Monday 14 December 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Oort Cloud 1 - It sounds simple but it might be a bit confusing. You all have a big paper with the plan of your mission to explore space and visit the Oort Cloud. You also have a small paper with the details of Week 1 of your mission. You need to write about Week 1, including the details that you will find on the small paper. You can write it as a story or as a diary. Try to include more than just the things on the paper. Mention your feelings, the things you can see or hear, the things you talk about, the things other people say to you.
YOU CAN GIVE THIS IN ON WEDNESDAY!

Sunday 13 December 2009

The Oort Cloud

We'll be starting a new piece of writing soon, about the Oort Cloud. If, like me, you had never heard of the Oort Cloud before, here's a short video about it.



It's a cluster of billions of asteroids, far out in our solar system. Some theories suggest that the Earth will one day collide with some of these asteroids, causing immense devastation. Let's hope it doesn't come soon!

Here's a link to some other videos about the solar system and our universe that I put on the blog last year.

Saturday 12 December 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 5
  2. Abacus PCM p. 8
  3. Reading Log - choose 1 activity. If you have a separate workbook for 'The Quest', do that instead of your reading log.

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3, 4 & 5
  2. Finish your name picture - the one that looks like a rocket flying through space. Don't forget the background!
  3. Island homework 6 -

    Week 6

    You finally leave the Island

    Write the story of your last few days on the Island.

    Explain why you are leaving.

    Do you want to leave ?

    Or - Do you have to leave ?

    Or - Do you have no choice ?

    How do you feel about leaving your island – sad or excited ? Who are you looking forward to seeing? Who or what will you miss about the island?

    What souvenirs would you take back with you ? What memories do you have (good and bad)?

    Make sure that you spend time editing your work to produce writing that reflects your best effort.

    Think – Will Mr Ward enjoy reading it ?

    Can you make him laugh with a funny story ?

    Can you make him cry with a sad story ?

    Can you make him tremble with a scary story ?

  4. Reading - make sure that your reading record is signed! You know who I'm talking about!
Some of you will have to do your island homework on a paper because you didn't take your book home. I won't mention their names (S**ia and Ad**).

Monday 7 December 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Bring a newspaper in to class - it doesn't matter which language, as long as you can read it
  2. Abacus PCM p.7 & p.126
  3. Spelling sentences - using your spelling list, write the meaning of the 'space' words and write your own sentence for the other words. Don't copy ALL of the meanings from the dictionary; just choose the one which is about space.
  4. Remember! Try to find objects connected to space for our display wall. We're not going to win but let's try not to be last!

Saturday 5 December 2009

Today's Homework

1. Daily Maths 1 + 2
2. Spelling - learn them and complete the crossword
3. Finish colouring your perspective picture
4. Reading
5. Bring in an object connected to space; anything will do, except for things printed off the internet

Wednesday 2 December 2009

Today's Homework:
1. Type your story about the village. If you can't print it at home, bring it to school on a memory stick.
2. Do 1 (ONE) activity from your reading log.
3. Abacus PCM p.125 - Bar line graphs

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Welcome Back!

It was good to see everyone back in school again after our short break. It was even better to see so many lovely cookies as well! Oliver's were particularly popular but well done to all our bakers.

Remember, tomorrow is non-uniform day. In exchange for wearing your own clothes you should bring a small, inexpensive (5-10SR) gift that can be used as a prize in the Winter Fair. Anything will do, as long as it is in good condition. It should be something that you would not mind winning as a prize - no free gifts from McDonald's!

A date for our diaries - next week, December 9th, is Sports Day.

Monday 23 November 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Abacus PCM p.103
  2. Reading Task Sheet
  3. Bake cookies - Bring them on December 1st.

Saturday 21 November 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 1 & 2
  2. Spelling - complete the wordsearch and write the missing words. Do NOT write the sentences!
  3. Research Jeddah - what is the population now & in the last 50 years? what is the size of Jeddah now? why has Jeddah grown so much? what are the problems or benefits? - Google - 'population of Jeddah'

Wednesday 18 November 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3, 4 & 5
  2. Reading survey
  3. Design an invitation for a party for your settlement - where do people go? when do they come? why are you having a party?

