EOTC Timetable

An action packed week ahead!

Year 5/6 Homework Term 4 Week 7 2010

Spelling / Fitness!

Learn the 10 spelling words for the week. You must be able to recite them to someone at home correctly while doing STAR JUMPS.

Reading: You must read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your reading in a table. Try reading out loud to someone. Maybe you could share a story with a little brother, sister or friend.

Something A Bit Different!

Your task this week is to design a homework sheet for your class to complete. It can be whatever you like as long as it is educational and adding value to what we are doing in class.

You must present it on an A4 sheet (we can give you this at school if you want), it must also be accurate, easy to follow and achievable for everyone.

Have fun, get creative and original and go for it!

The winning homework sheet will be photocopied and given out as the next weeks homework for the class.

Homework - Term 4 Week 6

Choose Your Own Homework

This week you get to choose your homework and report back on what you did.

Spelling- Choose 10 words to learn for the week.

Reading- Read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record what you read in a table.

Now for the fun bit...

Investigate something interesting to you or report on something you know a lot about. You can choose from these or make up an investigation of your own.

• Cooking and baking with your family
• Designing and making something at home
• Report on a news item from a family event or world news
• Writing an original story or poem including illustrations
• Visit an art gallery or museum and report on what you saw.
• Undertake a mathematical investigation at the supermarket or around the house.
• Create an interesting learning activity for the class
• Read a book and write a review.
• Write a consumer evaluation of a new product. E.g acleaning product or food. Did it do what it said, taste good ,provide energy. Read the packaging for ideas to talk about.

Or something else !!!!

There are however the following guidelines:

• Include at least half a page or written work which can include pictures or diagrams. You must say what you think you will learn from the activity (The WALT), what you actually did learn and how it went.
• A parental signature must be included with this homework.
• We will be sharing the homework on Friday.

Give yourself a challenge to try something different, fun and challenging

Homework - Term 4 Week 5

Well done to everyone for your hard work completing all those tests last week... What a mission! You all did superbly and have made huge progress since the beginning of the year!

Only a few more weeks till the end of the year but please keep focused on your homework and ensure you keep high standards. Remember it is important you do your best at ALL of these activities below.

Good luck!

Spelling

Choose 10 inquiry based words to learn this week. Try and challenge yourself with some tricky ones. Along with learning your words please find the dictionary meaning for each one using either a dictionary (of course) or Google. Write these definitions neatly in your book with the word underlined.

Reading

Remember to read for at least 10 minutes every night. Copy and complete your reading grid neatly. Talk to someone at home about your book. Tell them what has happened so far, what is the complication and make a prediction of how the complication will be resolved.

Maths

Choose 10 numbers and write them neatly in your book. Next to each number list all the factors for that number. Factors are numbers that are multiplied together to give you that number. For example:

12 Factors = 1, 12, 2, 6, 3, 4

Inquiry

This week for inquiry we will be learning about historic disasters that have occurred in the Wellington region. In class you will visit this website to learn about these disasters. Your homework task is to share 3 facts about these disasters with someone at home.

Website: http://www.whatstheplanstan.govt.nz/info-wellington.html

Reminder

Our School Athletics Day is this Thursday at Petone Rec. Please remember to be at school on time with everything you need for an active day in the sun shine!
* hat
* big drink (maybe even 2)
* suitable footwear
* warm top and/or jacket
* big lunch!

Athletics Day 11.11.10

Below is the timetable for our annual Athletics Day at Petone Rec. We'd love to see you there! (Click on the image to make it bigger)

Year 5/6 Homework Term 4 Week 4 2010

Year 5/6 Homework Term 4 Week 4 2010

Spelling/Fitness

Learn the 10 spelling words for the week. You must be able to recite them to someone at home correctly while doing STAR JUMPS.

Maths/Fitness:
Go onto the class blogs and play some of the maths games. Record the games you played.
Extra: Think about what times tables you need to learn and practice them while doing press ups and sit ups.

Reading:
This week for reading you are to find your favourite picture book and read it to someone younger than you. Make sure that you have practised your expression and different voices. Make the book come alive for the listener! Also make up four questions for your little reader to answer and make them think.

Record in your book what you read and who you read it to.

Inquiry: Design a family disaster plan fridge magnet

As a family brainstorm information that you could include on the magnet, such as:

* nearest Civil Defence Centre

* family meeting place

* out-of-area contact

* emergency contacts

* space for household emergency plan

Have fun and no moaning about the sit ups and press ups!

Homework Week 3 Term 4

Year 5/6 Homework Term 4 Week 3 2010

Spelling: This is your last week to make sure you know all of your essential words. Testing week is next week!
Include your spelling words in 1 paragraph. Make sure it makes sense and is neat and tidy.

