School Closure Newsletter. For Closure Day 26: Thursday 14th May 2020. (Written the day before...)

Message for children from Mr Green.

Good morning.

No message to children today apart from “Be kind, be good and be helpful.” I have a long message to your parents

and will write more to you for tomorrow.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Mr Green.

Message for parents, carers and grandparents from Simon Green, Head teacher

New message.

We recognise that the school/ home partnership is what makes Tidcombe so special, and so effective for our

children. We also recognise that each family is in different circumstances and one size does not fit all. Thank you

again for your support.

We are currently trying to work out how we might reopen when permitted, probably sometime in June. We

expect that we will only be allowed to open with maximum of half classes and with stringent hand washing, as

this virus is still circulating widely. This might mean that we need to put in one-way systems, have different drop

off and pick up times, and only be open to about half the children at any one time. It’s very challenging to create

this in a way that will keep children, parents and staff as safe as possible. We are working on this now and will

continue to be working on it over the coming days. I’d like to thank you for your understanding and support over

recent weeks and in anticipation of your ongoing understanding and support as we plan for this partial return.

Rest assured that we are working hard to solve this and will do our very best to make school as safe as we can.

However, we recognise that we might encounter problems that we have not anticipated (and might not see.)

Your feedback over recent weeks has helped us modify our support to you at home to overcome problems and

challenges that we could not see then. Likewise, your feedback will also help us as we move forward, and I

appreciate the constructive comments, including the “better if”, that we have heard recently and hope to

continue to hear.

Finally, I’d like to reassure you that when we are permitted to reopen it will be to make you an offer of a school

place. I’d like to stress “offer.” If you want to retain a school place, but don’t feel that you are ready to send your

child(ren) back then we fully understand, and we consider that to be quite reasonable in these exceptional times.

All that we ask is that, when the time comes, you let us know if the continued risk of COVID19 means that you are,

for the moment, continuing to keep your child away from school. Of course, this is still some weeks away. Until

tomorrow’s message... take care.

Simon Green

Repeated message: Whilst is school is closed to children, it is still staffed. The school ‘phone, admin email account

and Kate’s email account are checked every day. Any messages are passed on. Although school is closed to children,

to limit the spread of COVID19, we continue to work behind the scenes and we are contactable daily. (There will be

a delay to Kate’s availability Thursday morning this week as she completes some tasks for the school governors.)

Repeated message: If trying to home school is creating stress then don’t do it. Please see Newsletter of 11 05 2020

for the full message.

Repeated message: Key Workers see newsletter of 11 05 2020 if you need guidance on a possible school place if it is

not possible for your child to be kept safely at home.

Daily message from the Office team.

New message: Please may I direct you to a useful part of our website which is right at the bottom of our Closure

Information tab (where you find daily messages and home-learning ideas) with a title “Useful Resources.” Here, you

will find links to additional websites for learning ideas, some local sources of help and also this:

http://www.tidcombe.devon.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Newsletter6.pdf which I’ve just added today and

was sent to us via Father Richard Maudsley who you may know from our Easter and Christmas services at St

Andrew’s Church, but did you know, he is also one of our valued school governors? Anyway, it’s there if you feel it

might help at this unusual time.

Repeated message: For some families, your financial situation may have changed with the arrival of this virus and

many have been furloughed meaning that you may be entitled to a Free School Meal. This may sound like a silly

thing to say, as we aren’t currently all at school, only those children whose parents are a critical worker and who

cannot be looked after safely at home BUT we do offer a weekly food hamper which can be ordered (by Thursday)

for the following Monday collection. If you are unsure whether you may be able to apply, please follow:

http://soc.devon.cc/31Kad for further details and information on how to apply. Please note that the hampers do

contain fresh food, so collection must be made asap on a Monday morning.

Singing Assembly with Mrs Williams!

Thursday 14th May

Did you sing along with the nation last Friday to “We’ll meet again”? I did,

although it made me a little bit teary because I miss you all so much.

This week we’re going to Sing of a Rainbow - this is a beautiful song which fits in nicely with

all the rainbows people have drawn/painted/made to put in their windows reminding us that

everything will get better and back to normal. The 3rd verse splits into 2 parts (verse 1 and

verse 2 are being sung at the same time!) perhaps you can sing through the song more than

once so you can have a go at both parts to see which you prefer.

Sing it loud and sing it proud!

Until next week – keep singing!

Thursday 14th May Daily message from Nursery… to continue learning at home we suggest

Message for the Week

We are continuing our minibeasts work. SPIDERS THIS WEEKK! EEEKK!

Weekly learning intentions - these intentions are to be covered in all the activities provided or in activities that

you provide at home. They need to be practised all the time .

