Good morning, Year 5. We hope you had a good weekend and managed to enjoy some of the sun last week.Not long left of Year 5!
We’re entering the final 3 weeks of Year 5. It has certainly been an unusual year, but we hope you have learnt a lot from it all. Us teachers certainly have!
We’re sticking with English, Maths, Foundation and Reading posts each day this week. Although, there will be a couple of extra P.E posts as we introduce a Croydon ‘Homeletics’ competition: keep your eyes peeled today for the first event!
Just like the other weeks, we need you to make sure you REPLY on this post to let us know how you are doing.
Finally, you’ll receive another weekly call from your Year 5 teacher. We are just calling for a quick hello and to make sure that you are okay at home, and will send a text informing you of the times to expect us.
Riddle of the week
This check-in post wouldn’t be complete without a weekly riddle!
Question:First, I threw away the outside and cooked the inside. Then I ate the outside and threw away the inside. What did I eat?
Good morning, Year 5. It’s time for the third Homeletics event: Curfew Catapult! Don’t worryif you’ve missed out so far, read about the event here.
Today’s event
Today your challenge is the Curfew Catapult. Watch the video below for your instructions on what to do and how to enter. And remember, once you’ve recorded your best score, Click here to submit your results for Curfew Catapult.
How did you get on last week? Today, we’re going to take the next step in our animation by creating a storyboard. This gives us a plan of our story so we can focus in on the action next week!
What is a storyboard?
A storyboard is a way for a visual artists to plan a story by using images with annotations (notes). Just like in English, we would write a plan before we wrote a story. However, for an animation, our story is told with images, so our plan needs to have images, too.
Examples of storyboards can be seen below:
How does a storyboard help?
There are a lot of benefits to using a storyboard. Firstly, planning is always a good thing so a storyboard forces us to think about our story before we record it.
Secondly, a storyboard lets us spot where there might be problems with our story. We might realise that the background might need to completely change for our idea to work, or that too many characters are needed. When we spot these problems, we can make changes to our plan/story.
Finally, a storyboard is very easy to use and follow. By drawing images for each scene we get a clear idea of what we need to do and then, when we record, it’s an easy-to-reference plan we can look at and follow.
How to storyboard
After last week’s lesson, you should have a character designed. This might be anything from a lego character to a piece of string!
Now we have a character, we need to think more closely about our plot (story). What do we want to happen or what do we want our character to do? We then break this plot down into different frames to get an idea of all the parts we need to think about.
I want to emphasise here: keep things really simple!!! Stop Motion can be tricky so we want to go in small steps. Your plot might simply be for your character to come on screen, say hello then walk off again! If you start simple and find out you’re confident, you can expand your storyboard and plot.
Also, think closely about the movements your character needs to make. Try and avoid complex movements or characters in the air: remember you are recording it one movement at a time. How would you make a character look like it’s flying without your arm in the frame??
So, to summarise, go through these steps to create your storyboard:
Think of a simple story for your character(s) to act out.
Break this story down into 8 different parts.
Draw images of the different parts in the story on a storyboard template (see resources below).
Add notes below each image either to explain what is happening or to remind yourself of something.
Activity
Create a storyboard for your Stop Motion animation using the Storyboarding template (or your own template).
As a challenge, make your storyboard more detailed (use more templates or pieces of paper if needed). However, make sure you’re confident you have the time to record it all!
Resources
A template for your Storyboard can be downloaded below. Feel free to print more than one copy out (for more frames) or draw your own template!
Forthe final few weeks of term, we’ll be posting reading activities each day to go along with your usual activities. Remember, you should aim to read on your own for at least 15 minutes each day.We also have a story for you to listen to at the end of the day…
Independent Reading
We should be finishing reading chapters 7 – 9 of A Wrinkle in Time this week and complete the Comprehension Questions in the booklet below.
***UPDATE*** Please check your reading comprehension work here:
Perhaps you can add a comment a the bottom of the post sharing some of your thoughts on the book. Hopefully lots of us have read it so we can get a lively discussion going! Don’t rush ahead! We’ll be carrying on this story next week!
