Partners in Learning Supporting your child at home
Dear Parent or Carer Welcome to our ‘Partners in Learning’ booklet which has been designed to help you to support your child in their learning. The booklet offers many hints and tips to support your child in their studies. We would like to encourage you to share this booklet regularly with your child. You play a key role, alongside the school, in promoting a positive approach to learning. Further advice and guidance is always available from the teaching staff. We hope you find this booklet a practical and useful resource that will enable you to be an effective Partner in Learning.
Yours sincerely
Heather Clarke Head Teacher
Contents: Building Learning Power ............................................................. 3-7 Six Thinking Hats ........................................................................8-11 Reading together & Comprehension ...................................12-16 Phonics ........................................................................................17-22 Spelling.........................................................................................23-31 Handwriting ................................................................................32-33 Tables Facts.......................................................................................34 Maths Glossary ..........................................................................35-36 Written Methods: Maths progression...................................37-44 Recognising barriers to learning ............................................45-47 Learning through ICT...............................................................48-52
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B uilding Learning Pow er What is Building Learning Power? Building Learning Power (BLP) is an approach to ‘Learning-to-Learn’, developed by Professor Guy Claxton. It is a framework of learning habits and dispositions, offering teachers an opportunity to help children become confident, capable, creative and life-long learners. At Potley Hill, we aim to equip our children for new challenges and learning. The Learning Power framework provides a clear picture of what it takes to be a good learner, as well as developing an appetite for learning and an ability to learn in different ways; it shifts the responsibility for learning from the teacher to the learner. Over the past few years, we have developed a school language for learning, modelled by both staff and children. Our children are able to reflect on themselves as learners by talking about their ‘learning muscles’ daily.
Key Principles of BLP (‘The 4 Rs’) Resilience: persevering with learning when it gets tough; managing the many distractions which can get in the way of learning; allowing time to notice patterns and details which help us as learners; taking risks in order to learn something new Resourcefulness: questioning the world around them; imagining endless possibilities – ‘What if…?’; capitalising on the full range of resources available to us in the 21st Century Reciprocity: collaborating effectively with others; being able to manage your learning independently; showing empathy and listening with real attention; imitating and adapting other people’s learning Reflectiveness: using the language of learning to talk about themselves as learners; distilling key information and pulling out the ‘important bits’ when learning something new. Page 3 of 53
Building L earning Pow er ‘Term on term, year on year, a BLP school breeds young people who are more curious, more willing to take a risk and give it a go, more imaginative, more creative, more thoughtful, more ready, willing and able to learn with and through others. It’s developing this adventurous spirit that counts’. Professor Guy Claxton
What does BLP look like at Potley Hill? Over the past few years, we have developed and refined the principles of BLP in order to meet the needs of our children. We have adopted 12 learning muscles which, from the day our children enter our school, they begin talking about and understanding. Children ‘learn to learn’ through regular ‘BLP’ lessons, taking part in activities which develop their understanding of the learning muscles and their ability to reflect on their own use of these muscles. In addition, we use daily ‘Infusion Lessons’ to link learning muscles to our curriculum; strong links are made between what we are learning (the lesson content) and how we are learning it (our learning muscle).
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T he BL P Learning M uscles Our 12 learning muscles are…
Managing distractions Recognising and reducing distractions; knowing when to walk away and refresh yourself. Creating your own best environment for learning.
Perseverance Keeping going in the face of difficulties, channelling the energy of frustration productively. Never giving up and displaying a ‘can do’ attitude.
Noticing Perceiving subtle nuances, patterns and details in experience.
Risk-Taking Embracing the excitement that comes from venturing out of your comfort zone, in order to learn something new. Knowing that good learning doesn’t happen if you only stick to what you can already do – mistakes are great!
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T he BL P Learning M uscles
Questioning Asking questions of yourself and others. Being curious and playful with ideas - delving beneath the surface of things.
Imagining Using your imagination and intuition to put yourself through new experiences or to explore possibilities. Wondering, 'What if...?'
Distilling Pulling out the key aspects of learning, identifying the important bits and ignoring the nonessentials.
Capitalising Drawing on the full range of resources from within the classroom and the wider world. Creating a personalised toolkit for learning.
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T he BLP Learning M uscles Collaboration Knowing how to manage yourself and your role in the give and take of a collaborative venture, respecting and recognising other view points; adding to and drawing from the strength of teams.
