19 April 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
Our first Talk Time of this term poses a moral dilemma.
Should animals 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 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?
- These are some topics you might discuss: 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…
22 March 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
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.
15 March 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
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
- command: an instruction that can be used in a program
- program: an algorithm or algorithms which can be run by a computer
- to debug: to find and fix errors in algorithms
- computer: a type of machine that can follow instructions and do useful things
Years 3 and 4:
- computer: a machine that can input, process and output data
- program: an algorithm or algorithms which can be run by a computer
- code: the commands that a program can run (eg the blocks in Scratch)
- 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
- output: data sent out of a computer system via a device (eg monitor, printer, speaker)
- input: data sent to a computer system from a device (eg keyboard, mouse, microphone)
Years 5 and 6:
- 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: a value that can be set and changed throughout the running of a program (eg a timer, a score, a number of lives left)
- simulation: modelling a real-world or imaginary situation
- world wide web: ‘www’ or ‘web’ for short is a collection of web pages of digital content found on the internet
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.
08 March 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
This week’s Talk Time task is:
I can try reading something different to what I normally read.
Variety is the spice of life! This applies to reading a variety of genres, too.
Often when reading, we return to familiar texts that we like and are comfortable with. Whilst this shows a great love of reading, it’s beneficial to read a variety of texts for lots of reasons.
The more we read different genres, the more confident readers we become. Reading different genres helps with our understanding of texts. For example, if you’re reading a fiction book, your brain may focus on characters, setting plot and theme. However, if it’s a non-fiction text, your brain focuses on text features and facts. Each genre has unique characteristics and exposes the reader to different vocabulary, photographs, illustrations and context.
Your task: take the time to pick up a different book (or other text) to what you would normally read and spend 15 minutes reading. Be ready to discuss your opinions or views with someone at home.
Some prompts might be:
What did you/didn’t you like?
Will you continue to read the book? Why/why not?
Have you learnt something you didn’t expect?
Can you spot any connections and notice similarities or differences to books/texts you have read before?
01 March 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
This half-term, we’re learning about Computing in our topic lessons and this week’s question is linked:
Is playing computer games bad for your health?
Talk to people at home about this question. You may agree with each other. You may disagree. It’s important to listen to other peoples’ points of view and consider them.
What do you think about computer games? Are they a fun way to relax? Do they help people to develop new skills or knowledge? Do they allow people to connect with people (for example, playing a game with a cousin who lives in another country)?
Or…
Do they stop people from being physically active? Do people spend too much time looking at a screen? Do they get in the way of people getting enough sleep?
These R2s will get you thinking critically about your own ideas:
- What reasons can you think of in support of time travel?
- Are there reasons why you might be against it?
- Challenge: Rank your ideas by importance. Imagine you could only do five, or maybe even three things.
23 February 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
We are being historians through our topic learning this half term. Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to be around during historic events like the Great Fire of London? For this week’s Talk Time, we’d like you to do exactly that.
Would it be good to travel back in time?
Would it be good to travel forwards, into the future?
When talking about travelling back in time, you could use these question prompts to support discussions at home:
- What time period would you travel back to?
- a time from recent history (eg your lifetime)
- a point from your parents’/grandparents’ lifetimes
- over 100 years ago
- Where in the world would you like to be at that point in time?
- Does it relate to an important historical event?
- What have you learnt in a current or past history topic that you’d like to experience?
- Who would you like to meet?
- What historical figures have we learnt about at school?
- Are there people you’d meet who aren’t famous eg family members?
- Is there anything about the past that you’d try to change?
- If so, how would you go about it?
- Would you realistically be able to make that change? Would you need help?
Many of the points above will also help you to discuss travelling into the future. As well as those, it’s important to think of what would be gained from travelling forwards in time. When coming back into the present, would you tell people what the future is like (good and bad things) and why?
These R2s will get you thinking critically about your own ideas:
- What reasons can you think of in support of time travel?
- Are there reasons why you might be against it?
- Challenge: Rank your ideas by importance. Imagine you could only do five, or maybe even three things.
02 February 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
Our Living and Learning statement this week is I know how to seek help.
This week, we would like to you talk about different ways to stay safe including seeking help.
Because safety covers so many areas, your discussions could centre around these forms of safety as well as any others that you know of:
- Online safety (e-safety)
- Fire safety
- Road safety
- Electrical safety
- Water safety
For each type of safety, talk about different settings and examples of when you might be faced with risks and how you’d safely deal with them. In each situation, it’s crucial you discuss the help you’d need if something goes wrong. Imagine that you’re in different places and with different people in each scenario. Perhaps you’re with family, friends or on your own. Are there any services that you can contact?
Here are some R2s to help you stay safe:
- Think before you act.
