Week commencing 18th May

Reading Activity 1

Read a book of your choice (try Bugclub) and tell someone about what you have read.

Reading Activity 2

Read a book of your choice (try Bugclub) and tell someone about what you have read.

Reading Activity 3

Read a book of your choice (try Bugclub) and tell someone about what you have read.

Make a list of any words you didn’t know and had to look up.

Reading Activity 4

Read a book of your choice (try Bugclub) and tell someone about what you have read.

Reading Activity 5

Read a book of your choice (try Bugclub) and tell someone about what you have read.

Write a book review telling the teacher why he should read the book. Think about:

• why you liked it. What were the exciting parts, the sad parts etc?
• what surprised you about the story?
• do you have a favourite character?
• what do you think about the author's choice of words or the layout of the book?

Word of the Week

Word 1: appreciate 

Word 2: attach

Word 3: awkward

Word 4: determined

Word 5: sufficient

• Learn to say it.
• Learn to spell it.
• Write down its definition.
• Write 3 different sentences to show that you understand the meaning.

English Activity 1

Today, I would like you to read the text below that is an extract from the book ‘Trapped by the Ice!’ by Michael McCurdy

October 27, 1915

The Endurance was trapped.  Giant blocks of ice were slowly crushing her side.  From the deck, Sir Ernest Shackleton looked at the snow and ice that spread to the horizon.  Ten months before, all he had wanted was to be the first person to cross the South Pole’s ice cap.
 

Now his only concern was for his men.  What would happen to them – and how much longer did the ship have before it broke apart?  The Endurance was leaking badly.  Shackleton could not delay.

Shackleton ordered his crew off the Endurance and camp was set up on the frozen Weddell Sea.  Tools, tents, scrap lumber for firewood, sleeping bags, and what little food rations and clothing the men had left were saved from their ship, along with three lifeboats in case they ever reached open water.
 

The Endurance was a sad sight now, a useless hulk lying on its side.  For months she had been the crew’s home.  Now they would have to get used to life on the ice – stranded hundred of miles from the nearest land.

November 21, 1915
Almost one month later, the sound of crushing wood startled the men.  It was what they feared.  Turning toward the ship’s wreckage, they saw her stern rise slowly in the air, tremble, and slip quickly beneath the ice.
   

Minutes later, the hole had frozen up over the ship.  She was gone forever, swallowed by the Weddell Sea.  Shackleton talked with the ship’s skipper, Frank Worsley, and his next-in-command, Frankie Wild.  Among them, they would have to decide what to do next.

Challenge

Draw the scenes for October 27^th & November 21^st

Click on the Vimeo links below to listen to the complete book.

English Activity 2

Personification

Describing objects as if they are people is a way of making sentences more exciting. If you can imagine an object doing actions or behaving like a person, that is personification.

For example, Jess's heart is racing at 100 miles per hour.

A heart can’t literally race, but it helps us to feel more involved in the story.

English Activity 3

Writing a recount

A recount is when you write about an event that has happened to you in the past.

How to write a recount

• Write your recount in the first person because it happened to you! Eg "I felt excited." Or we jumped onto the ice.
• Use the past tense because it has already happened. Eg "It was the biggest fish I had ever seen!"
• Recounts are written in the order in which they happened. This is called chronological order. Use adverbs such as: firstly, next, then and finally.
• Using descriptive words will make it seem like your reader is there with you. Example: "The fish was shiny and slippery." Focus on the most exciting parts.

Challenge

I want you to imagine that you are on The Endurance when the ship starts to get crushed by the ice and starts to break apart. You write a letter to your best friend telling them about what happened. Look at the photo for ideas or look at your drawing from Monday's lesson for ideas.

Tip: Try using personification in your own writing.

English Activity 4

Proof-reading

Today you will proof-read and edit your writing from yesterday. Most authors, even famous ones, rewrite their stories many times before they are happy to let someone else read them.

Top tips

Pretend that someone else wrote the letter, see how well you think the letter is written and then rewrite it to make it better. Can you add more description? Can you make better word choices? (try using a word of the day from the last 2 weeks).

Make sure your sentences flow nicely and double-check your facts.

Check everything makes sense and look out for spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes.

Ask an adult to read your letter. Ask them to tell you what is great about your writing (2 stars). Ask them to tell you one thing that can be improved (a wish).

Finally, rewrite the final version. This is called your final draft – ready for publication!

Post your letter onto the blog … or post it back to school. We would love to read it.

English Activity 5

Today is Fun Friday. Below is a crossword that includes an iceberg illusion.