Understanding the structure of words

Word sums show the important elements of a word:

the BASE 

is the most important element 

because it holds the meaning and the spelling;

and

the PREFIXES and SUFFIXES 

which can be fixed before and after the base.

We have been investigating the word <friend> and why there is an <i> in the spelling.

Ask your child to tell you the story of <friend> and how it is related to <Friday> and the Germanic Goddess of Love <Frigga>!

This is the word sum for <friendly>:

friend + ly --> (this is called the rewrite arrow) friendly

We could also write the word sum like this:

fri (meaning 'love') + end (an Old English suffix) + ly (suffix)-->

friendly

We constructed a very large word sum by acting out the different parts of the word.

Then we wrote our own word sums from all the words we discovered were part of the word family.
Every time we write and spell a new word sum we are learning how to spell the base!

Understanding how words are spelled

Do you know what digraphs are?

Digraphs are 'teams of two letters' that we use to accurately represent pronunciation.

di (meaning 'two') + graph (meaning 'to write') --> digraph

English spelling has many different digraphs and they can have more than one job!

We are investigating the digraph <ch>. 

We identified the words in this written passage that contained the digraph <ch>.

We discovered that <ch> can represent three different phonemes, like;

<church> <chef> and <school>

As 'word dectectives' we went searching for words in the classroom and in books that contained the digraph <ch>. We had to decide which phoneme they were representing and write the words in the correct column.

Understanding that digraphs can have more than one job (to represent different pronunciations) is a very important part of understanding how to spell in English.

Forces: Design and Technology

Design and construct a simple toy that has one moving part!

During this design and technology project the children learned how to construct a lever as a way to move a part of a toy.

Problem solving, discussing and experimenting were improtant skills that the children needed to use as they revised plans and designs to make their moving part work successfully.

Mr Jim demonstrated how to construct the lever with a pivot point.

The children learned how to design carefully with labels and clear diagrams to show the plan for the toy. This is a critical part of developing Design and Technology skills.

Investigating Force with Spinners

What force is creating the spinner to spin fast or slow?

How can we construct a spinner that will spin 

slowly to the ground?

What parts of the spinner are important elements to consider when making a change?

The children constructed a paper spinner from a simple model. We experimented how quickly or slowly they fell to the ground.

Next we innovated on the original design by changing one or two elements. for example: a longer blade or shorter handle. The children were required to record their predictions and experiments as part of their learning.

Reading for Meaning

Reading for Meaning

Understanding how the characters are formed and developed by the author builds effective comprehension skills.

Together as a group we studied one of the main characters from the book,

Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten By Bob Graham (a wonderful story portraying friendship and empathy).

We identified some important qualities about Rose, the little girl in the story. We investigated the parts of the story that highlighted these qualities and how the author developed her character.

We also identified her physical characters by describing how she looks.

Using this model, the children chose a favourite known story; identified the main character and described this character's personality and physical traits.

When your child is discussing a story with you ask them about the characters in the story, encouraging them to give you evidence of their understanding.

Finding out about force with parachutes!

What force is making the parachute move?

What force is helping the parachute to slow down?

How can I make my parachute fly higher or stay up longer?

Experimenting, investigating, discovering are all vital and important elements of inquiry learning.

Initial discovery and 'play' with materials and equipment, such as the parachutes, allows each child to form their own understanding of the important scientific concepts being studied.

• drag and resistance
• friction
• gravity
• push and pull
• wind movement

Additionally, it allows the children to consider questions by experimenting and 'seeing' in real life what actually happens. Being able to express your ideas and conclusions leads to greater and deeper understanding.

Building a learning community

WELCOME TO OUR NEW SCHOOL YEAR

At the beginning of the school year it is vital to 

build a learning community. 

An important element of a successful learning community is getting to know each other. During the first few weeks we learned interesting aspects about everyone, even Mr Jim.

Mr Jim loves to collect stamps.

Mr Jim has Scottish heritage.
His dad was born in
Glasgow!
We enjoyed collecting special objects from home
and creating our own personal museum.

Creating a  learning environment together is another important part of building a learning community. 

Here we are constructing name tags for our belongings and personal places in the classroom.

You are welcome to visit our learning environment 

and discover our learning!

Classroom Essential Agreements

An important aspect of a learning community is developing a set of essential agreements that help us think about how we will learn and play together.

We worked with a partner to discuss what was important for us.

We made decisions together about what was most important for us.

We designed and constructed a classroom essential agreement chart 

so that we can refer to it often as we are learning.

We are learning to build a community of learners by 

collaborating, being respectful and safe.

Algebra!

Did you know we are learning algebra?

One of the most important mathematical skills we need to learn is to understand how our number system works. Investigating number patterns is the first step on our algebraic learning journey.

During the next few weeks we will investigate and discover different number patterns and how these patterns help us to calculate more effectively and efficiently.

We discovered many interesting aspects about counting in 2's.

We found out that they are even numbers. How do we know if they are even numbers?

We noticed that the even numbers have 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 in the ones position.

We are using manipulatives and 100 boards to help us investigate these important patterns.

We will often use manipulatives to learn new concepts because constructing mental images 

will help deepen our mathematical thinking.

That's what good mathematicians do!

Learning about the STRUCTURE of words

One of the important aspects of learning how to spell in English

 is understanding the elements of a word. 

English words have two main elements: the BASE and affixes (prefixes and suffixes).

We are learning that the spelling of a word comes from the base.

We used the word family of <move> to look more closely how these words are constructed.We built a matrix to show the important parts of the word. The base is written in the middle column and prefixes and suffixes are added to the right and left of the base.

We showed the different elements of a word by constructing a word sum.

re + move --> remove

As we write and spell aloud the word sum we are thinking carefully about each element.

We noticed that <move> needs a single, silent <e> in the final position because English bases do not finish with a single <v>...it has to be <ve>, like in <have> and <love>. 

That is an important English convention we need to learn.

move + ment --. movement

We noticed that in the word <movement> the single, silent <e> is retained but...

move/ + ing --> moving

...in the word <moving> the single, silent <e>is replaced by the suffix. We will investigate the reason why in a few weeks time. Mrs Lyn wants us to think about why this might happen!

When we construct the word sums we can clearly see what happens when there is a change to the base and helps us understand the spelling of the final word.

Did you know that spelling is a thinking activity? 
When we investigate words we remember the spelling more deeply because it makes sense! 

Art: combining pen and watercolour

We created portraits of each other!

We made observations of our partner by carefully drawing the special features and lines of a face. 

We took particular notice of the shape of the eyes, nose and mouth.

We used a black, ink pen for the outline and then shaded with watercolour.

Using and combining different art mediums helps our creativity to express ourselves through art.

We love gardening!

We were so excited to see the changes that happened to the garden during the long holiday break. Many seeds that we had previously planted seemed to be popping up everywhere.

Connecting with nature, feeling the soil, planting seeds, caring for plants all help us to understand our world in a better way!

Have you tasted and smelled the leaves of the lemon scented basil (kemangi)...so delicious? 

These leaves are excellent fresh in salad or served with a curry.

We spotted Mr Jim picking some Kemangi leaves and adding them to his lunch...

but remember to wash them first!

If you have any seeds that we could plant please send them along!