- Assess the risks. Is it safe?
- If something goes wrong, again, think before you act.
- Who can help you and how can you reach them?
26 January 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
There’s a moral theme to this week’s Talk Time.
It is a waste of our time to learn about the past as it has already happened and we can’t change it.
This is a very topical statement given that we’re currently in the middle of a history topic. You may already have an opinion on this but it’s always worth pausing to consider a range of viewpoints.
This week’s R2s will help you to provide a balanced argument before you reach a conclusion:
- What are the reasons for (the pros) learning about the past?
- What are the reasons against (the cons) learning about the past?
- Reach a decision. Is it valuable to learn about past events?
- One list may have more points than the other.
- Some points have a greater importance than others.
One way to approach this Talk Time is to have a debate with people in your household. This will not only help you generate ideas but also practise a range of oracy skills. The last half term’s focus was building on the views of others and reasoning. When someone raises a point that you’re in agreement with, use one of the following phrases to start your response:
- I agree with you because…
- That’s a good point. I also think that…
- Furthermore, I’ll add that…
On the other hand, you may disagree with a point made by a family member. When that’s the case, it can be hard not to interrupt them. The oracy focus for this half term is turn taking. To be respectful of others’ opinions, wait until a person has finished speaking and then respond using one of these sentence starters or one of your own:
- I hear what you’re saying but…
- That’s a good point. However…
- I understand your point but…
19 January 2024
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
Our Talk Time this week relates to the vocabulary that we’re learning about in our current History topic.
Thinking about the new topic vocabulary, I can begin to use the words at home.
Years 1 and 2 History vocabulary:
| past | something that has already happened |
| present | something that is happening now |
| ancient | very old |
| modern | the present day |
| similarity | when something is the same |
| difference | when something is different |
| sequence | put in the correct order |
| trade | an area of land ruled by a monarch (a king or queen) |
| timeline | a list of important events arranged in order |
Years 3 and 4 History vocabulary:
| chronology | arrangement of events or dates in time order |
| empire | a large group of countries or states ruled by an emperor |
| invasion | when a country or region is invaded by an armed force |
| tax | a payment you must make to a ruler or government |
| to resist | to stand up to or fight back against something |
| innovation | an improvement or replacement for something |
| bias | a viewpoint that may be based more on opinion than fact |
| kingdom | an area of land ruled by a monarch (a king or queen) |
Years 5 and 6 History vocabulary:
| chronology | arrangement of events or dates in time order |
| primary source | a source of evidence created at the time of event (eg diaries, letters, photographs, newspaper articles, artefacts) |
| secondary source | a source of evidence created after time of the event (eg replica objects, text books, illustrations) |
| invasion | when a country or region is invaded by an armed force |
| civilisation | the society considered most advanced at a time |
| caliph | ruler in a Muslim country |
| golden-age | a time when an activity or society is at its best |
| innovation | an improvement or replacement for something |
| trade | the exchange of goods and services |
| impact | the effect one thing has on another |
Some of the words may not have been covered in class yet so be sure to refer to the definitions for words your child seems less confident about.
Encourage your child to think back to their history 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?
- Can you link this word to one or more of the other words?
- Which of these words would you group together?
- Are there any synonyms (words with the same or similar meaning)?
- Are there any antonyms (words with the opposite meaning)?
This Talk Time provides the perfect opportunity to apply some of the oracy skills that we’ve been working on so far this year. These R2s will help your child to speak about the vocabulary confidently, fluently and at a good pace:
- Make eye contact and have good posture when speaking (and listening).
- Recall learning from class to help you remember the words you’ve used so far.
- Take time to think about each word before trying to explain it.
Challenge yourself to play the ‘Erm…’ game. Start a stopwatch when you begin talking about a word. Keep the time running until you say a filler phrase like ‘erm’, ‘umm’, ‘you know’, ‘like’ or pause for more than a few seconds. Have a couple of attempts for each word to see if you can improve on your timings. How long can you talk for?
15 December 2023
Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
Living and Learning is the focus of this week’s Talk Time:
I can describe different ways that people look after their mental health.
I can describe how I look after my own mental health.
Increasingly, we hear about the importance of mental health. Talk at home about different ways to look after your mental health. This might include restricting screen time, getting enough sleep, and taking time – even just five minutes – as a family to relax and recuperate after a busy day.
We all get worked up from time to time – how do different people calm down? At home, explore different strategies to calm down. These may be as simple as counting to ten, going for a walk, getting a glass of water – discuss what works for you and your child.
Finally, further information about mental health can be found on the Public Health England (PHE) website ‘Every Mind Matters’ website providing NHS-endorsed tips and advice to help children and young people’s mental wellbeing and equip parents and carers with knowledge to support them.