Maths:
Go onto the class blogs and play some of the maths games. Record the games you played.
Extra: Think about what times tables you need to learn and practice them. Record what times tables you learned. These will also be tested next week.

Reading:
Read for at least 15 minutes each day. Record what you have read and write it in the table below. Make sure your reading is signed off.

As this week is a short week, there will be no inquiry homework.

Homework Term 4 week 2

Term 4 Week 2 Homework


Spelling
In week 4 you will be tested on ALL the essential lists plus commonly misspelt words. Take an essential words lists sheet home this week and focus on 10 words you still find challenging from your list. If you have passed all your lists focus on those tricky words from CMW so you are really confident at spelling them.

Reading

Remember to read every night for at least 15 minutes. Copy and complete a grid. Make a summary of the key events that have happened in the chapters/pages you have read.


Maths

For the next three weeks all classes are in revision mode - revisiting all the tricky lessons from the year so far. One area we will all be focusing on is place value. Click on the link below

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/number/number_system/play.shtml

Or a game from the blogs


Inquiry

We will be looking at defining what a disaster means this week.

Your task is to research the internet, from books, from family members about the

a) The Napier Earthquake
Or
b) The Tangiwai Rail Disaster

Create a brainstorm of all the pieces of information you found.

Term 4 Week 1 Homework

Spelling
For the next few weeks for homework it is important you really focus on your spelling knowledge because in week 4 you will be tested on ALL the essential lists plus commonly misspelt words. It is vital we have as many people pass these lists as possible.

Take an essential words lists sheet home this week and focus on 10 words you still find challenging from your list. If you have passed all your lists focus on those tricky words from CMW so you are really confident at spelling them.

Reading
Remember to read every night for at least 15 minutes. Copy and complete the grid below. Make a summary of the key events that have happened in the chapters/pages you have read.


Maths
For the next three weeks all classes are in revision mode - revisiting all the tricky lessons from the year so far. One area we will all be focusing on is fractions and decimals. Click on the cake below to take you to a website with a whole lot of fraction and decimal activities and games to play. Try to spend at least 10 minutes each night on one of these activities. Record the activities in your book and what you were practicing.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/fractiondecimalpercentage/

Inquiry
This term our Inquiry focus is natural disasters and how to prepare for them. This week you will be learning about hazards in the classroom and around the school. For homework this week we would like you to think about potential hazards in your house. Use a hazard grid (your teacher will give you this) to draw a plan of your house and identify the hazards using a coding system. (This will be explained in further detail later in the week).


Good Luck!

Term 4 Newsletter

Kia Ora everyone,

Welcome to Term 4 of 2010. It’s hard to believe we are now in the final term of the year. It is fantastic to finally see the sun after a very long and wet winter.
Firstly, a massive thank you to everyone who helped out during our very successful Life of Riley Production at the end of Term 3. It was a huge process for everyone involved, right from the initial ideas and dance practices through to the final performances. The children looked fantastic on stage in their creative costumes and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.
The children produced some quality work in all areas last term. For the conclusion of our inquiry on town planning the students were asked to create and present a proposal on a new community facility in Eastbourne. Every child completed their proposal using Keynote. These presentations can be viewed on the class blogs. They are well worth a look and the children would really value your feedback. There is also fantastic fabric art featured on these blogs so take your time to have a look around!
As usual, Term 4 is set to be another busy one, especially at the beginning of the term where the children will be involved in numerous assessments to check progress. Week 4 has been set aside for completing maths basic facts tests, STAR & PAT reading and spelling tests.
Below is a run down on the term. Feel free to contact your child’s classroom teacher if there is anything you wish to discuss further.

Literacy
Our writing focus for this term is narrative, where we will be exploring the components of what makes a good narrative including story starters, developing characters and setting a scene. This will really give the children the opportunity to let their imagination go wild in their writing. We are continuing to strive for accuracy in our writing so punctuation and spelling is still a major focus.
We conclude the year with a poetry unit.
Throughout our Inquiry and Reading lessons the focus will be on developing information literacy skills, looking particularly at summarising key ideas into our own words.

Numeracy
We start the term revising some key concepts from the year. We will be focusing particularly on fractions, decimals, place value and operational strategies. We then move onto Algebra looking at sequential patterns and rules. We end the term looking at Measurement studying Time and Money. Please continue to help your children at home with their basic facts. Many children know these but need to become quicker with their recall.

Inquiry
Our big inquiry topic for this term is “What’s the Plan Stan?” This unit focuses on Natural Disasters and how to prepare ourselves for an emergency. This is a very current and relevant unit at the moment especially with the Canterbury earthquake occurring last month.

Health
Towards the end of the term all classes will be involved in ‘Peer Mediation’ training. This is a programme created by the Peace Foundation and is part of their ‘Cool Schools’ initiative. In this programme the children will learn the skills of resolving conflict. At the end of the programme the Year 5 students will have an opportunity to apply to be a Peer Mediator in the playground at lunchtime so they can put these skills to good use. This will be an excellent leadership opportunity for children when they are in Year 6.