Monday 16 November 2009

Today's Homework

1. Learn your spellings - test on Wednesday
2. Abacus PCM p.26, 27 & 28
3. Reading - if you have reading comprehension,
do that as well

Sunday 15 November 2009

International Day 2

We had a fantastic range of food and some very nice national costumes on International Day. Thanks very much to everyone who brought some food in and thanks to everyone at home who made it! Everyone shared their food really nicely and also told us a little bit about each dish. As you can see, it was a real feast!


Saturday 14 November 2009

Today's Homework

1. Write the reasons for your top 3 settlement choices. Why, not what!
2. Daily Maths 1 & 2
3. Spellings - learn and write but NOT in the spaces!
4. Reading - 15 min

Please remember to bring your Settlement presentation to the ITU lesson and don't forget your ITU homework!

Wednesday 11 November 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3 & 4
  2. Island Homework 3 & 4 - finish the instructions about how to build a settlement. Then write a playscript about meeting the islanders.

International Day - Part 1

There will be more photos of our class to come later but one thing we did today was to watch some national dances from around the world. Here is a sample.

English Morris Dancing


A Chinese Dance


Maori Haka as used by the All Black rugby team

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Instructions

We've been struggling through instructions today, trying to write about how to build a shelter. One thing that we found very hard is including ALL the details that we need and remembering that we have to say EXACTLY what needs to be done. It's all about thinking from another person's point of view.

Anyway, here a useful website that guides you through the process of writing instructions: BBC Bitesize

Saturday 7 November 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Find pictures, names and artists for three Jeddah roundabouts. Stick them in your ITU book.
  2. Spelling - learn the words, complete the wordsearch and write the missing words.
  3. Daily Maths 1 & 2
  4. Reading - talk about your book, don't just read it out loud. What do you like, dislike, enjoy? What would you do if you were a character in the book?

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Abacus PCM p.100
  2. Answer the questions about the Jeddah fountain and Jeddah roundabouts. You can print the answers or write them down. Remember what I said about using Wikipedia (try the Simple English option from the homepage) and ask Google questions.
  3. Island Homework 2 - write a story about your journey to the island. Try to include details about how you feel, what happened, how you got there, what you did for food and shelter. Write about planning the trip, making the journey and one night on the island. You should do this in your English Homework book, NOT on paper!

Monday 2 November 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3 & 4 - remember to write the date and draw a margin!
  2. Maths Times Table Square - stick this in your book
  3. Island Homework 2 - only choose the 5 people you want to bring with you. You need to be able to explain why you chose them. You can write some ideas in your jotter. Do NOT do the writing part!
Remember, PROUD HOUSE DAY is coming on Wednesday. You get 1 House Point for each item of clothing that matches your house colour.

Sunday 1 November 2009

Group of the Week

Every week we look for the best group; the group which is organised, quick to get ready, tidy and good listeners. Everyone needs to work together and it's team work that helps you win.

This week we had Wasfi, Arouba, Adam and Faris:


Last week we had Salma, Nadine and Deborah.


Well done everybody!

Saturday 31 October 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 1 & 2
  2. Spellings - write questions, find the missing words. Do NOT write the word in the spaces :-)
  3. Bring small boxes or pots (like yoghurt or smaller) to make a model settlement. Plastic trees, toy people, tiny cars would also be good.

Monday 26 October 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3 & 4 - copy the boxes from the paper for Daily Maths 3. When you do Daily Maths 4, measure the line and write down the nearest cm. For example, if the line is 64mm, the nearest cm is 6cm.
  2. Learn your spellings for the test on Wednesday - try to use the Look, Cover, Write, Check method.
  3. Learn all of your song words and assembly words. I want to practice without papers tomorrow. Also, if you have any pirate clothes, eye patches, crutches, treasure chests etc then you can bring them to school.

