Homework Help and Reading Tips for Parents | Useful Websites and Activities

1. Welcome!Some useful websites:http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/literacy/www.spellingframe.co.ukwww.topmarks.co.ukwww.crickweb.co.ukwww.mathsframe.co.uk

2. Thank you for what you do… • Help with trips, Nibley Nibbles, coming in to hear readers. • Help your child with homework or writing notes to let me know how they got on. • Hearing your child read. • Helping with times tables and dictation. • Bringing in items that link to our topic or other things we are doing in school. • Liking and commenting on your child’s Class Dojo.

3. Things you can do to help… • Regular reading at home including engaging with new style of reading diary. • Help with homework including ensuring a high standard of presentation. • Support with the ‘harder’ things to do. • Offer your help in school, for example, being a volunteer reader.

4. Reading • Daily  school reading book (coloured band) alongside reading for pleasure. • Your child should be reading aloud to you regularly. • School reading book to be signed and dated when your child finishes reading before they change it. • Audio books etc are a good addition but shouldn’t be used instead  better if your child is able to follow the text whilst listening.

5. School reading diary  KS2 reading activities and rewards. • Quiz your child! Ask them questions about what they have read, ask them to predict what could happen next, summarise the last few pages to you, check that they know the meaning of words and see if they can provide synonyms or antonyms, ask them about characters etc. • Reading comprehension cards available.

6. Homework • Set on a Friday due in on the following Wednesday • Should be completed to a standard we expect in school e.g. written neatly, using pencil, correct spellings and punctuation, on the sheet or in the homework book, stuck in neatly rather than kept loose and in order so it isn’t a challenge to find it! • When complete and marked: • 1 dojo point given if it has been handed in on time and completed to the expected standard • 2 dojo points given if the child has pushed themselves further (presentation, effort, completing extra, etc) • More if I am ‘wowed’

7. Spellings • Tested through dictation. • Word mats available to children in all lessons. • High Frequency Words and Common Exception Words (by the end of KS1). • Year 3 & 4 Spelling List. • Your child needs to read each word, know the meaning, spell it and write it in context. • www.spellingframe.co.uk

8. Dictation • Set on a Friday tested the following Friday (folders should always be in school on a Friday). • Spellings in bold are the focus words. • All other punctuation and spellings should be encouraged. • Use practising as a chance to also practise neatly joined handwriting and pencilgrip. • Marking / rewards: • 1 dojo point  correct spelling of all focus words. • 1 dojo point  all punctuation correct. • 1 dojo point *bonus*  all other spellings in the dictation passage correct.

9. Times tables • All children to know all multiplication and corresponding facts by the end of Year 4  Multiplication Tables Check in June 2020 for current Year 4. • MTC  25 questions, 6 seconds each, 3 second pause between each  online using iPads – importance of knowing number keypad. • Tests on a Friday. • 2, 5, 10, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 7, 12 • When scoring 12/12, two weeks in a row, they ‘move up’  will be sent home with a new times table sheet. • Mixed tables  varying sheets to be completed in 10mins with the aim to get the time down to 6mins before moving on a sheet.

10. Maths passport • Links on school website. • Parent Guides available up to Globetrotters. • Important to reinforce previously learnt skills from other passports.

11. PE kits • Full PE kit in school on Thursdays and Fridays. • All items should be named. • Carrier bag  muddy or wet items! • If brought home for washing, ensure it is in school for PE days. • Swimming kit on Mondays.

12. Dojo points  positive behaviour rewards. • Your child’s portfolio  share work from school and home. Please ‘like’ or ‘comment’ to help encourage your child. Talk to your child about what you’ve seen on their portfolio to find out more. • Class Story  I will share whole class news and messages from time to time. • The Write Stuff (replacement)  will be posted onto Class Story.

13. Non-negotiables Capital letters for the start of a sentence and for proper nouns (people’s names, place names, days of week, months of the year).  Correct ending punctuation.  Spellings on word mats (HFW & Y3/4).  Neatly joined handwriting.  Paragraphs for a new topic / subject / place / time.  Quotation marks (speech marks) when a character is speaking.  Commas when I am listing (I bought apples, bananas, pears and strawberries. The big, scary wolf…).  Apostrophes for contractions (I’m, she’s, can’t) and possession (Tom’s car, the cat’s toy). Capital letters for the start of a sentence and for proper nouns (people’s names, place names, days of week, months of the year).  Correct ending punctuation (full stop, question mark or exclamation mark).  Finger spaces.  Spellings of all high frequency words on word mats and rainbowspellings.  Neatly presented handwriting.

14. Independence • Your child is responsible for: • Changing their own reading book (once you’ve signed/dated it is finished). • Bringing home letters and returning them during registration. • Handing in their homework books. • Looking after their water bottle and bringing it home at the end of the week. • Looking after their pencil cases and other belongings. • Book bags  should be a school book bag to go on their chair or in their drawer. • All children should go straight to the playground in the morning and bring anything to the cloakroom or classroom once the bell has gone.

15. Thank you!http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/literacy/www.spellingframe.co.ukwww.topmarks.co.ukwww.crickweb.co.ukwww.mathsframe.co.uk