• Concentration/ attention and listening skills (staying on task and listening to a story for example for a short

period of time)

• Speech – continue to increase vocabulary but also put an emphasis on asking and answering questions which

will also feed into Understanding the World section of the EYFS curriculum

• Fine motor control (including scissor skills)

• Mark making – providing opportunities to mark make. After half term we will be starting Phase 2 phonics

and enthusiasm for mark making will enhance early writing

• Early number and counting

Added focus

Understanding the World – asking and answering questions (link with Communication and language)

Here are a few ideas for some activities today.

Daily Physical Activity

It’s bikes and trikes day – off you go!!

Daily Finger Gym Exercise (fine motor control)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7U4jFs1jo4 - finger aerobics today

.Daily Activities - please remember that these activities are ideas. Do not feel under pressure. Do as many or as

few activities as you choose

• Listen to this story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfL0g-XRxnA The Very Busy Spider – it is all about a

spider spinning its web.

• Can you find any spider webs in your garden? I found a couple on my garden fence. I have put the photos on

Seesaw.

• Watch this video of a spider spinning its web. It has been slowed down so that you can see each section

being made. It is so clever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J5kArP5gAE

• Mark making with spider webs – what are you going to mark make in today?

• Put some pins in a piece of card – stretch elastic bands across the pins to create a web/ make a paper plate

web

• • Silly challenge. Sit down on the floor with your family in a circle. Pass a ball of string to eachother. Keep hold

of the piece of string you receive – will eventually make a giant web! It is tricky but good fun.

•

Don’t forget Lucas the spider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkZ_wc8ML18 - this one is about spinning webs

Continuous provision – these activities last all week and you can dip in and out of them

Incy Wincy tray will form part of the continuous provision this week – wet or dry. Encourage vocabukary

such as pour, tip, empty, fill, tube, pipe.

Don’t forget though to keep looking for minibeasts, especially in your bug hotel if you made one, to add

to your Minibeast Book and don’t forget that Matchbox Challenge.

Message to the children from Mrs Smith

I am still getting birthday wishes which is absolutely lovely. Thank you to Max and Octavia for singing to me. Max’s dog seemed to be singing as well!

Thank you Ella for the photo of some beautiful bluebells. I have some in my front garden. They are lovely.

How are the spiders coming along? I see Joshua has had a go at making a peg spider. Well done. He has even made sure that his spider has the same amount of legs on either side. Very clever!

Winnie ate a party popper that someone had given me for my birthday yesterday! We are

waiting to see if Winnie suddenly pops later!!

from Mrs Smith (missing all her nursery tots) and party popping Winnie and Wilma

Daily message from Reception....to continue learning at home we suggest:

Thursday 14th May

Good morning to all our lovely Reception children and parents! We’re going to have a monster of a day today! We’re very much hoping you are all being very “sweet” little monsters for your grown-ups and that you are thinking of ways to stay calm if anything makes you feel a bit cross now you have watched the video with Tim and Moby the robot! I’ve already had to count back from 10-1 and take deep breaths before talking to my sons about the spilt cornflakes and muesli I just found all over the kitchen tops! So, keep calm (like me) and enjoy your day!

Phonics:

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h f b f ff l ll ss

Make a zigzag book. Fold a piece of A4 in half lengthwise. Fold into a zigzag. Close into a flat zigzag. (instructions are on seesaw) You do not have to make a zigzag book, you can make some with paper folded in half if you like. Choose around six things (from yesterday’s lesson) to draw on each page. sock pig sad dog cap hat cat sun hot red dig rug mat rat doll hill Write a label, caption or sentence to go with it. For example: if you draw a sock, you may have a go at writing sock. If you colour your sock red, for example, you could write the caption: a red sock. If you write a sentence: The sock is red. **Again, choose the task to suit what you child can do – no pressure.

j v w x y z zz qu ch sh th ng ai ee igh oa oo ar ur

or ow oi ear air ure er Make a zigzag book. Fold a piece of A4 in half lengthwise. Fold into a zigzag. Close into a flat zigzag. (instructions are on seesaw) You do not have to make a zigzag book, you can make some with paper folded in half if you like. If you do manage to print the one from seesaw, it has a picture for the front cover. If not, draw your own. On each page, draw a picture of something from yesterday’s sea scene and write a label, caption or sentence to go with it. Examples for sentences: I can see a ship. The fish is near the shell. Just have a go at sounding out any words, using what you know.

Literacy: Please re-visit this site for Don’t Call Me Sweet by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRR8ZvKpDtc

Listen to the introduction when Smriti says she is a children’s author. Ask your child if they know what an author is. If

not then please explain that the author is the person who writes the story. The author of Don’t call me sweet is

Smriti Halls and in her introduction she says the “words” are written by her and the “pictures” are by Angie

Rosaland. Ask your child if they remember what we call the person, like Angie, who paints or draws the pictures for a

story. It would be very beneficial from now on if you could encourage your child to use the words illustrator and

author when you share a book asking questions such as “Did you enjoy the story this author has written and “what

did you like most about the illustrations”.

