Tuesday 21st April

Good morning Squirrels.

English

Today we are going to be focusing on questions. Don’t forget a question is something that you ask and needs a question mark at the end instead of a full stop. Have a look at what you already know about London. Is there anything you want to know more on? Write some questions on what you would like to find out about London.

You could go away and find the answers to these questions and add them to you work from yesterday.

Maths

Did you find all the answers to the questions from yesterday? Here are the answers - you could be the teacher and mark your work!

6 - 1 = 5 9- 5 = 4

8 - 4 = 4 7 - 2 = 5

10 - 3 = 7 14 - 6 = 8

15 - 6 = 9 19 - 8 = 11

21 - 11 = 10 27 - 13 = 14

Today I would like you to have a go at drawing your own number line and using it to find some answers. Remember when we use a number line to takeaway we count to the left and the numbers get smaller.

Have a go at these questions - they start off easy but get harder!

Computing

One of the most visited places in London is Buckingham Palace. This is the Queen’s palace.

You are able to take a virtual tour through some of the rooms inside the palace. What do you think of them? Would you like to live there?

https://www.royal.uk/virtual-tours-buckingham-palace

Sound Of The Week

How many words did you think of? I thought of these ones.

high, night, light, fright, bright, sight and might.

Can you use your phonics to read them?

Joke Of The Day

What do you call a dinosaur that is sleeping?

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A dino-snore!

Monday 20th April

Hello Squirrels.

I hope you all had a good Easter holidays.

Welcome to our new topic called Bright lights, Big City.

This topic is going to be all about cities and in particular our capital city, London.

English

Today I would like to know what you already know about London. Have you ever been there? What did you see? Have your parents been there? You could do this as a piece of writing or as a spider diagram.

Maths

This week I would like you to practice some taking away. Remember when taking away the biggest number is at the front of the number sentence. The answer is smaller than this first number unless you are taking away 0. You could use this rule to check your own work.

See if you can find the answers to these questions using objects.

6 -1 = 9 - 5 =

8 - 4 = 7 - 2 =

10 - 3 = 14 - 6 =

15 - 6 = 19 - 8 =

21 - 11 = 27 - 13 =

Word Of The Week

This weeks word is ‘to’. How many sentences can you think of using this red word?

Sound Of The Week

Our sound this week is ‘igh’. How many words can you think of that have this sound? I have thought of 7 so far - I bet you can think of more than me!

D&T

Can you think of a type of transport that you would find in London? Please draw a vehicle that you would find in London and maybe one that you have been on. You can choose to either draw or paper or on an electronic device using drawing software e.g paint or colour magic.

Last time I went to London I saw an old fashioned bus. Would you like to get a bus like this?

Fact Of The Day

Did you know that people lived in London 750,000 years ago! It wasn’t called London back then and it didn’t look like it does now. There were no busy streets or buildings, instead it was a boggy marsh.

Friday 3rd April

Happy Friday Squirrels.

English

Well done on your story writing this week. I am looking forward to reading your stories when we get back to school. Today I would like you to read your stories to your family. Reading your work to others can sometimes be a scary but don’t forget you are all very imaginative and great writers, you should all be proud of your work. Remember to use a big loud voice so everyone can hear.

Maths

Have a go at these maths problems. Don’t forget you may have to explain your answers!

Fact of the day.

One million Earths could fit inside the sun!

Joke of the day.
Which chocolate bars are an astronauts favourite?

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Mars bars, milkyways and galaxy.

Tomorrow is the start of the Easter Holidays. I won’t be posting any work over the holidays as it is time to rest and have fun with your family. Posts will appear again on Monday 20th April. Keep reading lots and enjoy the sunshine.

Have a super Easter xxx

Thursday 2nd April

Hello Squirrels.

English

I had a go at writing my story using my story plan. I think that I may have made a few mistakes though. Can you help me to edit and improve my work? I have used pink lines to show where I need some help. Thank you for helping.

Maths

Today I would like you to weigh out some ingredients for cooking. It could be the ingredients for baking something yummy or ingredients for your dinner. How much do you need to measure out?

