Last week was an extremely busy and exciting week! A huge well done to White Cloud for winning the competition overall but also to all teams for putting in the effort and great growth mindset attitude of the teams. Your traditional Kiwi cooking was really appreciated and I was impressed with your knowledge and inventions for The Perfect New Zealand Holiday, as were the Branch Manager and Assistant Branch Manager from Fred Olsen Travel Agents who judged. Will you use the Haka to unsettle future netball opponents?

This week we have our half termly Assessment Test in maths, continued past paper practice in reading, maths and grammar and spellings and preparing for our readings and guitar playing in the Easter Service on Friday. Make sure you know the equivalence chart off by heart and I will be giving you a revision guide that will be useful as a check list for maths revision over the Easter holiday. We will check that everyone knows and understands it as soon as we are back so don’t forget to work at it. The Easter holiday in Year 6 is crucial for rest, fun but also revision as you only have 3.5 weeks really, before Sats.

Homework  23/03/15

   Due in on Friday as homework will be given out on Mondays.

English

 This week’s English homework is to complete the ‘ough’ spelling challenge that will be given to you.

I would like you all to write to our peers in New Zealand too this week on the blog. I will tell you their names and I would like you to chat and ask questions. Can you strike up a friendship over the Internet?

Maths - Neolithic and Bronze Groups

Log on to our class blog and click on the web link for G Hammond. Pause the video quickly and attempt the question. After you have finished it, watch the video. I have already explained that I need you to log on and complete 10 mins for four evenings per week and a fifth 10 min session at the weekend. As a class you all agreed that 50 minutes per week broken into easy to complete chunks will make such a difference in May. Please log in your homework book which questions and which past paper you attempted and watched.

Iron Group

Please complete the above using the L6 past papers. We will allocate L6 Rising Stars pages in school for you to work through next. TTT! You are all becoming more able and knowledgeable to tackle L6 questions, well done! It will do you good to dip into the KS2 past papers as well KS3. You may find some gaps in your knowledge that you weren’t aware of and you will become more familiar with the types of questions and language used.

Please ensure that you have completed any backlog of online maths challenges, we will be checking in class.  

Blueberry cheesecake!

Class 5 Kiwi team in the final

Our judges

All over! Enjoying their efforts.

Excitedly writing to Horotiu School on the blog link!

Maths SATs Revision

Year 6,

Check out 'ghammond' on Youtube for modelled video answers of all past Maths SATs papers for you to look at.  Level 6 is included so it is definitely worth looking at.  I will add a link in the Learning Zone on the school website also.  You can see all solutions to all questions from all past papers modelled on screen. 

Maths interactive past papers via G Hammond

Click above to access the link and let us know through the comments below if it helped and what ones you would recommend.

Our New Zealand link blog

We have now set up a separate blog that you can access through 'Our Classes' tab on the school website or by clicking on here:  http://fordhaminnewzealand.blogspot.co.uk/

We will be able to ask questions to the children and staff at Horotiu School in New Zealand through the comments to each post and you can see their school website on the new blog.

Have a look at what you can find out....
Ask the children there some questions in the comments...
Tell them about what you have already learnt about New Zealand......

Mr. Wainwright

Apple pie on the way!

Blueberry cheesecake - wow!

Cracking eggs demands concentration!

More photos

Red Nose Day in Class 5 was fun yesterday. Team members

have also been busy cooking again for our competition.

Our competition week is here! A huge well done for focusing so hard on preparing for it. Tomorrow will be baking the last dessert to be prepared/practiced and rehearsing your pitches, the Haka and your Maori music. First judging is Tuesday morning, the finals (the winning team from each class) is with the travel agents on Wednesday afternoon.  We will also be communicating further this week  with our link school in Horotiu, New Zealand too! Exciting! Horotiu is pronounced horror-chew.

Homework  16/03/15

   Due in on Friday as homework will be given out on Mondays.

English

 This week’s English homework is to phonetically split up the words that will be given to you on Monday from the Sats spelling lists. This will allow you to become familiar with unusual spellings that could come up and to practice your grapheme knowledge.

Maths - Neolithic and Bronze Groups

You have been allocated online homework. You have two to watch and understand with questions in your homework book to complete.  One is a video of how to complete long division and will back up our maths focus this week, which is division of 3 digits by 2, as well as division of decimals. The second video is helpful hints on subtracting decimals mentally, just like minute maths. Watch before you try the questions! Good revision. We will be revising long multiplication this week too. Keep practicing your weakest tables to increase your total in the weekly times table challenge. Ask to be tested at home.