With a little bit of internet searching, you can usually find copies of many of these classic books. Why not challenge yourself… see how many from the list you have read!
End of Day Story
Today, we’ll finish listening to chapter 5 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.Head over tohttps://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-diagon-alley begin to listen from minutes 30-47, with the magnificent Simon Callow as he reads the chapter!
Good morning, Year 5! Today we will finish looking at translating and reflecting shapes by analysing some graphs other students have made. Before we begin, let’s remember translating a shape is moving a shape without changing its appearance. Reflecting a shape is creating the mirror image of that shape over the line of symmetry.
As you look at these graphs, you will need to:
Identify if the graph is reflecting or translating
Analyse the student work
Explain what the student should have done instead in complete sentences.
For example:
I know that Niall is incorrect because he translated shape A 1 to the right, not the left.
Today, we will need to finally COMPLETE our Explanation text!
The final section should be a summary of all we have written so far and also give examples of how else the reader can inform themselves about this subject.
You should try to have one sentence that covers the main point for each section and then a final comment to entice the reader to ‘LEARN MORE”!
Think about the following questions:
What is the focus of each of our sections from yesterday?
What are the FEATURE elements we must use?
Which audience type did we choose and how can I link to that?
What are the methods for enticing the reader?
TASK
You will likely need to complete your paragraphs (USED / CHANGED) from yesterday.
As today’s task is to write a SUMMARY, this should be shorter and give you some time to catch up. For the SUMMARY mini paragraph: Write one sentence to explain the main thing you talked about in each main section you have written:
what is it
how does it work
history
used for
changed
Then to finish a Final Comment and Next Steps
We will need to review each of our sections: what is it / how work / history / used / changed and think carefully about the most important point in each.
We need to keep these in the same order but really FOCUS on a final comment – one sentence to sum up how ‘amazing’ the item is and what we have learnt along the way. Then we will end with a ‘next steps’ statement = “If you would like to find out more, why not…” as a way to entice readers to continue reading / learning!
Here is a model of summary sentences:
RESOURCES
My model (above) of improving summary sentences (to help your ideas)
Last week we focused on doing historical research on the Ancient Mayan civilisation through creating historical enquiry questions. Today we will be learning about Ancient Mayan civilisation, in particular Ancient Mayan food. We will be also comparing Ancient Mayan food with modern – day foods in central America.
A useful skill in history is being able to compare the similarities and differences between different historical periods. Through this you can learn how the past has influenced the future.
Food in Ancient Mayan civilisation
The Ancient Mayans ate simple food. Maize (corn) was the central food in their diet, along with vegetables such as beans and squashes. Potatoes and a tiny grain called quinoa were commonly grown by the Mayans. The Spanish conquistador Hernan Corte wrote a letter to the Spanish King Charles V in 1520 that included, “the main staple of the native diet is maize either in grain or a form of bread”.
‘Maize’ or ‘corn’. We usually call it corn here!
Modern bread made from maize/corn.
Avocados and tomatoes were mainly eaten by Mayans, along with a variety of fruit. Maize was made into a sort of porridge called Atole in Mesoamerica (the region of Mexico and central America once occupied by the Maya).
Many food enjoyed by the world today were cultivated in Ancient America. One such food was chocolate drink prepared by the ancient Americans. Similar to the hot chocolate we drink today, it was more bitter and spicy as chocolate was also flavoured with chilli peppers and spices. They sweetened It with honey and flavoured it with vanilla. The drink was served only to wealthy people because cocoa beans were valuable and were thought to be a luxury. Cacao “coco beans” was also seen as a “food of Gods”,
To find out more about what the Mayans ate, watch the video here:
Descendants of the Maya still live in Central America today in part of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. A lot of the popular foods in these parts of Central America still eat similar foods to what the Ancient Mayans ate.
Cacao “chocolate beans” are still very popular in central America today. It is used to make hot chocolate drinks.
Avocados is also very popular in Central America. Today avocados are commonly used to make guacamole. It is also made with chilis, garlic, cilantro, online and lime or lemon.
