English
Update (06-05-2020)
St. Mary's are passing on information from Hampshire Libraries about some creative writing exercises being shared by Hampshire Libraries and YA author Ali Sparkes! This resource is aimed at children aged 9-14 and it is being held daily this week. If you have missed some of the previous videos, they will become available on Youtube later on so don't fear! Information is shared below:
Calling young writers!
Hampshire Libraries and award-winning YA author Ali Sparkes are teaming up to offer free online tips and challenges for aspiring young authors in a series of daily tips and challenges videos. From Monday 4 May to Friday 8 May, Ali will be hosting a series of short 'how to' videos and creative writing exercises for 9-14 year-olds, every day at 10.30am, with her live feedback on writers' submissions at 3.30pm. All videos, entitled Scribe Tribe Snacks, will be available on YouTube after they go out live next week. For more details of this event and to register interest, parents should visit the Hampshire Libraries Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/events/691717931581884/)
Guidance for support (updated March 2020)
As always, we recommend you spend as much time reading as possible! Now, more than ever, reading is a great escape into different stories to explore. Below are a few suggestions you might want to think about (outside of the learning packs provided by each year group) that support English learning. The different areas I've focused on are book lists/resources to access books at home, reading, writing and spelling.
Audible
Audible have made a selection of titles free to use for children on desktops, laptops, tablets or phones. Lots of great stories to explore here.
https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
Pobble 365
Pobble 365 is an excellent resource which is updated daily which uses picture stimuli to support reading and writing. Lots of great questions, writing prompts and different learning tasks.
The School Run
TheSchoolRun.com is a good website to have a look at for learning ideas. There is some downloadable content you might want to explore linked to grammar and literacy alongside other curriculum areas. They have phonics, spelling, handwriting, grammar and reading comprehension support available on their website.
The Reading Realm
If you want further writing prompts, you could have a look at The Reading Realm. They have a page dedicated to creative writing which has lots of different ideas you could use if you want to have a go at some imaginative storywriting at home.
https://thereadingrealm.co.uk/
Robin Hood MAT
Robin Hood Multi Academy Trust have a range of different resources for children from Early Years all the way up to Year 6. They have lots of different reading, spelling and writing task suggestions with links to external websites which provide guidance for parents. All learning is linked to the National Curriculum.
https://www.robinhoodmat.co.uk/learning-projects/
Spelling Frame
For spelling practice, SpellingFrame is an amazing resource which provides word lists to practise and then test children on. It breaks words down into their sounds and it can be both read and spoken aloud on the website. It has lists all the way from Y1 to Y6. We cannot recommend this resource enough!
I hope the resources I've shared are useful to you. They should complement the resource packs that your child has received from their year group. Remember: reading is considered the single most important thing you can do with your child to support their learning. Away from all of these resources, links and different websites, just spending time reading with and discussing books with your child can have a transformational effect on their learning. Spending 10-20 minutes in a day doing this will have an impact on their learning and I cannot recommend it enough. If you're unsure about which titles are appropriate for your child's age, have a look at the website linked below this paragraph. It has book lists aimed at every year group. It also links to lists which highlight great graphic novels, newspapers and magazines. Please do check the appropriateness of each book yourself before sharing it with your child.
https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks2-school-pupils/
- Mr King