Phonics
This term our phonics targets are:
Mrs Conway and Mrs Beard’s group:
Must: To understand how words change when suffixes (-ful and –less) are added and to be able to spell these words.
Should: To use and spell words with suffixes (-er, -able, and –ly)
Could: To use and spell comparative words correctly.
Miss Folan and Mrs Haines’ group:
Must: I can read and spell words with the new phase 5 graphemes: ay, ou, ie, ea, oy, ir, ue, aw, wh, ph, ew, oe, au, ey and split digraphs.
Should: I can read words with alternative pronunciations.
Could: I can spell words with alternative spellings for phonemes: /ch/, /j/, /m/, /n/, /r/, /s/, /z/, /u/, /i/, /ear/, /ar/, /air/, /or/, /ur/, /oo/.
Mr Woods and Mrs Long’s group:
Must: To be able to read and spell words with common prefixes and suffixes (un-, dis-, ful-, less-).
Should: To be able to read and spell words with less common prefixes and suffixes (ir-, il-, im-, in-).
Could: To know what the term antonym means and to read and spell words with less common prefixes and suffixes (ad-, ap-, af-, ag-, al-, as-)
Writing
Each child has an individual writing target to help identify and focus on their specific next steps needed to make progress in these subjects. This target is included in their writing book as a reminder for them to work towards this. Our writing targets this term are all linked to organisation and structure of writing.
In year 3, pupils should start to use paragraphs in their work to group together different ideas, and during year 4 we would expect that pupils start to consider the beginning sentences and words of these paragraphs in order to link them together; this would typically be through the use of connecting words and phrases, including ‘next’, ‘however’ and ‘in addition’.
Maths
In year 3 and 4 we set the children in maths according to ability. This term the weekly maths homework is to learn how to use known number facts and place value to add or subtract pairs of numbers mentally.
Mrs Conway’s maths set have the following maths targets:
Bronze target: I can add/subtract mentally any single digit number from any two-digit number crossing the tens boundary and any two digit number from a two digit number without crossing the tens boundary.
Silver target: I can add/subtract any pair of two-digit numbers including crossing the tens boundary.
Gold Target: Add any pair of 3-digit multiples of 10 e.g. 570 + 250
The aim is for children to be able to solve addition and subtraction problems mentally without using any jottings or counting on their fingers! Please help your child to work towards this target each week by discussing ways of remembering the number bonds and by using quick fire questions to help child build the pace of which they are able to recall these facts. Keeping record of a daily score using a stopwatch to keep to a time limit can be a useful way to motivate them to want to beat their best score. Other ways of practising could be to make a card game where you either play snap, for pairs that make a target number such as 27 and 73 to make 100.
Encouraging your child to help you to calculate everyday costs or measurements can be a good way to both develop their skills and to help them to understand how reaching their target can be useful in real life. Each Friday your child will be tested within a strict time limit so it is important that your child knows is able to recall number bonds rapidly. Rapid recall is essential in helping to ensure pupils make good progress and to ensure that pupils can apply maths in their daily life.
Some useful websites your child may enjoy using to practice developing their skills with are: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/numberskills.html
http://www.ictgames.com/numberFacts.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/starship/maths/games/cross_the_swamp/small_sound/standard.shtml
In addition to this it is important to maintain the great progress your child has made on learning their times tables by practising these regularly to ensure they continue to be able to recall these facts rapidly.
Times Tables
Useful activities to help your child to learn their multiplication and division facts are:
- Lotto games with table facts.
- Pairs games with target multiples and questions.
- Quick fire games with multiplication and related division facts.
- Discussing number facts with your child e.g. if they know 3×4= 12 what else can they tell you e.g. 4×3 = 12 12÷4 =3 12÷3 =4
- Practising table facts on the Mathletics website (your child should know their login details, if they need them we can provide them).
- Using one of the internet links on the following website for further practise: 1. http://www.woodlands- junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/timestable/interactive.htm
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/game/ma13tabl-game-tables-grid-find
3. http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/Mathmagician/mathsdiv.html
As always please do come and speak to Mrs Conway if you need any further information or help with this.