I am having potatoes with my dinner tonight. I wonder how much a potato weighs? I wonder how much it will weigh once I have peeled the skin off? Do you think it will weigh more or less with the skin off?

History

To end our space topic I would like you to look at a famous astronaut and answer some questions. You could choose Yuri Gagarin, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin or Tim Peake.

Why are they famous?

What did they do up in space?

What was it like up in space?

Would you like to be an astronaut? Why?

Fact of the day.

Space junk is any human-made object orbiting Earth that non longer serves a useful purpose. Scientists estimate there are about 500,000 pieces of space junk today, including bits from rockets and satellites, and everyday objects like spanners which were dropped when they were building the International Space Station!

Joke of the day.

When do astronauts eat their lunch?

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At launch time!

Wednesday 1st April

Happy 1st of April Squirrels.

It was lovely to chat to lots of you yesterday. If you missed a phone call please don’t worry I will be phoning again soon.

Today would normally be forest school so I thought it would good fun to set you a nature task. Using sticks/leaves/ stones/ whatever you can find outside, I would like you to make a house for an alien. You never know when one may crash land in your garden!

English

Today I would like you to use your story plan to write your story. Try and remember your punctuation and finger spaces. If you are feeling super brainy today you could add in some adjectives (describing words) to add some detail to your story.

Maths

Great job using your hands to weigh but could you use this method to weigh out how much pasta you would need for your dinner?

Today we are going to have a look at grams (g) and kilograms (kg). Remember that 1000g is the same as 1kg. You will need a set of scales in order to weigh your objects. You could write the weight of you objects down in your book. Don’t forget to write down g or kg next to the weight!

Which object was the heaviest? Which one was the lightest?

Can you put the objects in order from heaviest to lightest?

The elephant weighed over 1kg and the squirrel only weighed 344g.

Fact of the day.

You wouldn’t be able to walk on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune because they have no solid surface!

Joke of the day.

How do astronauts serve dinner?

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On flying saucers.

Phonics

Hello Squirrels.

Here is a picture of all the speed sounds to help you with your phonics.

Tuesday 31st March

Hello Squirrels.

I am in school today and will be phoning you all to say hi. It is very strange not seeing you all in the classroom.

English

Today I have drawn a plan for a story using my work from yesterday. I decided that I would be the first person to play rugby on the moon because rugby is my favourite sport.

Can you plan a story based on what you would do on the moon? Don’t forget its handy to write a few things down that you may need for when you write your story. Can you tell someone in your family your story?

Maths

Using the same objects as yesterday, and only using your hands, can you put the objects in order from heaviest to lightest?

These are my objects in order.

My elephant was the heaviest and the lightest was the ship.

Is the biggest object always the heaviest?

Do you think this is a good way of weighing something? Why?

Sound of the week.

How many words can you think of that contain the sound ‘ee’?

Geography

Have you heard of google earth? It can be used on tablets, phones and computers. Google Earth shows you what the world looks like from space. You can also zoom and find certain places. Your challenge today is to find your house and the school on Google Earth.

Monday 30th March 2020

Good morning Squirrels.

I hope you all had a good weekend.

English

What do you think it would be like to go to the moon? Can you walk like an astronaut on the moon? Do you remember our fact abut Alan Shepard? He was an Apollo 14 astronaut who was the first person to play golf on the moon.

If you went to the moon, what would you do? I would like you to think carefully about what you could do on the moon. Would you be the first to ride a bike on the moon or to paint a picture? Please draw a picture of you being the first person to do something on the moon and write a few sentences about what you have chosen to do and why.

Word of the week.

This week our word of the week is ‘do’. Can you think of any questions you could ask using the word ‘do’?

Sound of the week.

our sound of the week is ‘ee’ - what can you see?

Can you use your phonics to sound out these words containing ‘ee’?

been, green, seen, need, sleep, feel, keep, three.

