10 June 2022
Our first Talk Time of this half term relates to honesty, one of the Christian values.
‘Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.’ (1 John 3:18)
I can describe a situation where being honest was hard, but important.
The situation you discuss at home may have involved yourself or someone else. It could concern a real person or a fictional character from a book, film or TV show that you know well.
You could respond to these questions to support your conversations:
- Why was telling the truth important?
- Did the person tell the truth right away?
- How would telling the truth at a different time impact the consequences?
- What were the possible outcomes of being dishonest or withholding the truth?
Our oracy focus for this half term is liveliness and flair. The following R2s will help you to keep others engaged when you’re speaking:
- Talk with enthusiasm in your voice.
- Use your imagination to think of scenarios to support your viewpoint.
- Maintain a good level of eye contact with your audience.
20 May 2022
Our Talk Time this week relates to our recent Geography learning:
I know and can use the topic vocabulary from this half term.
Years 1 and 2:
- continent – a very large area of land
- globe – a model of the Earth which shows what it looks like from space
- ocean – a large area of water between continents
- equator – an imaginary line that goes around the centre of the Earth
- physical geography – physical geography looks at the natural things in our environment
- human geography – human geography looks at changes in the environment by humans
- population – the number of people living in a certain place
- national park – a park or area of land looked after by a country’s government
Years 3 and 4:
- climate zones – areas of the world with similar temperature and weather
- hemisphere – a half of Earth, divided into a northern and southern hemisphere
- equator – an imaginary line that goes around the centre of the Earth
- latitude – the distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees
- tourism – travelling to a place for fun
- economy – how a country or place makes and spends money
- overtourism – when there are too many tourists and it results in conflict with local people who live there
- flood defences – used to prevent flooding in a specific place
Years 5 and 6:
- biome – areas of the world with similar climate, landscapes, animals and plants
- vegetation belt – an area with distinct plant types
- climate zone – areas of the world with similar temperature, weather and precipitation
- natural resources – something that is found in nature and can be used by humans
- exports – goods that are sent to other countries for sale
- deforestation – the destruction of forests by humans
- agriculture – growing and harvesting crops and raising animals; another word for farming
- indigenous people – the earliest or original inhabitants of a place
Encourage your child to think back to their Geography learning so far. The following questions might prompt your child to remember even more about the vocabulary:
- What does this word mean?
- Can you use the word in a sentence?
- Can you (where possible) give an example of this?
- Have you seen a piece of art that links to that word?
- Can you link this word to one or more of the other words?
- Which of these words would you group together?
13 May 2022
This week’s Talk Time has a Living and Learning focus:
I know what consent is.
Consent forms a part of everyday life: permission to take or publish a photo is a form of consent.
Because matters around consent can occur anywhere, it’s important to consider a range of scenarios. That way, you’ll be able to appreciate how you, or others, might feel in those situations and can think about the words or actions that follow. As a starting point, you could look at the following scenarios and consider how you might respond:
- A friend asks you to play football at playtime but you’re feeling quite tired.
- You and a friend did really well in a quiz so you want to give them a hug.
- You’re getting ready for school and you notice your brother/sister has their jumper on backwards.
- Your teacher wants to take pictures of some pictures of your writing to share with the class.
- You’ve been learning a poem and the teacher would like to record the class to use as part of an assembly.
What other situations can your child think of where consent is important?
When we reviewed our Relationships and Sex Education Policy, very many parents and carers wanted consent to feature more. This is why we’re including consent in our homework. Talking about consent in relation to our own bodies can be appropriate for children of any age.
These R2s will help you in a situation where you’re asking for consent:
- ask for permission
- if that person says yes, great
- if they say no, respect their decision (even if it upsets you)
06 May 2022
Please practise your spellings for another week.
Y1
The /l/ sound spelt -el at the end of words.
table, apple, bottle, little, middle
Y2
This week, the year 2 children have been focusing on homophones. It’s important to know the difference in meaning between homophones.
there/their/they’re, here/hear, night/knight, blue/blew, be/bee
06 May 2022
This week’s Talk Time poses an important question that everyone can and should be mindful of:
How can we better look after our planet?
In our current Geography topic, we’re learning about a wide range of spaces and places across the globe. To ensure that future generations can enjoy those environments, it’s important that everyone plays a part in helping to look after our planet.
Whilst some actions may seem very small and potentially unimportant, small changes can lead to big differences. What do you already do to look after our planet? What changes can you make? You could use the following ideas as a starting point for your discussions:
In and around the home:
- Switch off lights when you’re leaving a room for a while.
- Reduce the need to put the heating on by closing doors and putting on an extra layer.
- When something can no longer be used for its purpose, how can you use it for something else?
- Don’t leave TVs, consoles and other electricals on (or on standby) when you’re not using them.
Out in the community:
- Hold on to litter until you can dispose of it correctly.
- Pick up litter and put it in a nearby bin when possible.
- Travel in ways that aren’t harmful to the environment (walk, cycle, scoot etc)
- Take a reusable bottle/cup with you that can be filled up in shops.
