Sunday 6 December 2009

11+ Year 5 and 6 Holiday Preparation


Merry Christmas! Ho ho ho! Santa Worm has a sack full of 11+ preparation work just for you.

Year Five
Year Five are focussing on on comprehension techniques this holiday. Want a copy of Bald Worm's Xmas Holiday Comprehension work? Click here to download a copy.

Want the answers? Visit Bald Worm's comprehension blog - http://bit.ly/comprehension - and click on 'Xmas 11+ Exam Preparation' at the top of the page, or click here.

Year Six
As Year Six prepare for the exams in January, they'll be completing a number of tasks - and there's a special Year Six Christmas Holiday Homework page at our pupil wiki here.

This include Bald Worm's London Girls' Consortium-style papers - click here to download an 11+ comprehension and composition paper based on King Solomon's Mines & here for a comp set around a mysterious meal...

P.S. Click on the link to get a copy of the Year Six Xmas holiday recommended reading list?

Have a great break! I look forward to seeing you all in January!

(Image by KevinDooley; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Thursday 3 December 2009

Bald Worm Recommends...Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book!



Want a new book this weekend? Why not nag Mum to get you a copy of Neil Gaiman's brilliant 'The Graveyard Book'? Be warned - the opening chapter is very scary!

Already enjoyed this book? Try Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book

11+ English Weekend Homework: Year 5 and 6

**Year Five**
Please write an improved second draft, adding in lots (and lots!) more shown feelings.

You have not got your target cards yet - we'll talk through them next week.

Due: Monday

**Year Six**
1. Please complete the 'Nativity' continue a passage task - write the next part of the story.

Please read the 'writing a story based on a passage' advice at baldworm.co.uk before you begin.

Write 1 1/2 sides of A4. Feeling clever? Try to write in the style of the original passage.

2: Please complete the Verbal Reasoning paper. Pay particular care with questions 62-66. Take your time - aim for 100%!

Due: Monday.

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Year 6 Fiction: Continue a Passage


We have been learning about writing a story based on a passage. Click here to learn more at baldworm.co.uk. Remember, the real challenge is to write in the same style as the original.

Task: Please complete the 'story based on a passage' task.

Due: Thursday

(Image by Alexanderdrachmann; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Monday 30 November 2009

Year 5: Spelling City



Please learn the 'words' begin with trans spellings by playing some of the games at Spelling City.

Test next Tuesday!

P.S. We'll record the 'Comma Songs' on Wednesday.

P.P.S. Don't forget to bring in your completed 'Evacuee' comprehension tomorrow!

Year 6 Fiction: Writing Longer Descriptions


Please complete a longer description based on the 'Dracula' prompt. Write 200 words.

Don't forget to use a full range of descriptive techniques, including similes, metaphor and personification. You can get tips on planning and writing a longer description here, at baldworm.co.uk.

Want to impress? Make sure you use a full range of punctuation and an 'elegant', varied prose style.

Due: Wednesday

(Image by Tony the Misfit; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Sunday 29 November 2009

NaNoWriMo 2009 - I've Won! Yippee!


Phew! With twenty-four hours to spare, I've completed NaNoWriMo 2009. I've written 50,000 words in just thirty days! I've been looking forward to taking part all year, and I'm so delighted that I managed to do it! The last couple of thousand words were a bit of a slog, but what has surprised me most is that the more I wrote, the easier things became. And it really has been enormous fun to spend so much time immersing myself in writing a story.

The novel isn't 'finished' - I've only really completed chapters 1,2, half of chapter 3 and most of chapter 5, with bits of 6, 7 and 8 (don't even ask about chapter four!) - and it will all need an awful lot of redrafting and editing, but I'm delighted I managed to get so much down on paper in such a short period.

Here's to doing it again next year!

Fun Stuff!

Saturday 28 November 2009

11+ Comprehension Year 5 and 6 November 30th


Year Five
Please complete the 'Evacuee' comprehension, paying particular to the questions about the author's technique.

Due: Wednesday

Year Six
Please complete the 'Hurricane' Latymer comprehension.

Due: Tuesday

Friday 27 November 2009

NaNoWriMo: The Final Weekend!



All month I've been writing a book for eleven-year-olds...and I've got just forty-eight hours to finish it!

