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) Geography – studying earthquakes as a geographical event as well as learning about North America, and in particular the San Francisco area, as a case study;
2) Literacy (spelling) – finish learning any remaining words from the Year 5 target spelling words in addition to learning spelling patterns of words with silent letters and 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 fractions, decimals and percentages (please note the children should be focusing on the activities with a 5 or 6 next to them as this refers to that activity’s target year group); and
6) Literacy – reading comprehension skills;
7) Art – learning about, and then creating, traditional Native American artwork.
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 – foundation subject links
The class will complete a task that enhances their learning in a foundation subject area – see blog links above for examples.
Tuesday – 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%.
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.
Thank you Mr Antcliffe this is very useful.I have one question when are we going to start the performance?
Our next workshop with Menier will happen in the next two weeks and there will be lots of rehearsals before our final performance, which will be in the first two weeks after the February half-term holiday.
Ok thank you!
Thank you Mr Antcliffe that was really useful to me.
I agree with Destiny, it is very useful – thank you Mr Antcliffe! I also can’t wait to go the Menier and do a performance! Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I learnt lots about sand-paintings such as the colours are made of natural pigments! And, in addition, I have learnt all my Year 5 spellings!
I learnt about the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 is one of the most discussed earthquakes of all time. After the earthquake, nearly all of the city was burnt by fire which was also due to the earthquake. There were 400,000 people in San Francisco and 255,000 people were left homeless. The United States geographers thought that the magnitude went up to 7.9. Some of the fires were caused by natural gas.
I learnt about North America and learnt:
– Mexico connects in-between the USA and South America;
– Mexico is in Central America;
– On the west is the Pacific Ocean;
– On the east is the gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea;
– Mexico is eight times the size of the U.K.;
– In Guyana there are many endangered animals like Harpi eagles; and
– Guyana has one of the few rain forests still standing.
I learnt that earthquakes are caused by flat pieces of stone Tectonic plates. If a earthquake occurs underwater in provokes a tsunami, an enormous wave that floods a lot.
The earth is made up of huge pieces of flat rock called tectonic plates. These plates move very slowly, and where they meet is called a fault. When the plates rub together, the movement forces waves of energy to come to the earth’s surface. This causes tremors and shakes – and this is what causes earthquakes.
I learnt about North America. In Dominica the are 365 rivers, one for every day of the year. Death Valley used to be filled with water but now is completely gone and left behind the salt.
I really enjoyed learning about Native American artwork and seeing how their style of art is different to ours.
I have a couple of questions about our performance at the Menier.
How many performances will we be doing?
Who will be our audience?
These are excellent questions Rebecca, when Mimi visits us we will have the opportunity to ask her about our performance.
Thank you Mr Antcliffe, the Maths and Comprehension have really helped me with my mental maths and the comprehension with my comparing and contrasting (in my own words).
I learnt about Native American artwork, and also about the awards and nominations at Menier Chocolate Factory. It was really fun to learn about different cultures, the art and how it was produced.
I learnt about the Native American sand paintings and about all of the plays at the Menier Chocolate Factory. I also know all of the year 5 spelling list.
I learnt that an earthquake happens by two bits of rock rubbing together. In addition, there was a major earthquake in San Francisco in 1906.
I have learnt about earthquakes and San Fransico because they are both connected. They are connected because in 1906 in San Fransico they had an earthquake and it was a very big thing so it is now recorded in history. Most earthquakes are caused by sudden movements along faults (cracks) in the earth’s crust. Earthquakes are measured on a Richter Scale, 2 is hardly noticeable while a magnitude of 8 is very violent. The highest recorded magnitude was 8.9 in San Francisco in 1906.
I learnt that San Francisco’s earthquake was 60 seconds/1 minute long! The earthquake started at 5:12 a.m. on the 18th of April 1906. After the earthquake there was a massive fire that eventually died out.
I cant wait the learn new skills in maths because I want to try to achieve a higher level. I learnt about Native American Sand Painting. The purpose is healing people. Most tribes use crushed stone, flowers, pollen and other items in the desert to design their painting on the ground. Some paintings are made to hang on walls
I never really thought about the fact that the ground beneath us is moving. I have learnt that the surface we walk on, is made up of huge pieces of flat rock called tectonic plates. These plates float on a softer, more spongy rock called the mantle. Where these plates come together is called a fault. Luckily for us, these plates move so slowly that we don’t notice. However, when the plates rub together the vibrations cause energy to come up to the surface. This causes the earth to quake.
The devastating 1906 earthquake that hit the city of San Francisco and killed over 700 people was caused by a fracture in the San Andreas Fault.
In 2004, the year I was born, a devastating event occurred off the west coast of Indonesia (Indian ocean) and triggered catastrophic tsunamis which killed an estimated 230,000 people. The underwater earthquakes sent huge sea waves at great speed towards land.
Thank you Mr Antcliffe for putting the year 5 target spelling words on the blog. They have really helped me out and hopefully I will next time get 67/67 on the test.
I now know that San Francisco earthquake in 1906 is one of the most talked about earthquakes of all time. After the earthquake, nearly all of the city was burnt by fire which was also due to the earthquake. There were 400,000 people in San Francisco and 255,000 people were left with no home. The United States geographers believe the magnitude went up to 7.9. Some of the fires were caused by gas.