Good morning Fir Class

We hope you are well. We have had some lovely emails and pictures this week. It sounds as though you are having fun with your families, enjoying bike rides, making delicious food and one of you is even training dogs. It is really great hearing about the things you are doing. We even got a letter each this week, delivered to the school. What a lovely surprise.

There are now only four weeks until the holiday. Work hard and stay on top of all the tasks. You will be glad when the summer arrives and you can say you've tried your best with home learning. 

Hope to see you soon. 

Mrs Causer and Miss Miller

English

This week, you will be writing your own story based on a historical setting and time period of your choice.

You have spent three weeks looking at this. You have read parts of longer stories set in the past and thought about stories set in the future. You've seen how the vocabulary of a story can give the reader clues as to when it was set. 

This is the final week on this topic. 

Day 1

You should first of all answer these questions in your head or on paper:

Which stories set in the past have you read and enjoyed? Think about stories you have read recently. What about films or programmes set in the past - have you watched any? This might help you with your ideas. 

Why did you enjoy reading or watching them?

What makes a good story for you? What does a good story have to include?

When you write your story, you will have to give the reader clues as to when it was set. You might want to talk about what they are wearing, where it is set, the language they use, what school was like, etc. 

When are you going to set your story? This will take some thinking about. You will have to choose a period of time you are interested in. You should use the internet or books to find a time period you are interested in. You have already thought about this, so use your ideas for a week ago to help you.

You should begin finding some pictures that might help you with tomorrow’s task of planning your story. 

Day 2/3

Go through the attached PowerPoint on story writing.

Use the storyboard template attached. There are a few, so choose the one that is most helpful to you. You can draw this onto your paper - you do not need to print it off.

Now start planning your story in full. You have all written stories before, so you will be able to do this task. Just remember, the only difference is that it is set in the past and not now. You can find pictures that will help you. Sketch them if you want and then label them with vocabulary from that time period. For example, if your story is set during the war, you might first draw a soldier. You will label his uniform, bayonet, pack, bugle, rations, etc. These words will help focus your attention on things to write about. Each picture should be labelled. You can also write notes underneath as to the plot and setting. By day 4, you should be in a position to write your story in full. You have two days to plan your story out. 

Day 4

Go through the attached PDF – What makes a great story.

Write your story in full. Good luck. Have the plan next to you and remember to include all your wonderful vocabulary. 

Day 5

Go through the editing PDF and now edit your own work. You should also pick five words and use a thesaurus (either a book or internet) to improve them.

Finally, ask someone to read your story and get them to tell you what time period it is set in and how they know. This way, you'll know whether you've achieved your target. 

Religious Studies

Starter: Without looking, can you remember any of the items that are found in a Synagogue? What is the item’s purpose? Please now make sure your work from two weeks ago is to hand. It is the sheet you completed where you sketched or printed the pictures of items found in a Synagogue and then you explained their purpose.  

Main: Please watch the following video showing an eleven year old boy explaining about the Jewish faith and what it means to him. The video will last approximately twenty five minutes, so make yourself a drink and get comfortable. 

Task: Which items were mentioned that are not on your worksheet? Can you draw a picture of any new item you have learnt about and add a short description? For example, you have just learnt that part of the wall in his Synagogue comes from the Western Wall. Draw a sketch of this. Continue with other items you heard about today.

It might be easier for you to stop the video when the Synagogue is mentioned. That way, you can make the notes as you go along. It is up to you. 

Spelling

Please see the attached homework sheet for this week's spelling revision. Remember to practise these for 10 minutes a day and then test your learning at the end of the week. Another useful exercise is to keep testing yourself on previous weeks of spelling, in order to keep those words in your memories. 

Punctuation

This week we are going to be looking at commas. Commas are sometimes necessary if you're going to write clearly. The first main use of commas is to show a pause between parts of a sentence, which makes the meaning clearer. For example:

After I had cashed my cheque, I went to the shops and bought some food.

Or:

Because of the derailment, all the trains were running late. 

Now I'd like you to put commas in these sentences to make them easier to understand.

1. Although I had been up all night I did not feel at all tired but I was very hungry.

2. Since my operation I haven't looked back although this may be because I can't move my neck.

3. As I missed the train I decided to catch the next one which went an hour later.

4. Despite years of effort Cedric had never really understood his brother which made him sad.

Grammar

This week we are going to look at pronouns. Pronouns replace nouns to prevent repeating words clumsily. Instead of, 'When George got up George had breakfast', you'd say, 'When George got up he had breakfast.' The most common pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we and they. 

Now try replacing nouns by pronouns when you need to in the sentence.

1. Celia said that Celia was not going to put up with the situation any longer.

2. The dog opened one eye, and then the dog yawned.

3. Before the coach fell over the cliff, the coach skidded violently.

4. Mr Pronklefink saw the books on the table where Mr Pronklefink had left them.

Topic/Music

L.O. To be able to sing in unison and respond to music in a variety of ways.

This week you are going to be learning about one of, if not THE most famous song from the Tudor period. You are then going to sing along to the tune, with alternative lyrics. Again, this is a lesson we would have had a lot of fun with in class and I hope you enjoy it at home too. Follow the slides attached, which will explain what you need to do.

Guided Reading

This week I would like you to take a look at the inference task cards attached. You do not need to print them off, but you will need to look at the pictures on the cards and answer the questions that go with it. Pick one a day, each one should take you around 10 minutes to complete.

Science - Changes

Cut out the pictures, labels and ages on the two worksheets titled ‘Human life cycles’. Match the picture to the description and then to the age. Can you think of anything else that happens during these stages? Make a note of it next to the picture.