Sunday 25 October 2009

Today's Homework

Sorry I'm a bit late with this one. Here it is:

  1. Match the spelling word to the meaning. Please write the sentences , not just the word.
  2. Daily Maths 1 & 2 - this should be done in your Maths Homework book.
Don't forget, if you have any problems, write a note in the diary to let me know.

Also, Monday is the last day for Book Club orders so get them in if you don't want to miss out!

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Assembly

Yes, it's our assembly on Wednesday! We've practised the song (a tiny bit) and we've talked about it (a tiny bit) so I think I know what we'll be doing a lot next week.

The assembly has a pirate theme so if you already have a pirate costume or clothes that look a bit piratey (stripes; red and black, maybe blue; eye patch etc), you can wear them. It's Jeans for Genes day on Wednesday as well so we'll probably be wearing blue.

I hope nobody has to wear anything like this:



Have a good weekend!

Today's Homework

  1. Draw a map of an island - this will be part of work that continues for 6 weeks. This weekend you only need to draw a plan view of an island. Use your imagination! You are going to set up a base on the island so that scientists can come and study the plants and animals. There are no buildings on the island yet! There might be people; we don't know. Draw it on the squared paper I gave you and colour it if you want to do your best!
  2. Make a list in your topic book of all the services you see. Services are those businesses or buildings you might see where people have a job to do things for others, not just selling things. So, a petrol station is not a service (it sells petrol) but a mechanic is (he fixes your car). Try to find at least 5 and maybe more!
Don't forget! Your Home Town project is also due in on Saturday.

Monday 19 October 2009

We're A Happy Family

Hard At Work On Day One









Today's Homework

  1. Abacus Photocopy Masters p.1 & p.2 - if you have already done these pages from your homework booklets, just bring me those. You don't need to do the same thing twice.
  2. Finish your Home Town project. You have until next Saturday to do this. I would like you to present your information to the class so you need to think about what you are going to say, how you are going to say it and what you are going to show.

Saturday 17 October 2009

Today's Homework

Yes, it's a new year and we have homework on the very first day! Isn't life grand? Luckily, all the students in Y5-2 have a wonderfully kind teacher who would never give them anything that is too difficult so it's easy homework today:
  1. Finish the swimming picture. Make sure your name and class are on the back.
  2. Cover your books. This means your maths homework, English homework and homework diary. Try to cover them with the clear plastic that will keep them clean and secure. If you haven't got any covers, don't worry.
  3. Find the answer to this question; Can I print the Home Town project instructions from the school website? If you can, you need to start working on the project and present it next week. If you can't, let me know and I'll print a copy for you.
Don't forget to bring the Open House letter back tomorrow and WELCOME BACK!!

Saturday 10 October 2009

Are We There Yet?

Well, I was in Jarir Bookstore yesterday afternoon and it was completely packed with people buying all the school supplies that they needed for today.



We have another week before we have to start lessons so there is a little more time to do all that essential purchasing. Let's hope everyone has a pencil and rubber when they come on the first day!

There are some other things you can do this week to prepare for the start of school. We will be working on our Settlement topic at first. So, if you can find out any information about your home town, whether it be Jeddah or somewhere in another country, that will help you get off to a good start. Particularly look for pictures or unique information that makes your town interesting or different to others.

We'll also be getting to know each other and telling each other about ourselves in the first couple of days so now might be a good time to try and remember all of the things you've been doing in this long summer holiday so you can tell us all about it when we see you!

Thursday 1 October 2009

Tuesday 29 September 2009

Welcome Back! Sort of...

Well hello again. I hope we all had a great holiday and enjoyed the long break from school. It turns out that we're having an even longer break than we were expecting now that the school is closed to Primary for the next couple of weeks. It's rather unexpected and I'm sure lots of you were really looking forward to coming back and seeing all your friends again, maybe even to getting back to work! Luckily, the school has made provisions for everyone to keep their brains in tip-top condition with plenty of worksheets on the school website. You can visit www.continentalschool.com to find all the work that the teachers have prepared.

Don't forget, you can leave messages here if you have any more questions and remember to keep checking the school website for the latest information. Bye for now!