Physical Education
An exciting term for PE is planned, starting off with Athletics. The children will be taking part in Long Jump, High Jump, Vortex, Shot put, Quoit and Sprints. This leads in nicely to our school athletics day and Zone tournaments. We end the term with Swimming starting again down at the local pool.

Art
This term we will be studying photography. Students will learn how to take a quality photo and there will be plenty of opportunities to take photos. We may need some extra cameras for these sessions so if you have a digital camera at home that you are happy to let your child use please let us know.

Homework
We will continue blogging our weekly homework this term. The children will have the homework tasks explained to them on a Monday. Many of the tasks for this term will focus on our Inquiry unit. The children will be asked to share what they have learned with you at home. They will also have between 8-10 spelling words to learn each week. We understand it is difficult for some students to have access to a computer at home so there is always a hard copy available for them to stick in their books on Monday.

As teachers, we also understand the weeks can be very busy and many children have a lot of after school activities to attend. If for any reason your child is unable to complete their homework, please write a brief note in their book or email your classroom teacher with an explanation.

EOTC Week
This will be Week 9 and planning is currently underway. Activities will be finalised by the middle of the term. As usual, we will need a lot of parent support for these days. More information will be sent home once ideas and dates are confirmed.

Year 5 and 6 Camp 2011
There will be a meeting for Forest Lakes Camp 2011 in Week 9. Details will be sent out closer to the time. You might like to consider whether you would like to be a parent supervisor. Preference will be given to parents who can attend the whole week in 2011.

Important Reminders

Portfolios
If you still have your child’s portfolio please return it for updating this term. They will go out in Week 10 with the reports.

Stationery Check

Many students are now missing pens, pencils, rulers, plastic pockets and calculators. These are necessary for everyday class work. Can you please ask your child if they need any items and replace them. Thank you.

Sun Hats & Drink Bottles

It’s term 4 and each child needs a hat to wear everyday outside. It needs to be a wide brimmed hat, not a cap and ideally should be left at school in their desk for easy access. Thank you to those students who have remembered. Students not wearing hats have to stay in the shade area by the junior rooms.
It is also recommended the children have their own named drink bottle at school. As the days get warmer it's important they are fully hydrated.

Footwear and clothing

This term we need students to wear clothing that is suitable for outdoor sport. Please ensure your child wears shoes that they can run easily in (especially on Tuesdays as this is our athletics day.) Jandals and boots are not appropriate.
If you have any concerns or worries please contact your child’s teacher by leaving a phone message at the office or by email: teachers surname @ muritai.school.nz.

Kind Regards The Year 5 and 6 team

No homework this week

Due to our production this week and you having several late nights, there is no homework for this week.

Focus on your performance for the show!

Homework Week 8 of Term 3

Homework week 8 Term 3

Spelling:
Learn your 10 spelling words for the week.
Activity: Choose 1 of your spelling words and try to make as many other words from it as you can.
Criteria:
• You can only use each letter once
• The new word must be spelt correctly
• The new word must be at least 3 letters long
N.B: Make the most of the space in you homework book for this activity. Don’t waste space! You may like to rule up a table to record your new words.

Reading:
Read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your daily reading in a table.
Activity: Write a summary of what you have read so far.

Maths:
Get someone to test you on the times tables. Get tested out of order for an extra challenge. Maybe you can ask them to test you on lots of different ones if you know them well.
If there are some you don’t know well – learn them!
Go onto the class blogs (if you have internet at home) and play some mathematics games – record the games you played.

Production preparation:
This week you have been asked to start bringing in some clothing and props for production. Make sure you start organising this today! Remember to bring all items (named) and in a named plastic bag. It might also be a good idea to bring in a coat hanger if you have things to hang up. Please bring in everything you have for costume on Tuesday 7th.

Homework presentation:
Make sure your homework is nicely presented this week (we may let you off homework next week) so make this one look great!

Term 3 Week 7 Homework

Term 3 Week 7

Spelling
WALT – Learn your 10 words. Take 2 words from the last 5 weeks as revision


Reading
You must read for a minimum of 15 minutes every night, any longer is a bonus! Draw a picture of your favourite character and say why you like them.

Maths
Choose one (or both) of the following options:

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/fractions/

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/fractions/index.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/fractiondecimalpercentage/


Or practice your 4, 6, 7, 8 etc times tables

Production
Other: Explain to a member of your family what your part in production is. Practise some dance moves and be clear about what your role is.