Independence Being able to organise yourself and manage your own learning. Developing strategies for solving your own problems instead of always turning to others to help you out.
Imitation Constructively adopting methods, habits or values from other people whom you observe; adapting them and making them your own.
Empathy & listening Displaying the body language and habits of a good listener. Responding to others when listening to them and putting yourself in their shoes.
Celebrating Good Learning ‘Lead Learners’ are identified daily within each class, not for ‘getting everything right’ or ‘doing the best work’, but for demonstrating the habits and behaviours of a good learner during one of our ‘Infusion Lessons’. The children understand which muscle their ‘Lead Learner’ sticker has been awarded for and a record is kept so the teacher can track children’s strengths as learners. Every Friday, a ‘Lead Learner of the Week’ is rewarded during Mrs. Clarke’s ‘Celebration Assembly’ and named on her weekly bulletin. Page 7 of 53
T he Six T hinking H ats ® Dr. Edward de Bono developed the Six Thinking Hats as part of his study of direct teaching and thinking across different ages and abilities, ranging from the youngest school children to senior corporate executives. It is Dr. de Bono’s belief that simple methods used effectively are more valuable than complicated methods that are difficult to understand and confusing to use.
The six hats represent six modes of thinking and are directions to think rather than labels for thinking. Pupils will use the Six Thinking Hats to: • discuss topics • solve problems • explore alternatives • reach decisions • research, organise and write reports • brainstorm ideas Page 8 of 53
T he Six T hinking H ats 速 Thinking Hats, taught effectively, are very powerful tools for getting the best out of intelligent minds! They are: SIMPLE
POWERFUL
PRODUCTIVE
Key Principles
Hats can be used individually or in systematic sequence.
Thinkers explore issues in parallel, i.e., they focus in the same direction and wear the same hat at the same time.
Each contribution is accepted without argument, and dealt with on merit if and when needed at a later stage in the thinking process.
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T he Six T hinking H ats ÂŽ White hat thinking identifies the facts and details of a topic. INFORMATION: Facts, information, questions. What you have. What you need. Where to get it. Key Questions: What information do we have? What information is missing? How do we get the information we need?
Red hat thinking looks at a topic from the point of view of emotions and feelings FEELINGS: Emotions, hunches, intuition, instincts, feelings. Key Questions: What do you like about the idea? How do you feel about this? What don’t you like about this?
Black hat thinking examines the problems associated with a topic. CAUTION: Caution, judgement, assessment, weaknesses, difficulties, dangers and potential problems. Key Questions: Will it work? Does it fit? What are the dangers and the problems?
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T he Six T hinking H ats 速 Yellow hat thinking focuses on the positive aspects of a topic. BENEFITS: Benefits, values, good points, likelihood. Key Questions: What are the benefits? Why should it work?
Green hat thinking requires creativeness, imagination and lateral thinking about a topic. CREATIVITY: Alternatives, possibilities, new ideas, options, new concepts. Key Questions to: 1. Explore the ideas 2. Propose and suggest ideas and alternatives 3. Provoke discussion
Blue hat thinking focuses on reflection, metacognition and the need to understand the big picture. ORGANISING THINKING: Thinking about thinking, next steps, summarising, clarifying. Key Questions: What sort of thinking is needed? Where are we now? What is the next step? Where have we been?
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Reading Together Toget her Reading is a key skill which we will use throughout our lives. Research has proven that children who read regularly perform better in all subject areas – not just English. We therefore encourage our children to read at least 4 times per week but this doesn’t have to be for long chunks at a time! The children can read either to themselves, to an adult (or older sibling) or even ask their parents to read to them instead. Good ‘tips’ to encourage reluctant readers include: • making a rule that there is 10 minutes of reading when they get home before TV/Playstation/Wii etc., • allowing them an ‘extra’ 20 minutes at bedtime before lights out to read their book in bed, • exciting bedtime stories which develop their imagination, • trips to the Library where they can choose their own books. How we work in school: Guided Reading In Years 3-6, all children will take part in a teacher-led reading session each week as part of a group – this is known as ‘guided reading’. These sessions are carefully planned to develop key skills. All members of the group will be expected to discuss the text in detail, find information and give their opinions. They will be asked to read independently and their understanding of the text will be checked at the end of the session. During this time, the teacher will work with the group and individuals. Detailed notes on progress will be kept by the teacher each week and children’s journals will be stamped each time they have participated in a guided reading session. During subsequent independent sessions, children will be expected to complete follow-up work and pre-read the next week’s text. In Years 1-2, teachers alternate guided reading sessions one week with individual reading the next.