This weekend, you can follow my progress as I attempt to win the annual National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) competition - writing 50,000 words in just 30 days - by reaching the fifty thousand target by the end of Sunday night. Can I do it? Visit Baldworm's Twitter site to follow my progress as I edge towards the finishing line...

Year Five: The Great Escape



Please complete your first draft of your 'Great Escape' story, using plenty of dialogue and shown feelings, please:


P.S. Don't forget we're recording the Comma Song next week.

Year Six: Revising Action Scenes


What a creepy atmosphere!

Task: Please write a second action scene - this time based on Frankenstein's creature based on this video - Frankenstein versus Wolfman!



Write 10-12 lines.

Feeling clever? Try to include the 'rule of three' and 's' verbs


Enjoy O's audioboo:
Listen!

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Year 6 Fiction: Revision on Incorporating Character Descriptions into the Flow of Your Story



Write the first 15 lines of a short story based on the image above. Don't forget to try to incorporate the description into the 'flow' of your story.

Due: Friday

(Image by Atarkus; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Year 5 Fiction: Descriptions using Simile and Metaphor in the First 15 lines



We have been creating mind maps to gather descriptive ideas so we can help our reader imagine a World War II P.O.W. camp, like we can see in the video above.

Task: Write a ten-twelve line description of a P.O.W camp on the worksheet provided

Year Six Fiction: Planning Stories

Please complete the planning tasks on the 'goal-impediment-solution' sheet.

Monday 23 November 2009

How on Earth? should be 2009 Edublog Winner!



My nomination for the 2009 Edublog awards is...

Best Teacher Blog: Mrs Mannan's brilliant How on Earth?

Mrs Mannan's blog is a favourite of all of the girls at Falcons Girls. I love the way that she is constantly trying to open our eyes to the amazing scientific debates in the world around us. With 11+, it is so easy for us all to concentrate on passing a test, and forget that education - learning - is so, so much more important than that.

Leave a comment below or on Mrs Mannan's blog!

Year 5 and 6 Homework: Tuesday 24th November 2009



Year Five
1. Please learn the 'Words that begin with 'circ and circum' spellings for a test next week by spending ten minutes a day at Spelling City;
2. Please work out your tune for the comma song - we will be recording next week when everyone is fit!

Due: Test and recording next Tuesday

Year Six
Please complete the 'Wind' poetry comprehension. Remember, Mr Strand Drops!

Due: Thursday

Sunday 22 November 2009

NaNoWriMo Day 22: Gulp!



Day 22 has been and gone. I've just scraped over 30,000 words (largely by writing a lot of dialogue), but I really should be at 38,000 by the end of Monday night...gulp! Time is running out. With a quiz on Tuesday and Mr Evans' leaving party on Thursday, it looks like it is all going to come down to next weekend to see if I can beat the 50,000 word challenge in thirty days and become a NaNoWriMo winner...

11+ Comprehension Year 5 and 6 November 23rd



Year Five
Please complete questions 4-8 of the 'Questions about Similes and Metaphors' sheet.

Due: Tuesday

Year Six
This week we're going to look at poetry comprehensions. Please complete the remainder of the 'Simile or Metaphor' questions

Due: Tuesday

(Image by D Sharon Pruitt; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Thursday 19 November 2009

Year 5 Rewriting: Trench



We have been learning about simile, metaphor and personification. Revise by watching the video above.

Task: I want you to write a second draft of your 'trench' description, adding in:
(i) simile
(ii) metaphor
(iii) personification

Don't forget to write five paragraphs.

Feeling clever? Remember to use the joining comma.

Year 6 Latymer Upper-style Comprehension Paper: Trapped



This week we have been looking at answering Latymer Upper-style questions about the different types of sentences/words used in the passage.

Weekend homework: Please complete the 'Trapped' comprehension. We'll go through this on Monday.

P.S. Good luck to those girls sitting the St. Paul's pre-test (which does not count towards the final mark this year) on Monday! Break a leg!

Not a Falcons girl? Oh, bad luck! Download a copy of my Latymer Upper-style comprehension from box.net here. Contact Falcons Girls on 020 8992 5189 to learn more about West London's Most Creative Preparatory School (in our humble opinion)!

