That maths problem...

For Mr Hanley's maths group (and for Miss McCarney's if you fancy a challenge):

A 2 litre jar of water is left on a shelf. 20% evaporates per day. How much will be left at the end of each day for the first 5 days?

HINT: The answer is not 1 litre - think about how much 20% of the water will be on each day.

That was Maths Week

And what a brilliant week Maths Week was... well done for working so hard at all the maths related activities we did. Also well done to all who took part in the HQ Times Tables Championship, and congratulations to Ali for coming second!

Some sad news... Abubakar in 6Q left us for pastures new on Friday - goodbye and good luck Abubakar! Keep checking the blog to find out what's going on in your old class.

Abubakar requested that I upload the Tables Time Trial program that we used in the final of the championship. Well - I've fixed a couple of minor bugs, and now it can be found at...
www.hqprimary.co.uk/tables/timetrial

Post a comment to let us know your best score. Also let me know if there are still any bugs for me to fix!

I'm adding a poll for you to vote on what your favourite part of maths week was - so vote now!

Back online!

Been a while since the last blog post - it's taken until now to catch my breath after the cycle ride! Thanks to Mrs. Jones for getting things rolling again!

Right then - first up - let's hear your ideas for the next poll question to go on the top right of this blog. We've done favourite story characters and online games for homework - what would be an interesting question to have up next?

SCIENCE
What a roller coaster ride 'Reversible and Irreversible changes' was! Judging by this week's assessments, you all know lots about heating, burning, melting, reacting, cooling all sorts of different materials. Want to test your knowledge? Have a go at...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/rev_irrev_changes.shtml
http://www.activescience-gsk.com/module15/game.html

Nearly forgot the recipe for the delicious bread we made a few weeks ago This one is adapted from www.goodnessdirect.co.uk:

Ingredients:
650g Strong white bread flour
10ml salt
5ml sugar (a teaspoon full)
15ml vegetable oil (a tablespoon full)
10ml fast-action yeast (2 teaspoons full)
400ml warm water (1 part boiling, 2 parts cold)
Method:
1. In a warm bowl mix flour, salt, sugar and stir in yeast. Add oil.
2. Add warm water and mix to soft dough. Knead for 10 min on a warm floured surface.
3. Rub some oil or butter around a baking tin and put in your dough.
4. Cover and leave to rise for about 30 min in a warm place.
5. Place in middle of a preheated oven at 230°C <-- get an adult to help you with this!
6. Bake for 30-35 min. Carefully and using oven gloves, remove from oven and turn onto a wire tray.

Allow it to cool and enjoy with butter and marmite (or for you strange ones - butter and jam).

MATHS
Maths week next week (the end of a long wait for Ali!). Lots of maths activities including the return of the legendary TIMES TABLE CHAMPIONSHIP!

Want to get some practice? Try these links:

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/timestable/
http://www.multiplication.com/flashgames/Moles.htm
http://www.multiplication.com/flashgames/Monkeys.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/multiplication/timestables/flash1.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/multiplication/timestables/flash3.shtml

That'll do for now. Enjoy the rest of Assessment Week!

Compound sentences

Hello Year 6,
Ms Jones here again. I found this game on recognising compound sentences and thought it would help you to understand what compound sentences are. In Literacy tomorrow we will be looking at joining shorter sentences together using conjunctions (such as when or because).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/interestsentences/compoundsentences/flash0.shtml
I hope this helps.

Games from Literacy lessons

Hello Year 6,
Here's a link to the double negatives game that we looked at in Literacy. There are two other parts to it where you can fill in an application form and write a letter, as well as the job interview. I hope you are getting the hang of not putting two negative words into the same sentence because I never say no negative sentences!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/texttypes/negatives/flash2.shtml

Maths Week

Hi Year 6,

As you may know, during Maths week you'll be tested on your times tables. Here's a link to a times table game that should help you learn any of the tables up to 10 that you are unsure about. Try saying the sum and the answer as you play it, it'll help you to remember the answer when you hear the question. Choose the grid with the numbers as this will help you to memorise your tables.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/multiplication/timestables/flash1.shtml

I hope this helps.

