Oak Tree Class Blog
Oak Tree Class Blog
Week 1, ending 23 February
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Viraaj
Special Mention: Lillie
Well done to these children!
Welcome back to school for Spring Term 2! K-Pop has greeted the children every day – from BTS to 2NE1…(every day is a school day, even for teachers!).
This week, even though it has only been four days for the children, has been super busy. We have started back on fractions, including multiplying them and we are continuing to look at the conventions of newspapers.
In other news (!), Oliver rehearsals continue and we are all enjoying putting together the scenes and songs, as well as designing and making the scenery for our production. Hopefully, costumes are being collected together by family and friends - please do contact me if there is an issue regarding the clothing your child needs. Email me, as usual, at oak@ruffordparkprimary.org.uk
In our Art unit this term, we have been looking at American landscapes and the children thoroughly enjoyed piecing together their own American Landscape, in the style of Ansel Adams, by cutting at and overlaying key images from his phenomenal photographs. I was really wowed by the finished products!
Rivers was the theme for our topic lesson this week – a real geography skills session, where the children looked at maps and atlases, comparing a river in California and the river Wharfe. I have challenged the children to learn the names of ten rivers this term, including five from Great Britain. Perhaps you could help them with this too? We are making a real effort to develop our geography knowledge during this topic.
I hope you have a lovely weekend,
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos
Week 5, ending 9 February 2024
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Henry M
Special Mention: Finn
Well done to these children this week!
Rap and Hip Hop have greeted the children each morning – don’t worry though, I have vetted each and every song to ensure a ‘clean’ version has been played!
This week has been Internet Safety Week – and here is a link for you to follow and hopefully help to start a conversation with your children about this very important subject.
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers
We have spent quite a lot of time in discussion about how important it is that we keep ourselves as safe online, as we do irl. (in real life!)
Maths has been the short method for division, but we are also introducing an Arithmetic Test each week in Y5. This is in a bid to prepare the children well for their prospective work in Y6so any help you can give your child in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions would be very helpful. Each child has the aim to improve the score (even by one mark!)) each week. Science has been more about Forces and we also learned about the Water Cycle in our Topic session – which seems more science-y than geography really. But it does filter in nicely with work on rivers. We had our inter-team rugby tournament as well in PE. A very busy week!
Letters should be in bags about costumes for Oliver and the song words should be there too!
A fun half term was finished with our second try at Oak Tree's Got Talent. Winners pics are attached! First = Da Squirting Squirtles and Second was Amber
Have a super half term.
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos
Week 4, ending 2 February
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Rumina
Special Mention: Luke
Well done to these children this week!
At last January is over!! Woop! What an inordinately long month it seemed to be!!
Another busy busy week in Oak Tree Class, but we really seem to be motoring through the Y5 curriculum and seeing some great progress!
Our music genre this week has been Disco – and even though YMCA probably received the largest response, the Bee Gees ‘Stayin’ Alive’ had lots of heads bopping to the beat!
We have finally completed our non-chronological reports and each child has produce a fantastic double page spread on the theme of Twinned Towns/Sister Cities. Miss Suggitt and I hope to display them as soon as possible.
Methods for long multiplication have been learned in maths – some of you may well recall the ‘grid method’? Lots of children have really seen the benefit of using this technique before moving onto the more traditional algorithm for long multiplication. Homework this week reflects this learning – please do support your child in these questions and encourage them to show all their working out.
We have continued learning the skills for Tag Rugby in PE and next week, there is hopefully going to be an intra-school Tag Rugby competition which is very exciting! [Pray for good weather!!]
An extra home learning task the children have been set is to try to memorise as many US state names as they can – and, if possible, their abbreviated form eg NY for New York, FL for Florida. This work complements our studies in geography, where we will soon be comparing Yorkshire with the Western USA. Many children are thoroughly enjoying this work, I am pleased to say.
I hope you all enjoy your weekends,
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos
Week 2, ending 26 January, 2024
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Lilly W
Special Mention: Corey
A super week for these children especially!
As the children have come into class each morning, their ears have been assailed with the sounds of ‘Girl Power’ bands. It is probably no surprise to hear that the Spice Girls caused the best reaction!
In English lessons, we have been continuing to write non-chronological reports about the city of Leeds and a town it has been twinned with. The children have found it interesting to research facts, not only about places as far afield as Durban, South Africa, but also about their own city! Hopefully, these pieces of work will be completed next week.
In Maths, work has begun on long multiplication – once again, it is clear that the children who have a ready knowledge of their times tables have found this unit much easier than those who don’t. Please spend time practising these at home, if your child struggles to recall these facts. 6x, 7x and 8x seem to be the weakest tables in Oak Tree Class. Homework this weekend will be to consolidate this method – good luck!
Along with PE, Computing, Art, French and other subjects, we have spent time creating a piece of art work on the theme of the Fragility of Freedom. This work will be displayed in school, to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day (27th January). I was really touched by the sensitive and mature approach the children displayed towards this subject.
Enjoy your weekend,
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos
Week 2, ending 19 January 2024
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Ezmae
Special Mention: Daisyrose
A special well done to these children!
This week, Rock has been the genre of music the children have entered into class with. Foo Fighters seem to have been the most popular rock band, judging by the head banging I witnessed!
In English, we have begun to research information to be able to write non chronological reports. We have each chosen a city or town that has been twinned with Leeds and we are finding all about similarities and differences between the two places. It is very interesting.
In Maths, we have finished Fractions – hurray! Next week, we will begin working on Multiplication and Division, so any extra time you can find to spend on revising all those times tables (up to 12 x 12) will be time well spent. In this unit, methods for long multiplication and short division are covered and times table knowledge is of paramount importance for both.
In Art this term, we are looking at US artists and their work - particularly American landscapes. This week, we explored the work of John Singer Sargent and tried hard to draw ‘the other half’ of one of his paintings. The final results were spectacular! We used pencil crayons, but we shall be exploring other media as the term progresses.
PE continues to be Tag Rugby and Modern Dance. The children work extremely well in these sessions and give their all at all times. Due to the icy conditions though, Tag Rugby had to be held indoors.
I hope you all have a fabulous weekend – some of you will probably be listening to children learning lines for our production of Oliver! The children have until half term to learn all their lines and cues – they are all so very keen, which is marvellous.
Homework is Maths and Spellings – words with the suffix -ity.
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos