Month: February 2015

For World Book Week 2015, Class 5 will be studying The Diary of Anne Frank. This book is one of the most famous texts ever published; it is a series of diary entries written by Anne – a young Dutch girl – as her and her family experience the horrors of Nazi occupation in World War 2.

It is an important book because it is a personal account of what it was like for ordinary people living through World War 2. Therefore, it is a very good source of evidence which helps us when we are studying WW2 in our history sessions. Also, it is a good way to learn about writing effective diary entries.

Click here to learn some facts about the book.

Click here to read her final diary entry.

Click here to read some quotes from the book, e.g. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Here you can find some of Class 5’s entries to the BBC’s 500 Word Story Competition by looking in the comments section.

Information for families working with pupils in Class 5

Homework tasks in Class 5 this half-term will link to the key curriculum areas, and learning skills, that we will be focusing on during the school day. These are as follows:

1) History – learning about the experiences of Londoners living through the Blitz during WW2;

2) Literacy (spelling) – finish learning any remaining words from the Year 5 target spelling words in addition to learning spelling patterns of words with common prefixes (extension task);

3) Music and drama – practicing for our performance at the Menier Chocolate Factory;

4) Literacy (Spag)– continue to increase knowledge, and usage, of key Spag terminology;

5) Mathematics – mental maths skills as well as a focus on written problem solving activities; and

6) Literacy – reading comprehension skills and diary writing (click here for an online version of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid); and

7) R.E. – learning about the miracles Jesus performed in his lifetime.

These tasks are in addition to the usual recurring tasks of reading, times tables and spelling practice.

The usual structure for homework in Class 5 will be as follows (please note some weeks this usual structure may not apply due to special circumstances, e.g. preparing for/recounting a special event):

Monday – test preparation

The children will be set 10 new words to learn and write in a sentence (sentences should link to a piece of punctuation that the pupils are currently learning about). In addition, they will as be given a times table to revise. Tests will be sat on Friday with an expectation that the children score 100%.

Tuesday – foundation subject links

The class will complete a task that enhances their learning in a foundation subject area – see blog links above for examples.

Wednesday – Mathletics

Pupils are set a range of different tasks on the Mathletics website that relate to current curriculum areas. Once these tasks are complete the children can participate in the Mathletics Live feature which will hone mental maths skills. There is an expectation that the children will score 1,000 points per week (certificates for achieving 1,000 points are awarded by the website at midnight on Sunday).

Thursday – Literacy/Mathematics

The students will be given a task that links to current topics being covered in their Literacy/Mathematics lessons – see blog links above for examples.

To be successful mathematicians, it is important to practice both our mental maths and our written maths.

It helps to practice mental maths by completing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division calculations as quickly as possible and by using the biggest numbers we can comfortably work with.

To practice our written maths it helps to complete problem solving activities and word problems. Click on the links below to work through a range of written maths problems.

Click here for very important practice on missing digits.

Click here to find addition and subtraction activities (you’ll need to scroll down to the Addition and Subtraction sections).

Click here for Year 5 problem solving activities on rounding numbers.

Click here for Year 5 problem solving activities on roman numerals.

Click here for Year 5 problem solving activities on prime numbers, factors and square numbers.

Click here for Year 6 problem solving activities on rounding decimals.

Click here for Year 6 problem solving activities on completing calculations in order.

Click here for Year 6 problem solving activities on coordinates.

Click here for Level 3-4 problem solving activities on using numbers.

Click here for Level 4-5 problem solving activities on using coordinates.

   

Our new history topic, in Spring2, is called Living Through The Blitz and it focuses on the life for Londoners during the Second World War. In particular, the topic will be focused on the experiences of Londoners as they lived through the bombing of their city by the Nazi warplanes. The Blitz refers to a period during World War 2 when the Nazi Party – in Germany – attacked Britain’s cities repeatedly with deadly fire bombs and other explosives (read more here).

   

Click here to read a thorough overview of the essential information about The Blitz. In addition, this website and this website will give you lots of helpful factual information. This website gives a map of where the bombs landed in London (where was the nearest bomb to where you now live?).

There are many other fantastic resources around us that we can use to learn more about WW2, in general, and The Blitz, in particular. The Imperial War Museum (free to visit) has lots of excellent information about WW2, and you can read a preview of their galleries here, here and here. In addition, the Churchill War Rooms (paid entry) also has a wealth of information.

   

Well done to everyone involved in the production, everybody agreed that the class put on a great show. The photos below capture how impressive the performance was. Please leave a comment about your experiences of the production.

Watch the start of the show below:

Watch the end of the show below:

Just as it is vitally important to stay safe at home, at school and in our normal life; it is absolutely crucial that we keep ourselves safe when we are online using the internet.

The internet is a fantastic creation that gives us opportunities to instantly research, work, play and connect with people – it is a very powerful tool. But along with these opportunities, come dangers that we need to be aware of.

We shouldn’t be afraid to use the internet but we do need to be careful about how we use it so that we can enjoy its benefits without encountering its dangers.

Here are a few helpful links that will support you in staying safe online:

click here to read advice from an Internet Safety Expert;

click here and here to take an Internet Safety Quiz;

click here and here for advice about tackling Online Bullying (also known as Cyber Bullying);

click here to learn more about internet privacy settings;

click here to learn about why you should always be honest about your age online;

click here for more websites that can help and support if you have any more questions about staying safe online.

Remember – if you keep yourself safe online you can happily enjoy the benefits of using the internet.

Class 5 performed their assembly about inspirational people on Tuesday 3rd February 2015. Well done to everyone who took part as the whole audience was wowed by the confidence and skill of the performance and by the thoughtfulness of the messages.

You can view the photos below.