Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  6th July 2015:

• This fortnight has drawn together many of the subjects covered over the year.
• We danced to Mars, Bringer of War from the Planets by Holst, combining movement, art and response to rhythm on mass with the whole of year 5.
• Year 6 have had several transition events to the high school, making craft objects and scones.
• Our seed models are looking fantastic. They are designed to demonstrate a principle of seed dispersal and are to be accompanied by a poster detailing construction, dispersal, influences and the challenges faced while being made.
• Our maths have focused upon problem solving, working out formula for tricky area and space questions and organising our work systematically into tables, diagrams and drawings to help us spot patterns and derive working formula.
• We have looked at the art work of Nek Chand, a brilliant Indian artist who created his own magical world, the Rock Gardens of Chandigarh.
• We had a visit from the local Fire Fighters, who let us climb all over their Fire Engines, and answered many of our questions. We revised our knowledge of fire safety and the fire triangle.
• We had a transition morning in our new classes for September.
• Year 6 have received their SAT’s grades. Well done Year 6, amazing work and a well-deserved round of applause!

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  22nd June 2015:

• This week we have been looking at riddles and conundrums. We’ve tried answering famous ones and invented ones of our own.
• Following on from the riddles, we also thought about questions to which nobody knows the answer, compiling a long list ourselves and then selecting individual questions to ponder, investigate and think about. Some of it got VERY deep! Excellent cogitations Drake class.
• We have continued to investigate fractions, equivalent fractions, adding and subtracting them and finding fractions of amounts, such as ⅖ of £180.
• Our ‘Alien Adaptation’ projects we put on display, and what an fantastic, imaginative and ambitious selection there was this time. Simply amazing! A big thank you to any parents or family who assisted in their creation, the results were stunning.
• In maths, puzzles have continued to puzzle us, as have they in art in which we have been making optical illusions.
• In science/D&T, we have returned to where we started the year, back to seeds and seed dispersal. Our learning will focus upon creating model seeds that demonstrate an understanding of the principles of seed dispersal, such as burrs, wings, parachutes, ingestion or any of the other incredible ways seeds disperse.
• Thank you for coming to our open classrooms, it’s always brilliant to show off the children’s hard work.
•  

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  15th June 2015:

• Spain has been our focus this week.
• We have learned flamenco dancing, creating videos of our choreography and appraising both the dance and our abilities to perform.
• We looked at the famous Spanish artist Joan Mirò. By emulating the colour schemes (primarily red, blue, yellow and black) we were able to make pictures that looked like his. We then tapped into our subconscious minds to create surrealist drawings that we coloured/painted to create very large works.
• Spanish food tasting was a great hit; olives, chorizo, tomatoes, olive bread, watermelon, cherries, Monchego cheese and more were all tried, graded, discussed and evaluated.
• We have looked at a particular region of Spain, creating 3D maps of these locals and discovering facts and information about that particular area.
• In Literacy we have continued with our work on ‘The Planets’ animation. Our comics have been finished, the stories written, edited and improved, the play scripts performed and holiday brochures for the planets made.
• We also have had extra first-aid training, revisiting our first response knowledge, CPR, practicing on dummies and perfecting our use of the recovery position. Life saving skills about which the children in Drake demonstrated superb attitude and knowledge
• Finally, it is Drakes assembly this week, and we have been putting together a show to demonstrate our learning in recent weeks.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

The new project ‘Alien Adaptations’  is due in on 23^rd June - THIS COMING TUESDAY! Details in homework books.

IS YOURS READY?

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  8th June 2015:

• We have had a strange week filled with new experiences and exciting events.
• Year 6 had their first transition day to Thorpe High School – an amazing and long awaited day! They were all very brave and seem to have taken it in their stride.
• Year 6 also went to Kings Lynn to visit the Corn Exchange. We were lucky enough to watch the BBC Concert Orchestra perform 10 pieces of famous classical music such as A Night on the Bare Mountain, Zadok the Priest and The Firebird Suite.
• Drake Class have been working with Year 1, doing a Tree Challenge activity where Years 5 & 6 taught Year 1 children how to measure the circumference of trees to work out their age. We then did data handling to create graphs that showed our data.
• We have watched ‘The Planets’ animation again and we are currently creating comics, play scripts, stories and holiday brochures about or for these amazing worlds!
• Year 5 have been working extremely hard in mathematics lessons to master fraction; adding them, finding the lowest common denominators, converting improper fractions into mixed numbers and, on Friday, subtracting fractions!
• John Lewis came in to visit on Thursday and Year 5 made wool figures/characters/dolls. It was a fantastic morning which resulted in the children each having their own little person (mostly ninjas) to take home.
• We also had a pantomime on Tuesday, where a professional group performed Alice in Wonderland for the whole school! It was very silly, very funny and very much enjoyed by all!
• Phew. What a week… fete on Saturday!

