24 September 2021
Vocabulary is the focus of this week’s Talk Time.
Thinking about the new topic vocabulary, I can begin to use these words at home.
This half term, we’re all being geographers, learning specifically about British geography. Here’s a list of key words that are being learnt and applied as part of our learning:
Years 1 and 2 Geography vocabulary:
| atlas | a collection of maps, usually in a book |
| city | a large town |
| compass | a tool for finding direction |
| locality | an area or neighbourhood |
| landmark | an object or feature of a locality that has importance and can be used to help find your way. |
| physical geography | Physical geography looks at the natural things in our environment. |
| human geography | Human geography looks at changes in the environment by humans. |
| to survey | to find the opinions of a group of people by asking them questions |
| issue | an important topic or problem that needs discussion |
Years 3 and 4 Geography vocabulary:
| grid reference | a location on a map which is found using numbered lines |
| Ordnance Survey (OS) | Britain’s mapping agency |
| scale | the relationship between distance on a map and the matching distance on the ground |
| county | a region within a country |
| settlement type | places where people live and work |
| land-use | the specific purpose that an area of land is used for |
| compass points | the marks on a compass that show direction |
Years 5 and 6 Geography vocabulary:
| national park | an area set aside by the government for the preservation of the natural environment |
| six figure grid reference | contains six numbers which give a precise location on a map |
| city expansion | Also called urban sprawl, this is the increase in built up area of a city. |
| urban green space | any vegetated land or water within an urban area |
| carbon stores | places where carbon is stored in the environment |
| quantitative data | data which can be written in numbers |
| qualitative data | data that can be written in words, not numbers |
| soundscape | a qualitative record of the sounds in any environment |
| sampling | a way of collecting fieldwork data without measuring everything |
Some of these words have already been discussed in lessons but there may be others that are going to be covered in the coming weeks.
Encourage your child to think back to their geography learning so far. The following questions might prompt your child to remember even more about the vocabulary:
- What does this word mean?
- Can you use the word in a sentence?
- Can you (where possible) give an example of this?
- Have you seen a picture or clip that links to that word?
- Can you link this word to one or more of the other words?
17 September 2021
This week’s Talk Time homework links to our current Geography topic, ‘Where in the world am I?’.
I can talk about my local area.
We encourage you and your child to go out and explore as part of this task. Be sure to find safe spaces to pause and reflect on the surrounding area.
Refer to these ‘Remember 2s’ (R2s) when discussions are taking place:
- physical features (natural things that would be around without people)
- human features (things that have been built by people)
- respect people whose views are different
You might wish to use these ideas as a starting point for your discussions:
- what facilities there are
- what I like
- what I don’t like
- how the area might be improved
- what I can do to help improve the area
This Talk Time is all about critical thinking. Your child might find it quite easy to talk positively about their local area. They may find it trickier to talk about aspects of the local area that they don’t like. Remind your child that it is okay to say that there are things they don’t like so long as they remain respectful and polite.
Skills developed in this Talk Time can help your child with other areas of learning, too. As part of your child’s daily reading, you could prompt your child to talk critically about a character or a part of the book that could be improved.
10 September 2021
Our first Talk Time homework of the year is related to Living and Learning:
I can greet someone politely.
We greet people every day. Our greetings have the power to really improve other people’s moods. Here’s an example of a friendly greeting that we encourage children to use…
‘Morning!’
‘Hi. How’re you?’
‘I’m fine, thanks. What about you?’
‘I’m ok, thanks.’
Encourage your child to greet people out of school in a similar way! Our ‘Remember 2s’ (R2s) for this are:
- greeting
- ask how someone is / answer and ask back
- thank them for asking
Talk about different ways to greet people in a polite and friendly way.
Talk about why greeting people politely helps. To help with your discussions, you might consider these questions at home…
- When and where might you greet someone? (During school time, before school, after school, at weekends…)
- How will you greet someone? (Facial expressions, body language, tone of voice…)
- What questions might you ask when greeting someone?
- Why is it important to ask questions? (What does it show? How will the other person feel?)
16 July 2021
This week, I know how to make healthy choices is the Talk Time homework.
As a continuation of our physical health and mental wellbeing learning in Living and Learning, and having reflected on our own health, we now want to explore healthy choices we can make.
At home, you could talk about the healthy choices you could make for:
- your mind
- your heart
- your muscles
- your digestive system
- your family
Next week, each class will share what choices we can make, reflecting on whether they want to adopt any of the choices shared by their classmates to improved their own health.
09 July 2021
I can share my views about health
Each year, we ask you to complete a short health questionnaire. Your views can help us to become happier and healthier.
Parents/carers: please complete this survey with your child and comment at the end. Please submit before 16 July 2021.
If you need a paper copy, please request one from your child’s class teacher.
