This week's homework...

Hi all,

SATs next week! Therefore, this week's homework is a little different...

You have done all the hard work- for years you have come to school, day in day out, many of you not missing a single day, absorbing all manner of facts and bits of information. It is that that has prepared you for the coming week. Now is not the time to worry- you've got this. Trust me. Over the last 8 months we have simply tried to top you up, filling in the final pieces of the jigsaw that make up your primary school education as well as reminding you of the pieces you fit in to place in the years before. We are thrilled with the finished product- it's nothing short of a work of art!

Over the weekend, yes- do go over things that you feel will help you to come in on Monday full of confidence; no- don't overdo it!
Rest is an important component of success too- your brain needs time to rest and absorb/ store everything you are feeding it! If you, or your brain, are too tired then we all know what it's like- we make careless mistakes. You're better than that.

If you do want anything in particular adding to the blog, drop me a message in the comment box below or on Class Dojo and I will get something sorted, otherwise make use of revision guides/ internet sites etc to help you go over anything you're unsure of.





And, as a little challenge, have a go at some of these...

• Go for a walk
• Exercise/ play sport
• Talk to someone
• Have a drink
• Make a healthy snack
• Read a book
• Take a nap
• Watch a movie
• Draw a picture

Think up some more with your family- the possibilities are endless. But remember, life is about balance. Don't forget that this weekend guys 😊

Just a reminder:
Monday: Grammar Punctuation and Spelling
Tuesday: Reading
Wednesday: Maths arithmetic and Reasoning Paper 1
Thursday: Maths Reasoning Paper 2
Friday: FRIYAY: NO TESTS!!!

See you Monday,

Miss Barrell x

This week's homework...

Hi all,

I mentioned yesterday that your focus for the next week, with only 4 school days until SATs, should be on revising. Focus, not on the things you are good at, but on the things you know you don't feel as secure with so that, by the time testing week arrives, you will be full of confidence knowing you have given it your best shot. That is all we ask.

I have delayed putting this up as I didn't want to distract you from the lovely sunny weather we have been enjoying this bank holiday Saturday. Balance is important; make sure you build in rest to recharge your batteries.

So, in between your rest intervals:

• Practise any arithmetic skills you make errors in.
• Apply your arithmetic skills to reasoning questions.
• READ!! Read on a wide range of topics- science, history, geography etc. as well as narrative and poetry- exposing yourself to new and varied vocabulary and practise figuring out what unfamiliar words mean.
• Revise any grammar terms you are less confident about- can you tell a phrase from a clause?!
• Learn your spellings! On Friday I gave you all the spellings you didn't get right from across this term- keep working on them.
• Make use of the blog posts from across the year as well as revision guides and online resources.

Open this post to read more as I have attached a practise SPaG test below for you to try- give it a go and if there's anything on there you struggle with then revise it! 

Similarly with maths, I have put up some questions for you to try.

LASTLY, comment on this post if you want me to put anything in particular up to help you or to timetable in for next week's lessons.

Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday and I'll see you Tuesday,

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

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?

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

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

Spellings: Homophones

Hi all,

 

So this week we really focussed in on homophones: words that sound the same (or very similar) but have different meanings.
We have been working on developing our understanding our understanding of the different words in context as this is what enables us to tell them apart using the spelling homework resource I put on the blog last week. This is really beginning to help and there have been some really good conversations happening about whether a word is a noun or a verb or an adjective and all sorts of other reasoning about which word is the right one to use.
The key message we have come away with this week however is that: homophones will not learn themselves- you must put the effort in to learn them properly. Not only are we facing the challenge of spelling them correctly but because we have to know the difference between 2 or more spellings to begin with, meaning the whole thing is twice as hard!

 

The words we tested on this week were:
Advice, devise, guest, steel, aisle, prophet, weary, mourning, herd, stationary, father, proceed and guessed.
The bold words that have been underlined were the most commonly misspelt words.

 

To make working on homophones a bit more fun, click the links below to take you to games and other online resources:

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zsvnp39 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw4IjeGPaz0 
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/game/en21watc-game-paris-word 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJUqJyX5NSA 
• http://www.galacticphonics.com/homonyms/interactive/theretheirtheyre/theretheirtheyre.htm 

Reading homework 16.3.18

Hi all,


A little something extra this week... Reading!

First of all, a HUGE well done to all of our keen readers from this week, bringing their home reading books in every single day- very impressive! One more week until Easter break now so keep it up and fingers crossed- it could be your name being drawn out of our reading raffle next week- you've got to be in it to win it!

Secondly, this week we have been focussing on how to write a strong '3 mark answer' to maximise the points we achieve in comprehension tests. Sooooo...