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

The new project has been given out: ‘Alien Adaptations’. Details in homework books – due in 23^rd June.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  1^st June 2015:

• We spent Monday investigating circuits and electronic components. We built various circuits testing the brightness of bulbs with differing power sources and additional components. Many of us then applied our learning to constructing games or tablets that activated buzzers or lights when certain areas were pressed. Others took on challenges to test their scientific investigation skills – including making a solar powered vehicle.
• In maths year 5 have been looking closely at fractions. We have been comparing them, ordering them and converting improper fractions into mixed numbers, such as;  ⅖+ ⅖ = 6/5 or 1 ⅕
• We have been learning about the Islamic faith, a subject very few of us knew anything about at all. Now we are very well informed about the basics of the faith and we have explored how Muslims pray, where they pray and learned about the five pillars of the Islamic faith. We have also made our own Islamic style artwork using shapes, pattern and tessellation.
• In literacy we have begun looking at an animated film called ‘The Planets’, which shows twelve very different worlds. We have been describing these and finding synonyms for our adjectives to create powerful and detailed descriptions.
• Our water-colour skills have also been used to finish our pictures of the ‘future evolution’ of humans – we have speculated what humans may look like to adapt to changing environmental challenges and alternative visions of the future.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

The new project has been given out: ‘Alien Adaptations’. Details in homework books – due in 23^rd June.

Other homework: Mr Clark’s maths group in Year 5 have fraction based homework – two sheets! Year 6 have an open ended puzzle.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  18^th May 2015:

• Well, SAT’s are over and well done the Year 6 children who tackled these difficult tests with such resilience and spirit! As you can imagine, they were fairly time consuming and we’re all pleased that they’re over.
• Year 5 have had extended PE lessons while SAT’s took place. They also did additional science lessons, investigating how to make a ‘perfect sandcastle’.
• Year 6 got to go to Jamie Oliver’s restaurant and try a variety of foods, including making their own sandwiches. Two children were selected as ‘future chefs’ for the skills they demonstrated to staff in the kitchens.
• Out topic on evolution has drawn to a close, with a close look at the evolution of homo sapiens and comparisons between our body structure and our distant ancestors. We have also speculated on what humans may look like in the future!
• Friday has been a ‘Save Play’ day, and the children have had extended playtimes with adults organizing traditional games.
• Maths has continued as normal and Year 5 continues to work fantastically to master calculations and their fluency with number and fractions.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

The new project has been given out: ‘Alien Adaptations’. Details in homework books.

Get started over the half term – due in 23^rd June.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  5^th May 2015:

• In literacy we have been writing from the point of view of Charles Darwin, recounting his first experiences on the Galapagos Islands. In depth study of the islands and the creatures found there have given our work a touch of authenticity and allowed us to really stretch our use of descriptive language.
• In numeracy Year 6 continued SATs revision, Year 5 have had to complete some QCA tests to act as a benchmark against teacher assessment and to help us develop some test/exam skills.
• We have looked at the Galapagos Island, focusing upon the traits of its inhabitants and the links between passing these traits on to successive generations to increase an animal’s ability to compete in for survival.
• We have used a variety of beaks to try to eat different foods and related this to the finches that Darwin examined upon the various islands.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

No homework this week. Year 6 need rest for the forthcoming SAT’s.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  20th April 2015:

• In literacy we have examined recounts of memories, looking at the specific tools needed to write ‘lively’ recounts. The tools needed are quite complicated and we have been practising putting them into effect – using quotations, imbedded clauses, interesting conjunctives and better opening words.
• In numeracy Year 6 continued SATs revision, Year 5 have continued exploring the Fibonacci sequence through pattern, squared numbers, the Golden ratio (1.618) and fruit/flower parts.
• We have looked at Charles Darwin and his work on the theory of natural selection through adaptation to an environmental change or factor. To initiate this we have begun with that old classic, camouflage.
• The pond has been a major focus this week. We collected creatures from it and from the surrounding area and studied them, bringing them indoors to sketch and make observations from.
• We have done practice SAT’s papers and looked at Spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics homework.

Different maths homework, depending upon maths classes. (Everyone has some!)