Today…..your child is going to be the illustrator of their very own monster, ready to be the author of some MONSTER

sentences tomorrow!

If you listen to the rest of the introduction, Smriti talks about the usual features of a monster – please encourage

your child to listen as it may give them some ideas for their illustration. Ask your child to draw, paint or use any

form of favoured media such as collage or even a computer drawing programmes to illustrate their very own

monster! Encourage your child to describe their monster to you.

Daily reading link: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/

Maths:

We have looked at actions and colour patterns. Now let’s add in some shapes. Draw and colour this pattern:

Ask your child what pattern they see. They might tell you blue, yellow, blue, yellow. Or circle, triangle, circle, triangle.

They might even say yellow circle, blue triangle, yellow circle, blue triangle. Now look at this pattern:

Discuss this pattern. What has changed? Is anything the same? (we are still using yellow circles and blue triangles. We

have changed the pattern but the pattern still repeats itself.)

Could you think of some other ways you could use these coloured shapes to make a repeating pattern? You might use

yellow circle, blue triangle, blue triangle, yellow circle, blue triangle, blue triangle, and so on. Investigate how many

ways you could use two colours and two shapes to make some repeating patterns. You could maybe use 2 different

shapes and 2 other colours to make up some of your own. I will post another challenge for you on seesaw.

EAD: It would be fantastic if your child could make some monster music! Encourage your child to consider how

their monster would move and sound then using any instruments or objects from around the house to explore the

sounds they can make to suit their monster! Perhaps you could film your child making monster music and add to

the Seesaw site (if you are using) or to play their music to family on face time or down the phone. Warn them first!!!

Miss Atherton is hoping to be playing some monster music on Seesaw for your enjoyment too!

Let’s get physical: Follow the link below for a nice little song describing monster features and some

dancing along to The Monster boogie! Why not sing it through three or four times and make up your own amazing

boogies and wiggles! *If you don’t want to be pressured into making a mask with your “little monsters” then I suggest you stop

the video straight after the song before scrolling back for another go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W75qojZOVXE

Love from Miss Loughnane and Miss Atherton x

Daily message from Year 1… to continue learning at home we suggest: Thursday 14th May

Good morning again you wonderful little people! Are you still enjoying the

sunshine? We certainly are making the most of it, my children are already

outside and it’s only 9:00!! Thank you for all the amazing work you’ve put

on Seesaw this week, it really does make me a very happy and proud teacher.

Don’t tell anyone but I think Year 1 might be the best class in the school!

PE: Try out Joe Wicks again today, I joined in yesterday for the first time in ages and I felt amazing

at the end! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ

Tomorrow, I’ll be doing a workout on Seesaw for you all!

Maths: Recognising notes

This one might be a bit trickier to have the notes available at home. So there’s a video on Seesaw to

help you out. In England we have £5, £10 and £20 notes that are used most. It is also possible to get

a £50 note. My Dad owns a pub and he always used to keep the £50 notes that were spent in the bar

for special occasions! If only I could visit to get one…

Some key questions to think about:

• Can you name each note?

• What is the same about each note?

• What is different about each note?

• How many ___ pound notes equal a ___ pound note?

Challenge: I’ve also put this on Seesaw for you. Remember full sentence! Grown-ups the answers are

there to help you out as well.

English

Phonics Practice: today you will be practising the “wh” sound. Begin by practising the Phase 5

Sounds. Then read the following words: when, which, wheel, whisper, where, what. If you are

able to, logon to phonics play https://new.phonicsplay.co.uk/ (Access is free during this period.)

Username: march20

Password: home

Have a practice of a Dragon’s Den game (Select

Phase 5/ and find the “wh” sound: https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/member-only/DragonsDen.html

Writing challenge: think back to the song you chose

to learn yesterday (today you will be performing it!). Write a few sentences about the song -

Why did you choose your song? What do you like about it? Who are you going to perform it

for?

Music

Today you will be building on the song we learnt yesterday, ready to perform it today!

Begin by playing this game ‘Clap this one back’. Clap a simple rhythm (in syllables as shown

below) using one of the simple sentences below:

• Caterpillar slug caterpillar slug

• Tea coffee tea coffee

• Or a mixture of any of the above words, eg: cat-er-pil-lar cof-fee.

Ask the children to clap the same rhythm back.

Then repeat the rhythms loudly, quietly, quicker or slower and ask pupils how they think they

have been changed.

Next, ask your child what makes watching someone sing interesting? Explain that face/hand

gestures/singing loudly/quietly etc is what makes a song a performance. Ask them how they

can make their song more interesting. Discuss which parts might be better quiet/loud. Add

these dynamics to different sections of the song and get your child to perform it using

these directions. You could also ask them to clap along to different parts, or use a

percussion instrument.