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Reading Together Throughout KS1 and KS2, there are key tasks for children to carry out independently linked to their level of expertise (‘bingo’ sheets). Please continue, as parents and children, to use the journal to write notes and make comments about how your child is getting on.
Individual Reading In the Foundation Stage, all children read individually with teachers once per week. 4 morning sessions are used, along with additional adults, to hear readers. In KS1, teachers undertake guided reading sessions one week and alternate these with individual reading sessions the next. Parents are used to ensure all children are heard reading aloud during this second week. LSAs also support particular readers. In KS2, individual reading is used for those children who are not reading regularly at home (priority readers) or who need ‘catch-up’. Read Aloud Teachers also choose key texts to ‘read aloud’ to their class on a regular basis to develop enjoyment, vocabulary and understanding.
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Q uestions to Support and E xtend Reading Com prehension RETRIEVAL OF INFORMATION Find the sentence/word/phrase which shows that … How does the author describe …? How / what / where / when questions. SEQUENCING EVENTS Put these events in order. What was the first thing that happened? What happened next? What happened before / after …? Did he/she … before or after …? How did it all end? LANGUAGE CHOICE Why did the author choose that word? What effect does that word have? Find the word / line / sentence, which suggests … What is the purpose of the word choice? What word would you choose? How does the author describe … and why does he/she describe it in this way? Give me an alternative word that would fit into this sentence. Can you find a word that means the same as …? What effect is the author trying to convey? What feelings do the words create? What picture does this put into your mind? Why has the author used a question? N.B. Look for imagery – similes / metaphors / personification / alliteration and discuss the purposes effect. What did the character(s) learn from the story? How have the characters changed? How does the author create an … atmosphere? Page 14 of 53
Com prehension UNDERSTANDING THE THEME ALL WILL NEED JUSTIFICATION – TEXTUAL EVIDENCE What is the story about? What is the genre of this story? What is the theme of the story / text? The author says … do you agree? Give reasons. Does this remind you of any other story? What is the moral of the story? What do you think the author believes? Justify. Have you learnt anything form the story? Did you like this story? Give reasons. What did the character(s) learn from the story? How have the characters changed? How does the author create an … atmosphere? INFERENCE AND DEDUCTION …(BECAUSE) Why did … do …? What do you think about …? What is the author trying to explain? What makes you think that …? Give me another way in which … Find the word that suggest … If you were the character what would you do / say / think / feel …? What clues can you find to tell you about …? How is the character feeling? Why is the character feeling like this? How is this situation similar to …? How is the situation different from? Explain your views on … What is your opinion? Justify / convince the reader. How is the general mood / atmosphere created? How is … feeling at this stage? How could …’s feelings change? What do you think the author feels about …? What tells you he/she feels like this? Find two reasons …
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Com prehension FEATURES OF NON-NARRATIVE TEXT How is the page set out? What is the purpose of the bold writing at the top of the page? (Title) – Extend to: • Subheadings • Captions • Diagrams • Charts • Tables • Editorial comment • Cartoons • Bubbles • Glossary • Italics / bold writing within text Why has the writer chosen to use any of the above? Which form of writing did you find easier? Why? How do you know that this is a letter / dictionary / glossary / poetry / cartoon strip etc? What is the purpose of this writing? Do you think the purpose who wrote this letter knows the person he/she is writing to? Give reasons. What do you notice about the rhyme / rhythm / pattern of the poem?
