Welcome to Kestrels class!
We hope you enjoy reading our page, where we will be sharing what we are learning with you.
Please click on the links below to see our previous curriculum letters and medium term planning overviews:
Kestrels_Curriculum_letter_Term1
Kestrels_LocationLocationLocation_Medium Term Overview 2020
English
ALL THE RESOURCES PLUS A VIDEO EXPLANATION FOR THIS LESSON CAN BE FOUND ON SEESAW - LOG IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT TO ACCESS THEM.
LI: Use adventurous and formal vocabulary
When we read the Storm Unicorn report you picked out some adventurous and effective words that you liked. ‘Cruellest of tyrants’, ‘enchant’ and ‘extinction’ were popular choices. Today, I’d like you to really focus on using the most effective words that you can in your writing – it needs to sound quite formal and ‘posh’ so put on your best writer’s voice. You are going to be writing about your creature’s special powers and it’s connection to humans to finish off your report.
Here is my example to help you:
Although this abominable beast has no special magical powers, it has exceptional superhuman strength, lightning-fast reactions and an extremely powerful sense of smell. It lacks intelligence and has poor eyesight so it can be easily tricked. Like ordinary bulls, the Minotaur is attracted to the colour red so this can be used to distract it.
If you are unlucky enough to see the Minotaur it should be treated with great caution as it is ruthless and deadly; over the years, many stories have been told of battles with humans. The last known sighting of was on the outskirts of Montauk, USA but it is rare to catch a glimpse of the Minotaur – most people would be relieved never to set eyes on this ghastly creature!
Maths
Every day you need to complete 10-15 minutes of number practice - if you do not yet know all of your times tables and division facts quickly this is a perfect opportunity to get them really quick and confident. I have also linked below to Corbett 5 a day and daily ten, both of which we use regularly in class.
Year 5
LI: compare decimals
Work through the video and complete the independent activity
EXTENSION: If you find this really easy you could also have a try at the year 6 activity
Year 6
LI: Understand decimals up to 3 decimal places
Decimals videos video 3 – three decimal places
STEP 1 – ALL of you! Work through the video and answer as many of the questions on the slides as you can. You may need to pause the video whilst you do this. Check your answers by watching the explanation on the next part. Do not worry if the last section of the video is too hard. Stop when you have got as far as you can. After watching the video, complete the FIRST page of the worksheet.
STEP 2 – MOST of you! After watching the video, complete all of the worksheet. You might not need to watch the whole of the video if you feel confident with the content, but it is there to support you if you need it.
STEP 3 – challenge…IF you are finding the work too easy and completing it really quickly, there are lots of fantastic number challenges here: Number Puzzles (mathsisfun.com) to extend your mathematical reasoning.
SUPPORT: If you are really struggling with this, go back to the year 5 activity to revise what you have learnt before about decimals.
Yesterday's activities if you still need them:
English
ALL THE RESOURCES PLUS A VIDEO EXPLANATION FOR THIS LESSON CAN BE FOUND ON SEESAW - LOG IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT TO ACCESS THEM.
LI: Use adverbial openers
Today we are going to write the next two paragraphs about the habitat and diet of your creature, and your challenge today is to use adverbials to link your sentences together. Remember, if you don’t have all the information that you need you can make some of it up! These creatures are fictional anyway so you can decide what you think they would eat.
Here is my example:
Most of the time, the Minotaur can be found in the centre of the labyrinth which King Minos created for it. Occasionally, it has been known to escape and attack the local people. During the day, the Minotaur sleeps in its den; however, at night it can often be heard roaming the labyrinth.
The Minotaur is a carnivore: it feeds mainly on sacrificed humans although it will eat smaller mammals if necessary. Additionally, it will feast on insects and reptiles if nothing else is available. Every nine years, the king of Athens sends seven young men and seven maidens to Minos for the Minotaur to feast on – this keeps him satisfied for a while.
Maths
Every day you need to complete 10-15 minutes of number practice - if you do not yet know all of your times tables and division facts quickly this is a perfect opportunity to get them really quick and confident. I have also linked below to Corbett 5 a day and daily ten, both of which we use regularly in class.
Year 5
LI: recognise decimal tenths
Recognising decimal tenths part 2
Work through the video and complete the independent activity
EXTENSION: If you find this really easy you could also have a try at the year 6 activity
Year 6
LI: Understand thousandths
Decimals videos video 2 – understand thousandths
STEP 1 – ALL of you! Work through the video and answer as many of the questions on the slides as you can. You may need to pause the video whilst you do this. Check your answers by watching the explanation on the next part. Do not worry if the last section of the video is too hard. Stop when you have got as far as you can. After watching the video, complete the FIRST page of the worksheet.