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  13th April 2015:

• In literacy we have been using the features suggested by Pie Corbett to improve our sentences; changing words, dropping in words, adding on, special effects, reordering, trimming, changing sentence type, making something happen or injecting extra detail. Our writing on this has led to some hilarious paragraphs as we started with adorable rabbits and seem to have finished with swarms of zombie bunnies.
• In numeracy Year 6 continued SATs revision, Year 5 have been exploring the Fibonacci sequence through pattern, squared numbers, the Golden ratio (1.618) and fruit/flower parts. Others have been exploring fractions, often with Smarties… which obviously have to be eaten afterwards.
• We learned about algorithms by working out a program to make a sandwich-bot make a jam sandwich. It’s very difficult to do!
• A major focus this term will be the study of evolution, Charles Darwin’s voyage to the Galapagos, the ‘tree of life’ and the associated science topics. So far we have looked at his early life,  heard about the world view at the time ‘Origin of the species’ was published and had a go ourselves at drawing and recording our observations of natural creatures and plants in the wild.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics homework.

Different maths homework, depending upon maths classes. (Everyone has some!)

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  23rd March 2015:

• This has been a week of finishing off work, dotting i’s, crossing t’s and generally completing any outstanding work that remained.  
• There have been Jabberwock models to finish; these incredible figures are truly ‘burbling nightmares!’ Fantastic.
• We made Easter baskets (complete with chocolate eggs) constructed from modroc, painted, varnished, decorated, filled and labelled. They were part of our ‘Heart Shaped Mind’ theme this week and were made as gifts to others we care about. (Not to be consumed by the children!)
• In numeracy we did an end of term assessment to help create next terms targets.  
• Year 5 have continued their healthy eating/football skill activity on Thursday afternoons. Poor old year 6 have even more additional reading comprehension practise! Will it never end?
• On Friday we watched ‘Alice in Wonderland’, because it adds context to the poems we have been studying, but also because we figured we’d earned it!
• There was also a massive cake sale by the PTFA, which we all did our best to help by eating lots of cake!

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics homework.

Year 6 have an AMAZING resource this Easter. Our revision pack has helped every previous Year 6 revise for the forthcoming SAT’s and we strongly advise this year’s cohort to do the same. Fill it in, a bit every day. IT WILL HELP!

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  16th March 2015:

• On Tuesday we all went to Eaton Vale activity centre and ran, jumped, drove, shot, swung, fell, slid, skid, climbed, dangled and hunted our way through a very busy day.
• In literacy we read our completed Jabberwocky stories to the Year 4 children, who where a fantastic audience and gave us superb feedback and comments.
• We also wrote instructions on how to either fire an arrow safely or how to fire an air rifle safely. We made our instructions clear, chronological and used lots of imperative verbs.
• In numeracy we looked at circles, the radius, diameter, circumference and the relationship π (Pi, or 3.141…) has in calculations.
• Year 5 have continued their healthy eating/football skill activity on Thursday afternoons. Poor old year 6 have additional reading comprehension practise!
• The constructed intricate wire frame armatures of Jabberwocky’s have been covered in Modroc and painted.
• We also did our best to observe the eclipse using pinhole cameras, although cloudy weather impeded our view somewhat.  
• It is our assembly at the end of Friday, where we will try to explain to the rest of the school the myriad of things we have been learning and doing. Gulp!

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics homework.

Children are receiving maths homework from their maths groups. Each will have different depending upon year and teacher.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  9th March 2015:

• In literacy we finished writing our stories about the extraordinary events that take place in the poem The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. We had a #story starter’ and then used our own imaginations to complete the tale – some truly magical writing has come out of this. We will be reading our work to a Year 4 audience on Monday.
• Our verbatim recital of the poem The Jabberwocky has reached its peak – we now know the whole thing. All we need to do now is to go from reciting to performing the poem.
• In SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) we have continued to focus upon up-levelling verbs and looking closely at how they can change the meaning in a sentence. We have studied how tenses can alter verbs.
• In numeracy we have been learning about identifying angles, calculating missing angles and playing with angles.
• The singing at St. Andrews Hall was a great success – KS2 was awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ by the judges. Well done Dussindale singers!
• Year 5 have continued their healthy eating/football skill activity on Thursday afternoons. Poor old year 6 have additional reading comprehension practise!
• We made a huge painting of a ‘tulgy’ wood using impressionism, then added plant life using Fauvism. The children have then either added creatures from The Jabberwocky using pointillism and Pop Art, made origami Jub Jub birds from comic strip paper or constructed intricate wire frame armatures of Jabberwocky’s. These wire models will be covered in Modroc and turned into fantastic models.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics homework.

