nglish: This week, we looked at different techniques to open our writing, how to use emotive language to improve the description in our writing and also effective ways to end stories. Children could choose one part of a story to focus on using the different skills practised this week.

Maths: We have been learning to read and understand the information in different types of timetable; we have practised converting times from days to weeks, hours to minutes and vice versa. We also began to look at time distance graphs using the story of the tortoise and the hare. Children could work out: how many days, hours or seconds old they are? They could calculate the number of hours to Christmas. Another idea is to plan a day of television watching using the tv guide to work out how long each program is on for or what times they start and finish,

RE: We have begun our unit of prayers, saints and feasts this week. We looked at the story of Martha and Mary and how what Jesus teaches us about love can help us to treat other people. Children also continued to study the rosary, researching and then making lapbooks.

PAM:

Next week, as part of the PAM spelling, grammar and maths work that has been happening in school, children will be tested on the autumn 1 tricky words as sent home at the start of the half term. These were; interest, island, knowledge learn, length, library, material, medicine, mention and minute. There will also be a longer than usual maths test to assess where the children are in comparison with the start of the year and their end of year expectations.

English: This week, we have been writing stories which raise issues around animals (conservation, threat to habitat, re-homing etc). We focussed on creating mood through careful word choice and using shows and not tells. Write a character or setting description (or both) which creates mood

Maths: We have been learning to read, write and convert times from analogue to digital and vice versa. Then we practised calculating how long something lasted if we knew the start and end times by counting forwards on a number line. Draw a timetable for one of the days of the weekend and write all/some of the things you do (start and finish times). Then use a number line to calculate the duration of each activity/event/journey etc.

RE: October is the month of Mary and this week we have begun to think about the glorious mysteries of the Rosary. Children could reflect on one (or more) of the glorious mysteries. They could even make their own rosary.

Context: We have begun to look at animals can be classified differently according to their features. This will lead on to looking at how animals are classified scientifically, based on being vertebrates or invertebrates and each sub-group within these. Children could choose one animal sub-group (e.g. reptiles/mammals) and create a poster describing their features.