Monday 19th May 2008

Welcome to the last week of a very long term. This is the eighth week of the term and we are all getting very tired and ready for a long rest during the holidays. Please be aware that the homework will not be sentences and it will be a talk homework instead this week. The topic this week will be to talk about a foreign country. Please remember to put a comment in their diary or we will not know that they have completed it. No sad faces please for no homework!! The children will have their normal spellings and Numeracy homework.


TEST WEEK

That time of year has arrived for Year 3 and 4 children. Following in our Year 5 and 6 children's footsteps. The Years 5 and 6 were really busy last week doing their tests and we hope that they all get the results that they deserve.
We are aiming to complete most tests this week so that we can carry on with the curriculum. We will probably leave the Numeracy tests until after the holidays as there are not enough spaces in the hall this week. It is going to be an opportunity for you all to show off your learning for this year and will also provide us with the results that are then sent home with the reports in July. For us teachers it is a chance to see what you can remember and also find out where the gaps are to ensure we fill them before you move onto your next year.


It would be really helpful if you can ensure that your child is in every day this week and the first week back as we understand how tricky children find it to sit a test on their own after all their peers have done it. We have found in the past that it can affect their final result.


Well done to any of the children who have moved up in their colour reading scheme book recently. All the children will be tested in the coming week and also after the half term. Most children do move up a colour band. Some even move up two!!! If your child does not move up it could mean that they need extra input with their reading. This not only happens in school with a reading buddy but needs to happen at home. Please make sure you hear your child read every day so that they make the progress they deserve. Please remember that we monitor every week how many children have been heard read at home and have a comment in their diary too.Thank you.


Year Three Holy Communion

Could you please make sure that you have sent back the letter regarding Holy Communion food/flowers that you will supply for the Holy Communion breakfast. We also need lots of parents to help with walking up to church on the Wednesday and Friday just before the Communion day. This form is also on the same letter. Please could we have all information by this week.


LITERACY
In between the tests the children will be reviewing various genres of writing still as well as improving sentences with some more of the Alan Peat work. Please spend some time this week looking back over previous blogs for the different types of writing we have explored this year. It would be valuable for you to re-familiarise and review some for this week.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/main.asp?bookpass=3&s=1


http://www.scholastic.com/magicpickle/


http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/inkheart/character/


http://www.scholastic.com/titles/deardumbdiary/game/diary.htm


NUMERACY

Tables...tables...tables! It's amazing how quickly we can lose our rapid recall of times tables if we neglect them, even for a couple of weeks. Remember that tables permeate all aspects of the Numeracy curriculum. The children do a 100 tables tables test every week before moving onto other things. Use the links below to get them up to tip top condition.


http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/851/Hitthebuttonv7.swfhttp://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/multiples/intro.htmhttp://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/tabletrees.htmlAll


Look back through previous blogs for revision topics or visit:


http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/index.html - to revise areas.

In class this week we will be revising our number skills.


http://www.mape.org.uk/startower/sums/index.htm - solve the column addition and subtraction sums.


http://www.buildabear.com/_graphics/games/flashcards/flashcards.swf - a little bit 'cute' but a good basic level to practise your column addition and subtraction.


http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/apples/default.htm - can you help the monkey save the apples?


http://www.sgfl.org.uk/games/games/maths/countdown - can you make the Target Number?


Mrs Harding's Maths group when we manage to meet up - Will be continuing to review certain topics. The first being data handling. Please see last week's blog for lots of sites for revision too.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/revision_bites/interpretingdata6.shtmlhttp://www.mathszone.co.uk/http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/timestable/index.html


That is all for this half term. Please make sure that you have a really good holiday before we come back for the final six weeks of a very successful year.

Bye for now,
The Three and Four team.