When your child is happy with the song, film it or perform it to someone! Don’t forget to put

your photos or videos onto Seesaw, we would love to see them!

For further information:

https://www.kapowprimary.com/subjects/music/ and select “School Closures: Free KS1

Love to all of you, from Mrs Kedward, Mrs Williams and Miss Parker

Thursday’s daily message from Year 2… to continue learning at home we suggest

English.

Happy Thursday!

English: Day three- To identify imperative verbs within a text

Read the recipe for Mouse Toast: Here’s the link for the webpage if you can’t see the picture:

https://prod-cms.scouts.org.uk/media/3572/make-do-share-gruffalo-recipes.pdf

Read the text together – this could be by reading the text to your child, your child reading to you, or

encouraging your child to join in with known words. Discuss with your child that recipes have

imperative verbs in them (bossy verbs). An imperative verb tells someone to do something, so that

the sentence it is in becomes an order or command. For example, dip, press, put.

Task-

Children to find all the imperative verbs within the text and write them down in their green home

learning book.

Play ‘Simon says’. Write down some instructions using imperative verbs e.g. Simon says put your

finger on your nose. This game is full of imperative verbs because it bosses the other person around!

Read your instructions out loud and see if you can catch them out!

Maths: Grab that problem-solving hat! It’s maths time! Today you have some challenge cards to

complete. It’s up to you how many you do. Remember our Hare and Tortoise story – The hare rushes

and still loses the race! If you need to go slow and steady, to get to the correct answer, then that’s

fine!

Don’t be tempted to find ‘one more’ answer if the question asks you to see ‘how many more’ you can

find!

Music: Today you will be building on the song we learnt yesterday, ready to perform it today!

Begin by playing this game ‘Clap this one back’. Clap a simple rhythm (in syllables as shown below) using

one of the simple sentences below:

· Caterpillar slug caterpillar slug

· Tea coffee tea coffee

· Or a mixture of any of the above words, eg: cat-er-pil-lar cof-fee.

Ask the children to clap the same rhythm back. Then repeat the rhythms loudly, quietly, quicker or

slower and ask pupils how they think they have been changed.

Next, ask your child what makes watching someone sing interesting? Explain that face/hand

gestures/singing loudly/quietly etc is what makes a song a performance. Ask them how they can make

their song more interesting.

Discuss which parts might be better quiet/loud. Add these dynamics to different sections of the

song and get your child to perform it using these directions. You could also ask them to clap along to

different parts or use a percussion instrument. When your child is happy with the song, film it or

perform it to someone!

Don’t forget to put your photos or videos onto Seesaw, we would love to see them! For further

information: https://www.kapowprimary.com/subjects/music/ and select “School Closures: Free KS1

topic”

Physical activity.

Here’s some yoga poses to have a go at. The key is to stay strong and steady, using your muscles to

make sure you aren’t wobbling. Good luck!

Miss G, Murphy and Aida xx

Thursday daily message from Year 3… to continue learning at home we suggest Wow year 3, I continue to be impressed. Not only have you uploaded maths work and Diwali lanterns,

I was also impressed at the baking skills and magic tricks on display. I have uploaded a short video

showing some of the unusual rocks we have at home – an unusual subject for me I will admit, but it will

all be clear when you look at the science today. Have fun!

Answer to the Riddle: The adult is the mother.

Handwriting –Copy the following words in your best handwriting. When you finish, choose three of the words to

turn into sentences. Ask an adult to check for any incorrect spellings and that the sentences make sense. Couldn’t we’ll they’ll won’t mustn’t mightn’t he’ll

English – Today there are two tasks for you to have a go at.

Task 1

Have a look at the mixed-up summaries and paragraphs for an explanation about plants below. Can you identify

which summary belongs to which paragraph based on the main idea of each? Remember to underline the key words

that help you. I have done one for you as an example.

Flower dies and becomes fruit

(1)

Plants begin life as a seed. If the seed has water and warmth, it germinates (starts to grow). First, a root appears, which grows down into the soil. After that, a pale, leafless shoot pushes up towards the light.

Pollination of flowers Because the flowers’ petals are brightly coloured, they attract insects such as bees. Inside each flower, minute grains of pollen are found on short stalks. The bees come to collect this pollen for their food.

Introduction Once the flower has been pollinated, the coloured petals fall off. Then, the base of the flower starts to swell up into a fruit

as the seeds grow. (1)

Seed development again Have you ever wondered how plants grow? Then, read on… This fascinating leaflet will explain how the plant lifecycle works.

Photosynthesis to make food As they continue from plant to plant, some of it brushes off and falls into other flowers. This is called pollination. As a result, pollen mixes with tiny egg cells and this makes a seed.

Collection of pollen Eventually, the fruit ripens and the seeds are released. This is called seed dispersal. This means that the whole cycle can begin again as a new plant rapidly starts to grow.