RAT Costumes:
Black leggings/shorts/track pants, plain black t-shirt,

HUMAN Costumes:
Clothes for your character

PLEASE BRING IN COSTUME BY MONDAY NEXT WEEK!
PLEASE HAVE EVERY ITEM NAMED AND PUT IT A PLASTIC BAG THAT IS ALSO NAMED.

Term 3 Week 6

Spelling
WALT – Learn your 10 words. This week you need to be able to recite them to your parents while you are doing the dishes or cleaning your room.

Reading
You must read for a minimum of 15 minutes every night, any longer is a bonus! Draw a picture of your favourite character and say why you like them.

Maths
Choose one (or both) of the following options:
• Choose 2 of the times tables that you find the trickiest and practice them. Remember to learn the whole family of facts. Don't forget those division facts!
• Go onto the class blogs and play some of the maths games. Can you find one to play that you have never played? Record the games down.

Literacy
This week you are to write a short book review of a book you have already read.
Include the following:

Title of Book

Author

Setting:

Main Characters:

Summary of the story:

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Don't forget to complete the surveys the classes have made. It only take 5 minutes to share your opinion. Visit the class blogs to find the links.

Term 3 Week 5 Homework

This is a really busy week for everyone this week. There's Dancesplash, a rugby tournament, Artsplash and very important maths tests for some!

Because of this there is only a small about of homework for you to do this week. If you would like to do more, feel free to visit the class blogs to literacy and numeracy games.

Spelling

Learn your ten spelling words for the week. Recite the spelling of them every night with someone at home. Remember if you have really tricky words that you don't know the meaning of find the meaning of the word using a dictionary. Write the meaning in your homework book.

Reading

Please continue to read every night and record what you have read. Write a small reflection of what you have read in your book.

uncle jack

Homework for week 4 of term 3.

Homework Term 3 Week 4

Spelling
WALT – Learn your 10 words and include them in a short story. Try to be as creative as you can and don’t forget your VCOP’s. Underline your words.


Reading
You must read for a minimum of 15 minutes every night, any longer is a bonus! Draw up a table and record your reading progress. Be sure to write a small reflection of your reading this week. What did you enjoy? Do you have any ideas on what might happen next?


Sport
• This week you will be playing soccer. Write a paragraph about your morning of soccer so that when your teacher reads it they get a clear understanding of how much you enjoyed it (I’m sure you will!) Make your paragraph interesting and include your favourite part(s) of the morning.


Maths
Choose one (or both) of the following options:
• Choose 2 of the times tables that you find the trickiest and practice them. Record them down and see how quickly you can recite them.
• Go onto the class blogs and play some of the maths games. Can you find one to play that you have never played? Record the games down.

Inquiry
Start talking with your friends and family about the facilities in the community they enjoy. Make sure you ask them why they enjoy them. Record down 3 responses.

Term 3 Week 3 Homework

  Term 3 Week 3 Homework

Spelling:

Learn your 10 spelling words for the week. Write 5 of your words in a sentence and try to be creative with your sentences!

Reading:

You must read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your reading in the table below.

Day	Book	Author	Signature by a parent/caregiver
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs

Answer the following questions:

Who is the main character in the book you are reading?

What are their qualities?

What are their faults?

Quote a sentence that describes the character   

 e.g  “ her eyes were greeny-blue, like artic water; it was as though they had once been another colour, but that the other colour had been washed away” The Snow Spider

Maths:

Go to http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/fractions/

Or Google: Fractions game Woodlands primary school

Practise your fractions.

Inquiry:

Tell your family 5 facts about Eastbourne’s history that you learned from Keith Young’s Talk or from your own research.

Term 3 Week 2 Homework

Spelling:

Learn your 10 spelling words for the week. Write 5 of your words in an interesting sentence. Underline the spelling word in the sentence. Draw you other 5 words by using different types of fonts and designs. Make them big, bold and beautiful.

Reading:

You must read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your reading in the table below.
Choose a character from the book you are currently reading at home. Brainstorm as many words, similes and metaphors to describe the character.

Maths:

This week we are starting our unit on fractions, decimals and percentages. Brainstorm all the places you would use these three things in every day life: eg recording finishing times in the 100 metre sprints at the Olympics.


Maori Language Week: te Mahi Kai - The Language of Food

This week is Maori Language Week with a focus on food! Check out this link below to learn some common food names in Maori. Test yourself (or someone else at home) on the quizzes - it's heaps of fun! Don't forget to turn the volume up on your computer.

http://www.korero.maori.nz/forlearners/basics/lessons/toru-wordlist.html


Good luck!

Term 3 Newsletter

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome back to the new term. Hopefully everyone had a relaxing holiday – it was definitely the weather for it!

The Year 5 and 6 Team had another successful term in Term 2. The highlights would have to be our Renewable Energy Inquiry and the Speech Competition, where the quality of speeches from everyone was very impressive. Our T.G.I.F programme was also a huge success with children learning to play the ukulele, taking part in science experiments, spanish, art, sewing and even a bit of Bollywood dance!

