Homework
Our focus this week is English. We started with a chat about what to expect in the English portion of the Kent Test and then tried a few example questions, played a couple of vocabulary games and completed a short writing task.
There are 2 options for homework this week:
This game: https://www.abcya.com/games/wordtoss_synonym_antonym , played on 'advanced' mode and with rounds played to practise identifying both synonyms and antonyms is option 1 of this week's homework. Please note that this game is free to play on a laptop or desktop computer, but you'll have to subscribe to play on a phone or tablet. I don't expect you to pay to subscribe so, if you don't have a laptop or desktop computer at home, then my second option will be a better choice...
This vocabulary game can be played in addition to option 1 or as an alternative. Please print the sheets (or simply copy the words on to little pieces of paper) and start by helping your son or daughter to find out the meanings of any previously unknown words. Then work together to match the words to their synonym pairs (pairs of words with the same or very similar meanings) before using the word 'cards' for a game of Snap! As an alternative, try placing the word 'cards' face down on the table and play a memory game to match the pairs.
Practice Material
For now, your focus for work at home should be on encouraging daily reading, completing the weekly homework tasks that I set, and regularly and frequently playing of the games from my Challenge Booklet. These games have all been designed to develop and practise the arithmetic, vocabulary and problem-solving skills that we'll need for our more formal work later in the year and provide vital practice of important Kent Test skills. I'd love for you to play multiple games from this booklet weekly throughout this term, and beyond, to ensure that we have firm foundations on which to base our future learning.
However, I've received a few suggestion enquiries for more formal workbooks. If you feel that there may be gaps in your son or daughters maths or English skills, and you'd like to work to fill these gaps at home then these practice books would be recommendations.
English: https://amzn.to/3ZIIpQG
maths: https://amzn.to/46ek8Vb
Please note, these books are very much optional and should be completed in addition to the tasks above, rather than instead of. The books are separated into 2 sections - skills pages and assessment tests. If you do buy these books, please only focus on working through the skills pages for now; the assessment tests can be completed later in the year but aren't useful practice for now.
The schedule document that I attached to a previous email gives details of the practice material that I will be asking you to buy as the year progresses. I will purchase and distribute copies of this material and add the cost to your invoice for the relevant term, to ensure that all of my pupils have the correct version of the books. For anyone who missed my schedule when I sent it previously, I'll pop it here too:
Book Buddies!
These are my book buddies. To care for a book buddy properly they have to be read to every day...
I'm introducing the children to my book buddies this week and asking anyone who would like to care for a book buddy at home to write their name on a post-it. There has been lots of interest so far, which I'm thrilled about! I'll be randomly picking names each week and letting those children take a buddy home, in the hope that they'll read to their 'buddy' every day that week, before returning the buddy at our next session.
That's all for now, but please check back next week for more information and for next week's homework task.
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