Cedar Class

English: LO: to write a scary story.

Today I would like you to write your scary story. Use your story map, your spider diagram, and the word bank you created on Monday to help you. The main thing you need to focus on is using all of your spooky adjectives and adverbs to build up the atmosphere for the reader. Try and make the reader feel as uncomfortable as possible so they feel that something spooky will happen any second!

Even if the scary thing in your story isn’t that scary, having a really tense atmosphere will make reading your story a frightening experience.

Can you scare someone in your home? Feel free to email me any of your stories, I’ll let you know if they scare me!

Maths: LO: to investigate creating shapes.

Today I would like you to carry out a shape investigation:

If you cut a square diagonally from corner to corner you get four right-angled isosceles triangles.

How many different shapes can you make by fitting the four triangles back together?

You may only fit long sides to long sides and short sides to short sides. The whole length of the side must be joined.

Draw each shape you have created and name it.

Challenge: describe the shape in terms of sides and vertices, describe the angles using the terms you have learned this week.

English: LO: to create a story map for a scary story.

By now you should have a good idea of what your scary story will be about. Today, I would like you to create a story map to help your when it comes to writing the story tomorrow. Think very carefully about the kinds of adjectives you will use to create the suspense we need to make our story scary! Draw pictures on your story map to help you visualise which words will be suitable.

Maths: LO: to consider different types of angle.

Today I would like you to carry out an angle walk throughout you house, or outside if you are able to. Back in the Autumn term we looked at three different types of angle: acute angles (smaller than 90 degrees), right angles (90 degrees), and obtuse angles (greater than 90 degrees). We also recognised that straight lines are 180 degrees (like two right angles added together). On your angle walk, write down the angles you can see and say whether they are acute, right, obtuse or straight. Challenge: estimate how many degrees the angle is.

For example:

Man-hole cover – 4 angles, all right angles – 90 degrees.

Fence post – 1 angle (connecting fence together) – obtuse angle – 120 degrees.

English: LO: to plan a scary story.

Yesterday we discussed how to create a spooky atmosphere in our writing and came up with a list of spooky adjectives. Today, I would like you think very carefully about your scary story.

I would like you to come up with a plan for your story. Create a spider diagram and write some ideas down for the following points:

– Setting (where will the story take place? Mine was in some underground tunnels).

– Character(s) (Who is in your story? My main character was a human who was exploring some tunnels. Yours could be told from the perspective of a monster if you fancy a challenge!).

– The scare (What in your story is going to be scary? Might your character be shocked by a giant alligator/monster/spooky surprise?).

– The ending (Will your character defeat the spooky thing? Will it maybe not actually be something scary but someone dressed up as something scary [like in scooby-doo]? Does the story just suddenly end on a cliffhanger?).

Maths: LO: to describe shapes using mathematical vocabulary.

Today I would like you to use your mathematical vocabulary to create a ‘wanted’ poster on a shape. Take a piece of paper and write ‘WANTED’ at the top, then draw your shape on the poster. Give your shape some features and a name, then describe it on the poster. Give some extra detail (see my one for an example), and add some colour to your poster. Don’t forget, use your mathematical vocabulary from your definition poster to help you.

Challenge: create a wanted poster for a 3D shape.

English: LO: to create a scary word bank.

This week in English I would like you to try and write a scary short story! You challenge is to, by the end of the week, create a piece of writing which can scare someone at home (or me if you would like to email your work to me!). To create a scary story, one of the things we need to do is create a scary atmosphere (the feeling of the story and the place it is set). If we create the scary atmosphere at the start of the story, the reader is left feeling on edge and waiting for something spooky to happen. We want to keep the reader guessing what will happen for as long as possible; this is called ‘suspense’. We create a spooky atmosphere by using lots of adjectives so that the reader can really picture all the scary stuff we are thinking of as we write.

If I was writing a scary story about an underground tunnel, here is a bad example of me trying to create a scary atmosphere:

Bob went into the tunnel, as he went further in he saw loads of scary stuff and screamed because the stuff was so scary. Bob even saw a crocodile!