Thank you to everyone who came to visit us for parent conferences at the end of the term. It was great to have a catch up with you all and report back on the successes your children have made.

The teachers are all looking forward to getting stuck into a solid term of teaching in Term 3. Here is the run down on what is happening.

Inquiry

Our big idea for the term is ‘A taste of town planning.’ To start the term we will be focusing on the past, learning about what Eastbourne used to look like 100 years ago. In particular, we will be looking at what type of community facilities were available for people to use. We will be investigating why the resources have changed or ceased to exist over time. This will lead into looking at the future and thinking about what kind of facilities we would like to see in Eastbourne for community use. The students will be surveying different members of the community to gauge their opinion and present a proposal for a new development.

We will also be focusing on the Key Competency ‘Relating to Others’ throughout this inquiry unit.

Literacy

In writing and reading we will be focusing on characterisation where we are learning the best ways to describe a character. In the second half of the term we will be looking at narrative writing, focusing on short story writing.

Our target focus for writing will continue to be striving for accuracy with our spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Maths

Cross grouping will continue this term commencing in week 2. We start the term looking at Number, exploring fractions, decimals and percentages.

Later in the term will will be looking at Statisitics – data collecting and graphing. This ties in nicely to our Inquiry unit.

Art

A big term for Art this term as we have our bi-annual school-wide production in week 9. Our show for this year is titled ‘The life of Riley’ which is an adaption of the picture book by Colin Thompson. It covers several moral themes which will be portrayed in the show. The preparation for the show will involve mask making by the children!

Physical Education

The start of the term sees us doing Gymnastics in the school hall. Each class will have a set day for this and it is essential children are dressed appropriately for this – no dresses, skirts or jeans.

Homework

We will continue to blog our weekly homework this term. The children will have the homework tasks explained to them on a Monday. They will also have between 8-10 spelling words to learn each week. We understand it is difficult for some students to have access to the computer at home so there is always a hard copy available for them to stick in their books on Monday.

As teachers, we understand the weeks can be very busy and many children have a lot of after school activties to attend. If for any reason your child is unable to complete their homework, please write a brief note in their book or email your classroom teacher with an explanation.

Other things to notes….

Slippers: These need to be continued to be worn throughout the winter term. Please ensure your child has a pair of slippers that are left at school.

Blogs: Thank you to all those who have visited the blogs and left comments and feedback for the children – they really appreciate your feedback. We will endeavour to keep the blogs updated regularly so make sure you visit frequently! The children are also becoming increasingly confident in publishing work on the blog.

Room 12: http://room13muritai.blogspot.com/

Room13: http://room13blog2010.blogspot.com/

Room 14: http://muritairoom14.blogspot.com/

Room 15: http://mrdevenports.blogspot.com/

Finally…. Please help your child remember to check they have everything they need each morning and they are at school in time for the first bell at 8.40. Students should see that being organised is part of growing up and an important life skill to be developing. Term 3 usually sees the supply of pencils, rulers and rubbers start to dwindle. It would be a good idea to ask your child if there is anything they require.

As usual, if you need to contact your child’s classroom teacher please feel free to drop by the classroom before or after school or make an appointment for an interview at the office. The easiest way to touch base with us is email e.g. teacher’s surname@muritai.school.nz

Thank you again for your support

Stu Devenport

Year 5 and 6 Team Leader.

Homework Term 3 Week 1

Welcome back. We hope you have all had a wonderful break and you are ready to go. We have a great term planned and promise lots of fun.

Spelling:
Spelling this week is going to be a little bit different. You are going to have an Essential Spelling List test and a Commonly Misspelt Words test. Go over the list this week with your parents. Highlight the words on your list that you get correct.

Reading:
You must read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your reading in the table below.


Maths

Play a maths game/activity from one of the links of any classroom blog. Record what game you played in your book. What skills were you trying to improve?

Literacy
Our new writing topic in class is Character Writing.
Your task this week is to write:
-A quality (not cliche) simile to describe a family member
-A metaphor to describe a family member
-A sentence using alliteration to describe a family member

Your sentences will be written in your neatest handwriting and they will be fully checked and proofread for errors.

Last Homework for Term 2!!

This is the last homework for the week so lets do something a bit different.

Spelling:

No need to select your spelling words for the week. This week visit Spelling City. Choose a spelling level then select a game or test. Have fun completing the wordfinds and other activities.

Term 2 Reflection:

It's nearly the end of the term. It sure has been a busy one! Everyone has worked incredibly hard on all the many activities throughout the term.

Visit your classroom blog and read through all the posts from the term. Choose at least two post to comment on. Write a PMI comment each post.