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Phonics
How do we teach Phonics? Phonics is taught systematically from Reception through to the end of Year 2 in the Infant department. The rate at which different children progress through phonics phases will vary and much time will be spent consolidating the key skills of each phase before moving on. In the Junior phase, some children still require support to consolidate their phonic knowledge. Therefore these children will continue to have regular phonics lessons in groups. Children needing specific support will undertake intervention programmes with Learning Support Assistants. Those children just requiring a phonics boost will receive Letters and Sounds lessons. At this stage, our aim is to confirm what the children already know and accelerate progress to support their development of reading alongside spelling. Phase 1 Oral work to develop the skills of blending (putting sounds together) and segmenting (splitting sounds up). No letters or sounds are introduced at this stage. Counting words in sentences Syllables Rhyme Auditory Discrimination Start/ Middle/ End Oral Blend Oral Segment Page 17 of 53
Phonics
Phase 2 19 letters of the alphabet are introduced as sounds for reading and writing:
s n c r l
a t p m d g k ck e h b f ll s ss
i o u ff
Children learn to spell VC (Vowel-Consonant words), CVC words (ConsonantVowel-Consonant words) with these sets of letters e.g. sat, had, fill Phase 3 The remaining letters of the alphabet are introduced as sounds for reading and writing and then common sounds where 2 or more letters represent one sound (digraphs) are learnt: j y ch ai ar oi
v z sh ee or ear
w zz th igh ur air
x qu ng oa ow ure
oo er
Children learn to spell a range of words using all of the sounds they have learnt so far, including longer, 2 syllable words e.g. moon, night, thunder, midnight.
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Phonics
Phase 4 Children learn to spell words containing adjacent initial consonants e.g. fr, sp, sl, st, bl, pl, str, thr and final consonants e.g. –nd, -lp, -nt,-nch. Children will also learn a range of grapheme sounds, polysyllabic words and words in the following formats: CVCC CCV CCVC CCVCC CCCVC CCCVCC Phase 5 This is a large phase where children learn the remaining, trickier sounds: ay oy aw oe a-e u-e
ou ir wh au e-e zh
ie ue ph ey i-e
ea ew o-e
This phase also includes alternative spellings and pronunciations. ch – tch (watch) f – ph (elephant) Page 19 of 53
Phonics
Phase 6 During the final phase the focus is on learning a range of suffixes: -s -es -ies Words ending in -e Words ending in -y Words ending in a single consonant Words ending in –e (exceptions) Words ending in –y (exceptions) Double and single consonant endings Tricky words and high frequency words are taught alongside those matched to phonic phases and sounds. What can you do to help? Practising the reading and spelling of words daily and using the suggested games below will help your child make progress. Games: Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check Children write the list out of words. They then say them, cover them up and write them again. Word Shapes Draw the shape of a word and ask children to predict the word. e.g. said would look like this (3 short letters and 1 tall letter). Page 20 of 53
Phonics A ctivities Phoneme Frame Say a phonic based word. Children segment the phonemes, putting one phoneme into each box on their phoneme frame. sh
ou
t
Best Bet mayt mait mate Teacher or children write 3 or more possible ways of spelling a word. Which one looks right? Speedwrite Choose a word to focus on. How many times in one minute can you write the word? Finish It S___p Miss letters out of a word. What words could it be? This is more focussed than Hangman where children tend to just guess letters and not look at visual patterns in the whole word. Countdown Just like the TV show! Children choose / are given a combination of vowels and consonants. How many words can they make in the given time? What is the longest word they can make? Riddles Give clues about a word. E.g. This word is fast, it has a double ‘n’ in the middle and you are not supposed to do it along the corridor! Make sure at least one of the clues is spelling-based.You could insist that all the clues are spelling based e.g. I have 4 phonemes but 5 letters, I rhyme with brain, my first letter comes between s and u. Muddles some, some, aid, Teusday Show children a commonly misspelt word with just a couple of letters in the wrong place. Can they explain what is wrong? Could be played easily using magnetic letters. Page 21 of 53
Phonics A ctivities Hangman Most effective if you use the rule where children must say the letters in the correct order. This helps them to focus on the visual pattern. Word Finding Games Use old magazines or newspapers. Ask your child to find all the words which, for example, begin with the first letter of their name or end in ‘ing’. Tracing Write words for your child and ask them to trace them. This also helps with handwriting (remember to use the cursive script found in the parents in learning booklet). Rainbow Words Write words with 2 different coloured pens: use one colour for the vowels and one for the consonants or write each syllable with a different colour. Word Art Use the computer to change the font, colour and style of words. This helps children to really look at words and improve their visual memory. Treasure Hunt Hide words on cards around the house. Each time your child finds a word they must remember it, return to ‘home’ and write it down 3 times. There are many brilliant websites out there to practise phonics and spelling skills. Here are just a few: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/spellits www.ictgames.co.uk/literacy www.crickweb.co.uk www.phonicsplay.co.uk http://www.familylearning.org.uk/phonics_games.html http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/content/games/literacy_menu.html Pronunciation of the sounds is vital when modelling to children. These websites will help: http://www.focusonphonics.co.uk/sound.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqhXUW_v-1s Page 22 of 53
H ow To Spell W ell
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Spelling Strategies
Visual
Kinaesthetic
Look at the word; say it aloud pronouncing all the sounds. Close your eyes and see the letters as you spell the word. Open your eyes and write the word. Check for accuracy and write it again. Look up to the left, close your eyes, and see the word in a bright colour. Hide your original; write it again and check for accuracy and write it again in another colour. Do it again three times.
