KS1 EMAIL CONTACT
Firstly, thank you to everybody who has contacted us using the new email facility. Emails you send can be seen by all three KS1 teachers but we will aim to respond to mail related to children from our own class. If you could put your child's name in the subject of the email this will help us to see clearly and ensure that we don't accidentally leave any unanswered. It's been lovely to hear from so many of you already, to know that the blogs are helpful and also to hear about other ways you are finding success with learning at home.
If you missed it here is the email link. We would love to hear from every single one of you, even if a very brief message just to let us know that you are all well at home - ks1@downhallprimary.com
FRIDAY SCIENCE FIX!
Starter - Have a habitat chat! Look at the following information together and try the discussion activity below it.
Can you think of any other ways that these, or any other animals you know
are suited to their environment?
ADULTS:
Set a timer for five minutes and see how many you can think of in that time...
as a team or as a competition.
OR... ask some prompting questions... ie; why do you think a cat has whiskers? (as a sensory tool to help judge distance and space), why do dogs have tails? (to help with balance)
This Friday we are working on learning and collecting more facts about different seaside animals. Building on what we did last week, there is some further information for you to explore on our page;
- Animal Facts version 1 or version 2 (version 2 has more detail, choose the fact level that you think is appropriate for your child)
- Sealife Centre Facts (if you need more you might find something extra in here, or use your computing skills to search for your chosen animal)
Please remember you do not need to read all of this information unless you want to! Just pick and choose the animals that interest your child.
When recording, try to think about the following;
- appearance - description using any technical words such as fin, tail, jaws, claws etc
- adaptations (bodily features that help them survive in their environment)
- size/ lifespan - how big/ small can they be, how long can they live
- diet - what do they prey on (eat), but also, what might eat them!
- any other unusual or interesting facts
Recording can be as simple or complex as you like, ie;
- draw a picture with one fact recorded for that animal
- make a fact file for each chosen animal including 3 facts
- make a fact file for each chosen animal including all of the above 5 categories
A fact file can be as simple as folding an A4 piece of paper in half and drawing around a shape at the top.... or skip the folding in half part if you want a bigger work space for your child. Here's some I made earlier!
I drew around my favourite teacup to make a space for my drawing!
This activity links perfectly with our report writing work in English, so if the recording is going well, you can also think about the features of writing highlighted by Mr Jude this week. On the second version I've included some subtitles and a caption for the labelled diagram. You can write bullet point facts instead of full sentences if preferred, or adults can write some simple facts under the drawings for your children to learn. Most importantly, remember that if your child draws one picture and labels it, or produces six detailed fact files about different animals, both are equally fabulous. Go with what works for you to facilitate sparking an interest and learning about sea life.
Hoping that you enjoy finding out about the natural world together. I know I am so very looking forward to the next time I can amble along the beach with my family, lifting rocks to catch a glimpse of all the fascinating creatures that live beneath before they scurry away and hide.
Take care everybody,
KS1 Team
