Week beginning 03 January 2022
Welcome to 2022. We hope you’ve had a fantastic holiday and you’re ready for the challenges that the new year brings. Sorry that you can’t be in school this week. Below are the resources that link to this half terms learning. Complete one to lessons in each subject every day to keep your skills sharp. See you soon.
Maths
Follow this sequence of maths learning which is linked to decimals.
Lesson 1: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 2: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 3: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 4: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 5: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 6: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 7: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 8: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 9: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 10: video, worksheet, answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. Email the class teacher if you need your child’s login and password details.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)
Spelling
Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. They should choose some past spellings that they feel less confident with. Your child should complete one task each day.
- Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our science topic of Living Things and their Habitat.
- Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
This is the text we’re using in class this week to build up fluency skills.
In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
We’ll be using this RIC text in class to practise comprehension skills. RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
This half term we’ll be reading some Norse myths for our topic on Vikings and the Islamic Golden Age. In science, we’ll be learning about evolution. Follow this series of lessons on Mary Anning and Hidden Depths. There’s a whole series of lessons, but start at Lesson 1 and work through, doing one (or maybe even two) each day. (If you’re self-isolating in your second week, stick with the series of lessons you’ve already started and aim to complete the full series.)
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Follow these lessons on The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. There’s a whole series of lessons, but start at Lesson 1 and work through, doing one (or maybe even two) each day. (If you’re self-isolating in your second week, stick with the series of lessons you’ve already started and aim to complete the full series.)
(Suggested time: 30-40 minutes for each)
Topic
Our topic this half-term is history.
Follow these lessons on Vikings and Saxons from Oak Academy. Follow the lesson sequence. It has 5 lessons so you could do two a week.
(Suggested time: 30-40 minutes)
Science
Our focus this half-term is light.
These six lessons from Oak National Academy link closely to what we’ve been doing in class last half term. Start at Lesson 1 and work through, doing two or three in the week. If you’ve previously completed one of these lessons, have a go at the ones you haven’t completed yet.
If Science really motivates your child, you could also use look at these lessons all about practical Science.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
PE
Don’t forget to do some daily exercise!
Do two or three of these Five Minute Moves from Joe Wicks each day – spread them across the day as if they were playtimes, maybe!
Try working through this series of 25 lessons from the Association for Physical Education – do two or three in the week.
(Suggested time: 5 minutes daily, plus 30 minutes for the longer PE lessons)
Extra stuff…
As an extra (or as an alternative, if this helps to motivate your child)…
Geography isn’t a topic-driver this half-term, but you could brush up on your locational knowledge – something that was missed when schools closed earlier this year. You could explore some online maps and try to memorise some new countries, capitals, rivers and mountain ranges. These three lessons about Europe are worth checking out.
What about some Living and Learning? While you’re away from school, you could check out these lessons on money!
Week beginning 03 January 2022
Welcome to 2022. We hope you’ve had a fantastic holiday and you’re ready for the challenges that the new year brings. Sorry that you can’t be in school this week. Below are the resources that link to this half terms learning. Complete one to lessons in each subject every day to keep your skills sharp. See you soon.
Maths
Follow this sequence of maths learning which is linked to multiplication and division.
Lesson 1: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 2: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 3: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 4: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 5: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 6: video, worksheet, answers
Lesson 7: video, worksheet , answers
Lesson 8: video, worksheet , answers
Lesson 9: video, worksheet , answers
Lesson 10: video, worksheet , answers
You don’t have to print the worksheet. Your child can write or draw their answers on paper. Your child’s learning will be most effective if you sit with them to pause the clip and check / praise / support your child as the clip moves on.
Practise times tables on Times Table Rockstars, too. Email the class teacher if you need your child’s login and password details.
(Suggested time: 30 minutes of Maths and 15 minutes of Rockstars daily)
Spelling
Look on the homework page to find this week’s spellings. They should choose some past spellings that they feel less confident with. Your child should complete one task each day.
- Day 1: Generate more words linked to the spelling pattern or ‘rule’. You could look out for the words in the book you’re reading at home, or any other text, like a website linked to our science topic of Living Things and their Habitat.
- Day 2: Practise the spellings using two of the ideas in our Super Spelling Strategies guide. (Set yourself and others at home a challenge of using some of the words when you’re speaking, too!)
