Home-Learning
We want to get the balance right at Park, so that children can practice key learning at home, but also have plenty of time to pursue hobbies, interests and clubs, as well as have time to rest, play and enjoy family time. For this reason, we are prioritising the 2 things that we believe will make the biggest difference to your child: reading each day and completing practical projects that give them space to talk about their learning with you and follow their own interest to research parts that have particularly intrigued them. We are asking that all families complete this with their children.
Some families tell us that they would like their child to do more than this, so we will also set additional home-learning that will practice core maths and reading skills through worksheets and apps. This home-learning is optional.
All children at Park must:
Read at least 5 times every week, filling this in their reading log
Complete learning projects, linked to what they are learning in school
If your child would benefit from additional home-learning, they can also:
Complete a weekly home-learning sheet (F2-Y6)
Practice key reading skills using an app: Phonics Hero for F1-Y2 and Myon for Y3-Y6
Practice key maths skills using an app: Numbots for F1-Y2 and Times Table Rockstars for Y3-Y6
For more detail about each part of this, please see below:
Reading
Your child will bring home 2 reading books each week. One is matched to the sounds they have learned to read and one is a read for pleasure book that they have chosen.
When children are younger and still learning to read, they will have short books so it may feel like a long time to keep it for a week. However, this is a deliberate choice that has been shown to improve your child’s reading as they read the same book several times. Each time they read it, children focus on different reading skills.
First read is for accuracy. Focus on reading each word correctly, encouraging children to sound out any words they are struggling to read.
Second read is for fluency. Now that the children know what each word says, they should focus on reading the book fluently without needing to sound out many words.
Third read is for meaning. Encourage your child to read with expression and ask them questions about what has happened in the book.
Read for pleasure. This is a book your child has chosen and its aim is to get them to fall in love with books and reading! Your child may choose a book that is too difficult for them to read themselves, so it is absolutely fine for you to read it to them. Cosy up and just enjoy the book together!
Older children reading longer books will not need to re-read books, as they should be accurate and fluent readers and can just focus on reading for meaning. They can change them as they’re ready. As children get older, they may not need to read to you as often, but it is important that they have understood what they have read so please do talk to them about what they’ve read and ask questions about it.
Learning Project
Many families said that they felt their child would engage best with practical projects and we completely agree! It is wonderful for children to get stuck into a longer-term project and let their interest guide them whilst having lots of opportunity to talk with you and your family about what they are learning.
The learning projects will be linked to the learning within school, but they will be open-ended so that children can explore a part that particularly appeals to them. Children can present their learning in the best way for them – models, written reports, short films, poems, pieces of art – you name it! So that children have time to develop their research and present something they are proud of, they will be given plenty of time to work on it – at least half a term.
Your child’s class teacher will let you know the theme of your learning project and give you some ideas to get started. They will also let you know when the project is due to be handed in. We will be sending information about the learning projects for theme 2 next week.
Please see photos of example projects completed by our Y6 children this year for their World War II theme. We love how different they all are.
If you’re short on supplies at home, we have some writing, drawing and craft home-learning packs available. Just speak to your child’s class teacher who will be able to help.
Additional Home-Learning
If your child would benefit from completing additional home-learning to this, we will also provide:
A weekly worksheet. F1 children will be given a nursery rhyme to take home – they don’t need to fill it in, just enjoy singing it together for the week. F2 children will focus on forming their letters correctly and Y1-Y6 will focus on arithmetic. Sheets will be handed out on a Monday to be returned to school by Friday
Access to an app to practice reading (F2-Y6)
Access to an app to practice key maths facts
All app are free for you to use and have no in-app purchases. When we launch our new home-learning next week, we will send home information about how to download these apps and your child’s individual log in. The apps we will use are:
For F1-Y2:
Phonics Hero to help your child learn all of their sounds through fun mini games. This will help to help them become fluent and accurate readers. Our F1 children will not have a log in to this app until they join F2 when they will be ready for the level of learning in this app. The Phonics Hero app works on tablets, PCs, laptops and Chromebooks.
Numbots is a fun game-based app that helps your child become really confident in maths, starting with recognising small amounts and progressing to adding and subtracting. Numbots can be used on all devices.
For Y3-Y6
Myon works alongside the accelerated reader system that we use in school, giving children a personalised digital library to access at home. It will ask your child questions about things they have read to make sure they are reading for understanding and developing their comprehension skills. Myon works on tablets, PCs, laptops and Chromebooks.
TT Rockstars has short mini-games that helps children practice their timestables. TT Rockstars works on all devices.
If your child does not have access to a device at home, or would like extra practice time, we have a weekly lunchtime clubs where your child can access these through Park devices.