Maths

This week we are going to be looking at weight. Today I will be using my incredible hearing to listen out for squirrels using words such as heavy, light, heavier than, lighter than, heaviest and lightest.

Can you find 8 objects in your house and put them altogether? Take 2 objects from your pile, one in each hand, and decided by feeling the weight, which one is the heaviest or lightest. Sort the objects into 2 groups - heavy and light.

Joke of the day.

Which school do planets and stars go to study?

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UNIVERSity!

Fact of the day.

If you could fly a plane to Pluto, the trip would take more than 800 years!

This is what Pluto looks like.

Answers from Ozbeg

Hi Squirrels.

I asked Ozbeg lots of questions. Here are his answers.

Where do you come from?

Ozbeg: I come from a blue planet called Fisp. It is very far away.

What does your planet look like?

Ozbeg: My planet is beautiful. The ground is soft and bouncy. We do not have legs like you and we bounce everywhere. Our houses are in trees, which are purple and grow lots of fruit. When we are hungry we lean out of our windows and pick the fruit from the tree. We have big seas which have lots of fish in. The fish on our planet like to sing and dance.

How did you end up on Earth?

Ozbeg: I was on my way to another planet to visit my Aunt. The map I was using must have been upside down! Then one of the boosters on my rocket stopped working. I tried to fix it but I have never been very good at mending things. The next thing I knew, my rocket had crashed and broke into even more pieces.

Where did the green slime come from?

Ozbeg: It came from me! I panicked when my ship crashed. I went to see if I could find something to fix it with. I left a trail of slime so I could find my way back. I thought I found someone in the next field who could help me fix it. They were black and white and when I talked to them they only said “moo” back. They weren’t very helpful! I don’t know what kind of creature it was.

Did you like Earth?

Ozbeg: I think your planet is very pretty but I was very scared. You have lots of new and strange things. I think I would like to learn more about your planet so that if I come back I wouldn’t be scared.

Musical talent?

The staff have a Friday treat for you. See if you can spot our singing on the main blog. We hope you like it xx

Friday 27th March 2020

Happy Friday!

Today Professor Pong brought Ozbeg to school. Together we built a new rocket for Ozbeg so he can get home. He will be leaving tonight. Ozbeg would like to thank everyone who wrote a message to him. He is no longer scared because he knows that he has lots of squirrel friends. Before he goes we have got a bit of time to ask him some questions. Can you write a list of things that you would like to ask Ozbeg? Don’t forget if you are asking a question you will need to use a question mark instead of a full stop. I will ask Ozbeg lots of questions and will put his answers up later on in the day.

I have some maths challenges for you today. Remember to read the question carefully so you know what to do and remember you may have to explain your answers.

DID YOU KNOW?

Jupiter’s 4 biggest moons are named Europa, Ganymede, Callisto and Lo.

JOKE OF THE DAY.

What do planets like to read?

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Comet books!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Thursday 26th March 2020

Hello. Has anyone spotted the International Space station yet?

I have some good news about the alien. You did such a great job at emailing the Professor that he has agreed to bring the alien back to school! Professor Pong said that the alien’s name Ozbeg and he is very shy and scared, a bit like Beegu was when she crash landed on Earth. So I thought that it would be a good idea for us to write cards to Ozbeg so we can cheer him up. You could tell Ozbeg a bit about yourself and how you are all lovely and friendly. You could also tell him a bit about Earth - I bet lots of things seem very strange to him! See if you can use some adjectives (describing words) to make your writing more detailed. Don’t forget full stops, capital letters and finger spaces too!

I had a look at Ozbeg’s rocket today am I’m afraid that it is too badly broken after the crash. Can you help me design a new one? What would your spaceship have inside for Ozbeg?

Whilst at home I have been having a sort out of my things. I found my favourite toy - Grumpy Ted. I decided to measure him. He is 24cm tall. I then found my dinosaur - Freddy. He is 26cm tall. Which toy is taller - Freddy or Grumpy Ted? How do you know? Which toy of yours is the tallest? How much taller are they than Freddy and Grumpy Ted?

