Our whole-school homework this week is:
Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.
Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.
Talk Time
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 |
| capital city | a city where the government of a country is located |
| 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 |
| fieldwork | observing and collecting data in a locality |
| map | a drawing of a place, usually from above |
| map key | a little box on a map which explains what the different lines and symbols on a map mean. |
Years 3 and 4 Geography vocabulary:
| grid reference | a location on a map which is found using numbered lines |
| easting | a vertical grid line which tells you how east or west you are on a map |
| northing | A horizontal grid line which tells you how north or south you are on a map |
| 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 |
| fieldwork | observing and collecting data in a locality |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| girth | the distance around the outside of something thick |
| carbon stores | places where carbon is stored in the environment |
| Justification | a good reason or explanation for something |
| interpolation | a process of finding unknown values that sit in between know values |
| sampling | a way of collecting fieldwork data without measuring anything |
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?
- Which of these words would you group together?
Each half term, we’re encouraging voice projection, fluency and pace. Referring to these ‘Remember 2s’ (R2s) will help your child to speak clearly and confidently:
- Think about what you are going to say before you speak.
- Talk in a clear, loud voice without shouting.
- Sit or stand with good posture (eg not slouching).
- Face the person, or people, that you are speaking to.