As part of your homework, based on an extract from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone- Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass. I have set 3 questions for you to answer for which I have devised a mark scheme of plausible responses (just as they would in a test) which we will use next week to see how many marks we achieve.

You each have a booklet- these can be stuck in to your homework books; there's no need to write anything extra out; just work straight on to the sheet.


Use the skills we have practised as a checklist:


* Clarify the question in your mind: What is it asking me? e.g. What impression are you given of character A?


* Think of synonyms or generalisations for the point(s) you want to make, e.g. He is unkind


* Text mark to find your evidence but remember to only take what you need.


* Don't waffle and repeat yourself- be concise!


* Check that your evidence supports the point(s) you're making, e.g. He is unkind because he deliberately kicked the ball at her.


* Ask yourself: Have I answered the question?




As always, let me know if you need any help, but otherwise- happy reading!


Miss Barrell x

Maths homework 16.3.18

Hi all,


Maths homework this week is to go over your maths arithmetic test from today, focussing particularly on questions that you lost marks on and practise these skills!


In addition to your revision, take a look at the following:

If you need any help or want me to go over anything with you then please let me know early next week.


Have a lovely weekend,


Miss Barrell x

Spellings WC: 12.3.18

Hi all,

Sooooooo, for the final 2 weeks before Easter break, we are going to be focussing on homophones! These are words that sound the same (or very similar) but have different meanings. They regularly trip us up in ur writing so it's incredibly important that we get to know which spelling to use when.

It starts with the every day basics:

• There/ their/ they're
• Where/ wear/ were
• Too/ to/ two

However it doesn't stop there (as you will see from the spelling sheet below) so please, please, please make time to work on these at home as well as with us in school.

Miss Barrell x

Maths homework 9.3.18

Hello again,

Following on from this week's mock SATs, despite everyone doing incredibly well, coming on leaps and bounds in terms of their progress, it was frustrating to see some pupils dropping marks because of silly mistakes so this week's homework draws on a number of arithmetic areas we have covered this year. There's nothing new so you should be fine with everything here- it's revision to make sure you are accurate in your calculations.
If there's something you're finding tricky then make that skill a priority: look back to see if there are any supporting materials on the blogs or come to me to go over it again.

Here is this week's maths homework:

As always, work should be presented neatly in homework books (1 digit per square) in pencil.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

See you Monday, 

Miss Barrell x

SPaG homework 9.3.18

Hi all,

First of all I want to say a big well done- you worked your socks off this week for our mock SATs and the progress you are all making speaks volumes about your dedication and commitment to succeed- you'll all be secondary ready in no time!

Now is the time to reflect on how you did before pushing on- you are still capable of more. So- with that in mind- here is this week's SPaG homework activity mat. Remember- if you are unsure and would like/ need some support then just come to me.

Have a lovely weekend and I'll see you next week!

Miss Barrell x

Spellings WC: 5.3.18

Hi all,

Here are next week's spelling words:

It was clear from this week's spelling test that the words we are focussing on each week are being learnt, BUT- the words that are letting some of us down are the words that are randomly selected from the core 5/6 spellings. We only choose 2 of these each week, but it is still important to still learn them. Figure out which words you can already spell confidently and accurately and then focus on the others. Try splitting them in to groups of 5 to focus on each week.

Good luck,

Miss Barrell x

SPaG homework 2.3.18

Hi all,

Here is your SPaG homework for this week:

The following links might help you if you need to secure your understanding of what some of these things are, BUT there should be nothing new here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zqk37p3 (subordinating conjunctions)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_foMADqjSc (statements/ commands/ questions/ exclamations)

If, after looking at these resources, you still don't understand something or want me to go over it with you then let me know on Monday.

Enjoy your weekend,

Miss Barrell x

Maths homework 2.3.18

Hi all,

Here is your maths homework for the week. It's nothing new- you are literally drawing on the concepts we have been covering in class for the last couple of months, weeks and days.
As always, please record your answers in your homework book neatly (1 digit per square).

If you are unsure and want some support, just let me know and I will be more than happy to go through things with you. In the meantime though, these might help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn2pdkvdbGQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gB1y-PMWfs

Have a fun, safe weekend enjoying the snow and I'll see you Monday :) 

Miss Barrell x

Spellings WC: 26.2.18

Hi all,

Here is your spelling focus for the week: we are concentrating on a very common letter string- ough.
Please ensure you learn these spellings thoroughly as you may be tested on any 10 of them as well as an additional 2 words from the core 5/6 spelling words.

In your homework books this week, please write sentences incorporating these spelling words so you are developing your understanding of how to use them in context,
e.g. In order to make bread, we need to make the dough.

See you Monday x