P: Positive
M: Minus
I: Interesting

Inquiry:

Your individual inquiries will be due to your classroom teacher by the end of this week. You may need to use some time at home to work on your information gathering, note making or presentation so you can comfortably make this deadline.

Good luck!

Term 2 Week 9 Homework

Spelling:

Learn your 10 spelling words for the week. Write 5 of your words in an interesting sentence. Underline the spelling word in the sentence. Draw the other 5 words and write your spelling word underneath your illustrations.

Reading:

You must read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your reading in the table below.



Maths

We have been learning how to solve tricky multiplication problems using several different strategies. Answer these questions below using the best strategy for the problem.

1. 3 x 21
2. 4 x 32
3. 6 x 79
4. 5 x 43
5. 6 x 33
6. 6 x 69

Extra for Experts!

7. 23 x 34
8. 16 x 5
9. 99 x 143


Inquiry:

In Science we are currently learning about different types of renewable energy that are used to created electricity. By now you should be an expert (or almost) on a particular renewable energy. Your task for homework this week is to tell someone at home 5 interesting facts you have discovered since the start of your investigation.
When you have finished either write the 5 facts in you homework book or ask the person you taught to do it for you.

Good luck!

Term 2 Week 8 Homework

Spelling:

Learn your 10 spelling words for the week. Write 5 of your words in an interesting sentence. Underline the spelling word in the sentence. Draw the other 5 words and write your spelling word underneath your illustrations.

Reading:

You must read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your reading in the table below.




Maths

Play a maths game/activity from one of the links of any classroom blog. Record what game you played in your book. What skills were you trying to improve?

Inquiry

All classes have now started their independent inquiry on renewable energy. This task requires everyone to do a lot of research to help them find the answers to their questions. Use this week to help you gather more information. You might like to take a visit to the library to find a useful book or use the www. Remember to check out the wiki page that has been set up for you. There are plenty of useful websites there. Click on the image below to take you there.

Research Topics:

Solar Energy
Wind Energy
Hydro Energy
Geothermal Energy
Tidal Energy
Biomass Energy

Term 2 Week 7 Homework

SPEECHES!!

Our homework focus this week is practicing the presentation of your speech for the competition. Some of you will be presenting your speech this week. This week you need to practice, practice, PRACTICE so you are well prepared. Keep getting feedback from people at home. These people could be a parent, brother, sister, relation, friend or someone in your class. Refer to the judging template so you know what they will be looking for. Below is a copy of the judging template you will be scored on. Look carefully at what you will be judged so to ensure you get the best score possible!



This is also the week to finalise your visual aids and know when you will be referring to them during your speech. Remember to not let your visual aids take over your presentation, the attention of the audience needs to be on you for the majority of the time. If you need a data projector and or laptop make sure you let your teacher know so it is all organised.

Term 2 Week 6 Homework

Spelling:

Learn your 10 spelling words for the week. Write 5 of your words in an interesting sentence. Underline the spelling word in the sentence. Draw the other 5 words and write your spelling word underneath your illustrations.

Reading:

You must read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your reading in the table below.


Maths:

1. Write down and learn all the double times tables. Eg 1 x 1 = 1, 2 x 2 = 4
Do you notice any pattern or special sequence going on with the answers?
2. If 3 x 20 = 60 what is 6 x 20 =? If 5 x 13 = 65 what is 10 x 13 = ?
If 8 x 10 = 80 what is 8 x 100 = ? If 7 x 8 = 56 what is 7 x 16 = ?
3. What is half of:
a) 30 b) 120 c) 7 d) 500 e) 15 f) 900

Speeches:

Work on delivery and presentation
Share your speech at home- get feedback on what you could do better. Revise language and structure for possible improvements.
Think about:
~How well you use cue cards/powerpoint/other props or even better you have memorised your speech off by heart?
~Are you enjoying yourself?
~Do you believe in what you are telling/saying to the audience?
~Facial expressions, props, displays confidence, gestures, dress appropriate?
~Is each word clear?
~Is the tone right?
~Is there effective pausing?
~Are the main ideas emphasised?
~Is a rhythm maintained?


Good Luck!

Homework: Term 2 Week 5

SPELLING:

WALT: Learn words from essential words list and extension word list.

Learn the 10 spelling words for the week. Practice learning them everyday. Copy and complete the grid below for each word.
MATHS:
WALT: To find compatible numbers for 100.

Compatible numbers are two numbers that add together to make a tidy number. E.g 45 + 55 = 100.
Use the grid below to find 10 pairs of compatible numbers that equal 100.Challenge! Make your own grid of numbers for another tidy number like 500 or 1000. Get someone at home to find 10 pairs from your grid.