Look at the word; trace it with your index finger as you say the letters. Close your eyes and feel the letters as you trace the word with your index finger. Write the word; check for accuracy. Try the same but with your other index finger, then both at once—this is hard! Write it in the air. With a partner, trace a word onto their back; then they guess the word….swap. Walk the word in the playground. Movement, write it, check it…...
Multi-Sensory Auditory Say the word. Sound it out saying each letter or blend or syllable. Spell it out loud. Spell it aloud and write it as you say it. Check for accuracy and write it again; check again. Hide your original and spell it out aloud again but this time in a funny voice or to a tune. Try it again, this time speeding it up or slowing it down. Write it out; check for accuracy.
Use strategies from the other three boxes. Close your eyes and see the letters as you say the word. Trace the shape out onto the desk, your partner’s back or in the air in front of you. Open your eyes and write the word. Check for accuracy and write it again. Look up to the left, close your eyes, see the word in a bright colour and say each letter. Do it again three times.
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100 H igh Frequency W ords 1.
the
19. his
38. like
2.
and
20. but
39. some
3.
a
21. that
40. so
4.
to
22. with
41. not
5.
said
23. all
42. then
6.
in
24. we
43. were
7.
he
25. can
44. go
26. are
45. little
8.
I
9.
of
10. it
27. up 28. had
46. as 47. no
29. my 48. mum
11. was
30. her
12. you
31. what
13. they
32. there
50. them
14. on
33. out
51. do
15. she
34. this
52. me
35. have
53. down
36. went
54. dad
37. be
55. big
16. is 17. for 18. at
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49. one
100 H igh Frequency W ords 56. when
74. came
92. help
57. it’s
75. oh
93. Mrs
58. see
76. about
94. called
59. looked
77. got
95. here
60. very
78. their
96. off
61. look
79. people
97. asked
62. don’t
80. your
98. saw
63. come
81. put
99. make
64. will
82. could
100. an
65. into
83. house
66. back
84. old
67. from
85. you
68. children
86. by
69. him
87. day
70. Mr
88. made
71. get
89. time
72. just
90. I’m
73. now
91. if Page 26 of 53
N ext 200 H igh Frequency W ords 1.
water
24. cat
47. shouted
2.
away
25. long
48. us
3.
good
26. things
49. other
4.
want
27. new
50. food
5.
over
28. after
51. fox
6.
how
29. wanted
52. through
7.
did
30. eat
53. way
8.
man
31. everyone
54. been
9.
going
32. our
55. stop
10. where
33. two
56. must
11. would
34. has
57. red
12. or
35. yes
58. door
13. took
36. play
59. right
14. school
37. take
60. sea
15. think
38. thought
61. these
16. home
39. dog
62. began
17. who
40. well
63. boy
18. didn’t
41. find
64. animals
19. ran
42. more
65. never
20. know
43. I’ll
66. next
21. bear
44. round
67. first
22. can’t
45. tree
68. work
23. again
46. magic
69. lots
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N ext 200 H igh Frequency W ords 70. need
93. I’ve
116. before
71. that’s
94. around
117. gran
72. baby
95. every
118. clothes
73. fish
96. garden
119. tell
74. gave
97. fast
120. key
75. mouse
98. only
121. fun
76. something
99. many
122. place
77. bed
100. laughed
123. mother
78. may
101. let’s
124. sat
79. still
102. much
125. boat
80. found
103. suddenly
126. window
81. live
104. told
127. sleep
82. say
105. another
128. feet
83. soon
106. great
139. morning
84. night
107. why
140. queen
85. narrator
108. cried
141. each
86. small
109. keep
142. book
87. car
110. room
143. its
88. couldn’t
111. last
144. green
89. three
112. jumped
145. different
90. head
113. because
146. let
91. king
114. even
147. girl
92. town
115. am
148. which
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N ext 200 H igh Frequency W ords 149. inside
