Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
I hope this finds you all safe and well. Please find on the following pages some suggested academic activities to do with your child during the school closure period. I am always accessible via phone or email (msburketeacher@gmail.com) should you wish to contact me. All queries are welcome, no matter how small. I wish to assure you that the following activities are suggested rather than prescriptive in nature as I appreciate that our lives have been thrown into chaos recently.
Reading:
- Encourage your child to continue reading each day. The children have reached a competent level of reading and would be able to tackle many books at this stage. However, it can be difficult when picking up a book to determine its level of difficulty or suitability for your child. One recommended method is to use the “Five Finger Rule”
- To
help develop comprehension skills, ask your child to chat about the
following:
- what is happening in the story/chapter
- describe the characters, their personalities, how they are feeling
- predict what might happen next in the story or how it might end
- construct an alternative ending
- As a follow-up written activity, ask your child to fill out a simple book report such as the following: https://www.twinkl.ie/resource/au-l-061-book-review-worksheet
Writing:
Some Ideas:
- Continue to practise handwriting. If uncertain about the formation of uppercase letters, refer to the following website: http://data.cjfallon.ie/resources/handwriting/index.html Choose the blue ‘looped style’ option as a reference/practice tool. This matches with how we write the letters in our school. Formation is demonstrated and can be copied by the children.
- Keep a daily diary. Write a few lines about the previous day’s events and how they spent their day. Encourage them to express their thoughts and feelings. During these difficult times, it might be a way for the children to express their anxieties or worries.
- Poetry: Write an acrostic poem. Write the title of the poem on the left hand side and use each letter of the title to begin a new line. E.g. an acrostic poem about spring: https://www.twinkl.ie/resource/au-s-105-spring-acrostic-poem
- Story-writing:
Pick a story from the following list of ideas:
- Write a story about the most exciting summer you ever had. What did you do?
- Write about your best birthday ever. Why was it so special?
- Write about a time when you helped someone out. How did you help him or her?
- Write about your most prized possession. Why do you value the object?
- Write a story about a memory that you’ll never forget. Why does this experience mean so much to you?
- Write a story about your family. How do they show you they love you?
- Write about the first time you remember getting in trouble for something big. What did you do?
- Write about a time when you got hurt playing outside. What happened?
- Write a story about a scary dream you had. How did you feel when you woke up?
- Write about the best holiday you ever took. What did you do?
Maths:
- Shape
and Space:
- 2-D Shapes: In class we cut out 2-D shapes and stuck them together to make robot pictures (large and small squares, rectangles, triangles, circles). Some children wanted to do cars/tractors/buildings but we didn’t have a chance. It might be an enjoyable activity to do at home (Activity also develops fine motor and cutting skills).
- 3-D shapes: Use old junk material and tape to create junk-art sculptures. (Cubes and cuboids: different shaped boxes; cylinders: toilet rolls, etc.
- Number:
- The children have been working hard at their place value (tens and units) and addition (without renaming). Some activities based on these topics can be found here: https://www.math-drills.com/addition/addition_2digit_noregrouping_001.pdf?v=1480472737
- Tables: Revise addition tables during the school closure period https://www.twinkl.ie/resource/t-n-45417-number-bond-challenge-activity-sheet
- Online Games: (focus on games that deal with addition and subtraction facts)
- Patterns
(Algebra):
- Skip counting: Count in 2’s, 5’s, 10’s forwards and backwards.
- Measures: Time; Money; Capacity; Length; Weight can all be explored through everyday tasks and activities: shopping; bath-time; baking, etc
Gaeilge:
- Websites: Folens Online have free access for parents at the moment. Here, you can access the Abair Liom Programme (Abair Liom C) to revise units already covered. Comhrá, songs and rhymes are also accessible on that website.
- I have a booklet in the works with all the vocabulary in Gaeilge (with phonetic pronunciation) for parents. I will get this out to you after Easter.
Other:
- We had hoped to cover the themes of “Spring” and “Easter” in SESE, Religion and we would have linked our music, art and drama lessons to these themes over these few weeks. I had hoped to sow seeds, learn about daffodils, life on the farm in spring, learn about the Easter Story and do an Easter treasure hunt (orienteering in P.E.). However, sadly it was not to be but there is always next year! If you would like any info on the above topics/ideas, just let me know.
- As you all know, all of the other activities you do each day have huge benefits too – lego, play-dough, colouring, drawing, painting, playing outside, jigsaws, treasure hunts, board games, reading, singing and dancing – so if you spend your days on these activities alone, that’s perfect too!
- Twinkl have also developed School Closure Home Packs which are linked to the Republic of Ireland Curriculum.
https://www.twinkl.ie/resources/roi-resources/school-closure-republic-of-ireland
- **Above all else, please don’t feel under pressure to do the above work. Any little bit goes a long way and hopefully we’ll be back together in class again soon to pick up where we left off. I just wanted to give you an overview of where we were in class to aid any work you may do yourselves. Again, please don’t hesitate to contact me for any further clarification. Best of luck and stay safe
Miss Burke