02 July 2021
This week, the whole school has the same Talk Time homework: I know the key vocabulary from our Design and Technology topic.
We’re in the middle of our Design and Technology topic, the children should have now come across most of the following vocabulary:
Y1,2
- design – a plan or drawing showing what something will look like before it is made
- design criteria – the things a product must have to be successful
- design brief – a description of what a new product should do
- base – the bottom part of an object; the part on which something rests
- evaluate – to decide, after careful consideration, how good or bad something is
- structure – a combination of materials and/or parts to create a 3d shape
- stable – something that is unlikely to fall down or collapse
- freestanding – something that stands up by itself
- plan – to think about and decide how you’re going to do something
Y3,4
- product – something that is designed and made to be sold
- function – the purpose of something
- design process – the series of steps that need to happen for a product to go from an idea to a finished product
- design criteria – the precise features a product must have in order to be successful
- prototype – an early sample or model of a product used to evaluate a design
- component – a part that combines with other parts to make something eg a machine or a piece of equipment
- annotated sketch – a detailed sketch labelled with notes (eg dimensions, materials)
- exploded diagram – a drawing that shows the individual components or parts of a product and how they fit together
- mechanism – a number of parts or components working together, usually as part of a machine
Y5,6
- design process – the series of steps that need to happen for a product to go from an idea to a finished product
- design criteria – the precise features a product must have in order to be successful
- cross-sectional diagram – a drawing which ‘slices through’ an object to see some of the features inside
- computer-aided design (CAD) – a way of drawing on a computer to visualise designs and simulating them to see how they work
- innovative – a new or original idea about how something can be done
- sustainable material – obtained from renewable sources and do not damage the environment when produced
- dimensions – measurement of something in a particular direction, eg height, length, width
- aesthetic – pleasing in appearance
- reinforce – to strengthen or support
Discuss these words together:
- Can your child explain to you what they mean?
- Can they use any of them in a sentence?
- Can they suggest how some of the words link together?
- Can they tell you about the learning in school which linked to a certain word?
Next week, each class will reflect on this topic vocabulary and what they have learnt this half term. Prepare your child with explanations of as many words as possible.
25 June 2021
This week, our Talk Time homework is I can say something good about myself.
Our Living and Learning lessons focus on being positive about ourselves this week. Often, we find it easy to suggest what we’re ‘bad’ at or how we could improve. Sometimes, it can be more difficult to talk about the good. Ask your child what they think is good about themselves, making sure they know we can be positive about ourselves without being boastful.
Next week, each class will celebrate what they’re good at, recognising that we all have positive contributions to make.
25 June 2021
This week, our Talk Time homework is I can say something good about myself.
Our Living and Learning lessons focus on being positive about ourselves this week. Often, we find it easy to suggest what we’re ‘bad’ at or how we could improve. Sometimes, it can be more difficult to talk about the good. Ask your child what they think is good about themselves, making sure they know we can be positive about ourselves without being boastful.
Next week, each class will celebrate what they’re good at, recognising that we all have positive contributions to make.
In addition, your child has a pupil diary to complete which is linked to the My Health My School survey the children will be completing soon. They have a number of aspects of their daily routine to keep track of: having breakfast; snacks and drinks consumed; and exercise taken. The children are going to start their diaries on Saturday 26 June and finish them on Friday 02 July (so homework is not due until Monday 05 July). We’ve gone through how to complete the diary and children should ask if they’re not sure through the week.
18 June 2021
This week, Talk Time homework is I know what consent is.
Our Living and Learning lessons focus on consent this week. It’s important that our children understand what consent it and that they have the right to give or not give their consent in many situations.
For a child, there are a number of situations in which they can choose whether or not to give consent:
- having their photo taken
- sharing their work with others
- playing a game
- sharing personal information with friends
Talk to your child about when they have the right to choose whether or not to give consent and why they might choose not to in some situations. We will discuss this in class throughout the week, highlighting situations where giving consent is required.
Children have the right to change their mind.
11 June 2021
This week, the whole school has the same Talk Time homework: I can talk about an activity I enjoy that doesn’t involve screen time.
As part of National Screen Free Week, we’ll be exploring how we can reduce screen time in school and want the children to continue this at home, too. Screens have become an integral part of entertainment and learning but we want the children to focus on having fun away from the screen, too.
You might:
- talk about what you do for fun that isn’t screen-based
- have a screen-free hour, day, week
- try a new activity that is away from the screen
- talk about why time away from screens is important
Next week, each class will share what they’ve discussed at home, hopefully offering lots of ideas for how to enjoy ourselves without the use of a screen.
(Incidentally, we’re not saying screen time is a bad thing – and in fact, we encourage your child to use Numbots and Times Tables Rock Stars. It’s all about finding a good balance – and not being on an electronic device too close to bedtime.)