167. looking
185. stopped
150. run
168. end
186. ever
151. any
169. than
187. miss
152. under
170. best
188. most
153. hat
171. better
189. cold
154. snow
172. hot
190. park
155. air
173. sun
191. giant
156. trees
174. across
192. looks
157. bad
175. gone
193. use
158. tea
176. hard
194. along
159. top
177. floppy
195. plants
160. eyes
178. really
196. dragon
161. fell
179. wind
197. pulled
162. friends
180. wish
198. we’re
163. box
181. eggs
199. fly
164. dark
182. once
200. grow
165. grandad
183. please
166. there’s
184. thing
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M ore Spelling A ctivities Activity 1: Photograph Write on a large piece of paper a word that your child is finding difficult to learn or from the week’s spelling list. Ask your child to chant the letters, trying to remember what the word looks like and how it is spelled (taking a photo in the mind which can be seen). Practise this a few times before covering the word. Ask your child to write it down and then look and check it before you show the correct answer again. Activity 2: Finish Write up parts of a word from the spelling list e.g. st__p. Give your child 20 seconds to complete the word on a piece of paper. When various words can be made discuss the patterns and gather the words to check the spellings. This can be taken further by taking the missing letter or sound identified and using it as a base to create more words e.g. ‘ur’ surprise, urgent etc. Activity 3:Take it apart Get the children to look at why the word might be spelt in that way by taking it apart and putting it back together. Count the syllables and phonemes together. Check the children’s understanding of the words rules and meanings. Activity 4: Phoneme spotter Place a piece of tracing paper over a text which includes words from the week’s spelling list. Read the text together. Ask your child to go through the text and highlight words which use the week’s spelling rule or focus sounds. Activity 5: Crazy creations Choose a word from the week’s spelling list. Write the letters in the word out separately. See how many words you can make from the letters and compare with a friend.
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M ore Spelling Spelling A ctivities Activity 6: Palm practise Look closely at the word. Say it three times, looking at the letters as you say it. Count the letters in the word. Say the letter names in order. Write the letters into the palm of your hand with your index finger, saying the letter names as your write. Close your eyes and write the whole word into your palm, saying the letters out loud. Try to see the letters on the whiteboard in your head. If you had to check before the end of the word, practise 2 more times. Write the word on paper, saying the letter names in your head. Check by counting the letters and comparing the order. Activity 7: Small word Find a small word within your word – the letters must be in the right order e.g. par all ell. Highlight the small word. Count the letters in the whole word. Count the letters before the small word that you found. Count the letters after the small word. Practise writing the chink before the small word, then the small word, then the chunk after. Say the names of the letters in your head as you write. Try three times and then test yourself. Check by comparing and counting. Activity 8: Spelling sense Look closely at the word. Say it out loud. Does it look the same as it sounds? Where are the tricky bits? Say the word to yourself in a way that makes the spelling make sense to you e.g. cupboard, Parliament (stressing sounds to help you remember). Write the word, saying the parts of the word as you write them and stressing the tricky bits so that you remember them.