Seed development As soon as the plant’s tiny shoot is tall enough, it produces green leaves at the top. These are the factory of the plant that use sunshine and water to create food to build more leaves, the stem and flowers. This is an important process called photosynthesis. Plants couldn’t exist without it!

Task 2

For your second task, I would like you to write a chronological paragraph summary that would form a plan for an

explanation text on one of the following options:

- How to tidy up your bedroom - How to have the perfect BBQ afternoon for a family - How to organise the ultimate family film night

Remember to think about the order in which you would need to do things. Here is my plan for an explanation on

how to tidy my lounge as an example.

➢ Introduce need to keep lounge organised ➢ Putting on music to make it more fun ➢ Clearing away dog toys, items left on the floor and sides ➢ Dusting and hoovering through ➢ Top tips to remember (including diagram showing all the areas I tend to miss!) ➢ Summarise benefits of tidy lounge for as long as it lasts!

Optional – Although you only need to plan out your paragraph topics, you might want to write up your explanation

text into paragraphs and then put it into action. I wonder how many of you will choose to write about, and carry

out, tidying your bedroom?

Guided Reading – Here are Chapters 5 and 6 of How to Train your Dragon as they are both quite short. If you

have watched the film, have you noticed all the differences compared to the book? If you have not seen the film, see if you can watch it when we finish the book. It is one of my favourites. Listen carefully and, if you have a copy of the book, you can read along with the author. When it finishes, see if you can answer the questions below.

1) How much bigger does Old Wrinkly say a real Sea Dragon is? 2) What does Hiccup say Professor Yobbish’s book needs a lot more of? 3) Why did the sea around Dragon Mountain become deserted?

Fluency – Have a look at the subtraction calculations on the worksheet. Can you work out the missing number in each of them? Think about rearranging the calculation to help: If the second number in the calculation is missing, you could subtract the ‘answer’ from the first number e.g. if the question is 35 - ___ = 12 you could rearrange it to 35 – 12 = ____ Alternatively, if the first number is missing, you add the ‘answer’ to the second number to find the original amount e.g. if the question is ___ - 25 = 38, you could rearrange the calculation to 38 + 25 = ____ Remember to check your answers at the end with the original questions.

Maths – Puzzle Time (Answers to follow tomorrow)

You might also want to have a go at this time game. You will need to scroll down and click on the play arrow to start the game. Choose your own level of challenge.

Newsround – catch up with the latest events on newsround. You could ask someone to agree a time when they

can watch with you so that you can share your opinions about what you see.

Science – We have explored as much as we can do on magnets until we are able to access the resources in school

and the final unit for this year is rocks. Not sure we could have chosen two more difficult units to cover remotely if we had tried! Still, once we finish what we can on this, I will look for something more practical for you to have a go at. Below is a list of all the vocabulary you need to be aware of for rocks, including different types. Have a read through and see if you can explain what each word means. If you are unsure, ask someone at home or check in a paper/online dictionary. Try to be scientific in your explanation and think about any examples you could use to explain further.

rock, stone, pebble, boulder, soil, grains, crystals, natural material, smooth, rough, solid, crumbly, hard, soft, texture, absorb water, permeable/impermeable, scratch, mark, streak, worn (away), marble, chalk, granite, sandstone, slate, pumice, limestone, sedimentary, fossils

Rocks form in the Earth’s crust. They are found on every part of the Earth’s surface, although they are often covered by soil or water. Watch the TigTag film which will show how rocks form and write down the names of the three main rock types.

In the table below are a list of different types of rocks, descriptions and images which are all mixed up. (It does seem to be a theme today!) All you need to do is try to match them up together, either by printing them out or by writing down in your books e.g. Flint -> Picture H -> Description 2. Keep an eye out for any different types of rocks when you go out over the next week.

Name Description

sandstone (sedimentary)

1) Formed under heat and pressure. Mostly composed of talc. Soft, “soapy” and slippery to touch. Generally white, but sometimes grey, blue or green. Fine-grained. Easy to carve.

limestone (sedimentary)

2) Generally found inside other sedimentary rocks. Outside it is usually white or cream and rough in texture. Inside it is very smooth but with sharp edges. Very tough. May create sparks when struck.

flint (sedimentary)

3) Created from limestone that has changed under pressure. White, grainy crystals throughout. Can be polished to look smooth. Colours can also range from white to black. Used in buildings and to make statues.

obsidian (igneous)

4) Formed from molten rock that cooled rapidly. Glass-like appearance. Smooth texture and shiny surface. Breaks to form sharp edges and fl at surfaces. Usually black.

pumice (igneous)

5) Made mostly from grains of marine organisms. Generally grainy in appearance. May contain crystals. Quite smooth in texture Can be grey, brown, yellow, beige and red. Dissolves in acids.

granite (igneous)

6) Formed from shale, clay or volcanic ash. Fine grained, smooth and hard. Breaks easily into fl at plates with sharp edges. Usually dark grey. Non-porous.

slate (metamorphic)

7) Formed from magma. Large or coarse grains that are easy to see. Contains crystals. Generally pink, red or grey. Dark minerals are often visible in rock samples. Very hard, tough rock that can be polished to become smooth and shiny.

marble (metamorphic)

8) Made from weathered rock particles. Fine, sand-sized particles. Usually red, brown and pink. Rough surface. Grainy appearance. Porous.

soapstone (metamorphic)

9) Formed from volcanic eruptions. Surface is covered in holes. Rough texture. Lightweight. Porous. Usually cream or grey.

