Week beginning 18th June

Literacy

This week, we will be looking at how good we are at persuading people to come round to our way of thinking. We will be dividing the classes into half...one half will be animal rights campaigners – the other half will be circus owners.

By the end of the week, we will have covered issues such as bias and writing for different audiences.

While composing the pieces of writing, we will be focussing on the following:

Style: sentence construction
· Adapt or rearrange sentences in relationship to persuasive texts, using subordinate clauses to add information, to give reasons and to explain.
· Write complex sentences, selecting and using a wide range of subordinators.

Style: language effects
· Use well-chosen phrases and vocabulary to engage the reader.
· Use appropriate grammatical features for different text types.

Purpose and organisation

· Draw writing, both narrative and non-fiction forms, towards a defined conclusion.
· Use a repertoire of causal and logical connectives as well as those that signal time, e.g. however, therefore, next, meanwhile.
· In non-fiction, elaborate the basic structure of text types in order to make writing more effective in relation to audience and purpose.
· to construct an argument using note form or full text to persuade others of a point of view;
· to understand how writing can be adapted for different audiences and purposes.
· to construct an argument to persuade others of a point of view;
· to use connectives to link clauses within sentences and to link sentences in longer texts.
· to construct an argument to persuade others of a point of view;
· to use connectives to link clauses and sentences (see pp.130–1 Grammar for Writing);
· to investigate clauses.

When we are marking your piece of writing, we will using the following statements from the marking ladders:

· I stated my point of view clearly in the introduction and in the conclusion
· I backed up each argument with relevant evidence and detail
· My argument is mainly in the present tense
· I used conditionals
· I used connectives: to structure the argument: ‘first’, ‘finally’; to link ideas with in the argument: ‘because’, ‘consequently’
· I used persuasive devices such as: statistics, emotive language; rhetorical questions

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/writing/index.asp?topic=Persuasive mini lessons to help you get to grips with persuasive writing. Have a look at the teacher’s section too!
http://www.little-g.com/shockwave/hotel.html although this is aimed at younger children, the questions that are asked via the ‘story machine’, will give you a few ideas for your own writing
http://www.kidsonthenet.org.uk/dragonsville/poster.htm designing a persuasive poster. Maybe you could use your ICT skills to print your own design off?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/activities/argument.shtml choose an activity and then argue against your partner’s point of view.

Numeracy

The year 6’s will continue to work on their transition booklets, whilst the year 5’s will be working on the following objectives:

· Express a quotient as a fraction or as a decimal when dividing a whole number by 2, 4, 5 or 10

http://teacher.scholastic.com/maven/virtual/index.htm solve the mystery by answering the multiple choice questions
http://nwlg.org/pages/resources/ma_num/swf/para002c.html click on the percentages which match the fractions in the top left hand corner
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/shockwave/games/saloonsnap.html if you spot a snap, click on the bell, but you have to be quick!
http://www.ictgames.com/equivalence.html drag the fractions, decimals and percentages onto the correct place on the number lines
http://www.mathplayground.com/Matching_Fraction_Percent.html click on the cards to turn them over and see if you can find the matching pairs.
http://www.freewebs.com/weddell/FDP%20contents.html choose whether you want to convert decimals to fractions or vice versa
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/fracto.html play on the ‘decifractor’ to change a fraction into a decimal
http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/decimals/fraction%20of%20amount.swf finding fractions of amounts

· Represent halves, tenths, and fifths as fractions and decimals

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/3_num_multiply/eng/Introduction/default.htm click on each of the lesson parts to take you through each section, step by step
http://www2.sherston.com/freebees/act/MSactivity/loadms.htm imagine that you are in the sandwich shop – this is a spreadsheet simulation, in which you have to calculate how much money your shop has made
http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/short_multiplication/3x1contents.swf multiplying a HTU number by a single digit
http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/long_multiplication/long%20multiplication.swf multiplying a two digit number by another two digit number. This shows you how to use the grid method to multiply numbers together.
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/teachingresources/mathematics/nns_itps/multiplication_grid/num_itp_multi_grid_2_2.swf another example of the grid method for multiplication

· Use informal written methods to support, record or explain multiplications

· Identify and use appropriate operations (including combinations of operations) to solve word problems

http://www.actionmath.com/GSM2/GSM2wp1.html solve the word problems for the baseball game
http://www.actionmath.com/GSM1/GSMwp1.html solve the word problems for the baseball game
http://www.actionmath.com/Katie2/Katie2wp1.html solve the word problems for the baseball game
http://www.actionmath.com/Katie1/Katiewp1.html solve the word problems for the baseball game
http://www.mathplayground.com/mathhoops_Z1.html again, solve the word problems in order to win the basketball game
http://www.interactivestuff.org/sums4fun/nummaze.htmluse use your multiplication knowledge in order to move the circles around the grid
http://www.channel4learning.net/sites/puzzlemaths/ how many of the puzzles can you solve?
http://www.transum.org/Software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/index.htm look back at this site every day for a new word problem

By the end of the week, you could be able to:

· Represent the remainder as a fraction, using the divisor as the denominator
· Use the grid method for multiplying three-digit numbers by two-digit numbers or by numbers to one decimal place
· Identify the key words and select the appropriate calculation

Geography

This week, we will be reviewing our knowledge of the water cycle and describing in using the words evaporation and condensation. We will also be discussing how site conditions can influence the weather. We will be looking at the playground or school field and asking the children to note run-off – water collection areas – after rainfall. We will be identifying areas of poor drainage; measuring how puddles change over time; photographing and tracing changes; and carrying out controlled experiments in the classroom.

By the end of the week, we will have:

· drawn puddle maps to scale
· described what happens to rain water when it reaches the ground
· identified forms in which water occurs in the environment


http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/riversandcoasts/water_cycle/rivers/index.shtml lots of information to refresh your memory about the water cycle. Can you remember all the vocabulary? Click on the animated diagram to show you step by step how the cycle works.

http://www.angliacampus.com/public/pri/geog/rivers/ lots of ideas and links for all things to do with rivers and how they are formed.

Look back at all the links for Rivers and Coasts from last week’s blog to help.

Design and Technology

The children worked really hard on the start of their Spanish Galleon last week and are ready to apply the flourishes this week. We have even christened the vessel the Santa Vincent!! A huge thanks to Mrs Lockett, without whom, this would never have got off the ground (or set sail!!) We have even heard a rumour that Foundation Stage children can’t wait to come and conduct the boat’s maiden voyage! Photographs will be put on the blog when it’s finished.

First Holy Communions

The children in Year 3 will be receiving their First Holy Communion this Saturday at St.Joseph’s Church. We and they, would love you to join them at 9.30am for their special day. Our prayers and thoughts will be with them and their families as they continue on their spiritual journey.

Future planning

For those parents who need to book time off work, the Leaver's Mass will take place on the last day of term, but now at 10.30am in the school hall. Thank you for your understanding with this.

Have a good week.

Year 5/6 team