There is no suspense here and it’s tricky to imagine what the ‘scary stuff’ is! Here is a better example:

Bob slowly crawled through the rusty iron bars and into the dark, damp tunnel. As he crawled, the smell of wet mud and old rain water crept lazily up his nose. Finally, he struggled upright and nervously turned his torch on. The dim, yellow beam cut through the dark like a blunt knife and Bob gasped in horror as he saw it.

I’m hoping that after reading that you are left wondering what it is that Bob saw? Could you picture in your mind what Bob was seeing, feeling and smelling as he went into the tunnel?

Go through my paragraph again and underline any adjectives, adverbs, adverbials, similes or metaphors you can see. Then, I would like you to create a word bank of as many scary adjectives you can think of; this will help you when you write your own story.

Maths: LO: to define ‘shape’.

This week we will be looking at shape in our maths sessions. I would like you to begin the week by creating another definition poster on shape. What does shape mean? What different shapes can you think of? What is the difference between 2D and 3D shapes? Are there any other words associated with shape (see below for some to help you)? Write what these words are and what they mean. Why is it important for us to be able to understand shape? How can we use our knowledge of shape in our lives, or in our jobs? What are angles, and how do they fit in with shapes? What kinds of angle are there?

Related words: 2D, 3D, vertex, corner, edge, side, acute angle, obtuse angle, right angle, symmetry.

Spelling: Can you remember the spelling rule you have been learning this week? Get someone at home to test your memory of it, and then get them to pick out 10 words from your word list and see if you can spell them correctly!

Arithmetic: This week we looked at column addition and subtraction. Get someone to give you 5 addition and 5 subtraction questions and check that you can solve them using this method.

English: LO: to write a newspaper report.

To finish off our week on newspaper articles, I would like you to create a full newspaper report on one of the festivals you have been considering as part of your topic work. Pretend you had been at one of the festivals and write your article telling the reader about what happened there. Don’t forget to include a headline, a detailed article, a picture and a caption for it. Feel free to email me with any of your reports, I would love to see them!

Maths: LO: to create a line graph.

To finish off our week on data handling, I would like you to create a line graph of some data. Here is an example of a line graph showing how the height of a person changes as they get older. Look at the data. Something is wrong on the line graph, what is wrong? Make a suggestion of what it should look like?

Create your own line graph of something you can measure over time at home. You could measure your heart rate before, during and after some exercise (or even just after standing up and sitting down repeatedly for a minute).

English: LO: to create a picture for a headline.

Newspapers make use of pictures to make them look more appealing to the reader. Pictures also contribute to the detail of the article; a famous saying is ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, so a good article with a good picture is going to be very informative!

Today I would like you to create a picture for one of the below headlines. Draw a picture which matches the headline, and then create a caption for your picture; the caption describes what is happening in the picture or adds a bit of extra detail to it.

Flash flood ruins wedding!

Chaos as robot dog goes on the run.

Eggcitement at Easter event.

Boom! Building collapses due to loud music.

Maths: LO: to find fractions of measurements.

So far you have collected and presented data. Now that you have your data clearly presented in a chart or graph you can make statements about it. For example, my graph below shows that the majority of flowers in my garden are white. I can also clearly see that I have fewer pink flowers than any other flower colour.

Today, I would like you to create a bar chart for the following data. Once you have created your bar chart, write some statements about what the data show.

Different colours of cars in Tesco car park:

Black – 42

Blue – 31

Silver – 55

Gold – 4

Red – 18

English: LO: to write an informative newspaper article.

Now that we have created some catchy headlines, it’s time to write the actual article. When writing a newspaper article, you need to remember that you are writing to inform the reader. If you don’t include enough detail the reader will be left wanting more information, and will end up buying a different newspaper to get a better version of the news. Below is a short newspaper article which includes a good amount of detail.

Michael Smith, 42, from Norwich has been presented with the prestigious ‘Chief Eater’ award today. Michael won the award for eating at every single restaurant in Norfolk, having spent over £16,500 in total across his meals. It is the first time that anyone has ever been awarded with this title, and Michael is now able to eat at all restaurants in the county free of charge for the next 6 months. When asked what he will do now, Michael replied ‘I think I’ll try and go for the Chief Eater award in every county in the U.K.!’.