Sunday 21 June 2009

Today's Homework

Just one again: write your scary story!

Try to remember the things we've been working on in class: paragraphs when you come to a new section or theme, metaphors and similes, a mixture of action and description and so on. You can do it in your pink book but your green book would be better.

Tuesday 16 June 2009

Today's Homework

Just the one today. Aren't you lucky! So, here it is:

Write 10 sentences using your feeling words. The instructions are on the spelling paper you stuck in your book. Then, find the meaning of 3 plant words. You don't need to write anything down but you will need to explain EXACTLY what the words mean.

Sunday 14 June 2009

Today's Homework

Just the one today: Complete the science worksheet about plants and seeds.

You should write a little about what we discussed in class; how do you think plants are made? Where do seeds come from? etc Use the words from the middle of the page to help you write your sentences.

At the bottom of the page you should draw a picture, or a series of pictures, to show how a plant makes a new plant. Here's a clue: it's a kind of life cycle.

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Book Reviews

By the way everyone, you won't see your comment straight away. I have to approve it for publication; basically, read it to make sure it isn't junk mail. So Tariq, STOP SENDING YOUR BOOK REVIEW!!!!

Today's Homework

  1. Write a book review of 'The Demon Headmaster'. You have three choices of where to write: in your little Book Review book, on the class website (by clicking on the word comment above this message) or on the Amazon website on the page about 'The Demon Headmaster' (click on the 'Create Your Own Review' button).
I want you to use the questions from your Book Review book to give you some ideas to write, even if you do it on the internet. You should be able to write at least 50 words!

Sunday 7 June 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Spellings - finish Look, Cover, Write, Check 2 more times.
  2. Abacus workbook p109
  3. Find an advertisement, either in a paper, magazine or a stand-alone ad. Sometimes you can get them given out in the supermarket. I want you to find an example of how companies advertise things on paper. You have until WEDNESDAY.

Saturday 6 June 2009

Spellings: Week Beginning 06/06/09

sound
loud
amplify
muffle
decibel
pitch
volume
telephone
microphone
deafening
earsplitting
vibration
resonance
harmony

Wednesday 3 June 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 2
  2. Spellings - Remember the Look, Cover, Write, Check pattern. Write the words in your grey book.
  3. Bring a piece of music that makes you feel something: happy, sad, scared, lonely, energetic, excited, angry, loving etc. You could bring it on an iPod or other mp3 player or on a cd. If you don't have any music then just let me know the title and artist and I'll try to find it.

Tuesday 26 May 2009

Back to Work (Sort Of)

Hello again everyone. I hope you had a good time in the two day holiday, finishing off bits of work, revising your spellings and trying to make up for missing lessons in some way. Of course not! Holidays are holidays after all, which reminds me, when you come back to school on Saturday it is...

OUTDOOR EDUCATION!!!


For those who are new that means four days of activities on the beach with the class. You'll be swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, building sandcastles, team-working, windsurfing and sailing. So, remember to bring all the essential items listed in the letter and remember to wear your beach clothes!

Sunday 24 May 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Just one today! - Lunar Theme Park p.4
Okay, so this is a bit complicated. You (should!) have already worked out the number of rides, cafes, shops, paths and car parks in your theme park. So, you know how much money you have used out of your $500 000. You have also chosen a price to charge the visitors so you know how much GATE money you have. That means the money that is given in at the gate of the park.

Now, you need to work out how much money you will earn from your cafes and shops. If you have one cafe, every visitor will spend $3. If you have 2 cafes, every visitor will spend $6 and so on in multiples of 3. Every shop will make $5 per visitor ($10 for 2 shops and so on).

On Day 1 you will get 224 visitors. If you have 2 shops and 1 cafe you will earn 224 x $10 plus 224 x $3. Your job is to work out the money you will earn from the gate, the shops and the cafes for FIVE (5) days. Do NOT do it for all 31 days unless you really want to. Use a CALCULATOR!

