Last week's attendance...

Good news: Our attendance, once again, has increased from last week!

From 94.2 %we have crept even closer to the minimum 96% target... 
Last week we reached: 

95.8%

We are just 0.2% away from that target but we have the ability to reach even higher than that so let's make this week the week we do it! We had a fantastic start this morning with everyone in and on time (with reading books and logs)! 

Keep it up and I look forward to keeping you posted about our progress next week :) 

Thanks for your continued support everyone, 

Miss Barrell x

Spellings WC 30.4.18

Hi all,


A little disappointing this week on the spelling front I'm afraid...
We have now covered everything we need to in terms of spellings- looking at different rules, patterns, exceptions etc. but nobody got full marks every week so it's really important, now that we are revisiting them, that we take the time to learn the words that are provided as we are going to focus on the ones that caused us problems first time round!


Here are some links that might help you with this week's focus and there is a game below the spelling sheet that you might find quite fun (let me know if you struggle as I can give you clues)!


http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/game/en01soun-game-silent-invaders
https://howtospell.co.uk/silent.php

Maths homework 27.4.18

Hi all,


Please see below for this week's maths homework- some revision on angles as well as some arithmetic practise to keep the grey matter active!

We have focussed on revision of angles this week as well as strategies for reasoning questions so hopefully that should help you with these.

HOWEVER- if you need an extra refresher to make it all stick/ sink in, then here are some links to help you develop that understanding even further:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zg68k7h
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/maths/shape_space/angles/read/1/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/maths/shape_space/angles/play/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGKwdHMiqCg

Reading homework 27.4.18

Take a look at this...

Have a listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjxugyZCfuw 

Last week's reading homework caused some confusion for some of us unfortunately. No need to worry though- as long as we learn from our experiences they shouldn't continue to repeat themselves. It's really important we read the questions carefully, so bear that in mind with this week's RIC.

BONUS QUESTION:

How does the artist help you to understand the subject is in control?

Remember to:

• Consider what you need to understand in the question to be able to answer it- what do words mean?
• Look for the cues from the question to help you find the right part of the text to answer.
• Think about the marks available for each question and what you need to put in your answer to make sure you get them.
• Only use what you need to- don't waste time waffling!
• Check- does your response actually answers the question? Does any evidence you use match the point you're making?

If you need any help, come and talk to me and we can work through it together.

Enjoy,

Miss Barrell x

Last week's attendance...

Okay... I have good news and I have bad news:


Good news: we have improved AGAIN upon our weekly attendance score from 93.1% last week to  94.2% this week!


Bad news: Ours was the lowest attendance out of the whole of KS2 (years 3-6) AND we're still below the 96% target 😢


Once again year 6- let's keep pushing this- In school. On time. Every day.
You have improved week on week so let's keep it as an improving trend!


Thanks for your continued support,


Miss Barrell x

Maths homework 20.4.18

Hi all,

Here is your homework for this week. Remember- calculations should be neatly recorded, 1 digit per square, in your homework books with a ruler used for straight lines. If you have trouble accessing this, please make sure you come to one of us ASAP and we can get you a paper copy.

If you are struggling with anything or are in doubt over how to tackle any of these questions, please make sure you come and see us too so that we can go over it- we want you to feel confident in these questions as you will almost certainly come up again something similar in your SATs tests.

Miss Barrell x

Spellings WC 23.4.18

Hi all,

Here are this week's spellings. Given that we have covered everything we need to, we are going in with revision- starting with some of the words/ rules/ patterns that proved tricky for some of us earlier in the year.

Start with this recap:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zp7dk7h 

Try the 'Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check' activity here:

• https://www.spellzone.com/word_lists/learn_practise_test.cfm?wordlist=9765 

These activities are also fun ways to practise:

• https://www.spellzone.com/games/against_clock/index.cfm?wordlist=9765 
• https://www.spellzone.com/games/bouncing_anagram/index.cfm?wordlist=9765&speed=2 

Reading homework 20.4.18

Hi all,

Here is your reading homework for this week- this time we are going to look at a poem!

'Leisure' by W.H. Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance. 

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare. 

You might find it helpful to watch the following clip too...

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Lt30YbleE 

Based on this poem, answer the questions below:

1. R- W.H. Davies speaks of being able to 'stand and stare'. Name three things he talks about standing and staring at.
2. I- What is the authors opinion of life? Explain with reference to the text.
3. C- Why did Davies describe 'Streams full of stars'? What was he trying to convey through this?

Last week's attendance...

Good news everybody: our attendance is creeping up again! 👍
Before Easter break it was 91.9% 😢
Thankfully, this week we have managed to raise it to:

93.1%

Let's keep it going now 6SB- we're not far off of our minimum target and with only a few weeks left before SATs we want to make the most out of the time we have left to make sure we are ready for anything they throw our way!

See you bright and early tomorrow!

Miss Barrell x

Reading RIC homework 13.4.18

Hi all,

Apologies for the delay in posting this- technical issues, unfortunately!
Anyway, here's the text- page 40 from our class text:

And 3 questions- Retrieval(and word meaning), Inference, (language) Choice to answer based on your reading.