I would like you to write a newspaper report on something of your choosing. Don’t forget, newspaper articles tend to be written in columns!

Maths: LO: to create a graph or chart of data.

Today I would like you to present the data you collected yesterday using a chart or graph. You can choose which type you would like to use, but some types of chart and graph are easier to create and read than others!

If I had collected the following data, here are some examples of how that may look as a chart. One of the ways of presenting the data has more detail than the other.

Flower colours seen in my garden.

Blue – 5

White – 7

Pink – 3

Purple – 4

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English: LO: to create headlines.

Hopefully yesterday you identified that newspaper articles have headlines. These are normally short and punchy sentences which tell the reader what the article is going to be about. Their main purpose is to draw the reader in and make you want to buy and read that newspaper. Below are some headlines. Rate them in order of how effective you think they are.

Boy slowly eats entire restaurant’s supply of butter.

Flash flood ruins wedding!

Chaos as robot dog goes on the run.

THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT SWEETS THAT TESCO SELLS.

Boom! Building collapses due to loud music.

Eggcitement at Easter event.

Once you have done this, practise creating some headlines of your own for things that you are doing throughout the day. Make sure they are short and interesting!

Maths: LO: to collect data.

Yesterday you created a definition poster on what data handling means. Today I would like you to gather some data of your own. Below are a few suggestions of some data sets you could collect, but feel free to come up with your own data set!

1) How many of each colour plant there are in your garden.

2) How many tinned, dry (pasta), and fresh foods there are in your cupboards.

3) How many of each genre of DVD there are in your house (cartoons, thrillers, etc.).

4) What the favourite colours are of people in your home.

5) What eye colours there are in your family.

6) How many different car colours pass your home over 10 minutes.

An efficient method of collecting your data is by using a tally chart. Tomorrow we will process your data and find a way to present it.

English: LO: to identify features of a newspaper article.

This week in English we will be looking into newspaper articles.. To start off, I would like you to think about what a newspaper article is! Write a list of the features of a newspaper article. What is the purpose of a newspaper article? If you have any newspapers at home, read an article and use this to help you identify the different features. What are the different types of newspaper?

Maths: LO: to define ‘data handling’.

This week we will be exploring data handling in our maths sessions. Data handling is the process of gathering, recording and presenting information in a way that is helpful to others. Today I would like you to create a definition poster on data handling; what does the above definition mean in simple terms? On your poster, include the definition and then think about how we can handle data. We present data using charts and graphs; what types of charts and graphs can you think of? Are there any other words associated with data handling (see below for some to help you), write what these words are and what they mean. Why is it important for us to be able to handle data? How is data used in our lives? Where might I see data presented in a graph or chart?

Related words: chart, graph, total, bar chart, tally chart, survey, total.

Spelling: Can you remember the spelling rule you have been learning this week? Get someone at home to test your memory of it, and then get them to pick out 10 words from your word list and see if you can spell them correctly!

Arithmetic: This week we looked at the times tables we already know, and their division facts. Get someone at home to test you on 5 multiplication questions and 5 division questions relating to your tables.

English: LO: to write a purposeful postcard using appropriate language.

We have written two postcards this week. I would like you to finish off this week by writing one more, but this time with a very specific focus!

This week you have been researching the climate and geography of Mexico. In your postcard today, I would like you to write a postcard to a scientist who has also been researching the climate and geography of Mexico. Pretend that you have actually been to Mexico, and provide them with the findings of your research! Don’t forget you only have a short space to include the most important bits of your research! You will need to think carefully about how formal the writing of your postcard needs to be.

The address of the scientist is:

Prof. E Blyth,

University of England Geo. Res. Int.,

PO Box 6226,

NR21 7AE.

United Kingdom.

Make sure your postcard has a helpful image on the front of it!

Maths: LO: to find and calculate fractions of money.

Today we will consider fractions in relation to money. Hopefully you identified that this was one of the ways we use fractions in life, which is why we need to know how fractions work!

In Mr Keeble’s fantastic department store there is an awesome sale on. I would like you to work out how much money you would have to spend on these items after working out how much money off there is in the sale. Don’t forget, if an item has 1/4 off you need to work out how much a quarter is and then subtract it from the original total. Don’t just say what a quarter is!