Saturday 23 May 2009

This Week's Spellings

cornea
eyebrow
eyelash
eyelid
retina
tear
pupil
optic nerve
lens
iris
reflect
refract
opaque
transparent
translucent

Sunday 17 May 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Abacus workbook p.74 - multiplication with decimals. Don't forget to make an estimate BEFORE you find the answer.
  2. Science sheet - Electrical safety in the home - Find the danger and circle it
  3. Learn your spellings (test tomorrow) and finish writing the spelling story in your grey book
Electrical Safety for Kids
Electrical Safety World

Saturday 16 May 2009

Golden Book

Well done to Faisal, who came up with a great target for himself and got into the Golden Book because of it. Most people were thinking of things such as; get better at English, go up a level in 3MM and so on. Faisal had a truly selfless idea of helping poor people by collecting his old toys and either passing them on or selling them to raise money. It's such a good idea that we're going to try and do something in Y5 to help as much as we can.

Well done Faisal!

This Week's Spellings

pneumonia
Wednesday
autumn
calm
wrist
castle
lamb
wriggle
sign
hedge
island
guilty
resign
knot
match
calf
hour
watch
climbing
whole

Tuesday 12 May 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Book review - it must be a FICTION book. Remember, I want to see details of things: why was that your favourite part? Why did you like this character best (with examples of what they did to make you like them)?
  2. Daily Maths 1 & 4
  3. Finish off your poster/presentation about an optical device. Remember, it is to be given in tomorrow.

Sunday 10 May 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Make sure your targets are S.M.A.R.T. - if you have written 'Be better...' or 'Do more...' or 'Get good...' then your target is not MEASURABLE. You have to be able to tell me what you are going to do to be better. We have to be able to see progress eg, how close are you to getting on the football team, getting good at Art etc. Edit your targets in your homework book.
  2. Letts p.39 Word Box OR Spelling worksheets for Michael, Ayesha and Youssef
  3. Bring your RESEARCH about an optical device. I do not expect to see a finished poster or presentation. I want to see where you are getting your information from and how you are doing so far.

Wednesday 6 May 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 5
  2. Science Table - name the parts of the eye or camera and identify their function (job)
  3. Research an optical device (eg. glasses, goggles, telescope, microscope, periscope, binoculars. You only choose 1!) By next Wednesday I want to see a poster or Powerpoint or some sort of display of the information you have learned. You do NOT have to give a presentation but you can if you wish. Use the questions we discussed in class to start you off with your research.

Tuesday 5 May 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Abacus workbook p.71
  2. Spelling crossword
  3. Daily Maths 1 & 2
  4. Learn spellings & add 5 more (before Monday)
We had a look at some people's targets today and thought about how to make them fit the SMART plan. Tomorrow, I want you to type them on the computer so that we can put them on display. You need to make sure that they are definitely measureable!

Around The World

I've found a great site that lets you compete against kids from around the world in maths and spelling. You have a minute to get as many questions right as you can and, if you sign up to the website, it will keep a record of your top scores and how many games you've won.

If you want to have a look at it, click here.

Sunday 3 May 2009

Electricity In The Air




We've been having fun lately (as usual), doing a few experiments with electricity; making circuits, testing things for conductivity, trying to get buzzers and bulbs to light up. All the kinds of things that other classes wish they could do. Well, when they see these pictures of us making parallel circuits, imagine how jealous they'll be!

Today's Homework

  1. Learn your spellings and choose 5 mistakes from different parts of your work. The test is tomorrow! (Lauren, just stick with the 15 if you haven't got 5 mistakes yet)
  2. Part A - New Group; finish p.3 & 4 of your Musical Instruments Technology Project.
  3. Part B - Old Group; if you have already done p.3 & 4, do p.5 & 6. You need to write instructions about how to make your musical instrument from START to FINISH, not just up to where you are now. Write down (on p.6) any problems you have had so far, any help you have had, any changes you have made.
PE Tomorrow!

3MM High Achievers!


Here's our latest batch of winners. Six people have moved up a level in 3MM recently: Michael, Yousef, Ula, Aly, Badr and Michaela. Some of them were here for a picture today. Well done everyone!