Ms Jones

Mr H, Mr H, Miss S and Mr D on bikes

Don't forget that some of us teachers will be cycling from one side of England to the other between Monday and Wednesday.

Just in case you want to see how we're doing, we've set up another blog to which we will upload pictures from our mobile phones as we go along. It's at...

http://hqc2c.blogspot.com/

Keep checking to get the latest news - and remember we're doing it to raise money for Becky Tegg's and Miss. Read's charities. So if you know somebody who might like to donate some money, then send them to http://www.hqc2c.co.uk/.

Have a great week!

If you haven't got Microsoft Office...

Microsoft Office is a fairly expensive piece of software. If you don't have it on your computer at home then you can download something very similar for free. It's called OpenOffice. Go to...

http://download.openoffice.org/2.3.0/contribute.html?product=OpenOffice.org&os=winwjre&lang=en-US&version=2.3.0

and click 'go to download'. It's a big download so it'll take a while. Then install it.

The program you can use to work on your biography slideshows is called 'Impress'.

Have fun!

Got those quadrilaterals yet?

As promised to Mr. Hanley's group - the link to the quadrilaterals and polygons information used in class today (this will also be very useful to Miss, McCarney's group)...
http://www.icteachers.co.uk/children/sats/quadrilaterals.htm

http://www.icteachers.co.uk/children/sats/polygons.htm

Oh - and just for you bloggers - an extra, super-tough activity! Click on the link below, wait for the page to load and you will see a collection of quadrilaterals. Each one at first looks like a square. You have to pick up the corners of each one (red dots) and drag them around a few times. As you drag, the shape will reveal some of its secrets by only allowing you to reshape it in certain ways. If you really know your quadrilaterals then you'll be able to name each one!

Enough of my yakkin' - here it is...
http://www.mccsc.edu/~tfrey/quadrilaterals.htm

Can you spot which one is the 'quadrilateral with no name'?

Let me know how you get on.

A year 6 blog - a week 6 post

Week 6 already? Better get a move on...

By semi-popular demand, here's the link to my Gorilla game:
http://www.hqprimary.co.uk/gorilla

Want to make a game of your own? Take a look at this site:
http://www.pictogame.com/create.php

It's a bit silly but very funny. You'll need a picture of you (or somebody else) to upload and drag into place. Then - hey presto - you will be in a game of your own.

MATHS
Lots of work on shapes and their properties this week. If you fancy testing your knowledge of shape names then have a go at:
http://www.sgfl.org.uk/games/games/maths/matchinggame

Enjoy!

Multiplying or dividing by a multiple of 10?

Here's a link to a game that you can play to practise muliplying or dividing a number by a multiple of 10.

e.g. 4.8 x 100 or 12,000 ÷ 10

Use the green 'left' and 'right' buttons to move all of the digits in the number one place to the left (x10) or one place to the right (÷10).

Here it is then...
http://www.freewebtown.com/weddell/mw/x10x100/x10x100.swf

Those blasted apostrophes (or is that apostrophe's?)

As promised... the links to the two apostrophe games we played today:

Contraction:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/punctuation/apostrophes/flash2.shtml

Possession:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/punctuation/apostrophes/flash4.shtml

What score can you get?

Another ICT link

Here's another link to help you create some great buttons for your slideshows:

www.web2.0button.com

Thanks to whoever sent that link!

PSHE lessons

Hi Year 6,
Ms Jones here, I found this cool game relating to our PSHE topic this term. Just follow the link below to the game 'You make me sick':

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_3940000/newsid_3945000/3945011.stm

We are going to be learning about how drug abuse affects the human body, so this game will give you a head start into what drug abuse can do to your body and brain.

