Cedar - Mrs Wolfe

Another busy week in Cedar! 

We kick-started the week with more writing – I have to say I have been so impressed with the children’s enthusiasm for their story writing…hearing the words, ‘Please can we write more?’ is an absolute joy for any teacher!  Well done, Cedar – I’m so proud of your tenacity and motivation to write.

Our maths work has involved more work on place value – a lot of revision is needed on writing and reading large numbers, so we are focusing on this in our warm-ups.  We’ve also begun revisiting Roman Numerals – we’ve been investigating ancient number systems and thinking about why we have the number system that we do.  We’ve used lolly-pop sticks to create our birth date in Roman numerals, as well as other dates that are important to us.  Our next steps are to use Roman numerals in a problem solving context and to reason with them.

In RE our investigations are coming along well – it has been amazing to see the amount of people around the world and the religions that they may, or may not follow.  It’s been a great opportunity to practise our reading of large numbers!

Cedar began some beautiful art work last week, investigating movement, pencil control and shadow through sketching – they produced some stunning artwork and will continue with this tomorrow…watch this space!

Cedar have had a thoughtful and reflective week of Class Worship – thinking about kindness and what this looks like – we’ve been reflecting on our Christian Values and what these look like when we act upon them.  The children never cease to amaze me with their thoughtful reflections and deep-thinking.  Today we explored a quote by the Dalai Lama – ‘My religion is very simple.  My religion is kindness.’  As our class motto is to, ‘Choose Kind’ it has been such a joy to explore this further.

Our baseline assessments are now all completed and I have to say it has been wonderful to see how much some pupils have improved through their dedication to home learning during the lock down.  I’m looking forward to discussing the pupils’ progress since school closure and their return to school, when we have our forthcoming Parent Consultations, which you will be receiving information about next week.

Looking ahead…
We have so much exciting learning ahead of us…we are going to be flexing our Shakespearean acting muscles; creating play-scripts as part of our work on Shakespeare; harnessing our prediction, comprehension and inference skills in reading; grappling with our reasoning and problem solving in maths; making more scientific discoveries through our work on Living Things and their Habitats; exploring beliefs around the world in RE; developing our work on our Christian Values and new behaviour policy and having lots of fun in the process!  Great times ahead!
  Home Learning
Huge apologies, as the home learning tab was removed from our class page over the weekend.  Therefore, I will communicate home learning via the class page each week from now on.

Maths:
Times Table Rockstars is now up and running again – well done to all of you who have been logging in and keeping up your practise.  Remember, there are lots of ways that you can learn your times tables – if you love being active (which I know you all do!) have a go at learning them whilst skipping or practising your basketball/tennis skills – it’s a great way to learn!

Spelling:
Keep learning your statutory words – you need to be able to spell all of the Y3/4 and Y5/6 words by the end of Y6!  This is your spelling homework for now – we will begin investigating rules from next week, now that our phonics and spelling assessments are now completed and analysed, so we know where our gaps are.

Reading:
Read, read, read - everyday!  There is an expectation in Cedar that pupils read for 20 minutes every day – this can be anything…your scheme book, your reading book, a picture book, a magazine, a newspaper, a booklet…just please read!  Reading regularly has so many benefits – here are just 10!

10 Benefits of Reading



1. Children who read often and widely get better at it
After all, practice makes perfect in almost everything humans do, and reading is no different.
 
2. Reading exercises our brain
Reading is a much more complex task for the human brain rather than watching TV!  Reading strengthens brain connections and builds NEW connections.
 
3. Reading improves concentration
Children have to sit still and quietly so that they can focus on a story when they are reading. If they read often, they will develop the skill to do this for longer.
 
4. Reading teaches children about the world around them
Through reading a variety of books children learn about people, places, and events outside of their own experience.
 
5. Reading improves vocabulary and language skills
Children learn new words as they read. Subconsciously, they absorb information on how to structure sentences and how to use words and other language features effectively in their writing and speaking.
 
6. Reading develops a child's imagination
As we read, our brains translate the descriptions we read of people, places and things into pictures. While we are engaged in a story we are also imagining how a character is feeling. Young children then bring this knowledge into their everyday world.
 
7. Reading helps children to develop empathy
As children develop they begin to imagine how they would feel in that situation.
 
8. Reading is fun
A book or an e-reader doesn't take up much space and is light to carry, so you take it anywhere.  You’ll never be bored if you have a book with you!
 
9. Reading is a great way to spend time together
Reading together on the sofa, bedtime stories and visiting the library are just some ways of spending time together.
 
10. Children who read achieve better in school
Reading promotes achievement in all subjects, not just English. Children who are good readers tend to achieve better across the curriculum.

Responsibility & Independence

A lot of our discussions in class this week have been around taking responsibility, being focused and developing independence.  Cedar Class is the stepping stone to secondary school and as Cedar Class teacher I am passionate about all pupils leaving Cedar Class with these skills – this means taking responsibility for their own learning and behaviour; ensuring that they are prepared, organised and ready for each school day.

Home learning supports the children to begin taking that responsibility for their learning – it is so lovely to hear from parents that their child is the driving force behind preparing for and completing their own home learning – Cedar Class is all about supporting pupils to develop self-awareness of themselves as learners and giving them the confidence to be the best they can be. 
Cedar class pupils are required to bring their scheme book in to school every day and take it home at the end of each day.  These books can be easily cleaned and therefore can move backwards and forwards between home and school.  Please encourage your child to take responsibility for doing this. 
 
 
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