- Day 3: Write separate sentences, each containing one of the spellings. (Don’t forget to show off really neat handwriting and make sure you sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?).
- Day 4: Repeat Task 2 or 3.
- Day 5: Get an adult at home to test you on your spellings. Practise any you spell incorrectly – you could write them out carefully until you’re sure.
(Suggested time: 15-20 minutes daily)
Reading fluency
This is the text we’re using in class this week to build up fluency skills.
In school, we generally follow this sequence:
- Day 1: Read the text aloud with your child listening. Read it clearly and slowly, pointing to each word as you read. Have a chat about any unfamiliar words.
- Day 2: Read aloud each sentence (a full short sentence or part of a longer sentence), and have your child read it back to you. Do this ‘echo reading’ for the whole text.
- Day 3: Read the text and talk about the effect of the punctuation on how you read it – pauses for full stops and expression for exclamations (!) or questions (?). Your child reads the text aloud.
- Day 4: Read together with expression (just like you practised on Day 3).
- Day 5: Your child reads independently and fluently.
(Suggested time: 15 minutes daily)
Reading comprehension
We’ll be using this RIC text in class to practise comprehension skills. RIC stands for:
- Retrieve: finding information in a text
- Interpret: using clues in the text to unlock information
- Choice: thinking about the author’s choice of words, techniques or organisation that make the text interesting and enjoyable to read
This half term we’ll be reading some Norse myths for our topic on Vikings and the Islamic Golden Age. In science, we’ll be learning about evolution. Follow this series of lessons on Mary Anning and Hidden Depths. There’s a whole series of lessons, but start at Lesson 1 and work through, doing one (or maybe even two) each day. (If you’re self-isolating in your second week, stick with the series of lessons you’ve already started and aim to complete the full series.)
(Suggested time: 30 minutes daily)
Writing
Follow these lessons on The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. There’s a whole series of lessons, but start at Lesson 1 and work through, doing one (or maybe even two) each day. (If you’re self-isolating in your second week, stick with the series of lessons you’ve already started and aim to complete the full series.)
(Suggested time: 30-40 minutes for each)
Topic
Our topic this half-term is history.
Follow these lessons on Vikings and Saxons from Oak Academy. Follow the lesson sequence. It has 5 lessons so you could do two a week.
(Suggested time: 30-40 minutes)
Science
Our focus this half-term is light.
These six lessons from Oak National Academy link closely to what we’ve been doing in class last half term. Start at Lesson 1 and work through, doing two or three in the week. If you’ve previously completed one of these lessons, have a go at the ones you haven’t completed yet.
If Science really motivates your child, you could also use look at these lessons all about practical Science.
(Suggested time: 30-45 minutes)
PE
Don’t forget to do some daily exercise!
Do two or three of these Five Minute Moves from Joe Wicks each day – spread them across the day as if they were playtimes, maybe!
Try working through this series of 25 lessons from the Association for Physical Education – do two or three in the week.
(Suggested time: 5 minutes daily, plus 30 minutes for the longer PE lessons)
Extra stuff…
As an extra (or as an alternative, if this helps to motivate your child)…
Geography isn’t a topic-driver this half-term, but you could brush up on your locational knowledge – something that was missed when schools closed earlier this year. You could explore some online maps and try to memorise some new countries, capitals, rivers and mountain ranges. These three lessons about Europe are worth checking out.
What about some Living and Learning? While you’re away from school, you could check out these lessons on money!
Merry Christmas!
What a fabulous end to our first term together at Nursery! The children have been a joy to be with since we started in September and we’ve all learned so much over the last 15 weeks. This week, we’ve had lots of fun with Christmas parties, Christmas games, Christmas scavenger hunts and lots of Christmas art. We’ve solved clues to discover Elvis the elf in lots of unexpected places and played rhyming games, shape games and exercised our fine motor skills. The sleigh we designed for Santa has been a huge success; however, we’re hoping he won’t need it as back-up on Christmas Eve as it’s in need of a service!
All of the Nursery staff wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas. Keep safe and enjoy the festivities. We look forward to seeing you all in January.
Christmas party time!
Year 3 and 4 had a lovely time this afternoon partying on down!
