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Home Learning

Reading at home

Home reading is one of the most important things that you can help your children with at home.  Below are some links to resources that can be accessed online so that children can continue to learn to read and enjoy stories at home.    Oxford OwlOxford Owl is a Free eBook library with some familiar characters that you will recognise from school reading books.   If you follow the link below, it will take you to the
e-library where you can browse by age range.  

Collins Big CatCollins Big Cat is a phonic reading scheme that is suitable for Key Stage One pupils (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2).  This is another free to access e-library.  Follow the link below and select the Teacher Sign in.  Enter the following information:email: parents@harpercollins.co.ukpassword: Parents20! Then select Collins Big Cat to browse the library of e-books.   

AudibleListening to stories is an important part of learning to read.  The link below is to a library of free to stream audiobooks from Audible.  The books are organised into different sections – you can even listen to the first Harry Potter story in six different languages!

Lexia® Core5® Reading, a fun computer-based program that has helped millions of students. The activities in Core5 support and build on our classroom curriculum and focus on developing reading skills in six areas: phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computer program that helps teachers manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Your child picks a book at his/her own level and reads it at his/her own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) AR gives both children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help your child set targets and direct ongoing reading practice.

Spelling at home

Learning to spell accurately is an important part of our English Curriculum. As you know, we have our Spelling Bee challenge that runs right through school.  A reminder of how this works in school is outlined in the PDF leaflet below.  All of the word lists for each band level are also attached below.  As a rough guide, children in Reception through to Year 2 will be working from Red through to Purple Bands.  Most children in Key Stage 2 will be working from Orange through to Rainbow band.   For children who can access Spelling Shed, this is another excellent way to keep brushing up on the spelling patterns and rules for each stage.  

Maths

In school the children work towards several maths challenges. These are fun to do and the children are really excited to complete each one. Each challenge has been carefully chosen to allow the children to use the facts learnt to enhance the progress that they make in maths.

  • Times table rockets- every class has a rocket that has times table activities that are linked to the national curriculum objectives for that year group. As the children learn the required skill they move up the rocket and are given a star badge as a reward.
  • Times table rockstars – this is an online program that all children in KS2 have access to. They can go online, listen to rock music, and compete against themselves or the rest of the world in times table tests.
  • Mathletics– This is a computer based program that allows the children to practice skills that they have learnt in class. As the children work through the program they can earn coins that they can use to enhance their avatar. The more coins they earn the better the selection of items that they can buy. Certificates are also given to children that work on it and earn a particular number of coins.
  • My Maths – This is a very similar program to mathletics and it allows the children to practice taught skills. It also provides booster packs that will give any children that is finding maths a bit tricky a chance to complete basic skills that, hopefully, will allow them to find maths a bit more accessible.

BBC Bitesize lessons

BBC Bitesize have published online lessons for all ages. They also have a dedicated TV channel full of learning content, podcasts on BBC Sounds and loads of educational video on iPlayer.  Why not try them out and see what you think?