A B C D E

F G H I

Here is a picture of some of the rocks I found at my house and I have made a video on Seesaw about them. I would

love to see pictures or videos of any unusual rocks you have at your house.

Daily message from Year 4… to continue learning at home we suggest

Thursday – Good morning sausages, how are we getting on this week? I am really missing everything about school

today and cannot wait until the day we are allowed to share all our news and happiness inside a classroom again. I

am going to think about all our fantastic memories we already have. For example, our residential, playing our hoop

rock and paper game and the laughter that we often had in the classroom. So, until we can see each other again I

will be thinking of happy thoughts.

Reading

I have found this Space Story on Youtube which is read to you and the person reading asks you questions. It does a

chapter a day and will help you with guided reading. I really enjoyed listening to her read me the story and had a go

at answering the questions myself.

English – Today there are two tasks for you to have a go at.

Task 1

Have a look at the mixed-up summaries and paragraphs for an explanation about plants below. Can you identify

which summary belongs to which paragraph based on the main idea of each? Remember to underline the key words

that help you. I have done one for you as an example.

Flower dies and becomes fruit

(1)

Plants begin life as a seed. If the seed has water and warmth, it germinates (starts to grow). First, a root appears, which grows down into the soil. After that, a pale, leafless shoot pushes up towards the light.

Pollination of flowers Because the flowers’ petals are brightly coloured, they attract insects such as bees. Inside each flower, minute grains of pollen are found on short stalks. The bees come to collect this pollen for their food.

Introduction Once the flower has been pollinated, the coloured petals fall off. Then, the base of the flower starts to swell up into a fruit

as the seeds grow. (1)

Seed development again Have you ever wondered how plants grow? Then, read on…

This fascinating leaflet will explain how the plant lifecycle works.

Photosynthesis to make food As they continue from plant to plant, some of it brushes off and falls into other flowers. This is called pollination. As a result, pollen mixes with tiny egg cells and this makes a seed.

Collection of pollen Eventually, the fruit ripens and the seeds are released. This is called seed dispersal. This means that the whole cycle can begin again as a new plant rapidly starts to grow.

Seed development As soon as the plant’s tiny shoot is tall enough, it produces green leaves at the top. These are the factory of the plant that use sunshine and water to create food to build more leaves, the stem and flowers. This is an important process called photosynthesis. Plants couldn’t exist without it!

Task 2

For your second task, I would like you to write a chronological paragraph summary that would form a plan for an

explanation text on one of the following options:

- How to tidy up your bedroom - How to have the perfect BBQ afternoon for a family - How to organise the ultimate family film night

Remember to think about the order in which you would need to do things. Here is my plan for an explanation on

how to tidy my lounge as an example.

➢ Introduce need to keep lounge organised ➢ Putting on music to make it more fun ➢ Clearing away dog toys, items left on the floor and sides ➢ Dusting and hoovering through ➢ Top tips to remember (including diagram showing all the areas I tend to miss!) ➢ Summarise benefits of tidy lounge for as long as it lasts!

Optional – Although you only need to plan out your paragraph topics, you might want to write up your explanation

text into paragraphs and then put it into action. I wonder how many of you will choose to write about, and carry

out, tidying your bedroom?

Maths

Yesterday, you looked at the year 3 pounds and pence. Today, you are doing the same but extending it. You are

going to identify the amount of £ you have and p. You will need to recognise the different coins and notes as well as

adding the amounts together. You all know our part part whole model – this is looking at combining £ and p

together.

How many pence are in a pound? – That’s right 100p = £1 therefore, 231p = £2.31

Activity

Challenge:

PSHE (Personal, social and health education)

The other week we looked at doing something that would make a friend or someone you missed smile. I spoke to

Mrs Sanders and she really appreciated my comments and said, ‘It made her day!’ I hope whoever you did it for felt

the same.

Today, I’d like you to think about what you have learnt during this time. What skills? What have you found out about

yourself? Is there anything that has surprised you? Is there anything/skill you will take back into the classroom? Is

there anything that you are really grateful for?

I have had a go at this myself and will post it on Seesaw for you to see. You can do it however you like but do keep it

so that when we go back to school you can look at it and appreciate what you learnt during this time.