Poetry

Well done everyone for the poems you were writing this morning. I was feeling as though it would be hard work but you managed to come up with some great stories, especially Aly, who even wrote his in rhyme! I'll make a book of them so that you can read the class collection when everyone has finished writing them.

If you want to have another chance to see the very funny Michael Rosen reading his own poem 'No Breathing In Class', here's a video. Try to read some more of his poems if you can, they are great!

Wednesday 29 April 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 5
  2. Science worksheet
  3. Abacus Workbook p.66
  4. Finish the 'Starburst' picture - remember to go over the lines with a thin, black pen when you have finished the colouring.

Tuesday 28 April 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3 & 4
  2. A) Letts Comprehension p.39 - The Pied Piper of Hamelin Only answer the questions from the Text box
    or
    B)Comprehension p. 4 Fattypuffs and Thinnifers Only answer the questions in Section A
  3. Think of 3 targets to achieve by the end of May. They should be related to school but not necessarily about work. Remember what Mrs Ward said: S.M.A.R.T. - Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, Time related. You need to have these targets ready in your mind for next Tuesday.

Coughs and Sneezes

I'm sure a lot of us have heard about the 'flu virus that is affecting Mexico and spreading to other countries. It is something that can be very easy to spread around but should also be very easy to protect ourselves from. We had a talk at school today about good hygiene, washing and drying our hands and covering our mouth and nose when we cough or sneeze. This video shows why it's so important!

Sunday 26 April 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 1 & 2 (do this in your Maths Homework book)
  2. Grammar Workbook Unit 25 (in your Grammar Workbook)
  3. Collect the materials you need for your musical instrument - if you were absent when we started the designs, you don't need to do this.
  4. Find a narrative poem to bring to class on Wednesday - you don't need to learn it, you just need to bring it. Remember, a narrative poem is a poem with a story. Have a look on the poetry links for some ideas.
As usual, the homework is to hand in tomorrow, unless I say otherwise. If there is any (GOOD) reason why you can't do the homework, just ask an adult to write a note explaining why you can't do it.

Friday 24 April 2009

Happy Holidays?

Welcome back everyone. And a very special welcome to our new student, Lauren. I know we'll all do our best to make her feel welcome in her new school and new country.

I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing holiday. I think we were all ready for one after a very long second term. Now it's back to work again and only 9 short weeks until the end of year 5! What a lot of work we're going to have to squeeze in to that time!

Tuesday 24 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Design a musical instrument and make a list of the material and equipment you will need to make it. This should be done in your Musical Instrument Project leaflet. Draw, label and colour a picture of the instrument you would like to make. It must be a percussion instrument and should be designed for children in Y1 so it needs to be easy to use, tough and attractive. Do NOT make the instrument yet!
  2. Grammar workbook Unit 7

Sunday 22 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Grammar workbook Unit 1 OR Dictionary workbook p.6 & 7
  2. Abacus workbook p.54 & 56
  3. Learn your spellings - test tomorrow!
  4. Get your reading record signed!

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Reading
  2. Spelling sentences - copy the sentences in your neatest handwriting and fill in the blanks with words from the spelling list. Test next Monday!
  3. Write a letter to a slide manufacturer. These are the things you need to include:
  • Paragraph 1 - who are you? why are you writing to them? why should they listen to you?
  • Paragraph 2 - what materials or designs would be bad for a slide? Why?
  • Paragraph 3 - what materials or designs would be good for a slide? Why?
  • Paragraph 4 - what is your opinion?
Stick to the facts for Paragraph 2 and 3. Think about our experiments with friction and measuring force. Which materials created the least friction? Which surface was the easiest to move the weight on?

Remember, SWIMMING GALA tomorrow!!

Sunday 15 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Reading
  2. Science sheet - what happens when we try to measure the force needed to lift a weight when it is in water? Why is it different when we lift a weight in air? What is the name of the force which pulls us to the ground? Would we more or less on the moon? Why?
  3. Abacus workbook p.53
  4. Learn a joke and tell the class tomorrow. No 'Knock, knock' jokes. If it's the same as someone else, you both need to do another one.