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M ore Spelling A ctivities Activity 9: Rhyme it Choose a word from the spelling list. Write down as many words as you can think of which rhyme with the original word. Share these words with your parent. Activity 10: Speedwrite/Quickwrite Following this: write the word/list as many times as you can in 30seconds/1minute (you must use cursive handwriting). Get your parent to check the spellings are correct. Swap with your mum or dad and see if they can beat your record! Activity 11: Riddles Choose a word but don’t tell your parent which one it is. Create a riddle for the word in secret. Give your parent two or three clues about the word and its meaning e.g. rubbish: ‘This word has a double consonant. In America it is called “trash”, and some people might call things that are broken a load of...’ Activity 12:Tricky bit Find the tricky bit in the word (or the bit you keep getting wrong). Count the letters. Highlight the tricky letter/s. How many letters does the chunk before it have? How many letters are there after it? Say the word, stressing the tricky bit. Write the word. Write over the tricky letter/s two more times. Write the word, saying the letter names aloud as your write. Activity 13: Out loud Look at the word carefully. Say the letter names out loud. Write the word in the air using BIG movements – say the letter names aloud as you write. Close your eyes and write the word again in the air. Write the word on the whiteboard in your head – say the letters out loud. Write the word on the real whiteboard or paper two more times, saying the letter names in your head as you write. Page 32 of 53
H andw riting Activity 1: Sand time/corn-flour Children use a sand pot individually to practice different letters/ sounds/ words using a finger in the sand. This leaves a mark which can then be assessed. Activity 2: Multi-sensory Using different fabrics or surfaces the children use a finger to practise forming the letters/ sounds/ words. Activity 3: Letter cards Display the letters/ sounds/ words you want the children to focus on. Using the focus cards with a modelled example they must copy them onto a whiteboard/onto a piece of paper Activity 4: Buddy backs Sitting in a pair one child traces the letters/ sounds/ words onto a partner’s back (or mum or dad’s!)using the correct letter formations. Their partner assesses their ability to do this (can focus on lead ins/ lead outs etc). Activity 5: Laminated sheets Following a modelled example, children can copy letters/ sounds/ words onto their laminated sheets. Ensure that the children are using the correct formations. Model examples on the sheet to reaffirm any errors made. If a child is finding this particularly difficult give them examples to copy, draw dots for them to go over and build up their understanding of the formations. Activity 6: Air words Parents model the letters/ sounds/ words on a piece of paper, children then copy this by forming the example in the air. You can also draw the letters in the air with the child as a reflection (tricky to do!) Page 33 of 53
H andw riting Activity 7: Hand grip Using their hands children copy an adult. The adult models different hand exercise to stretch the muscles and finishes by modelling the correct pencil grip. Children can then make up their own hand exercise and teach each other the grip. Activity 8: Sentence/word level handwriting Using different grammar/spelling games allow children to use these skills when focusing on their handwriting. This will allow them to apply their skills in letter/ sound formation.
abcdefghijklmno pqrstuvwxyz
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Strategies for Learning Table Facts Visual
Kinaesthetic
Point it out: Write the answers of your times tables on cards and place them face up on a table. Muddle them up! One person call out a times table. The other is to point to the correct answer as quickly as possible. Post-it notes: Write a line from each of your times tables list e.g. 2 x 6 = 12 onto a post-it note. Put them in prominent places around the house. Every time you see a note, close your eyes and try to see it in your head. Say it aloud. Colourtastic: Write out your times tables with each digit in a different colour. Make a colourful poster and stick it onto your ceiling.
Back writing: Your partner asks you a times table. Write the answer on their back as quickly as possible. Count down 3-2-1 and both say the answer aloud together. Take a step: Use floor tiles or patio slabs. When reciting your times tables, use each tile as a stepping stone, saying the facts as you move from tile to tile. Try backwards! Or even harder, move forwards and backwards at will—and try to remember the correct fact for each tile. Bean Bag Bonanza: Work with a partner. Chant your times table together. Throw the bean bag to your partner as they answer…..try to get a rhythm going!
Auditory
Multi-Sensory
Shout out the difficult bits: Write down the times table, then highlight any part you are finding hard to remember. Now say each part of the times table. When you get to the parts that you find hard to remember, SHOUT IT OUT really loudly! Rap it! Shout it! Whisper it! Sing it! Silly voice it! Game: Make lots of cards. Each one to say either rap it, shout it, whisper it, sing it, or silly voice it! Make about 5 cards of each. Ask a friend to read out one line of your times table. Then turn over a card to find out if you have to whisper it/rap it etc. Say each line in the correct style. Write it out; check for accuracy.
Use strategies from the other three boxes. Sound rules: Follow these rules when chanting the answers to a times table. You don’t have to do all of them at once, just some. 0 = say ‘ooh’ 1 = clap hands 2 = click 3 = stamp 4 = slap thighs 5 = rub hands 6 = blow a raspberry 7 = sing ‘la’ 8 = blow kiss 9 = shout ‘yee-ha!’ 10 = hiss
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M aths G lossary median
minus multiple negative number
number line numeral odd
predict
prime number
is the value that is in the middle when the values are ordered e.g. 5, 5, 10, 20, 20. So the median here is 10. is another word for take away or subtract is a number that appears in a times table are the numbers that are less than zero. They will be shown with a minus sign in front of them e.g. –7 To help when doing calculations, we can use a line of numbers The symbols that we use to write numbers e.g. 764 If you add 2 odd numbers, the answer will always be even e.g. 7 + 5 = 12, 23 + 9 = 32. If you add an odd and an even number, the answer will always be odd e.g. 3 + 4 = 7 Look at these numbers: 4, 7, 10, 13, 16. From looking at the pattern, you can say that the next number will be 19 and the one after that 22. We predict that these will be the next 2 numbers. A number which is divisible only by itself and the number 1 e.g. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19 etc.