READING:

You must read for at least 15 minutes each night. Record your reading in the table below. What was the complication or problem the characters had to solve in your book?
SPEECHES:
This is an important week for the preparation of your speech. Your task this week is to start compiling all your ideas into the structure of a speech. You need to:

• Write all your ideas into paragraphs (Remember to think of the big idea of every paragraph so your ideas have a logical sequence)
• Write an introduction to grab the attention of your audience,
• Write a conclusion to finish your speech. (Refer back to your speech hamburger sheet)
• Once it is written out in sequence, try reading it aloud to someone at home and have them time you. Is it between 2 and 3 minutes? If it is too short you will need to add more content. If it is too long you might need to take some content out. Remember, as you practice more your speech will get faster to deliver so its better to have more than less.

You will have time in class this week to discuss ideas with your teacher and class mates so check with your teacher to see when is a good day to bring your speech in to share.

More TGiF Action

We are having a great time every Friday in our TGiF groups. There are so many exciting things happening and we are in the final stages of getting prepared for sharing in next weeks assembly. Here's a taster of what has been happening. You can also check out Room 12's Blog (in the sidebar) to see the action from the Science Group.

Ukulele with Mrs Hooke


Spanish with Jared & Emma



Spanish with Celine & Finn

Homework Term 2 Week 4!

Spelling


WALT – Learn words from the essential list and the inquiry unit.



Write an interesting sentence for each of your spelling words. 

Try to be as creative as you can and don’t forget your VCOP’s.




Reading
Reading
You must read for a minimum of 15 minutes every night, any longer is a bonus!

Draw up a table and record your reading progress. 

Be sure to write a small reflection of your reading this week.
What did you enjoy? What did you least enjoy? Do you have any ideas on what might happen next?

Maths

Play a different game from the blog each night and record it in your book.

Speeches

Speech Timeline Term 2 2010

Week 3 & 4:  

Viewing last years finals & Choose a topic and Brainstorm/ research information
Team meeting to view last years finals. Discuss “What makes a great speech?”
Class session on possible starters
Brainstorm beginnings and work on content and structure.
Share ‘Hamburger’ diagram to model a good speech.

Week 5 

  Prepare and work on content
In class Analyse what a quality speech might be
Work on content and structure

Week 6

Work on delivery and presentation
In class Share speech at home- get feedback , use a form , homework task. Revising language and structure for possible improvements.

Week 7& 8

Final preparation.
Deliver speech to own class.  Classfinals Preparation, gathering and using visual aids. Each class to choose 3or 4 finalists for a year semi.

Week 9 

Year Semi  finals
Presentation of speeches with teacher/ student judging.

Week 10

Team finals . (24th Jun)
Top speeches from each class presents them to the team and parents.

Homework Term 2 Week 3

Spelling
WALT – Learn words from the essential list and the inquiry unit.

Write an interesting sentence for each of your spelling words. Try to be as creative as you can and don’t forget your VCOP’s.


Reading
You must read for a minimum of 15 minutes every night, any longer is a bonus! Draw up a table and record your reading progress. Be sure to write a small reflection of your reading this week. What did you enjoy? What did you least enjoy? Do you have any ideas on what might happen next?


Speeches
This week you have to choose a topic for your speech and to start to find some information. Remember to use a variety of sources. You will have seen some great examples of speeches that will help you when choosing topics. Have fun!

Be sure to answer the following:
• My chosen topic is:
• I will get information from:


Maths
Using junk mail or any supermarket website put together an interesting shopping list of up to ten items. Cut and paste the images and prices into your books. Add up the total and work out two different ways to pay for the items using cash and coins. Write down your two payment options into your books.


Inquiry - Optional - Extra for Experts!
You have just spent a few days in inquiry experimenting with circuits using batteries, bulbs and wires. See if you can answer the following:

• Who invented the first battery?
• Why do batteries come in different shapes and sizes?
• Are batteries recyclable?
• List five things in your house that use a battery.
• Anything else?

Use the internet, books or talk to an expert to find the answers to these questions.

Term 2 2010

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome back to the new term. Hopefully everyone had a relaxing Easter break and managed to eat their fair share of chocolate eggs – I certainly did!

A special thanks to all the parents who contributed to making our annual trip to Forest Lakes a real success. The children had a sensational time and it was an excellent opportunity to establish strong class and team cultures at the beginning of the year.

The teachers are all looking forward to getting stuck into a solid term of teaching in Term 2. Here is the run down of what is happening.

Inquiry

This term we are focusing on Science, in particular concepts of electricity. We will use the solar panels that are operating on the senior side of the school for motivation. Our big idea for this unit is ‘Solar Energy is the best way to generate electricity in New Zealand.’ Throughout the course of this inquiry students will investigate pros and cons of a variety of renewable sources of energy so they can form an informative opinion on this big idea. This is going to be a very exciting unit with lots of hands-on tasks like making electrical circuits and learning from experts who will be visiting the school.