Music

In science we have been looking at sound. Today, I would like you to create your very own musical instrument. I

want you to think about the pitch of your instrument. Can you make high or low notes? Can you change the pitch of

your instrument? Pitch explanation

Here is a link for Make your own musical instruments. Have fun with it and I look forward to seeing what you

produce and what pitch you can create from your instrument.

Bye! Miss Davies

Daily message from Year 5… to continue learning at home we suggest Thursday 14th May

Good morning, Year 5! I am missing our class game of Two Truths and a Lie – are you? Here are 3 statements about me: can you guess which is the lie?

(I will reveal the answer in tomorrow’s workbook!)

1) My middle name is 5 letters long

2) I was born in Tiverton

3) Douglas’s birthday is in September

Reading: Follow this link to The Book of Hopes. Read the stories: A Way to the Stars (pg 22) and The Knife of Never

Letting Go (pg 25). Write a ‘blurb’ for each story. Add a symbol for both the stories to your story tile.

English: Firstly, get in the mood for writing by reading through the two redrafted paragraphs that you wrote

yesterday. What comes before the main body (in this case the two main paragraphs) of a text? … An introduction.

Today’s task is to write an introduction.

An introduction should start by introducing the issue you are discussing. In your discussion text, you might list the

main worries about animals living in zoos whilst also briefly introducing the opposing arguments. The purpose / job

of an introduction is to introduce the main ideas of the text, so you have to summarise the main ideas that you have

already written about. Read through yesterday’s paragraphs and work out how to summarise the main points.

A good introduction introduces both sides of the discussion. This example of an introduction is very basic but does,

however, introduce both sides of the argument. What do you think?

Many people believe that zoos are cruel and should be shut. However, there are plenty of people who support zoos

and enjoy what they have to offer.

How could you improve this basic introduction?

Write your own introduction that introduces both sides of your discussion. Maybe one that includes a rhetorical

question? Remember to link the end of your introduction to the beginning of your first paragraph. Ah ... that means

you will have to decide which of your paragraphs comes first? Do you think the ‘for’ or ‘against’ paragraph should

come first?

Top tip for today ... good writers always stop and read their work out loud. When you read your work out loud you

will hear if you have missed punctuation. Write your first draft and then reread and edit / redraft. Pay special

attention to the vocabulary that you choose.

Maths: Below are some options for revision and / or new learning.

Revision

Let’s revise common factors. We revised these briefly before the Easter holidays. Below is an example of using a

Venn diagram. It shows the common factors of 18 and 30 (numbers that are a factor of both 18 and 30). So 1,2, 3

and 6 – in the middle section – are all numbers that can go into both 18 and 30 without a remainder. Try creating a

Venn diagram to show the common factors of:

18 and 27 35 and 42 36 and 40 21 and 63

New learning

Go to White Rose and scroll down to Week 2, Lesson 3 – Understand Percentages. Try the questions and check you

are on the right track with the answers.

(Repeated) Message for parents – please do not worry if your child only wants to have a go at some of the questions. You could just watch the videos or do something else entirely. We will go back over everything from this term when the children are back in school.

Science: Today, let’s learn about time zones. How would you answer the questions below?

Vocabulary: time-zone, Greenwich Meantime, rotate/rotation, Earth, axis, Sun, lines of longitude, meridians

Rewatch these videos: Day and Night How do we get day and night?

As the Earth rotates on its axis, the Sun only shines on the side of the Earth that it is facing. This means:

• it is daytime for the parts of the Earth that have the Sun shining on them

• it is night-time for places that are on the opposite side of the Earth and are in the shade

Watch this BBC video about time zones and read the information underneath the video.

Below is a time zone map. You can also use this interactive time zone map to look at what time it is in different parts

of the world.

Do you remember when we were looking at the atlases a few weeks ago in geography and lots of you found

Douglas? It’s the capital town of the Isle of Man. Can you spot it on the interactive map? 😊

‘If it is midday in the UK then it is X (time) in X (city)’.

Look at the statement above. If it is midday in the UK, what time is it in these cities? (Say or write the sentence in

the format above.)

Oxford Dhaka Auckland Chicago Los Angeles

You could repeat this activity with cities of your choice.

Do you want to know what day and night is like in the world’s most northerly city? Watch this video to find out!

Now, look at the following questions again. Can you answer in more detail?

Music: Today listen to the second movement – Venus. You can choose to watch a short clip of this performed by an

orchestra or you could go to the full suite and find the Venus movement at about 7 minutes and 25 seconds in.

This contrasts with the angry red Mars that we listened to yesterday. Notice that the music is slower. What words

come to mind when you listen? Relaxing? Beautiful? Eerie? Listen out for the harps and flutes.

In what way does this music portray the title: Bringer of Peace? For example, how does it use dynamics?

(loud/quiet) What do you notice about the tempo? (Does it vary or is it constant?) What colours can you see if you

close your eyes? How does this music represent Venus: Roman goddess of love?