STEP 2 – MOST of you! After watching the video, complete all of the worksheet. You might not need to watch the whole of the video if you feel confident with the content, but it is there to support you if you need it.
STEP 3 – challenge…IF you are finding the work too easy and completing it really quickly, there are lots of fantastic number challenges here: Number Puzzles (mathsisfun.com) to extend your mathematical reasoning.
SUPPORT: If you are really struggling with this, go back to the year 5 activity to revise what you have learnt before about decimals.
Yesterday's activities in case you still need them:
English
ALL THE RESOURCES PLUS A VIDEO EXPLANATION FOR THIS LESSON CAN BE FOUND ON SEESAW - LOG IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT TO ACCESS THEM.
This week we are going to be using all the skills that we have learnt to write our own non-chronological reports about the mythical beast that we have researched, for ‘A Guide to Mythical Beasts’. We are going to try and incorporate adverbial openers, semi-colons, colons and dashes, and some adventurous language. You will need the plan that you wrote on Friday.
LI: Use semi-colons, colons and dashes in my own report
Today you are going to write the introduction to your report and the paragraph about the creature’s appearance. Your challenge is to try and include at least one sentence containing a semi-colon, colon or dash. You may even be able to use one of the sentences you practised with last week. Take time and care to make your writing as good as it can be. Remember, we are writing as though these creatures still exist today. Read my modelled example and the Storm Unicorn report to help you out!
MY EXAMPLE:
On the island of Crete lives a terrifying beast called the Minotaur.
The Minotaur has a truly hideous appearance: this fearsome beast has the body of a muscular man with the head and tail of a bull. Growing up to 4 metres tall, it is both strong and aggressive; it has enormous curved horns and makes growling, bellowing and grunting sounds to intimidate its prey. Its head and back are covered with thick fur and its eyes glow red when it is angry.
Maths
This week year 5 and 6 are going to be working on slightly different activities, because year 6 have done quite a lot of work on decimals before and year 5 have not worked with decimals much at all.
Every day you need to complete 10-15 minutes of number practice - if you do not yet know all of your times tables and division facts quickly this is a perfect opportunity to get them really quick and confident. I have also linked below to Corbett 5 a day and daily ten, both of which we use regularly in class.
Year 5
LI: recognise decimal tenths
Work through the video and complete the independent activity.
EXTENSION: If you find this really easy you could also have a try at the year 6 activity
Year 6
LI: Understand decimals up to 2 decimal places
Decimals videos video 1 – decimals up to 2 decimal places
STEP 1 – ALL of you! Work through the video and answer as many of the questions on the slides as you can. You may need to pause the video whilst you do this. Check your answers by watching the explanation on the next part. Do not worry if the last section of the video is too hard. Stop when you have got as far as you can. After watching the video, complete the FIRST page of the worksheet.
STEP 2 – MOST of you! After watching the video, complete all of the worksheet (or as much as you can). You might not need to watch the whole of the video if you feel confident with the content, but it is there to support you if you need it.
STEP 3 – challenge…IF you are finding the work too easy and completing it really quickly, there are lots of fantastic number challenges here: Number Puzzles (mathsisfun.com) to extend your mathematical reasoning.
SUPPORT: If you are really struggling with this, go back to the year 5 activity to revise what you have learnt before about decimals.
Links for this week's learning:
Virtual school games challenges
Useful general links for home learning:
https://corbettmaths.com/5-a-day/primary/
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/daily10
Mathsframe multiplication tables check
https://quizlet.com/FunFrenchForKids password: bonjour
https://www.duolingo.com/courses
Kestrels are bloggers!
Please have a read of our class blog and feel free to comment on our stories - but remember, be polite and considerate to others in the comments that you make. Hopefully we will now continue our blog to keep you updated on all the latest Kestrels news.
Here is the link:
Maths games and activities for developing your skills...
Here is the Factors and Multiples game that we played in class this week - you can play it alone or against someone else:
This website is great for all areas of maths:
Practice adding different amounts of time here:
If you need practice telling the time you can use this game:
Use these games to improve your fractions, decimals and percentages...
Fractions, Decimals and Percentages games
Number Games
Here are some links to online games that will help you with your place value, ordering and rounding, and with your times tables.
Online Safety
Keeping safe online is really important, especially when you start to use social media and gaming sites as you get older. If you would like to access the Cyber Cafe from home, here is the link:
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/cybercafe/cyber-cafe-base/
Here is the link to the 'Band Runner' game:
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/