen to!  It’s called Flight of the Bumble Bee and it was written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov over 100 years ago.  In this piece of music, we hear lots of instruments from the orchestra all passing the tune around. Which instruments can you hear as you listen to it?  You could look up these instruments up if you have time.  You could also look up Rimsky Korsakov so you can see what he looks like.  He was from Russia. As you listen to the music, think about how the composer conveys the busy nature of this bee – think about speed, lots of quick, short notes, louds and quiets (the dynamics) and the passing of that tune between different instruments.

Can you make your own kitchen orchestra with pots and pans and spoons etc. and make your own flight of the bumble bee?  Encourage your child to think about the dynamics of loud and quiet playing as well as passing the tune around the instruments in your kitchen orchestra.  Have lots of fun and get all of the family involved!  In Plum Class, we love choosing a conductor as we make music too!

 

 

I hope that you enjoy all of the activities for the week. 

Feel free to give any constructive feedback on what works well or what is difficult to do at home and I'll try to tailor future weeks accordingly. 

As always, remember that this is suggested activity.  Do what you can, when you can and stay happy and healthy. 

Sending you all my very best wishes and don't forget to let me know if I can support you any further,

 

Mrs G