We look forward to hearing what creative things you’re going to do to help look after our planet when we have our homework reviews in class next week.
29 March 2022
Y1 – The /l/ sound spelt -el at the end of words.
table, apple, bottle, little, middle
Y2 – This week, the year 2 children have been focusing on homophones. It’s important to know the difference in meaning between homophones.
there/their/they’re, here/hear, night/knight, blue/blew, be/bee
29 April 2022
The latest Talk Time relates to our current Geography topic, Explorers:
I can show off my knowledge of world geography.
Years 1 and 2:
I know the world’s seven continents and the world’s five oceans.
Years 3 and 4 (as above plus):
I know at least four European countries and their capital cities (not including those in the UK) and I know some of the main rivers and mountains in Europe.
Years 5 and 6 (as above plus):
I know some world-wide countries and some of their major cities.
Think back to your lessons as a geographer so far this year. What strategies have you used, or could you use, to help you remember these facts? It could be drawings, pictures, map, videos, songs or other resources.
Our oracy focus this half term is vocabulary so when having your discussions at home, make sure to use the correct terminology eg city, capital city, country, continent.
22 April 2022
Our first Talk Time of this term poses a moral dilemma.
Plants and animals should not have the same rights as humans.
In a previous Talk Time, you’ve discussed human rights and the responsibilities that go with them. Recapping these could be how you choose to start this week’s conversations.
You might already have strong opinions on the matter but when faced with a statement such as this, it’s always worth exploring both sides of the argument so that you can make an informed decision.
These prompts might help you to consider things in a different way:
- Could plants and animals share all of the same rights as humans?
- If the rights were the same, who would be responsible for ensuring it?
- Are some rights easier to achieve than others?
- What should the consequences be for neglecting those rights?
- Should the level of punishment depend on whether the victim is a plant, animal or human?
- These are some topics you might discuss: deforestation, animal testing, human diet, hunting animals for fun
Last half term’s oracy focus was turn-taking. This skill will be very important in this task so refer to these R2s:
- If a person is speaking, listen to what they are saying.
- Let that person finish their point without interrupting them.
- When that person has spoken, acknowledge what they’ve said before making your point. Try using some of these phrases:
- I agree with that because…
- I also think that…
- Adding to what you said…
- I disagree with that because…
- I hear what you’re saying but…
- On the other hand, …
25 March 2022
As we near the end of our Computing topic, this Talk Time will help you to reflect on your learning.
I know and can use the topic vocabulary from this half term.
Years 1 and 2:
- algorithm – a sequence of instructions or a set of rules to get something done.
- program – a collection of algorithms
- debug – to find and fix errors in algorithms
- computer – a type of machine that can follow instructions and do useful things
- password – a string of letters, numbers or symbols which give you access to something (eg a computer, a service like NumBots)
- personal information – something that can be used to identify you (eg age, school, address, password)
- appropriate – something that is suitable
Years 3 and 4:
- computer – a machine that can input, process and output data
- program – a collection of algorithms
- repetition – to repeat the execution of certain instructions
- sequence – to arrange instructions in a particular order
- logical reasoning – helps us explain why something happens
- sprite – a 2D character in a computer game
- decomposition – the process of breaking down a task into smaller, more manageable parts
- input – data sent to a computer system from a device (eg keyboard, mouse, microphone)
- output – data sent out of a computer system via a device (eg monitor, printer, speaker)
- digital footprint – information about a particular person that exists on the internet as a result of their online activity
Years 5 and 6:
- computer – a machine that can input, process, store and output data
- computer network – a collection of interconnected computer systems which ‘talk’ to each other by exchanging data
- internet – a huge global computer network
- decomposition – the process of breaking down a task into smaller, more manageable parts
- repetition – to repeat the execution of certain instructions
- selection – choosing to execute one set of instructions over another
- variable – something that is stored in a program and can be changed or used (eg a timer, a score, a number of lives left)
- logical reasoning – helps us to explain why something happens
- simulation – modelling a real-world or imaginary situation
For your discussions at home, think about the learning that has happened in your Computing lessons. What was your favourite lesson and why? Refer to the list of vocabulary for your year group.
18 March 2022
Living and learning provides the focus for this week’s Talk Time.
I can describe what to do in different sorts of emergencies.
An emergency situation is when there is an immediate risk that needs to be addressed right away.
We suggest approaching this Talk Time in two parts. First, where and when might you face an emergency? Think of a range of settings and scenarios.
After that, consider what your response would be. If there’s not a trusted adult around, call 999 if possible. The LIONEL acronym below is one that we’d like you to learn. It will help you if you ever need to phone the emergency services.
L – Location – Tell them where the emergency is and where they need to come to.
I – Incident – Tell them what has happened.
O – Other services – Do you need the ambulance, police and fire service?
N – Number of people – How many are involved?
E – Extent of injuries – How badly are they hurt?
L – Location – Repeat again where they need to come to.