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M aths G lossary Range
The range of a set of numbers is the difference between the smallest and the largest number e.g. 40, 45, 31, 41, 30, 36, 34, 32, 47. The range is from 30 to 47. We also say that these numbers have a range of 17 because 47—30 is 17
sequence
In a sequence, a set of numbers or things is put in order according to a rule
square number
The square of a number is the answer you get when you multiply that number by itself e.g. the square of 5 is 5 x 5 = 25
square root
The square root of a number is the number that must be squared to make it e.g. 42 is 16, so the square root of 16 is 4.
subtracting
is the opposite of adding; you count on to add and count back to subtract
unit
A unit means one of something. A unit of measurement can be centimetres, metres, kilograms, millilitres etc.
zero
is another name for nothing or nought.
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A ddition M ethods
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A ddition M ethods
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Subtraction M ethods
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Subtraction M ethods
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M ultiplication M ethods
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M ultiplication M ethods
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D ivision M ethods
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D ivision i vision M ethods
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R ecognising Barriers to Learning Despite our natural curiosity, it’s easy to get sidetracked from learning or to lose heart along the way. Here are just some of the likely barriers:
One of the main obstacles to learning is too much anxiety, which leads to stress. Children will have the best chance to develop and grow if they are provided with challenge together with support. Most of us deal with threats or difficulties in one of the four different ways shown below:
Fight Flight Freeze Flock Page 46 of 53
Recognising B arriers to Learning
Fight Flight Freeze Flock
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Supporting your child:
Find out where the threat, real or imagined, is coming from and help your child take steps to deal with it.
Try to avoid showing your own anxieties. If you get agitated, your child may pick up on it.
Encourage your child to make their own decisions, within limits that you set. This will help them to become more confident in new situations. Talk through the pros and cons and the consequences of any choices.
Try not to pressurise your child to get it right every time. If you do, they may not want to take the risk of disappointing you. If you want to accelerate your child’s learning, encourage trial and error, and experimenting with alternatives.
Avoid over-protecting your child! Children learn coping strategies and ‘stickability’ when things are going badly, not when they are going well.
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Learning through ICT Useful websites for practising Maths and English skills
PLACE VALUE
http://www.ictgames.com/LIFEGUARDS.html http://www.ictgames.com/sharkNumbers_v2.html
http://www.ictgames.com/sharknumbers.html
http://www.ictgames.com/arrowcards.html
http://www.mrnussbaum.com/placevaluepirates1.htm Page 49 of 53
Learning through ICT Addition/Subtraction http://oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/mathmagician/mathsadd.html
http://www.ictgames.com/ football2.html
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/ resources/flash.php?&file=digitmenu
http://www.oswego.org/ocsdweb/games/ghostblasters2/gb2nores.html http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/ games/SpeedGrid/Addition/ urikares.html also ../SpeedGrid/Addition/urikaadd2res.html and /SpeedGrid/Addition/urikaadd3res.html Page 50 of 53
Learning through ICT VARIOUS http://schooltimegames.com/ Mathematics.html
http://www.mathplayground.com/locate_aliens.html POSITION/MOVEMENT http://www.ictgames.com/machine.html
http://www.mathplayground.com/alienangles.html ENGLISH SKILLS http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=alienhangman
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/spelling/spelling.shtml Page 51 of 53
Learning through ICT http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/ SpeedGrid/Subtraction/urikasub1res.html http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/ SpeedGrid/Subtraction/urikasub2res.html http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/ SpeedGrid/Subtraction/urikasub3res.html MULTIPLICATION/DIVISION http://www.mathplayground.com/multiples.html
http://www.ictgames.com/funkymum20.html http://www.mathplayground.com/balloon_invaders.html
http://www.wmnet.org.uk/resources/gordon/Hit%20the%20button%20v9.swf Page 52 of 53
Learning through ICT http://www.ictgames.com/lcwc.html http://www.eastoftheweb.com/ games/Eight1.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ spellits/home_flash.shtml
http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ ambleweb/lookcover/lookcover.html
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