We played lots of energetic and noisy games in the hall.
We boogied to Christmas music and made some excellent statues!
After party snacks, we even received a video message from Santa and he magically left a sack of selection boxes in the stock cupboard – and it doesn’t even have a chimney! Thanks, Santa!
This week’s message (Friday 17 December 2021)
The last message of 2021 comes from Miss Beatson, the Head of School…
We’ve come to the end of the term and the last few weeks have been full of festive fun: Christmas parties, Christmas lunch, Christingle at church and a virtual Santa visit. The children have certainly embraced the festivities and it’s been wonderful to see lots of smiley faces. Please visit the class pages on the school website to watch the nativity play and the KS2 Christmas singing.
At St James’, we want the very best for our children and we want them to be happy and healthy learners. One way you can help with this is to ensure your child starts the school day on time. If they’re late, they’ve often missed the important start to a lesson and it takes time for them to catch up. If your child arrives at school after the register has closed, their absence will be marked as unauthorised.
This term has been a time we’ve managed to come together again as a school: we’ve been able to play together in the playground, have lunch together, and have our collective worship as a whole school in the hall. Throughout the term, it’s been lovely to talk with the children about their learning and listen to them being reflective, responsible and resilient – three of our eight Rs for learning!
The children have shown enthusiasm for the topics they’ve been taught and I’ve been amazed by the knowledge they’ve acquired in the recent art topic.
We continue to prioritise reading in school and we have daily reading skills and reading fluency sessions to ensure children make good progress. We really encourage you to read at home with your child as much as you can- it makes a big difference with their decoding, fluency and comprehension skills.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas holiday. Please make sure you stay safe and follow any updated guidance so that you and your families can enjoy a well-deserved rest.
From Miss Beatson and me, and from all the staff at St James’ CE Primary: have a happy and healthy Christmas break.
Christmas party
Yesterday, we had our class Christmas party. The children enjoyed playing some party games and eating some party food. We also enjoyed our Christmas dinner together.
Kandinsky inspired artwork
We have come to the end of our art themed topic learning and the learning has been very impressive. The children have developed their knowledge and skills across a sequence of lessons. In order to showcase their learning, the children created calendars in the style of Wassily Kandinsky.
Abstract art does not represent images of our everyday world. It consists of colours, lines, patterns and shapes and is not intended to represent objects or living things.
Ask your child about the words below. Can they give you a definition? Can they name the two artists we have been studying?
- figurative
- complementary colours
- collage
- warm colours
- abstract
- form
Here are a few of the Kandinsky inspired pieces created by the children.
Finally, Mrs Welsby, Mrs Walton and Mrs Freeman wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Christmas week
It’s been a very busy exciting last week in Reception.
At the start of the week, the children enjoyed doing some Christmas activities…
Making reindeer food.
We hope you remember to sprinkle your magical reindeer food outside on Christmas Eve.
Having fun (and getting very sticky!) making Christmas decorations.
On Wednesday, Miss Feldman kindly brought in some freshly baked Gingerbread Men for us to decorate.
After decorating our Gingerbread Men, it was time to sit down for Christmas dinner. It was lovely to see the children enjoying their Christmas dinner, laughing together, and pulling crackers with their friends.
After eating our Christmas dinner, the excitement continued… it was time to PARTY! We were amazed at the children’s dance moves. They popped, boogied, and danced the afternoon away.
After some party games, we sat down to eat our party food and watched a video from Santa.
Finally, we hope you have a happy and healthy Christmas. Enjoy spending some quality time with friends and family.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year from all of the Reception Team!
Merry Christmas from Key Stage 2
Please click on the links below to listen to our Christmas singing.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Our final sculptures
This week, we completed our Barbara Hepworth inspired sculptures. After completing our own individual boxes, we put them together to create a group sculpture.
We set out all the sculptures in the school grounds to create a similar effect to Barbara Hepworth’s Family of Man.
“The thing I like about our sculpture is the negative space- it really shows what the sculpture represents. I think the shape of the cut-outs are not just circles- they actually represent the thoughts.” Scarlet
“I enjoyed painting the sculptures but we had to persevere when making the Verdigris colour because it had to be perfect. In the end, our sculpture looked different to the maquette.” Nicholas