Iron Group

We will allocate L6 Rising Stars pages in school for you to work through next. TTT! You are all becoming more able and knowledgeable to tackle L6 questions, well done!

Please ensure that you have completed any backlog of online maths challenges, we will be checking in class.  

Joshua and Tom are carefully working out their team's holiday route.

A nervous seamstress who found she can sew
the pocket onto her team's invention.

One team's invention.

Robyn is sewing a pocket on the hidden utility belt.

Smile Lee! Belle is concentrating hard.

Class 5 learning the Haka with our Kiwi visitor from Colchester Rugby Club.

Welcome to the penultimate week before your competition! You are going to be busy this week amalgamating your New Zealand knowledge and work, ready to practice your presentation. Well done with your New Zealand traditional dishes last week, chef's in the making! You also mastered The Haka with our Kiwi visitor, very funny but impressive too!
Of course, we are going to be concentrating on Sats preparation too with comprehension, grammar and maths past paper practice and revision. We're all looking forward to Red Nose Day too on Friday.

   Homework  09/03/15

   Due in on Friday as homework will be given out on Mondays.

English

 I would like you to write an information slide for your team’s powerpoint on the Christchurch earthquake using your homework research from last week.will it have photos or diagrams too?  Write out what you will type into your powerpoint for your team. This needs to be completed by Thursday this week in order to have your team’s powerpoint complete.

Maths - Neolithic and Bronze Groups

You have been allocated online homework involving decimals, common factors and multiples. You have Test C of Test 6 mental Thinking Things Through challenges.  Keep practicing your weakest tables to increase your total in the weekly times table challenge. Ask to be tested at home.

Iron Group

We will allocate L6 Rising Stars pages in school for you to work through next. TTT!

Please ensure that you have completed any backlog of online maths challenges, we will be checking in class.  

    Homework  09/03/15

   Due in on Friday as homework will be given out on Mondays.

English

 I would like you to write an information slide for your team’s powerpoint on the Christchurch earthquake using your homework research from last week.will it have photos or diagrams too?  Write out what you will type into your powerpoint for your team. This needs to be completed by Thursday this week in order to have your team’s powerpoint complete.

Maths - Neolithic and Bronze Groups

You have been allocated online homework involving decimals, common factors and multiples. You have Test C of Test 6 mental Thinking Things Through challenges.  Keep practicing your weakest tables to increase your total in the weekly times table challenge. Ask to be tested at home.

Iron Group

We will allocate L6 Rising Stars pages in school for you to work through next. TTT!

Please ensure that you have completed any backlog of online maths challenges, we will be checking in class.  

 

The Haka

Lamb Hotpot

Passionfruit and lemoncurd roulade - delicious!

Crayfish and mussels with lemon juice - sold on the roadsides
 in New Zealand.

Finding our core muscles during children's yoga.

We have a practical few weeks ahead Class 5. Trialing our traditional New Zealand recipes starts today and compiling the information that you have already gathered into a powerpoint for your competition pitch. You will be creating your inventions tomorrow and deciding how you will deliver your pitch.

We have a Kiwi visitor from The Colchester Rugby Club today who will teach us the traditional Haka – exciting! As the weeks are ticking by we will of course be concentrating on grammar and fractions, past paper practice and becoming experts in comprehension technique too. Enjoy the week, especially yoga on Wednesday! Remember, p.e. kit in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays please.

   Due in on Friday as homework will be given out on Mondays.

English

It is World Book Day on Thursday and I would like you to write a piece of information on your chosen author that tells us of his or her background, history, books published, types of books, any personal information etc. I would also like you to complete an information fact file on the Christchurch earthquake if you didn’t go into depth when you researched earthquakes and volcanoes. How did it devastate the city? How many people were affected? Have they recovered now? Would you see the evidence on holiday in Christchurch today?

Maths - Neolithic and Bronze Groups

You have been allocated online homework involving division of fractions. You are learning how to calculate these this week. You have Test C of Test 5 mental Thinking Things Through challenges.  Keep practicing your weakest tables to increase your total in the weekly times table challenge. Ask to be tested at home.

Iron Group

We will allocate L6 Rising Stars pages in school for you to work through next. TTT!

Please ensure that you have completed any backlog of online maths challenges, we will look together in class.