That homework link

Just in case you can't find it, here's the Numbercop link that you'll need for part of this week's homework:
http://hotmath.com/hotmath_help/games/numbercop/numbercop_hotmath.swf

While we're on it, what do you think of having an internet game or activity as part of your weekly homework? Is it a good idea, or something you'd rather not have to do?

Let us know by voting in the poll on the right.

Let there be... week 4

Week four is upon us - and finally week 4's blog appears.

Lots happening in school this week - including the first of our P.E. sessions with the coaches from Arsenal and the first Science Investigation Day of Autumn Term.

MATHS
In maths this week, both groups will be reviewing factors and multiples. We will be revising things like...

What is a factor?
What is a multiple?
How many multiples of 4 are there between 223 and 230?
What is a prime number?

If you want to get ahead this week, take a look at these tests of divisibility:

A number is divisible by 2 if the last digit is 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8.
A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of the digits is divisible by 3.
A number is divisible by 4 if the number formed by the last two digits is divisible by 4.
A number is divisible by 5 if the last digit is either 0 or 5.
A number is divisible by 6 if it is divisible by 2 AND it is divisible by 3.
A number is divisible by 8 if the number formed by the last three digits is divisible by 8.
A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of the digits is divisible by 9.
A number is divisible by 10 if the last digit is 0.

These are borrowed from the following site:
http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol3/divisibility.html

Some of them you may know; some of them you may not. Test them out to see if they work and try to remember them. They're another brilliant trick you can put in that maths-toolbox you keep in your head.

Ok - back to prime numbers - each of which as you know has only two factors ('1' and itself). Prime numbers are amazing things once you get to know a little bit about them! Have a look at these fascinating facts...
http://www.madras.fife.sch.uk/maths/amazingnofacts/fact018.html

http://www.madras.fife.sch.uk/maths/amazingnofacts/fact023.html

"What no maths games this week?!" I hear you cry. Oh go on then... this game is called Numbercop:
http://hotmath.com/hotmath_help/games/numbercop/numbercop_hotmath.swf

It'll help you to know your primes and multiples. Click on the link, enter a name and then select 'prime numbers' or maybe a multiple you want to test yourself on. You'll figure out the rest!

ICT
We'll be continuing learning how to put together an exciting Powerpoint presentation this week in ICT. We'll be programming some buttons so that our end-user can go backwards and forwards through the slideshow as they please.

If you want to make a cool looking button to copy and paste into your slideshow, take a look at this site. You can use it to make some very nice shiny buttons with your own text on them:
http://www.mycoolbutton.com/

A couple of sites you might find useful if you're bored with WordArt:
http://www.graffitigen.com/
http://www.glittermaker.com/

Make some fabulous text and get copying and pasting (to copy the text that you generate, 'right-click' on it and select 'copy', then paste into your presentation).

Have fun!

**STOP PRESS!**

News just in! First pictures of salt crystals grown in last week's homework have arrived this afternoon from Kelsen. Thanks Kelsen! Here they are:

Week 3 it is then...

Well done to all Year 6 children who came along to the Imperial War Museum last week - it was great to see you all researching our World War II topic with such gusto! Just outside the 1940s house, many of you noticed and spoke to Joan - who was evacuated to Canada during the war. She told me how impressed she was with your behaviour and your fascinating questions!

Anyway - on to week three...

HISTORY
We'll be creating some mind-maps in History this week for the display boards in the KS2 corridor. If you really want to get ahead then watch this video by the Tony Buzan - the man who invented them! In it, he gives a few tips about how to use them to maximise your learning power:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/Creative/Mindmap/

Have a quick look at the image below - it's a mind-map all about global warming. It'll give you an idea of what a good mind-map looks like. Notice how the creator has included lots of colour and drawings to make it eye-catching.



MATHS
This week we will be beginning setting in maths. I will be teaching the more difficult Year 6 mathematical concepts to my group, while Miss. McCarney will be covering some earlier concepts in order to help her group catch up a bit. We will be watching your work very carefully to make sure that you are in the right group.