Wednesday 11 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 5 - the little coin that you can't really see is a 20p coin. You just need to write the different combinations you can make; you don't need to write the totals.
  2. Science experiments:
  • Answer the question about the children using the string telephone. If you make one yourself it might be easier to answer. If it's a nice one, bring it to school on Saturday.
  • Fill in the chart about the water bottle musical instruments. You have to do this one yourself to get the results because you need to test the different sounds. You don't need to bring this one to school!

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Spelling sentences - copy the sentences from the paper into your spelling book (in your best handwriting!) and fill in the blanks with the words from our test.
  2. Abacus workbook p.48

Sunday 8 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily maths 1 & 2
  2. Science sheet - look at the picture and list as many forces as you can see. They don't have to be different forces every time but you should be able to see the forces acting in different places every time.

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Reading (some people have reading comprehension as well)
  2. Spelling wordsearch
  3. Mental maths workbook
  • Group 1 = page 38, A-D
  • Group 2 & 3 = page 41, all

Physics Games

Here's a little game to help you play around with gravity and work out what helps resist it and what doesn't.

Top Figures

Sunday 1 March 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Learn your spellings - test tomorrow on the -ist words
  2. Abacus workbook p.39
  3. Learn a poem by heart - it should be 8 lines or more and you will recite it on Wednesday, without reading from a paper.
  4. Reading

Poetry Please!

If you're wondering about how to read a poem aloud to the class, here's a website with lots of videos of a famous poet reading his poems. Some of them are short, some of them rhyme, some of them are funny. All of them are really well presented. Have a look! Michael Rosen - The Hypnotiser

Tuesday 24 February 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Write about two fairground rides. Describe the ride, the way you felt on it, how it moved, what you saw and heard, anything that will add to the description but do not give away the name of the ride. We'll see if anyone can guess the name of the ride from your description.

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3
  2. Haydn Richards p.4 - Do A and choose 6 from B
  3. Prepare your presentation - you should be prepared to speak without reading from the paper.

Sunday 15 February 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Book review - in your little 'Books I Have Read' book.
  2. Daily maths 1 & 2
  3. Prepare your presentation - you need to show 2 sources of information, for example: photographs, interviews, pictures, magazines, websites, posters, leaflets, newspapers. Where did you find out the things you are going to tell us? Remember, the presentation is for Wednesday!

Saturday 14 February 2009

Spellings 14/02/09

country
countries
city
cities
pony
ponies
fly
flies
monkey
monkeys
boy
boys
map
coordinate
dwelling

Tuesday 10 February 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Abacus workbook p.36 & 37
  2. Prepare for your presentation: I would like you to tell me a) who or what you are going to talk about, b)where you got, or where you will get, your information from. Just saying 'Google' is not an acceptable answer! I want to know the exact website, if that's what you're using.

Wednesday 28 January 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3
  2. Write instructions about how to build a shelter on your island. Include a diagram (that's a picture with labels, Farida).
Tariq and Michaela
  • Write about the settlement you drew on the map

AbdulRahman
  • Bring the swimming letter back to school on Saturday

Sunday 25 January 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 2
  2. Abacus workbook p.12
  3. Learn your lines!
  4. Remember it's the trip tomorrow!
  • You need to bring a snack and a drink.
  • You need to bring your Arabic books.
  • You don't need to bring iPods and PSPs, of course!

Wednesday 21 January 2009

The Great Debate - The Not So Great Results!

Well, I'm sure we'll all be shocked to learn that, following our first debate, in which ideas were expressed vigorously but politely, the class voted by 21-0 in favour of banning homework. That was the easy bit; the hard bit will be convincing Mr Hugo to agree as well!

Although there were lots of reasons given in favour of banning homework (lack of time to play, repetitiveness, difficulty), the main reason for keeping it seemed to be that it makes you smarter. Perhaps we should perform an experiment; half the class do no homework and half do for 6 months and we'll see if there's any difference at the end of the year. Any volunteers?