For example:

A can of coke is normally £1, but has 1/4 off. A quarter is 25p, but this doesn’t answer the question! I need to work out £1 – 25p. I know that £1 is the same as 100p, so 100p – 25p = 75p. My answer is 75p!

Work out the answers to these questions. They get more difficult as you progress through the questions. Whilst I would like you to try them all, if you get stuck you can make up some questions of your own:

1) A jar of jam is normally £1, but has 1/2 off. How much is it now?

2) A cup of tea is normally £2 but has 1/2 off. How much is it now?

3) A birthday cake is normally £10, but has 1/2 off. How much is it now?

4 A jar of pickle is normally £1, but has 1/4 off. How much is it now?
5) A cup of coffee is normally £2, but has 1/4 off. How much is it now?
6) A small wedding cake is normally £10, but has 1/4 off. How much is it now?
7) A bag of dog food is normally £15, but has 1/2 off. How much is it now?
8) A new suit is normally £250, but has 1/2 off. How much is it now?
9) A new ball dress is normally £1000, but has 3/4 off. How much is it now?
10) A gaming compute is normally £1000 but has 1/4 off. How much is it now?
11) New sale! There is now an extra 1/2 off the gaming computer! How much is it now?

English: LO: to create a more formal postcard.

Today I would like you to build on what you did yesterday by creating a more formal postcard! Like Tuesday, create a postcard from a place you either have visited, or would like to visit. Start off by cutting out a postcard piece of paper or card. Draw on the front of it to show where the postcard is being sent from (you could even make up a fantasy land if you would rather!),  on the reverse write a message to someone in a more formal style of writing. If you would like to write a postcard to me, feel free to email it to me afterwards so that I can read it! All of your parents should have received an email from me, if you’ve lost my email address it is: jkeeble5nrq@nsix.org.uk. Don’t forget to include an address, and definitely don’t forget that the people who are involved in posting and sending your letter can also read it!

Maths: LO: to find fractions of measurements.

So far we have looked at adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. Today I would like you to look at calculating fractions of objects around your home; this will involve using your measurement skills!

Find an object in your home which you can measure: this could be something you measure with a ruler such as the length of a room or the size of a toy, or a measurement of a liquid. Start off by measuring the object, then I would like you to calculate what the size or amount would be if you had:

1) Half the amount.

2) A quarter of the amount.

3) Challenge question: 3/4 of the amount.

For example: If I had a pencil in front of me which was 14cm long:

1) Half the pencil is 7cm.

2) A quarter of the pencil is 3.5cm.

3) Three quarters of the pencil is 10.5cm.

You can use any object which can be measured for this activity. Try and use at least 5 different objects.

English: LO: to consider how to write in a formal manner.

Yesterday you wrote a postcard to a friend or family member. You also considered the type of language you use when writing to somebody who you know very well or are related to. Today, I would like you to write a list of features which would appear in a postcard you were writing to someone you don’t know as well, or need to be more formal around. For example: if you were writing a postcard to me, any of the other teachers at school, the queen, or if you were entering a competition with your postcard.

Consider:
How would you start the postcard?

How would you end the postcard?

What kind of information might you not include in a postcard which is more formal? What might you not want to include?

Make a list which you can use for tomorrow’s activity!

Maths: LO: to subtract fractions.

Yesterday you practised adding fractions with the same denominator. Today, I would like you to work on subtracting fractions with the same denominator. If you are finding this tricky, you can use physical objects just like yesterday to help you.

For example: if I was solving the question 6/7 – 2/7 = ?, I could cut an object (or cake or chocolate bar!) into sevenths. I could then take 6 of these pieces and put them in front of me; this is 6/7 in front of me. I would then subtract 2/7 (2 of the pieces in front of me). I would then be left with 4 pieces, so 4/7.

Create some questions of your own for this activity.

If you are able to do this easily (or are a Y4), try these trickier questions:

1) 63/100 – 24/100 = ? (Column subtraction for the numerator will work best here).

2) 427/500 – 391/500 = ? (Same as above).

3) 512/64 – 448/64 = ? (Write this answer in two ways).