Literacy Learning

This week we used our VCOP skills (vocabulary, connectives ,openers and punctuation) to take a simple sentence and make it amazing! We are now skilled at understanding what makes a great sentence and using all the resources on the working wall to help us. Our simple sentence was,
the snake sat in the tree in the rainforest

Here are a few examples of our up-levelled sentences

One boiling hot day in the Amazonian rainforest there was a poisonous snake waiting to pounce on a piranha. Liam H

On a dark night the deadly rattlesnake slithered up in the ivy tree to strangle a monkey. Liam S

In the middle of the night the deadly poisonous snake choked the hunter to death and ate him in one gulp!
Paige

One morning in the Amazonian rainforest the snake slithered up the giant tree ready to pounce! Ava

Everyone did a great job and we look forward to sharing our writing with you at the open evening.

Numeracy Learning

This week some of us have been breaking whole numbers into tens and ones (partitioning) making our numbers with the Numicon and writing about what we have made. We have also had number talks and these are useful to try at home for all children.
write a number
make a number
number before? Number after?
how many tens? How many ones?
add a ten. Subtract a ten
odd or even? How do you know?
Number talks help improve our speed of calculation, our ability to use mathematical language and the visualisation of mathematical processes.
Some of us have been improving our speed and accuracy with addition and subtraction ‘chimney’ calculations and applying these to problem solving. We have been working on more challenging fact family problem solving, using our knowledge of inverse operations (7+3 = 10 10-3 = 7 etc as a very simple example) to find missing numbers and write number sentences. We have been using the part, part, whole method in the attached photograph and this can easily be recreated at home.
You can find lots of games and challenges on Topmarks Maths to build up speed, confidence and accuracy Lots of verbal practice of mental maths skills is also useful.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/mental-maths-train

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/number-facts/number-fact-families

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/daily10

https://coolsciencelab.com/math_magician_addition.html

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Rainforest Learning

This term we are learning all about the rainforests of the world and the creatures who live there. We will also learn about the current situation in the amazon rainforest and the issue of deforestation. We have learned that a rainforest has different layers and different creatures thrive in these layers. We have also started to create a rainforest in our room and we have been busy painting and crafting this week. Hopefully you will enjoy exploring it when you come on the open evening. If your child wants to research the rainforest at home, here are some of the websites we will be using in class.

Rainforest Facts: The Ultimate Guide To Rainforests – Animals, Plants & People

https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids/

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/