Oak Tree Class Blog
Oak Tree Class Blog
Week 5, ending 8 December
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Isabel
Special Mention: Viraaj
Very well done to these children!
Dance music has been the music genre this week each morning. Calvin Harris’ track featuring Dua Lipa gained the most attention, I think. But none of the children had heard of Calvin Harris – just Dua Lipa!
After weeks of researching, planning, writing and editing, the children have finally finished publishing their biographies on Dr Barnardo. The work really is astonishing! I am so pleased with all their efforts. Hopefully, you will have found a copy of their publications in their bags and can see the progress they have already made this year.
Fractions continues in Maths. This week, we have been trying to find ways in which we can compare two different fractions. This has been quite tricky to understand, but it is so useful when we move onto adding and subtracting fractions later in the term.
Our Gymnastics lesson was great fun this week – while learning how to move backwards into a ‘bridge’, the children also put together sequences that displayed other balances they have been learning. Their final sequences were really polished and the children demonstrated some great team work in this task.
Once again, using Digimaps in our topic session was a highlight. The children really enjoyed looking at their (and your!) address on the modern map – and then comparing it to a map of the same area in 1950 and in 1890. The discussions we had were very rich and they made lots of fantastic observations about their local area(s).
As part of our PSHE topic, where we are exploring how ‘we have more in common than not’, the children have voted to carry out our very own Secret Santa activity. Each child has drawn a child’s name out and needs to buy a gift for that child for between £2 and £3. Gifts should be brought into school by Monday 18th December (wrapped, please!) and we will have fun opening them on our last day of term. I personally think the challenge will be keeping this a secret! (But if this task is a challenge for you, as a family, I have asked the children to let me know so I can sort out enough gifts for everyone. This is not an issue at all.)
I hope you have a lovely weekend – Christmas shopping?
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos
Week 4, ending 1 December
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Blake
Special Mention: Zara
A super well done to these children!
This week, we have been listening to Northern Soul music as we have come into class each morning. Lots of ‘bopping’ while doing our early morning tasks, but Tainted Love, by Gloria Jones was the big hit!
As this has been assessment week, the children have spent a lot of their morning lesson time completing tests, but we have continued to work on writing biographies about Thomas Barnardo.
In Maths, our work on fractions has moved onto looking at improper fractions and mixed numbers. The children’s efforts in these objectives have been brilliant! I have been really encouraged by their working knowledge of these aspects.
By far, the most exciting session for me this week was the use of Digimaps in our Topic session. We looked at a modern map of Yeadon and, by the click of a button, we switched it to a map from 1890. It was so interesting to see the changes over time. I have tried to build in a little more time for the children to use this App next week.
If any of you have any Marble Runs hiding away somewhere, I would really appreciate them being sent in for Weds to Thursday, as our DT lesson could do with a few more.
PLEASE NOTE: our second PE lesson this next week will be on Wednesday, not Thirsday.
(The children have been asking about our Very Victorian Christmas assembly – it has been put on the school newsletter, but it will be on Tuesday 19th December. Really hope lots of you can come along to support it!)
Have a fun (snowy?) weekend!
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos
Week 3, ending 24 November
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Amelia
Special Mention: Niamh
Well done to these children!
Rock-a-billy and Rock ‘n’ Roll music have greeted us in class each morning – Elvis was by far the most commented upon artist! Lots of children said that their parents/grandparents loved listening to Elvis Presley.
We have continued to draft biographies about Thomas Barnardo, thinking carefully about crafting sentences to say exactly what we mean. As well as writing neatly in pen. And not forgetting to check for spelling and punctuation accuracy! I am looking forward to seeing each published biography next week.
Equivalent fractions have been the mainstay of maths this week – we shall be spending a little longer on this concept too, as it seems to be one that the children have found tricky. Any support you can give with this in homework would be welcomed. (Often, hearing it explained by someone else can work wonders!)
Our history skills have moved on tremendously by our topic session all about primary and secondary sources of information. What an enjoyable and informative session we had!
Finally, well done to those children who are remembering to read regularly at home! We have noticed a bit of a dip in this with our Y5 children and would just like to remind you of the importance of reading. In UKS2, the expectation is that children should still be reading at least 5 times a week (approx. 1 hour of reading combined!) and they can do this independently and fill in their own reading records or with an adult. We are always happy to provide your child with book recommendations and strongly encourage them to come and talk to us if they are not enjoying the books they have chosen.
The Reading Agency is a UK charity with a mission to empower people of all ages to read. Their research shows that:
- One in four children hasn't reached the expected level of reading by the age of 11. Many of these children will struggle to keep up at secondary school.
- Students are less able to learn other subjects if they do not develop sufficient reading skills by the middle of primary school.
- Only 35% of 10-year-olds in England report that they like reading 'very much'. This lags behind countries like Russia (46%), Ireland (46%), New Zealand (44%), and Australia (43%).
- Children who read books often at age 10 and more than once a week at age 16 gain higher results in maths, vocabulary and spelling tests at age 16 than those who read less regularly.
We greatly appreciate everything parents, carers and children do to support reading for pleasure already.
Have a fun-filled weekend - don't forget the Christmas Fayre on Saturday!
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos
Week 2, ending 16 November
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
A short week, due to our Training Day! But in this week, the children have been listening to some good old-fashioned punk or punk pop songs. Paramore’s classic number ‘Still Into You’ seemed to be one of the most popular.
In English, we have begun the process of writing a biography on Dr Thomas Barnardo. I have suggested that if children would like to do a little extra research on this significant Victorian figure, it would certainly help with the flow of their writing. The more information you have, the more interesting and informative your biography will sound.
In Maths, we have had to revisit multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000. Some misconceptions seem to be happening in arithmetic tests, so I thought it best to strike while the iron is hot – hence a similar theme in this week’s homework too. All help would be gratefully received, I am sure.
Football skills and mini games have continued in PE and, from next week, our Monday PE session will be Gymnastics.
At last, we are putting the tubes to good use and we have started our ‘Marbellous’ project in DT. (Pun completely intended). I am looking forward to seeing how our skills develop in this unit – bridges and bends included – as we learn the skills needed to build a marble run,
Have a lovely long weekend.
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos
Week 1, ending 10 November
Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog
Reader: Finn
Special Mention: Rumina
Well done to these children!
Welcome back to school for Autumn 2! Blues music has greeted us each morning in Oak Tree Class and the children seemed mostly to enjoy Gary Clarke Junior.
In Maths, we have finished our unit on multiplication and division by attempting some tricky problem solving activities. I have to say, the children showed true resilience in these tasks and, I am pleased to report, worked wonderfully in small groups: there was a lot of teamwork and co-operation (and also a lot of learning!)
In English, we have looked at a variety of biographies written about people we have learned about lower down the school (eg Florence Nightingale and May Seacole) and have tried hard to identify features of biographies. Over the next couple of weeks, they class will be researching information about Dr Barnardo and presenting their own biography about this significant figure from the Victorian era.
In PE, we have begun our unit on football. In RE, we started our work on Judaism by recalling information we learned about this faith in Years 3 and 4.
Next week, we begin our long-awaited DT work on structures – I look forward to telling you more next Friday!
Have a splendid weekend,
Yours,
Mrs Adrienne Amos