JOKE OF THE DAY

Why did the cow go in the spaceship?

It wanted to see the mooooooon!

25th March 2020

Good morning Squirrels.

ALIEN FOUND IN SUPERMARKET CAR PARK! Scientists say they don’t know what to do with it. The alien was found last night by surprised shop assistant, Tom Brown. “I went to throw out the day’s rubbish in the supermarket bin and, poking out from beneath the empty crisp packets and squashed milk bottles, was this thing… with a six-fingered, slimy green hand!” said Mr Brown. . It has been taken to a nearby space lab and is being looked after by leading space expert, Professor Albert Pong. “I have never seen anything like this before! I don’t know what this creature is, where it has come from or what to do with it!” exclaimed Professor Pong.

Squirrels we need to write an email to Professor Pong and tell him what we know about the alien. You will also need to explain that he needs to send the alien back to Plaistow and Kirdford Primary School as we have its rocket and can help get the alien home.

You can send your emails to Mr Pong at p.pong@cornerstoneseducation.co.uk

For maths today I would like you to measure your family members. Who is the tallest/shortest person in your family? Is the tallest person in your family the oldest? Is the oldest person always the tallest?

DID YOU KNOW?

Footprints and tyre tracks left behind by astronauts on the moon will stay there forever as there is no wind to blow them away.

Watch the International Space Station pass overhead!

Over the next week the International Space Station will be passing over our heads. It will be visible to the naked eye. Below are the following dates and times that you will be able to see it.

24th March 20:26 West to East

25th Marc 19.38 West to SSW

26th March 20:28 West to SSW

27th March 19:40 West to EE

28th March 20:29 West to SSE

29th March 20:42 West to SSE

30th March 18:31 West to SE

31st March 20:44 West to ESE

1st April 21:33 West to SSE

2nd April 20:46 West to SSE

Tuesday 24th March 2020

Good morning Squirrels. I hope you all had a good weekend and enjoyed the sunshine.

I have some good news - the alien that crash landed at school has been seen around Plaistow. Yesterday it was spotted by the pond! Now that we now know what it looks like we need to spread the word. For your English today I would like you to create a wanted poster. It will need a picture of the alien and some writing describing it. Don’t forget you will need to tell people where to take the alien if they find it.

For the last 2 weeks we have been looking at measuring in maths. I would like you to continue practicing this. Today I would like to find out who is better at building towers - Squirrel class or Mums and Dads? You could build your towers out of different materials e.g. lego or recycling. Once finished you will need to measure your tower and see if it is taller than your parent’s tower.

Our word of the week is ‘the’. How many sentences can you think of using ‘the’?

Our sound of the week is ‘ay’ - may I play? How many words can you think of that contain this sound?

Just a few useful things for parents: Joe Wicks is providing a live PE session everyday on his youtube channel.

Also RWI (our phonics program) will also be running live lessons on their youtube channel - Ruth Miskin Training. We are very good at our phonics in Squirrel Class and I therefore recommend the set 2 and set 3 videos.

World Book Day

We had a great afternoon building dens and sharing books with our Year 4 partners.

Beegu

We are looking at the story of Beegu. It is about a lost alien called Beegu who crash landed on Earth. Beegu found that the adults were not very friendly but the children were. It had a lovely ending because Beegu finally found her family.

The Alien Hunt!

An alien spaceship has crash landed in the environmental area. We saw the spaceship. It was all broken up into pieces. There was lots of bubble wrap, foam, a cone and long tubes . We followed the green slime trail. It went over the gate into the field. We wanted to know if the alien was still around. Please can you keep an eye open for a lost alien which leaves green slime.

Dinosaurs

Today we made a big dinosaur nest for our eggs. We collected lots of sticks for the edge of our nest and put leaves in the middle to make it soft for the eggs.

PE

We have been looking at balance and movement in PE. This week we got our new wall bars out. They are great fun and we practiced lots of different ways of moving across the bars and balancing on the beam. We also had some other floor equipment out to practice balancing on different parts of our bodies.