Children are receiving maths homework from their maths groups. Each will have different depending upon year and teacher. Mr Clark’s Year 5’s have angle recognition.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  2^nd March 2015:

• In literacy we have been looking at the poem ‘Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll. We have used a story starter to write our own fantasy stories about encountering and ultimately, decapitating, the dreaded Jabberwocky. Our stories have been drafted, the verbs highlighted and really brilliant verbs substituted in order to improve our work.
• In SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) we have been focusing upon up-levelling verbs and looking closely at how they can change the meaning in a sentence. We have also become more proficient at locating synonyms in a thesaurus.
• In numeracy we have been learning about reflective symmetry, translation and rotation on vertices in four quadrant, using squares and co-ordinates to locate a shape.
• We have continued to study the continents and countries of the world, locating major countries and learning to identify them.
• Preparations for singing at St. Andrews Hall are under way.
• Year 5 have continued their healthy eating/football skill activity on Thursday afternoons. Poor old year 6 have additional reading comprehension practise!
• We had ‘Open Classrooms’ which many of parents attended. The children love sharing all their hard work and learning and a big thank you to all of you who were able to come.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics homework.

Children are receiving maths homework from their maths groups. Each will have different depending upon year and teacher. Mr Clarks Year 5’s have ‘translation’.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  23rd February 2015:

• In literacy we have been looking at the poem ‘Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll. We have studied the language, the use of portmanteaus, identified the verbs, nouns and adjectives and started to learn the poem off by heart.
• In numeracy we have been learning about symmetry, reflective symmetry and four quadrant co-ordinates.
• We have studied the continents, and started to locate the major countries of the world as part of our topic on explorers, maps and technology throughout the ages.
• Preparations for singing at St. Andrews Hall are under way.
• Year 5 have begun a healthy eating/football skill activity on Thursday afternoons. Poor old year 6 have had additional reading comprehension practise!
• We have begun to build model Jabberwocky’s out of wire and Modroc.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics homework.

Children are to use the website http://www.abcya.com/roman_numerals.htm to learn about Roman Numerals. Those without access to the internet will be given the opportunity to do it at lunch times in school. See the homework books for more details.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  2^nd February 2015:

• In literacy we have practised using commas to insert clauses into simple sentences and tightened up our use of punctuation when writing dialogue.
• We have also begun our ‘hot’ piece of writing – a news report about an incident that occurs in our class novel Holes by Louis Sachar. It will be a culmination of role-play, quotations, note taking, planning, drafting and editing. We hope it will demonstrate some our very best writing.
• In maths we have been doing different things. Year 6 have been doing multiplication and investigating word problems in preparation for the forthcoming SAT’s. Year 5 have continued to follow highly individualized targets tailored to ‘fill gaps’ before we embark on the new curriculum fully. This means place value, rounding, area and perimeter, calculations and negative numbers have all been covered. Some Year 5’s have been conducting an investigation into ‘mystic roses’ as illustrated here.
• In art we have produced work in the style of fauvism and impressionism, using pastels and paint, an ongoing lesson that should lead to some very interesting portrait work.
• The ‘Technology through the ages’ topic (with the focus upon transport) yielded lots of brilliant research material which we have used to write about the evolution of our chosen mode of transport throughout history.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics revision.

Drake need to find a picture (as close to A4 as possible) of a chosen famous person that they wish to do a portrait of. Alternatively they can use one of those here in class, but the selection will be very limited.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  26^th January 2015:

• In literacy have used been learning about direct and reported speech, looking at the difference between fact and opinion and using role-play to help us practise interviewing witnesses. Writing down quotes is difficult, but made easier when there are such wonderful performances by our ad-lib roleplaying students!
• In maths we have been doing different things. Year 6 have been solving worded problems and playing with all four operations. Year 5 have following highly individualized targets tailored to ‘fill gaps’ before we embark on the new curriculum fully. This means place value, rounding, area and perimeter, calculations and negative numbers have all been covered.
• To finish the Heart Start training we learned about suspected heart attacks and wrote stories detailing what we would do to help a casualty. Our focus on speech also proved useful when writing these stories.
• In art we have tried to produce work in the style of fauvism and impressionism, using pastels and paint.
• The ‘Technology through the ages’ topic (with the focus upon transport) has yielded lots of brilliant research material which we will dive into next week.
• Our guided reading has been about National Parks, linked to the new curriculum guidelines.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Mathematics homework.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  18^th January 2015:

• In literacy we wrote News reports for our ‘cold’ tasks. We wrote about the outlaw Kissing Kate Barlow and her rampage through the Wild West.
• We also used many techniques to improve sentences and to ‘paint a picture’ with words.
• We broke up a news report into the different features, such as; headlines, subheadings, quotes, 5 w’s, etc.
• Some of us have been doing text-mapping to construct persuasive letters.
• In maths we have been doing different things. Year 6 have percentages, fractions and decimals and solved word problems, others have measuring using mm, cm and km, converting them accordingly. Year 5 have been working on assessments for the new curriculum and solved problems using fractions, decimals and percentages. Other Year 5’s have been ordering numbers and identifying place value.
• As part of our Heart Start training we have been practising CPR and dealing with a choking casualty. We wrote up our training in our Learning Journeys.
• We had a member of the Deaf community visit us. She taught us sign language, such as Happy Birthday and how to sign our names.
• In art we have tried to produce work in the style of pointillist painters and Pop Art, using bold colours and contrast.
• We also initiated our new topic; Technology through the ages with the focus upon transport.
• EVERY CHILD IN DRAKE KNOWS HOW TO FIND 10% OF A NUMBER. ASK THEM. THEY SHOULD KNOW… (or no X-box/Playstation this weekend.)

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Research for our topic plus some mathematics for some children.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  12^th January 2015:

• In literacy we’ve continued to read our class novel ‘Holes’, with emphasis upon finding the difference between fact and opinion, looking at discrimination and segregation in America in the 1900’s and using techniques to improve sentences to help us ‘paint a picture’.
• We’ve also initiated weekly SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) and Guided Reading lessons on Monday and Friday respectively. This week the focus has been on synonyms and the different word classes these can be.
• As from Tuesday, the three Year 5/6 classes have been split into 4 separate maths classes.  There are two main reasons for us deciding to do this.  Firstly, it allows us to focus on the needs of the Year 6 children in getting them prepared for their SATS and in making sure they have covered everything from the old curriculum (which they are still required to be taught).  Secondly, it allows us to focus on the new curriculum with the Year 5 children, and gives them the opportunity to not hear too much about SATS until next year!
• In maths Year 6 revisited place value and calculations, Year 5 have practised multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, 1000 and looked at the relationships between percentages, fractions and decimals.
• We have been heavily focused upon our ‘Heart Start™’ training. All of Drake class (who were in attendance) have been trained how to respond to a conscious, unconscious and heavily bleeding casualty. Next week we shall learn how to assist someone choking, and someone in cardiac arrest.
• Drawing, or ‘mark making’ has been our art time activities, where we have drawn from life, tried many techniques to challenge our preconceptions and played many drawing games because… they were fun.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Multiplication puzzles or place value games.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  5^th January 2015:

• Welcome back to the New Year!
• In literacy we have continued to read our class novel ‘Holes’, role-played parts of the story and thought about the impact of being literate has on our lives. We went through the marking of our ‘hot writing’ diary pieces from the view point of the central character Stanley Yelnats and made the suggested modifications or corrections.
• In numeracy we have looked at calculations, mental maths and how to work systematically. Working in this logical, ordered way sounds easier than it really is in practise!
• We have studied the heart, the circulation system and listened to our own pulses/heartbeats. We constructed models of the heart and are preparing for next weeks ‘Heart Start™’ training.
• We have looked at the British Isles, the counties and surrounding seas and answered general knowledge about the United Kingdom.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

To help us name two of our new classrooms, research female explorers.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  8^th December 2014:

• In literacy we have continued to read our class novel ‘Holes’, looked at the criteria that make successful recount writing and begun to organise and draft our own ‘hot’ diary pieces from the view point of the central character Stanley Yelnats.
• In numeracy we have studied probabilities, odds, the expressions we use for these outcomes and converted fractions to percentages. We have also begun investigating handling discrete data and completing graphs.
• In order to have really good painted models (more on this next week) we studied various animals and characters, looking closely at pattern and designs and recorded these into our sketch books.
• We spent a lot of time going back over our QCA/SAT’s tests, that we did last week, looking at how we can improve or scores and celebrating all of the questions we got correct.
• In R.E. we have looked at the symbols, key figures and key words used by the world’s major religions. We had a visit from Pastor Veneer who told the traditional Christmas story.
• We also enjoyed watching drama clubs exciting Greek play. Fantastic performance Drama club!

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Learn your section of the poem of by heart! Try to get some expression into it!