Corn tortillas are a type of thin flatbread made from maize. However, tortillas have been around for thousands of years. Mayan legend says that the first tortilla was a gift. As the story goes, a peasant invented the corn tortilla as a present for his hungry king over 12,000 years ago. In the ancient highlands of modern Mexico, tortillas were a staple in Mayan diets.
Activity
Today, you will be creating a table showing the popular foods from Ancient Mayan civilisation and modern-day Central America (where Ancient Maya was located). With our tables, we will then be able to identify the similarities and differences.
Before we create our tables we need to do some research to find out more about what food people ate during both times.
Here are some useful websites (but you can also use your own sources to do research):
As a challenge, can you find the Spanish translation for these foods and add them to your table? Maybe you can construct a sentence saying what your favourite food is!
Forthe final few weeks of term, we’ll be posting reading activities each day to go along with your usual activities. Remember, you should aim to read on your own for at least 15 minutes each day.We also have a story for you to listen to at the end of the day…
Independent Reading
We should be finishing reading chapters 7 – 9 of A Wrinkle in Time this week and complete the Comprehension Questions in the booklet below.
Perhaps you can add a comment a the bottom of the post sharing some of your thoughts on the book. Hopefully lots of us have read it so we can get a lively discussion going! Don’t rush ahead! We’ll be carrying on this story next week!
With a little bit of internet searching, you can usually find copies of many of these classic books. Why not challenge yourself… see how many from the list you have read!
End of Day Story
Today, we’ll be listening to chapter 5 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.Head over tohttps://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-diagon-alley begin to listen from minutes 20-30, with the outstanding Simon Callow as he reads the chapter!
Good morning, Year 5! Today we are practising reflecting shapes on a grid. We reflected shapes earlier in the school year, so hopefully this feels like review to you. When you read the word reflection, this should remind you of a mirror. In a mirror, you see the mirror image of yourself, everything is the exact opposite in the mirror. You can check this by looking at words in the mirror, they are all backwards!
Today we are reflecting on a graph, the line of symmetry will act like your mirror. The shape should be reflected across exactly opposite, as you would see in a mirror. First, make your line of symmetry very clear. Similar to yesterday, decide on a starting point for your shape. Count how far away from the line of symmetry this point is. Then, count away from the line of symmetry that same amount and place your new point. Repeat this for each of the points on your shape. When finished plotting the points, connect the lines. Have a go with this activity:
Today, we will be writing our last few sections = “How is it USED (SHORT)? & How it has CHANGED?”.
Your previous notes will help you. Our CHANGED section is partly a ‘history’ section – in it we explain how it has changed in design during modern times & how it is changing currently. Have a think about the following questions:
What is the next section we need to explain (and what is its subheading)?
What areas must we explain for this section?
What are the language features we still need?
How can we entice the reader into wanting to read more?
It can be hard to think about HOW IT HAS CHANGED – we want to be thinking of how the DESIGN of the item has changed, SINCE the classic example was invented and everyone had a version in their home! For example, new innovations for a FRIDGE have meant reduced sizes (they used to be as big as a wardrobe!), ONLINE fridges (that sense when items are removed and used, and order online FOR YOU!!), and fridges that dispense chilled water or ice automatically!
TASK
You will need to choose the most important information from your previous notes, and use your Summary Plan (LAST TUES) as well.
Then, you need to create a FINAL VERSION of the next 2 paragraphs – “How is it used?’ (applications of the item) & “How it has CHANGED” (explaining more recent innovations)
We will need to think about all the elements from previous week: Present Tense / Clear key points and facts / technical vocab. / conjunctions / ways to entice reader / cohesion between paragraphs
These will all need to be included in our “HOW IS IT USED?” section – which will be a short description of the various APPLICATIONS the chosen item has. And our ‘HOW it has CHANGED’ section which will focus on the more recent changes of design.
Here is a model of a “How it has Changed?” section:
RESOURCES
My Model (as above… but this is only for “CHANGED” section… you need to do 2 paragraphs… “How USED” too!)
Morning, Year 5. Today, it’s time to have a go at the second Homeletics event.