Literacy

In writing we will be focusing on explanation writing where we will be writing factual accounts to explain how things work. This will be integrated with our Inquiry unit as much as possible, using our findings from scientific investigations.

Towards the middle of the term we will start preparing for speech presentations which will take place in classes at the end of the term. The best speeches from each class will be selected for the Team semi-finals. From there, the finalists will be chosen for the Finals on the 24^th of June.

The majority of the speech preparation will occur through the homework programme although support will also be given in class.

Maths

Cross grouping will continue this term and commence in week 1. We start the term looking at Number, exploring addition, subtraction, multiplication & division. We then move into Geometry, exploring various forms of symmetry.

Visual Art

Students will be learning about various concepts of painting and will be building on their drawing skills using a variety of materials. The students will be focusing on portrait painting by looking at works from famous artists.

Physical Education

The start of the term sees us training for the school cross country in week 5. Training will take place every morning so it is essential the children have appropriate running shoes and clothes to wear.

We will also be focusing on developing throwing and catching skills of large balls along with improving team game strategies.

Homework

Homework will be completed on a weekly basis during term 2. Homework will be given out on Monday and will be due on the following Friday.

This term we will be trialling blogging homework tasks on this blog. We feel this is a great way to reduce the amount of paper we use plus it will encourage students to get more familiar with our blogging systems. Homework sheets will still be provided to students who have no or limited internet access at home. This is what you should expect to see in your child’s weekly homework:

Spelling: Each week your child will have between 8-10 spelling words to learn for the week. These words will be a combination of words taken from the Essential Spelling Lists (including extension lists if appropriate) and inquiry/literacy based words. There will usually be a spelling activity based on these words eg writing words in complex sentences, writing in alphabetical order, breaking words into syllables etc. Every Friday your child will be tested on their words either by the classroom teacher or a buddy.

Reading: Your child will also be required to read between 10-15 minutes every night and record what they read in their homework books. They will also be asked to write a brief summary (1-2 paragraphs) on what has happened in the story.

Maths: This will usually consist of maintenance on basic facts, especially timetables plus revising concepts of place value. It is essential that your child has a strong grounding of these facts and they need to have instant recall so regular practice is essential. Tasks will often involve playing or completing maths tasks that are linked from the classroom blogs.

Additional tasks: Most weeks students will be given an additional task to complete. This may be completing a task that was started in class or a reflection task based on a learning experience from the previous week.

As mentioned earlier, towards the middle of the term there will be a strong focus on preparing for speech delivery in class.

As the term goes on, we will add links on this blog for students who wish to do optional extension tasks.

When your child is completing their work at home please encourage them to present their work to a high standard so it is easy to follow and mark by their classroom teacher.

As teachers, we understand the weeks can be very busy and many children have a lot of after school activties to attend. If for any reason your child is unable to complete their homework, please write a brief note in their book or email your classroom teacher with an explanation.

T.G.I Friday Programme

Starting Friday Week 2 the classes from the Year 5/6 Syndicate will be mixed up to take part in a variety of high interest activities. The programme includes, Drama, Art, Music, Science experiments and Spanish. The structure of this programme has been altered slightly from last year. This term there will be 2 cycles that last for 4 weeks each. This will mean each activity will be longer so concepts will be taught more in-depth.

The students will have the opportunity to choose which activity they would like to take part in. This will encourage students to take part in an activity that will harness their talents and strengths. We will endeavour to give every student their first, second or third choice.

This programme is a great opportunity for the students to take part in fun, practical learning experiences with the possibility of showcasing their work at the end of the term.

Other things to note….

Slippers: In Term 2 we ask the children to bring a pair of slippers to wear in the classroom instead of their regular footwear. This eliminates the mud that is brought into the class from children playing on the field. Please ensure your child has a pair of slippers that are left at school for the next two terms.

Blogs: All classroom blogs are now up and running with some classes also operating literacy blogs to showcase the students writing. Thank you to everyone who has visited the blogs and have left comments for the children – they really appreciate your feedback. We will endeavour to keep the blogs updated regularly so make sure you visit frequently!
Click on the links in the sidebar to go to the classroom blogs.

Reports, Interviews & Portfolios:

In Week 11 of this term there will be an opportunity for you to make an appointment with your classroom teacher to discuss your child’s progress along with viewing their portfolio of work. Reports outlining your child's achievements will also be sent home at the end of this term.

Finally…. Please help your child remember to check they have everything they need each morning and they are at school in time for the first bell at 8.40. Students should see that being organised is part of growing up and an important life skill to be developing.

If you need to contact your child’s classroom teacher please feel free to drop by the classroom before or after school or make an appointment for an interview at the office. The easiest way to touch base with us is email e.g. teacher’s surname@muritai.school.nz

Thank you again for your support

Stu Devenport

Year 5 and 6 Team Leader.