Use the skills we have been focussing on to help you answer the questions quickly and accurately.

• Skim and scan for key words/ synonyms to help you focus in on target information;
• Analyse words and actions to figure things out about them (inference);
• Consider meanings of words to help you understand what the author is trying to convey, e.g. if something is described as 'thunderous' we can understand that it is loud and perhaps scary.
• Make sure any evidence you select clearly supports the point being made.

Remember- these are the most common question types you will come across so it pays to be comfortable with them. If you're having difficulty, come to us and we will be able to help you but you've got to work at it.

Please complete answers in your homework books as normal, neatly,  by Wednesday.

Miss Barrell x

REVISION: Percentages

Soooooo... I first posted about this aaaaaall the way back in October last year: PERCENTAGES!


This week we returned to the topic to see how we were getting on with it.Today we tackled this:

Our challenge was to make our way through the maze within in a minute (we didn't manage it!). We tried a number of different calculations too and whilst we weren't bad, there was definite room for improvement at times, particularly with speed and accuracy.


So, here is the link to my original post:
https://missbarrellsclass.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/percentages-of-amounts.html


As well as some online resources you may find useful:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/maths/number/percentages/read/1/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR95Cbcjzus


https://www.khanacademy.org/math/pre-algebra/pre-algebra-ratios-rates/pre-algebra-percent-problems/v/finding-percentages-example


https://www.khanacademy.org/math/pre-algebra/pre-algebra-ratios-rates/pre-algebra-percent-problems/v/taking-a-percentage-example


If you want some extra help, I will be going over percentages next week before school (from 8:15am- come in through breakfast club) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday- I'd love to see you there :)


Enjoy!


Miss Barrell x

Maths homework 13.4.18

Hi all,
Some more arithmetic practise this week for homework (12 questions). Complete the calculations in your homework books, neatly, one digit per square, using a ruler for straight lines.
Q1

Maths: Finding the half way point

Hi all,




This week we went over how to calculate a point that lies exactly half way between two other given points. Here are some examples of the sorts of things we have been dealing with:

These questions have been causing some of us some problems...

Now I know it's a little more complex than what is half way between 1 and 3 for example, but none the less, we all have the necessary skills/ understanding to be able to break this problem apart.

Steps to success:

1) If the numbers are in different formats, e.g. fractions/ decimals or percentages/ fractions, then make them the same.

2) Find the difference.

3) Half the difference (remember though, with fractions, you cannot have a decimal numerator- if this is the case then you will have to switch from a fraction to a decimal or percentage instead).

4) Add half the difference to the number at the start of the number line.

 

The following image might help you to remember this:

Try the following... A, B and C:

 

 

CHALLENGE:

If you managed to find the half way mark, tell me:

1. What point would lie 1/4 of the way across?
2. What point would lie 3/4 of the way across?
3. What point would lie 1/3 of the way across?
4. What point would lie 2/3 of the way across?
5. What other point along the line can you find?

If you find you're struggling with these, embrace it as a failure (see earlier blog post) and rather than shying away from it, come and see me next week- I will be holding extra sessions over break times on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday where we can go over it and get some extra practise.

See you then,

Miss Barrell x



Focus on: Failure...

I know, I know! Why are we focussing on failure?!
It seems counter-productive I know but if we've told you this once, we must have told you a thousand times over the course of your school careers but just as a reminder:

FAILURE IS NOT A BAD THING!!

It helps you to learn, understand and grow as a person. Never has this been so relevant as it is now as you approach the challenge of SATs. Of course you want to do your best- we want that for you also- you've worked too hard not to achieve that. But it is just that: YOUR best. You are in competition with no one but yourself, striving only to do better than yourself previously.


Hopefully the clip below with some wise words from Will Smith will help you see things in a different light if you're feeling the pressure... Let this advise inspire you as you begin revising the topics you have covered in school; let it motivate you as and when you come to things you find tricky and let it encourage you to not give up but to keep going and adapt!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wFf6rhcYkXw 

"Fail early, fail often and fail forward"
-Will Smith


Miss Barrell x

Focus on: Reading

This week we have really put our reading skills to the test with a variety of texts and question types.
It has exposed us to some new authors and writing styles which will improve our writing.
You can see how enthralled we have been in these pictures below:

Remember to keep practising. Over the coming days/ weeks, I will be uploading some extra reading comprehensions for you to try at home so keep a look out for them!


Miss Barrell x

Attendance- final week before Easter break

 Welcome back everybody!


I hope you had a restful and enjoyable Easter break and are ready and raring to go for the final term before Summer- there's a lot to fit in so we need to make sure our attendance is up to scratch, especially with SATs fast approaching as we dig in with our revision and then we have residential and end of year parties and performances to look forward to!


I certainly hope we can improve upon the 91.9% we got before we broke off 😢


Let's really go for it this half term Year 6!


Thank you again for your continued support,


Miss Barrell x