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  1^st December 2014:

• In literacy we have continued to read our class novel ‘Holes’, and played games that improve our story telling.
• In numeracy we have worked hard to improve our basic skills, halving, using decimals, finding 10%, perimeter and areas. We also have started extra work on our mental maths skills, learning how to pick apart questions to help answer them.
• We looked at British Values, discussing how someone might be a British citizen and thinking hard about what values we consider important in our country.
• The rest of our time has been spent doing our mock two maths QCA/SAT’s tests, a mental maths test, our reading QCA/SAT’s tests and, in the few moments spare, building model longships.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

Home work this week is about learning the calendar and associated facts.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  24th November 2014:

• In literacy the focus has been upon using adjectives for descriptive writing. This has been followed up with extra efforts to ‘up-level’ our writing by changing pronouns for more interesting sentence starters, using connectives/conjunctions to join simple sentences together, by using more adventurous punctuation and by reading our drafted work aloud to hear what it ‘sounds’ like.
• We will read our finished descriptions to Coral class on Friday afternoon.
• In numeracy we have studied fractions, finding equivalents, simplifying fractions and looking at the relationship between fractions, percentages, decimals and visual representations. We also learned how to round decimals to nearest whole numbers or to certain number of decimal places.
• Our science studies on animal life-cycles focused upon the ‘classification’ of animals into vertebrates and invertebrates, then into mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Some of us also chose our own creatures to research a little further.
• Our projects on aspects of Norfolk went on display for the school to see on Tuesday afternoon. The projects this autumn were amazing, so many different responses to the theme – we had WW2 bombs, Castle Museum models, the Norfolk Broads, wild-life, Carrow Road, Lotus cars, you name it, it was here. Such enthusiasm and hard work was fantastic to see. Well done Drake class!

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

• There is homework in the homework books.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  17th November 2014:

• In literacy we have continued our new class reader ‘Holes’, by Louis Sachar. The story has really begun and we have examined characters, talked a lot about plots and filled in much more of our journals.
• In maths we have learnt about fractions, equivalent fractions and adding fractions. We have used cut-outs, computers, rubberised discs and interactive programmes to help us understand.
• Our science studies have taught us the value of the mnemonic MRS NERG when figuring out if something is living or not. This isn’t as easy as it first sounds. Sure, we can all tell a slug is alive and a brick isn’t, but what about fire? Waves? A strawberry? Light? Are stars alive?
• Our Viking week came to a smashing conclusion with our own Viking visitor  who taught us Ancient English, struck coins, explained the inside of longhouses, showed us artefacts, demonstrated armour and weapons, and to finish with slice the top of a Saxons head with a broadsword and cut it in half with a Dane axe. Alright, it was a melon, but still gruesome!
• Soup, bread, apple crumble and more were consumed at the Viking feast. Hurrah for all the help given by Mrs Collins and Mrs Lacky!
• For those children who really got stuck into the costumes, well done! Many of you looked truly fantastic!

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

• The Autumn Projects: ‘Amazing Norfolk’ due Friday 21^st November . They will be displayed on Tuesday afternoon.
• Maths fraction homework requires internet use. See sheet provided.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  10th November 2014:

• After being away last week (hence no homework) due to being on Jury Service, Mr Clark was very pleased to return to Drake class.
• In literacy we have started our new class reader ‘Holes’, by Louis Sachar. We have already thought and written about the hooks writers use to get a reader to want to continue reading a book, drawn annotated maps of settings and written a new ‘cold task’ (no preparation) in the form of a diary entry be they main character Stanley Yelnats.
• In maths we have been looking at two and three step word problems – learning how to extract the key information from a problem, assemble the numbers into calculations and use all four operations to solve them. We are now designing our own based on known facts.
• Our study of life-cycles has moved onto animals and start with we looked at the cycle of birth-growth-reproduction-adulthood-death common to the majority of living organisms on planet Earth. We also looked at life spans… do you know how long an owl can live?
• Our Viking helmets are complete and ready for action next week. On Wednesday we will be dressing up as Vikings and be hosting visitors from ‘Portals to the Past’ – basically a bunch of unruly Viking Warriors in full raiding clobber! Aaaaah!
• Next Thursday we shall have our Viking feast (although our intention is not to feed everybody, so remember to still have your own lunch just as normal) composed of all the amazing food made over the past half term. Soup, bread, apple crumble and more!
• Thank you to all the parents that joined us for our ‘Open Classrooms’.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

• The Autumn Projects: ‘Amazing Norfolk’ is your homework for the half-term.  Due in for display on Friday 21^st November (Very soon!).
• All the children have a ‘Reading Activity’ for homework, unique to each child.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  6^th October 2014:

• In literacy we have been drafting, editing and up-levelling our opening paragraphs for ‘Tuesday’, the book we are studying. We have been focusing upon adjectives for imaginative descriptions, interesting sentence starters and points of view to improve our writing.
• We have done intensive ‘Guided Reading’, with the topic this week being ‘Viking Food’, which linked in well with our history topic.
• In maths we have consolidated our rounding skills, played with factors, primes and multiples and revisited our written methods for multiplication.
• We have used ‘Mantle of the Expert’ to help imagine a Viking ship burial, contrasting the degraded evidence found nowadays with the treasures that would have been placed there when it was buried a thousand years ago. We are going to make a large display about this subject and so we have also made fantastic props of these artefacts for our narrative writing…. More to come on that next week.
• As a whole class we shared our own research conducted on various aspects of Viking history, the Longships, houses, settlements, monasteries or the pagan religions for example.
• We’ve done more Spanish, checked we can spell our new Spanish words and practiced simple greeting again.
• Our re-potted beans are taking over the classroom, and so we shall complete that particular area of study next week! Be ready to receive beans!

Mental Maths Homework:

Is back! Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children will receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week. Some spellings from last year may be repeated to see if they have ‘stuck’.

Other Homework:

• Complete any recording of the growth of your plants at home, using photos, drawing and labels, unless you really want to carry on!
• The Autumn Projects have been given out: ‘Amazing Norfolk’. Due in for display on Friday 21^st November.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  13th October 2014:

• We spent a whole day intensively looking at plants and their lifecycles, drawing together the learning we have been doing over the half-term. We made models from modroc to demonstrate our understanding of the systems at work in plants and the various methods employed for their reproduction.
• We have done intensive ‘Guided Reading’, with the topic this week being ‘Alfred the Great’, which linked with our history topic.
• In maths we have consolidated mental maths skills, practiced written methods for division and completed a mini-‘SATs’ style test to assess our current understanding.
• We continued to make fantastic props of artefacts for a Viking burial and made models of the same artefacts, but made to represent what they would look like after being buried for 1,200 years!
• We have done a Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar test (SPAG) based on the SAT’s and our results have been assessed to identify the areas we need to improve or learn.

Mental Maths Homework:

Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week.

Other Homework:

• The Autumn Projects: ‘Amazing Norfolk’ is your homework for the half-term.  Due in for display on Friday 21^st November (not very far away!).

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  8^th September 2014:

• Welcome back! The class have been getting used to new routines and covering their Literacy, Maths, and Learning Journey books and more with exciting covers before they are protected with clear film.
• Handwriting has been a chief focus, with daily practice and high expectations for writing in all books.
• In Literacy we have been looking at the poetry of Michael Rosen. Drake have learned one of them off by heart for our assembly on Friday.
• In Numeracy we have been establishing our written methods for addition, using money to practice our decimal use. We also investigated numbers and researched as many facts about particular numbers as we could.
• The forth coming topics are: Vikings and Life Cycles, with food and cooking playing a key role in the children’s exploration of these subjects. Expect habitats to be made, replicas of Viking artefacts, role-play, farm visits, a Viking feast and plants to be grown.
• Thank you to the parents who came to the ‘Meet the Teacher’ session this week – I hope you found it useful. Enclosed is a letter which covers the main details of what was discussed. If anything is unclear then please just ask.

Mental Maths Homework:

Is back! Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

Is also back! The children will receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week. Some spellings from last year may be repeated to see if they have ‘stuck’.

Enclosed are some hints and tips to help with spelling at home.

Other Homework:

We are sending home some key maths facts that children in Year 5 and 6 should know (it will be familiar to Year 6 children already!) Like times tables, there are few shortcuts to knowing these facts – practice little but often and revision is the only way. The children will need these facts to become successful mathematicians.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  29th September 2014:

• In literacy we developed our skills to paragraph stories and to write interesting and imaginative opening lines. We have also used our enquiry skills to develop our understanding of pictures and texts to enhance or writing. To compliment this we have been recording our plants growth in our Learning Journeys and adding drawings, annotations, photographs, descriptions and measurements.
• During our math lessons we have been focused upon rounding to different decimal places, multiplying decimals by 10 or 100, really consolidating our understanding of place value and crossing the intervals over zero between positive and negative numbers.
• We re-potted our plants into more suitable containers, gave them poles to climb and they stand a good chance now of growing very tall.
• We have learned a lot more about the Vikings, choosing different areas that interest us and researching those areas more fully. Later we will feed back to the class about these aspects.
• We sang Viking songs to help learn about Norse myths and legends. This week was Loki the Joker!

Mental Maths Homework:

Is back! Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

The children will receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week. Some spellings from last year may be repeated to see if they have ‘stuck’.