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3
  2. Prepare for the debate tomorrow; are you 'for' or 'against' the proposition that homework should be banned? Make sure you have something to say. You might want to write down your ideas.
  3. Island Homework Week 2 - write about how you got to the island, what your thoughts were when you arrived, what your feelings were. Remember to choose the five people you want to take with you and explain your choices.

Monday 19 January 2009

Constructors' Championship

Last week we finished off the model towns or cities that we had been making. A lot of time was spent on them and there was even a bit of effort put into making them look as attractive as possible. There were a few problems transforming ideas into reality and we realised the importance of both gravity and foundations when many of the buildings fell off the paper as soon as we stuck them on the wall. However, the 'before' pictures look great and one group in particular produced an amazing looking park and town.





Sunday 18 January 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 1
  2. Match the singular with the plural on your spelling list and write two sentences using the words from the list. In your grey book.
  3. Cut out the three black shapes you need to finish your art picture.
  4. Vote in the debate!

Friday 16 January 2009

The Weekly Debate!

Part of our work this term will involve argument. Oh no it won't, oh yes it will etc etc. What I mean is, we'll be working on how to make an effective argument, how to fix the facts around our opinions, how to state our case in a way that will convince other people. As part of our work we'll be having a debate every week or so. The first one this week is on the subject of homework. You can see the question up in the top right of the blog and we'll find out what people think on Tuesday!

Wednesday 14 January 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 4
  2. Reading
  3. Write a scene for our play - NOT THE WHOLE PLAY!! - remember to include character names and stage directions. Use the format of 'James and the Giant Peach'.

Tuesday 13 January 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 3
  2. Island Homework 1: Draw an island on your paper, decorate it, name it and the sea around it. We'll be doing a series of homework pieces over the next few weeks based on your island so the more interesting you can make it, the better.
  3. Reading

Sunday 11 January 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Daily Maths 1 & 2
  2. Make a settlement hierarchy (list) for Saudi Arabia and 1 other country, maybe your own. Start with the largest place and work down to the smallest. You don't need to draw a pyramid.
  3. Reading
Don't forget; those who didn't do their homework on Wednesday still need to do it this week!

Saturday 10 January 2009

ICT Questions

Find out about these facts for your town/village in Saudi Arabia and your home country:

  1. Where is this place located?
  2. Why is it in this place?
  3. Is it famous?
  4. What is the area like?
  5. What is the weather like?
  6. What is there to do in this place?

Wednesday 7 January 2009

Today's Homework

  1. Finish off your settlement plan. Make sure that you include a key to explain what each section on the map is and as much detail as possible. Think about buildings, open areas like parks and fields, rivers, sea, lakes and anything else you might like. Colour it if that makes it easier to understand.
  2. Abacus workbook p.114, 116 and 121. Some people have done some of it already. This is mostly a finishing off exercise.

Monday 5 January 2009

Welcome Back!


Hello everyone and welcome back to another fantastic year in Y5 with Mr Ward!!!!

Did you know, you are the last class born in the 20th century to come into Y5! Next year, most of the children will have been born in 2000, the 21st century. Gosh, that makes me feel old!

Anyway, I hope you all had a good holiday with plenty of fun and frolics with your friends and family. Back to school doesn't mean that the fun has to end but we do need to get our heads for some hard work. Let's get to it!

Thursday 1 January 2009

Spellings: Week beginning 07/03/09

rollercoaster
adrenaline
awesome
big wheel
breathtaking
candy
carousel
climb
dodgems
funfair
ghost train
helterskelter
pirate ship
ride
speed
thrill
track
tunnel
Coming Soon!

10th June
You are going to make your own advertisement for the Lunar Theme Park! You can do it on paper, on video or as a sound recording. So, if you have a video camera at home, or something to record sound, maybe you could ask if you could use it.


13th June
Y6 Talent Show

26th June
Family Fun Run

30th June
End of Year Celebration

1st July
End of School :-(
Reports go out :-|
Summer holiday :-)