PE (cricket): Over the last few weeks, we have practised some important skills such as catching, throwing and

bowling. Today, we will consolidate these skills through some fun activities and games. We will also look at the

importance of communication and teamwork in cricket.

Don’t forget – ask an adult before trying these games.

Follow these links for ideas that you can do in the garden:

Catching Communication Batting (if you have a bat at home)

Teamwork Throwing The spirit of cricket

I am going to try these too! Have fun! Take some photos if you like.

Daily message from Year 6… to continue learning at home we suggest Thursday 14th May

Morning Year Six … is anyone still watching the tigers on the webcam at Edinburgh Zoo? I did last night and then

visited the penguins. The tiger was just lazing and the penguins were very busy. Here is the zoo link.

English: Reading: read the stories: A Way to the Stars (pg 22) and The Knife of Never Letting Go(pg 25)

Write a ‘blurb’ for each story. Add a symbol for both the stories to your story tile.

English: writing

Firstly get in the mood for writing by reading through the two redrafted paragraphs that you wrote

yesterday. What comes before the main body (in this case the two main paragraphs) of a text? ...An

introduction. Today’s task is to write an introduction.

An Introduction should start by introducing the issue you are discussing. In your discussion text you might list the

main worries about animals living in zoos whilst also briefly introducing the opposing arguments. The purpose /job of

an introduction is to introduce the main ideas of the text so you have to summarise the main ideas that you have

already written about. Read through yesterday’s paragraphs and work out how to summarise the main points.

A good introduction introduces both sides of the discussion. This example of an introduction is very basic, but does,

however, introduce both sides of the argument. What do you think?

Many people believe that zoos are cruel and should be shut. However, there are plenty of people who support zoos

and enjoy what they have to offer.

How could you improve this basic introduction?

Write your own introduction that introduces both sides of your discussion. Maybe includes a rhetorical question?

Remember to link the end of your introduction to the beginning of your first paragraph. Ah... that means you will

have to decide which of your paragraphs comes first? Do you think the ‘for’ or ‘against’ paragraph should come first?

Top tip for today.... good writers always stop and read their work out loud. When you read your work out loud you

will hear if you have missed punctuation. Write your first draft and then reread and edit / redraft. Pay special

attention to the vocabulary that you choose.

Maths

Summer term week 3: lesson 4 Mixed addition and subtraction

This is the last problem of the day....From now on we will use maths starter of the day. Try this puzzle

Challenge: Another nrich investigation … think about how you record your results. Try to be systematic. Do you

notice any patterns in your results? Can you draw a conclusion?

Science:

Today the category you are revisiting is ‘Electricity’. The links below direct you to the areas of learning we studied

when working on this topic. I suggest watching the films, pausing to make notes when you hear an interesting fact

that you want to include in the game. There is a lot of information here so jot down as much as you can. Remember,

you can always thin it out to the make the amount of questions you need (the same amount as yesterday). To create

different types of questions try a variety of starters for example, what, where, how and when.

What is electricity?

https://www.tigtagworld.co.uk/mindmap/#/lessons/CLASS00288/present

Conductors and dangers of electricity

https://www.tigtagworld.co.uk/mindmap/#/lessons/CLASS00289/present

Electrical circuits

https://www.tigtagworld.co.uk/mindmap/#/lessons/CLASS00290/present

Series and parallel circuits

https://www.tigtagworld.co.uk/mindmap/#/lessons/CLASS00291/present

Once you have decided on your questions for this category, write 1 on each of the question cards, below yesterday’s.

Abbreviate the category to ‘E’

P.S.H.E (Personal, social and health education)

This always makes me cry! Always … so I am glad you are not watching me now. Listen to this clip

Consider the original question (What will I be when I grow up?) in different ways – what could it mean?

People often think it applies to the job someone wants to do. But it can also relate to:

• What kind of person do you want to be?

• Where do you want to live?

• What family or friends do you want around you?

Draw an outline of your body, and in different colours answer the questions above. Write your answers inside

the body or around the body. Draw pictures to illustrate if you like.

Next add the qualities that you would like to have when you are grown up. If you find this difficult consider an adult

who you admire; what skills or values make them a source of inspiration, eg: a favourite footballer because they are

passionate and determined, or a parent because they are loving and kind.

Now draw a thought bubble coming from the outline of your body. Inside draw a picture of what you would like your

future self to be like. Add the skills or values that you would like to have. They cannot be seen but are so important

eg: kindness, understanding, bravery, adaptability, listening skills, perseverance.

Finally, think about how you could work towards becoming this future self.

• What will you need to learn?

• How should you interact with people?

• Who could you achieve this goals.

P.E: Complete the Joe Wicks workout

Funfacts: a snail can sleep for 3 years!

Something to make you ponder: why do we have fingernails?