Other Homework:

• Continue to record the growth of your plants at home, using photos, drawing and labels.
• The Autumn Projects have been given out: ‘Amazing Norfolk’. Due in for display on Friday 21^st November.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  22^nd September 2014:

• In literacy we have begun looking at the book Tuesday by David Wiesner. We have used our skills as enquirers to identify what we know, think and wonder about the different events in the story and we have used carrousel activities to share our ideas.
• We have been learning how to round numbers to the nearest 10, 100, 1000 and how to round decimals to 1, 2 or 3 decimal places. Our mental maths have been tested and many interesting areas for further learning have been highlighted.
• We have used our enquiry skills to look at Religious Objects or images associated with pilgrimages and learned about famous pilgrimage sites. We considered what our own personal pilgrimages might look like, where we might choose to go and how these journeys can affect us.
• WE started construction of our Viking helmets and the God/Goddess helmets, using Modroc and balloons to construct a shell that will the foundation of our finished helmets.
• We have identified our spelling and these have been included in the homework books to learn. Testing will take place mid-week (Wed/Thur)
• Our beans and other plants are taking over the classroom! Some are huge, poking out of their mini-greenhouses. We have been recording their growth and development.
• We have looked at seeds and seed dispersal. We collected seeds from our outdoor area and looked at them in detail using magnifying glasses, illustrating examples and labelling the features that help distribute that particular seed.
• Spanish has begun! We have looked at what we currently know, gone over the basics and begun the basics.

Mental Maths Homework:

Is back! Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

Is also back! The children will receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week. Some spellings from last year may be repeated to see if they have ‘stuck’.

Other Homework:

Continue to record the growth of your plants at home, using photos, drawing and labels.

Parent/carer comments:

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  15^th September 2014:

• We completed a ‘cold task’ piece of writing on Monday, to be used to set targets in writing and to be compared with later pieces of work – a ‘hot task’ – to show progression and improvement.
• In Literacy we have been writing our own poetry based upon the poetry of Michael Rosen. We aimed our poems at different people and characters in unusual situations.
• In Numeracy we have been exploring the four operations, doing varied problems and activities to test our ability to apply the operations.
• We started our Viking enquiry, studying replicas of Viking artefacts in collaborative groups, sharing our insights with the whole of Years 5/6.
• To add to our studies we have designed helmets based upon the Viking helmets and the God/Goddess helmets, incorporating our own unique styles and designs into their look. We will be making these for real very soon!
• We have worked through all of the spelling sheets (over a hundred words) and will be starting our new 20 spellings next week now that is done. (It was very time consuming as you can imagine.)

Mental Maths Homework:

Is back! Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

Is also back! The children will receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week. Some spellings from last year may be repeated to see if they have ‘stuck’.

Enclosed are some hints and tips to help with spelling at home.

Other Homework:

Continue to record the growth of your plants at home, using photos, drawing and labels.

Highlights for Drake class of the weeks beginning  8^th September 2014:

• Welcome back! The class have been getting used to new routines and covering their Literacy, Maths, and Learning Journey books and more with exciting covers before they are protected with clear film.
• Handwriting has been a chief focus, with daily practice and high expectations for writing in all books.
• In Literacy we have been looking at the poetry of Michael Rosen. Drake have learned one of them off by heart for our assembly on Friday.
• In Numeracy we have been establishing our written methods for addition, using money to practice our decimal use. We also investigated numbers and researched as many facts about particular numbers as we could.
• The forth coming topics are: Vikings and Life Cycles, with food and cooking playing a key role in the children’s exploration of these subjects. Expect habitats to be made, replicas of Viking artefacts, role-play, farm visits, a Viking feast and plants to be grown.
• Thank you to the parents who came to the ‘Meet the Teacher’ session this week – I hope you found it useful. Enclosed is a letter which covers the main details of what was discussed. If anything is unclear then please just ask.

Mental Maths Homework:

Is back! Please practice them over the coming weeks – the best mathematicians are the ones who can recall facts quickly.

Spelling Homework:

Is also back! The children will receive either 10 or 20 spellings each week to learn. If they get all of them correct, they will be able to choose up to 5 words to change for the following week. Some spellings from last year may be repeated to see if they have ‘stuck’.

Enclosed are some hints and tips to help with spelling at home.

Other Homework:

We are sending home some key maths facts that children in Year 5 and 6 should know (it will be familiar to Year 6 children already!) Like times tables, there are few shortcuts to knowing these facts – practice little but often and revision is the only way. The children will need these facts to become successful mathematicians.