As promised, here's a link to the broken calculator game we played last week.
http://www.subtangent.com/maths/broken-calc.php

If you get to Level 2, you may be confused by the button with a sort of 'tick' shape (√) on it. This means square root. You probably know that 2 squared or 2² means take the number 2 and multiply it by itself . So...

2² = 2 x 2 = 4.
3² = 3 x 3 = 9
4² = 4 x 4 = 16
5² = 5 x 5 = 25

Here's a quick game to help you to recognise a few square numbers:
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/spookyseq/spookysqno.html

Finding the square root of a number is the inverse operation of finding the square of a number. To find the square root of a number, you have to find another number which you can multiply by itself to get the first number.

For example, let's find the square root of 25 (we write √25).
What number must I multiply by itself to get an answer of 25?
Of course... 5 x 5 = 25, so the square root of 25 is 5.

What is the square root of 36?
What is √81 ?
What is √169?

On a calculator, to find the square root of any number, key in the number and then press the √ key.

That'll do for this week. Remember - keep sending your comments. Maybe you could send a link to one of your favourite websites.

Right then - ready for week two?

You survived the first week in Year 6!

Judging by the way you've all settled down to hard work, I can tell it's going to be a year of achievement and learning - so WELL DONE!

Back to business...

MATHS
As you know, we'll be talking about some big numbers in maths this week. We'll be reviewing place value and multiplying/dividing by 10, 100, 1000.

Many of you were asking where numbers go after million, billion and trillion. As promised, you can find out the answer on this link:
http://www.mrhall.org/math/mathtables/numbernames.htm

But how big exactly are some of these numbers? To find out, visit the megapenny project on this link:
http://www.kokogiak.com/megapenny/default.asp

You'll be able to see what a million pennies looks like and much more!

Don't worry! You won't need to know any of these huge numbers in order to answer any KS2 SATs questions; it's just for fun.

Last of all, we'll be looking at some function machines. Don't know what a function machine is? There's a brilliant introduction to them on this link:
http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/book7/bk7i16/bk7_16i2.htm

Read the instructions and have a go at some of the questions. They get harder as you go along so see how far you can get! If you bring a print out of your answers into school and show it to Mr. Hanley or Miss. McCarney before Friday then you will be rewarded with 5 BICD!

LITERACY
We'll be having a go at planning and beginning to write our own suspense stories in Literacy this week. Not read many stories lately? Have a look at a few of the short stories on this site to get you in a narrative mood:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories-short.htm

Have fun!

Welcome back!

A big welcome back to our new Year 6 children!

Hopefully you've had a summer of fun and frolics as well as perhaps a little relaxation here and there. Year 6 is an exciting time for all concerned - a chance for you to work really hard and show off your potential; and a chance for us Year 6 teachers to help you achieve as much as you can in your final year of primary education.

Ok, I'll stop waffling now. Here's a couple of things you can try if you want to get off to a flying start this year...

HISTORY
This week, we'll be beginning our history topic on 'What was it like for children in World War Two?' In fact, we'll be visiting the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth next Friday (14th September) in order to view their excellent WWII artifacts and exhibitions.

Find out anything you can about the Second World War. Perhaps you could...

• chat to adult members of your family to find out what they know about it


• visit the library (ask the librarian to show you where to find books on the war)


• have a look at this link and read a little about it

MATHS
Our curricular targets in maths this term will be all about TIMES-TABLES! So why not get ahead of the game by practising the ones you do know and learning the ones you don't.

Don't do it on your own! Get somebody at home to help and test you; team up with a friend in the playground and test each other; play some of the tables games on websites like this one.

If you're thinking you can relax because you know them all already - DON'T! Make sure you can answer related questions like...

5.6 ÷ 8 = ?
6 x ? = 4,200
70 x 800 = ?
How many 60p pencils can I buy for £24?

We'll be testing you for your Bronze, Silver and Gold in each times table soon - so be ready to be a times-table hero!