Monday 26th January

Welcome to this week's blog. The children had a fantastic time last week starting their islands homework. We had a show and tell session on Friday in all the classes and lots of certificates were given out for the their excellent islands. Mr Barker handed out some head teacher's stickers too. Well done to every one!

HOMEWORK WEEK TWO

Spellings are sent out as normal to learn for a test on Friday but the children do not need to do sentences.

Maths homework is given out by their Numeracy teacher and will be marked on a Friday.

How did you get to your island?

Write about your arrival at the island. Explain who you are with and how you got there. Try to think of an unusual and interesting way to arrive. The children need to put it on A4 paper and can write and draw. We are keeping this work on paper in a file so that at the end we can put it all together and make a front cover. Please do not put it into their homework book.

PARENT'S MEETINGS

Last week we sent out letters about parent's evening in February. We will try our hardest to give you the times requested but obviously sometimes we may have to change them slightly to suit the demand. Please send in any outstanding letters and also the swimming medical forms. Thank you.

Friends of St Vincent’s

The friends held a meeting in school last Friday at 3pm, in response to a dwindling turnout at their evening meetings. There were a few new faces, but they would love to have many more! They have helped to provide many of the new equipment and resources that we have in school, and the greater their numbers, the easier the workload! They have offered to make some drawstring bags for us, in order to store some of the new playground equipment. To help with this, they have asked that if anyone has any material which they wish to donate, then please send it into school. Maybe you have some old duvet covers that you no longer need, or some material that you promised you make something from! Many thanks in anticipation of your generosity.

LITERACY

We move onto read Chapter 4 of Grandpa Chatterji this week. The children are really enjoying this book and this week we find out what happens when Grandpa Leicester comes to visit. We are continuing our work on SPEECH and how to write conversations using correct layout and punctuation.

http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/literacy/lit_site/lit_sites/speech_marks/index.htm

As well as that we are also exploring SYNONYMS for SAID

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/english/bgfl/dont_use_said/

Monday is, as usual, our Spell Well and Comprehension day.

http://woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/revision/engindex.html - have a go at some of the comprehensions on this page

NUMERACY

The children continue to work hard on learning their times tables and number bond facts. Keep plugging away at them:

http://tutpup.com/

http://www.wmnet.org.uk/resources/gordon/Hit%20the%20button%20v9.swf

In Mrs Harding's group we had to spend longer than I thought on adding decimals so need to start the multiplication this week. We also will be reviewing co ordinates and kilometres/metres too.

COULD use 3, 4 and 5 digit no.s to x
SHOULD be able to x 2 and 3 digit no.s.
SHOULD be able to x decimals by 10, 100 and 1000.
MUST be able to find a coordinate in the first quadrant.

http://www.multiplication.com/interactive_games.htm

http://www.coolmath.com/prealgebra/02-decimals/index.html

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=washindex6

http://www.mathszone.co.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/multiplication/written/worksheet.shtml

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/shape.htm#Coordinates

http://www.topicbox.net/browse.php?subject=Maths&topic=Direction%20including%20coordinates

Miss Robinson's group are moving on to ADDITION and SUBTRACTION. We will be reviewing the skills we have already got under our belts and then pushing ourselves further by learning about Column Addition and possibly even onto Column Subtraction.

By the end of the week the children:

MUST be able to add or subtract a single digit number from a 2 digit number.

SHOULD be able to add or subtract 2 digit numbers.

COULD be able to add or subtract using the method of Column Addition or Column Subtraction.

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=digitmenu

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/numberskills.html - how good are you at knowing your Number Bonds?

http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/pyramid.html

http://www.mathszone.co.uk/ - +/- Section

http://www.mape.org.uk/startower/sums/index.htm

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.

In Mrs Bethell's group this week we are continuing to learn our times tables and are also moving onto learning about fractions. Initially we will be finding fractions of shapes, then we will move onto fractions of numbers. In order to be able to calculate fractions of numbers, children must know their times tables.

Children must know their 2,3,4,5,10 times tables
Children could work out fractions of pictures- write the fraction shaded in, write the fraction un-shaded
Children should be able to use their tables to find fractions of numbers

http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/fractotron.html

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/fractions/

http://www.mathplayground.com/balloon_invaders.html

http://www.ictgames.com/moneypayer.html

http://www.ictgames.com/caterpillar_slider.html

SCIENCE

This week the children will be reviewing chemical changes and burning.

By the end of the week the children:

COULD know what a chemical change is.
COULD be able to list examples of chemical changes.
SHOULD know what is produced when you burn paper.
MUST know you cannot change a chemical change back.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/rev_irrev_changes_fs.shtml
TOPIC

We will be doing lots of art activities linked to our new topic about India. We will be learning about and exploring Henna patterns. We will be making Henna hands and also be making elephants too. Watch out for our developing display in the hall on Grandpa Chatterji in the next week or so. Here are a few patterns to look at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bethsobel/194390530/

http://www.marcels-kid-crafts.com/free-stained-glass-patterns.html

http://www.marcels-kid-crafts.com/mandala.html

http://woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/india.html

That is all about now for this week,

Take care,
Best wishes

The Three and Four Team
xxx