How did you get on on Monday? Or perhaps you missed the post? No worries, you can read all about the Croydon Homeletics event here: https://spsy5.wordpress.com/?p=9537
Last week we focused on meditation and taking time to be present in the moment. This week, we are thinking about gratitudeand how we can focus our minds on what we are thankful for.
What is gratitude?
Gratitude refers to the feeling or quality of being grateful or thankful for something. For example, the feeling you get when you receive a present or when you are spending quality time with your friends and families.
Many people believe being grateful for things is an important part of our happiness or spiritual wellbeing. That if we can focus our minds on what we do have rather than what we don’t have, this helps us think positively rather than negatively.
Gratitude – religious and spiritual viewpoints
The idea of gratitude is present in many if not all religions. Most religions see God as the giver of all gifts and the ultimate foundation for thankfulness. There is a feeling of indebtedness (needing to give something back) to God. For example, in Christianity, God’s generosity provides the model of how Christians are to deal with each other.
Here are some ways religious people may show gratitude:
Prayers – through prayer, people offer thanks to God.
Praise and worship – through songs, celebrations or religious ceremonies, many people show their thanks to God.
Tithing and donating – this means giving your money to worthy causes. By sharing their money, many religious people show their gratitude for what they have and share it with others.
Fasting – through fasting – purposely not eating certain foods for specific times – some religious people show their gratitude for what they normally have and it makes them more thankful for when they do have food.
Religious holidays – some religious holidays such as Christmas in Christianity or Nirvana day in Hinduism relates to gratitude.
However, showing gratitude is not something that is only practiced in religions. Those who do not identify with a religion often also believe that gratitude and being thankful in life is very important. Non-religious ways we can practise gratitude are:
Positive affirmations – this means saying phrases out loud to yourself to promote positive thinking and growth mindset. For example, “I am thankful for my friends”.
Celebrations – celebrations help to celebrate life and show what people are thankful for.
Helping others – helping others, through things like charity work, are a way some people show thanks.
Writing things down – some people write lists at the end of each day of the things they are grateful for.
This is a fantastic speech about gratitude from David Steindl-Rast. He is a Catholic Benedict monk (a branch of Christianity) and believes strongly in the importance of interfaith dialogue (making sure people of different religions talk positively with one another). Give it a listen and reflect on his thoughts about gratitude:
Practising gratitude
Being grateful does not mean being thankful for everything. It is a fact of life that sometimes things happen to us which are not nice. We do not need to be thankful for those things. The point of gratitude, however, is to help us to appreciate what we do have rather than what we don’t have.
For example, the coronavirus is certainly not something we need to be grateful for. There are things we all need to do to make sure that we overcome it. Practising gratitude at this time may be difficult, however, perhaps we can reflect on parts of our situation that we are grateful for and this helps us to focus on the positive: maybe we have spent more time with family; maybe you have your health and you are happy to be healthy; maybe you have been less stressed from school work. Maybe it has helped you appreciate things you took for granted before. These may be things to help us keep a positive mindset.
Activity
For today’s activity, we’d like you to draw a poster showing the things you are grateful for. To extend yourselves, write a paragraph about the ways in which you could show gratitude in your daily life.
Forthe final few weeks of term, we’ll be posting reading activities each day to go along with your usual activities. Remember, you should aim to read on your own for at least 15 minutes each day.We also have a story for you to listen to at the end of the day…
Independent Reading
We should be finishing reading chapters 7 – 9 of A Wrinkle in Time this week and complete the Comprehension Questions in the booklet below.
Perhaps you can add a comment a the bottom of the post sharing some of your thoughts on the book. Hopefully lots of us have read it so we can get a lively discussion going! Don’t rush ahead! We’ll be carrying on this story next week!
With a little bit of internet searching, you can usually find copies of many of these classic books. Why not challenge yourself… see how many from the list you have read!
End of Day Story
Today, we’ll be listening to chapter 5 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.Head over tohttps://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-diagon-alley begin to listen from minutes 10-20, with the excellent Simon Callow as he reads the chapter!
