Week 1

Friday 26th February

Hang on - are we lost? Shouldn't it be BIG WRITE day? Just for this week, we are carrying on with Literacy.

TASK 1: You've guessed it! Miss Francis is back and it is time for our very last Story Map. Here is the final part of Max's Morning Walk story with actions to copy. Once you have learnt this, I wonder how long it will take you before you know all 3 parts off by heart together? Perhaps you could practise over the weekend; give mum and dad a special Sunday show (and show off all that amazing new language you have acquired!).

TASK 2: Max is a very energetic (full of energy) Labrador and he LOVES to move around, playing hide and seek with his friends. Take a look at the positional language he has included:

into              over               down

Do you know what these words mean? Can you use them in full sentences?

Max has a new friend to introduce to you today, her name is Snowy. He has been busy playing a game called, 'Where's Snowy?' I thought you might like to play a game with your own furry friends at home - these could be cuddly teddies OR your own pet if you have one. Try and demonstrate each of Max's positional language words with your animal (remember to take photos!) and then pick your 3 FAVOURITE photos to write a full sentence caption for. You could write the positional language word in a different colour to show how important it is. Here is a list of Max's words to help you:

• behind
• under
• upon
• beneath
• before
• near
• on
• beside
• in front of
• in

 Please remember that live animals have feelings too. Think about their needs, comfort and happiness if you are going to use them for your task. 

ART TASK: As an extra Friday treat, Max has a little bit of ART FUN to share with you.

Now you understand and can use positional language - why not have a go at a little weaving. You will need to use the language:

over         under        over        under        over         under        over        under       

Think you can do that? I can't wait to see all your fabulous Friday weave patterns .

Thursday 25th February

What a difference a day makes...

TASK 1: On to Part 2 of our Story Map already. It looks like Miss Francis has escaped outside for this one, I think she was excited about Max's morning walk and fancied being out in some fresh air too. Remember, take your time learning each line - you could just copy the video and test yourself with the map once your memory is stronger, or start with the map in front of you right from the beginning.

By the end of this session, you will already be over halfway through Max's story - we are STORMING it!

Max is back and he's playing with words today. He's devoured his ice cream with a lick, then disappeared off hunting for a stick. He'll need to be quick before the home time clock goes tick. Can you see what I did there? These are rhyming words - they all have the same sound at the end:

lick               stick              quick              tick

TASK 2: Can you think of any other rhyming words that would fit in Max's word basket? He has lots of other games and a video to share with you this time too. Click the document below to find out more:

Look how fabulous our Padlet is this morning , I was pinging Dojo points all over the place yesterday - one for every idea added to our board. You did a great job at noticing animals in the clouds and many children were even able to describe what the creature was doing or looked like - HURRAH! Fancy earning a Dojo point or two yourself? Do you think we could add in some EVEN BRIGHTER sentences today.

TASK 3: Just a very quick extra. It won't take long, don't panic! Now your mouth is filled with rhyming words, I wondered if you could use some to create a little rhyme about a cloud creature?

In the clouds I saw a walrus slopping along with a hop and a bop and a pop. 

It is really easy and so much fun. Now you try! Click the picture below to head back to our Padlet page and add in your new super sentence. You could use the same animal as yesterday if you have a fabulous idea forming already, or play I Spy outside and start again with a new one. Don't forget to include your name so I know where to ping those points.

Wednesday 24th February

Blue skies and fluffy clouds, Spring is in the air and in my step too...

BRAIN WARM UP: Click the image below and drift off to our pet cloud land . Can you see a pet animal in the clouds outside right now? How could you describe what the animal looks like? Could you add in what they are doing? LOOK, you've written your very own cloud description sentence. Go on, try another!

Once you have entered the Padlet.com site, select the pink plus sign (bottom right of page) and type away. I can't wait to watch your thought clouds grow through the day. Don't forget to add your name so we know who each wonderful idea is coming from. Padlet is SUCH A COOL new resource for us to share .

What did you think of Max's adventure yesterday? He sure does love a stick!

TASK 1: Now you have heard/read the story for the first time, we are ready to get started with learning it Talk4Writing style. Remember, by memorising high quality stories, we are internalising strong sentence structures, imaginative language and experiencing description in context. Once you know a story, you can innovate to make it even better - adding your own twist. The wonderful Miss Francis is back on the case, check out her video and follow the Story Map below as you copy her:

TASK 2: Max has a few REALLY IMPORTANT words to share with you. New vocabulary is one of the most exciting gifts a story can give us - I wonder if you already know the meaning of these words, or if your brain glossaries are about to grow EVEN LARGER.

Take a look in the document below...

Tuesday 23rd February

Meet Max! He's going to be leading the way for the next fortnight, I wonder what adventures we'll go on?

Hello, my name is Max and I’m a black Labrador. I love having adventures. An adventure is exciting and you never know what might happen. I’m just about to go on one now. Would you like to come with me? That’s great! There are lots of things to do and play, so, let’s get ready and be on our way!

TASKS: Have a look at the document below, Max is waiting to take you on his morning walk.

Today we will be:

• reading his adventure
• exploring how well you understood the story through answering comprehension questions
• giving responses in full sentences 
• using time connective language to order photos from his walk
• acting out key events in the story
• drawing things Max did at the beginning and end of his adventure

Phew! That all sounds pretty cool to me - grab his lead and let's go. Max is ready. Are you?

Monday 22nd February

Welcome Back, here we are again! We have sprouted whiskers and it is time to sharpen our Literacy claws...

In this term's fiction unit we will be exploring tales with a tail . They could be furry, they could be scaly, they could be feathered or even tail-less altogether! No matter what they look like, their adventures will be just as much fun.

TASK: We need to begin with a COLD WRITE. Can you write me:

• a story
• involving a pet
• who goes on an adventure 

There you go, that's it - the rest is all yours. GOOD LUCK and have fun!

PARENTS: Just like last term's COLD/HOT WRITEs, this piece is intended as an independent assessment of what your child can do. There is no right or wrong, we would like them to follow the brief and use a pet animal however the story structure and content is theirs to decide on, please do not influence language or ideas in any way. Spelling should be natural, using sounding out, which means YES it will look strange (but that is ok!).

Reception: as before, please ask your child to verbally story-tell. This recording can then be uploaded to Dojo as their story - if they fancy having a go at writing the story title, some key words or even a simple sentence or two, let's go for it but there is no expectation. When uploading, please can you type/write out a transcript of what they say and include this - this worked really well in the comments box last term.

Year 1: If your child burns out after 5 sentences, that is fine. If they turn to a 3rd page, that is equally fine. Quality vs quantity is one of the many skills we are teaching in writing sessions.