This week we are revising the use of contractions in spelling. Please remember to think about other words which use these rules. Spellings should not just be about a list of 8 to 12 words. It would be impossible to learn to spell every word that way!

didn’t
can’t
hadn’t
wouldn’t
shouldn’t
couldn’t
won’t
I’ll
shan’t
we’ll
don’t
haven’t

We had some “teething issues” with homework this week. These were due to settings in in Purple Mash and my over zealous attempt to mend those issues. In the end, the whole class had the homework reallocated today. Fortunately, I had already looked to see who had already been on Purple Mash and had a go at their homework.

If you hadn’t completed homework please have a go – it should all be in there now for everybody. If homework had been completed and handed in already, please do not redo it – I have a list of those children so there is no need to worry.

Mrs Bernasconi

Following the email sent home by Mrs Derrer, we are once again sending on-line homework This focuses on work we have done in school this week  and should be completed by Wednesday 10th November.

The work is on purple mash and all children have been sent home a password and login. This week the children have one English task on modal verbs, and two number tasks which have their year group assigned to them.

In addition to the on-line homework, children should be reading  for 20 minutes  at least 5 times a week. Whilst we appreciate that in year 5/6 they often want to read to themselves, please discuss their books with them , and hear them read aloud occasionally. Many of our children are voracious readers and it is wonderful to hear them recommending books to each other. We will be setting up a blog on purple mash for children to tell us about their favourite books. Remember  statistics show that children  who read widely as a child are more likely to be economically successful in later life!

Children also have spellings each week and should know how to put them in a sentence that makes sense. This week is common  homophones that children (and adults) often use incorrectly.

Times tables underpin so much of the maths work we do in year 5/6. They can easily become rusty so keep practising!

Thank you for all your continued support.

Wednesday 3rd March

Year 5 and 6

In today’s lesson we are looking at the area of irregular shapes. This is a year 5 objective, but is something we always revise with year 6. I have frequently watched year 6  children in a SATs test try to calculate the area of an irregular shape using a formulae because they are so confident with finding area this way for rectilinear shapes. It isn’t possible to do this for irregular shapes! You need to work out your estimate  by counting the squares. In the video, they number each square. I tend to dot them so I don’t end up counting each square more than once and keep a tally in my head. Either way, you cannot estimate the area without marking each square –  trust me!!

Watch the video

Area of irregular shapes

The first sheet I have set you is counting squares where there are half squares which can be paired up to make whole squares . Your answer is either right or wrong. The second sheet is slightly harder than the first; you can choose if you do both, or the first or second.

Area of shapes counting squares

 Answers area of shapes counting squares

The second sheet involves estimating the area by counting the squares of irregular shapes without straight lines. The answers are all whole numbers and you are allowed to be one cm above or below their answer!

area-of-irregular-shapes-activity-sheets-

The challenge is to do all seven!! In my experience, it is the children that are more careful and don’t rush who are more accurate not the children who are better mathematicians.

Thursday 4th March

Today we are looking at the area of triangles. This is  a year 6 objective, but children in year 5 who are confident finding the area of rectangles always find this quite easy to grasp. In our mixed age class, we tend to teach this to year 5.

In today’s lesson you will use your previous knowledge of estimating and counting to work out the area of different triangles.

Area of a triangle lesson 1

 Area of a triangle worksheet

Answers Area of a triangle (1)

The challenge is the second sheet drawing your own triangles. Take care -use a ruler and a sharp pencil.

Friday 

Today you will be using your knowledge of the area of rectangles to find the are of a right angled triangle.

Area of triangle 2 video

 Area of a triangle (2)

 Answers- Area of a triangle (2)

Year 5 I am happy for you to just do the first sheet . However if you wish to carry on, you can do the second part of the sheet.

Year 6 challenge

challenge area of a triangle

answers challenge area of a triangle

ARITHMETIC

Again, I am including two short arithmetic papers. It is IMPORTANT that you attempt these as scores in the arithmetic paper are easy marks in s SATS test and your ability to calculate allows you to tackle the reasoning problems in the reasoning papers.

Year 5 

Y5-Arithmetic-Half-Test-2a

Y5-Arithmetic-Half-Test-2b

Year 6 

Yr6 -Arithmetic-Paper-2a

Yr 6 -Arithmetic-Paper-2b

Remember we are available to help with any problems you are having with the arithmetic paper or send us an email telling us which areas  of calculation you would like to go over again when you return to school.