Week ending 21 November 2014

Dear Parents

The children have been working very hard this week,  They have taken on fractions with great enthusiasm - ordering, decimals, tenths and hundredths, equivalence, adding and subtracting.  Next week we shall be looking at written methods for both multiplication and division, this will follow the School's policy of introducing the children to the grid method, before both the expanded column and short methods.

In Literacy our emphasis this week has been looking at how authors have used ellipses, short sentences, powerful verbs, dialogue and similes when writing in the mystery and suspense genre.  To continue this next week we shall be looking at action within these stories and particularly how it helps to build up the story.  The children will be asked to write a 'warm' piece of writing (independent of adult support) to showcase their progression of learning over the last three weeks.

The children have been asked to discuss ideas for their stories with an adult at home in time for their writing of  their story plan on Wednesday.

This week, as part of friendship week, we considered what it is to be a friend and how we can unite to support a friend in need.  The children watched a short video and then created colourful ginger bread men to write their individual pledges on.  The ginger bread men represent that we may all be different on the outside, but inside we are just the same.  We continue to have much fun in creating a very short performance in PE entitled Children  in the Blitz, creating solutions in Science (see separate blog) and, of course, our Coding lessons with Mr Wainwright.

Can I just also add a very special well done to all the Year 4s for their great attempts at either knitting or cooking with the Oaks and Acorns this week.  As I write I have misplaced my camera - but look out for the photos soon.  It was another brilliant session with the older and younger generations enjoying themselves, we even managed to persuade our resident knitters - the office ladies, Mrs Smith and Mrs Thompson - to come and join us!  Special praise to Conrad, Thomas and Isobelle for their brilliant efforts.  We hope to have a St George's flag on display very soon.

Mrs Smith