Weekly Update: 20th April

Information: We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting reading at home, by hearing your child read. Can we ask you to continue to write in the home school diaries, whenever you hear your child read.
Thanks again to parents who have been continuing phonic learning at home, using websites provided in the blog. Updated phonic tests were given out in home school diaries before half term.

Literacy:
This week we are learning about non-chronological reports. We are focusing on bats and will be finding out facts we already know and what we would like to learn. We will find out the difference between fact and fiction. The children will use a variety of resources including factsheets, the internet, reports, non-fiction books and video clips. The children will be using this information to make their own factsheets and documentaries which will be filmed. 

Ask your child what they know about bats. Where do they live? What do they eat?

Have a go at some fun online literacy games at home.
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/literacy/
 http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy.html
 http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks1literacy.html

Maths:
This week we will be continuing to practice our x2, x3, x5 and x10 Times Tables. We will also be starting to investigate fractions of shapes. Being able to identify and colour halves and quarters of simple shapes. We will also be looking at fractions of quantities finding a half, then a quarter by halving again.

Here are some websites to have a go at:

Times Tables:
http://www.arcademics.com/games/tractor-multiplication/tractor-multiplication.html
http://resources.oswego.org/games/Ghostblasters1/gbcd.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/multiplication/play/

Fractions:
http://resources.hwb.wales.gov.uk/VTC/ngfl/ngfl-flash/fractions/fractions.html
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/fractionflags/fractionflags.html

Topic:

This week we will start our new topic for this half-term called ‘Plants’.
It is a really interesting topic that focuses on science and art.  So your children will hopefully be coming home with lots of interesting facts to tell you!

In the first lesson the children will be discussing what we mean by plants and why plants are so important to us.  We will learn what seeds need to grow into healthy plants.  The children will grow their own cress – taking responsibility to make sure that their pot is nurtured correctly to allow the cress seeds to grow.  Just to check that seeds need daylight and water we will place some seeds in the dark and ‘forget’ to water other seeds – it will be the children’s job to document the results!

Interesting fact – did you know that some plants are carnivores, gaining nutrients by eating various small insects and spiders! A well known example of a carnivorous plant is the Venus Flytrap.

Come and See:

This week we are continuing a new topic called “Change.” We will be exploring the fact that we change and grow. 

We will read the story based on Mark 11:1-11 and ask the key questions:

* Where did Jesus get the donkey from?
* What did the people use to wave with?
* What did they put on the road?
* Why do you think they did that?
* Where have you heard the words ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’?

Have a great week
Year 1/2 Team