(Image by seanmcgrath; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Tuesday 17 November 2009

Latymer Upper-style Comprehension Paper: Dracula



Homework
Please complete the Latymer Upper-style paper in just 40 minutes. Time yourself using the online stopwatch.

Due: Thursday.

Not at the Falcons Girls? You're missing out! Why not ring the school office on 020 89925189 to learn more about West London's most creative preparatory school. You can download a free copy of my Latymer Upper-style comprehension from my area at box.net - just click here.

(Image by martinsiefke; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Year 5 Fiction: Using Similes



We have been learning all about similes:


Task
Please complete the 'Tank' simile task.

Due: Thursday
(Image by Cliff1006tm; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Monday 16 November 2009

Falcons Girls Love Spelling City & Musical Learning with the Comma Song



Year 5
1. Learn the 'Words that begin with 'tele'' for our test next week.

2. I want you to come up with your own tune to go with the words to the comma song. This is an example of musical learning. Play an instrument? You can bring it in and play along!

P.S. Don't forget to complete the 'World War II' comprehension and hand it in tomorrow.

Year 6
Please revise the 'verbs to nouns that end in 'ion' spellings for our test next week.

P.S. Don't forget to bring in the 'Body in the library' comprehension tomorrow!

Sunday 15 November 2009

11+ Comprehension Year 5 and 6 November 16th 2009


Click on my P-E-E prezi whenever you need to revise the key skill of P-E-Eing all over the page!
(The Prezi above is an example of using technology - in this case, a cool PowerPoint - to help learners remember key skills. )

Year Five
Please complete the D-Day comprehension, paying particular attention to the questions about the author's use of similes. Use this simile prezi to help:

Due: Wednesday

P.S. Don't forget the spelling test tomorrow, and you need to have learnt the words to the comma song, too!

Year Six
Please complete the Latymer-style 'Body in the Library' paper. Remember to be specific when discussing the 'type of sentences' the author uses.

Due: Wednesday

Friday 13 November 2009

Year 5: Writing a Longer Description

Listen!
We have been learning about how to plan a longer description. If you're not careful, descriptions of 200-250 words can be really dull, or you can run out of ideas after 50 words.

Learn more about planning a longer description here at baldworm.co.uk; revise descriptive techniques here.

Task: Describe the trench. Write five paragraphs.

Thursday 12 November 2009

The Falcons School Year 6 Fiction: Rewriting Your Timed Writing & Prose Prezi



At Falcons Girls we know how technology can help us remember key facts. Use my Prose Style Prezi to help you remember the punctuation and sentence types you should be looking to include in the first 15 lines of a short story.

Task: Please complete the 'Shadowy Noir figure' redraft. Focus on using a varied prose style in the first 15 lines - and make sure you include some personification, too!

Feeling clever? Try making it a non-linear story.

P.S. Don't forget to bring in a tie, hat, coat & beard to shoot our Noir video on Monday!

Alpha Plus Group's Falcons School for Girls loves Sharing Our Writing

Listen to I & C's description using personification. This is an example of using a mini-podcast - an eduboo using Audioboo - to give everybody in the world the chance to hear our brilliant writing:

Listen!

Wednesday 11 November 2009

NanNoWriMo Day 11: Nearly at 19,000!

I'm taking part in NaNoWriMo - an international challenge to write a 50,000 novel in just thirty days. I'm over a third of the way into the month now, and whilst this week has been a little busy, the words are flowing just that little bit quicker - it is amazing that the more you write, the more ideas you have!

Today's word count:

Year 6 Fiction: Describing an Office


We have been learning about using light and shadows when describing a location. I am also looking for you to include a semi-colon or two, demonstrating that you can use different sentence structures in your writing.

Feeling clever? Include a simile, a metaphor and some personification, too!

Task: Please complete the Noir Detective task.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Year 5 & 6 Wednesday 11th



In general, however, it is perfectly astonishing

and terrifying how bravely the men fight.


(Andrew Motion)

---------------------------------------------------------------

**Year 5 Homework**
Please complete the 'Blitzed' description, using Bald Worm's descriptive techniques

Due: Thursday

**Year 6 Homework**
Please complete the Noir planning for suspense task.

Due: Thursday

Monday 9 November 2009

Falcons Girls Love Spelling City!


Year Five
1. Please learn 'by heart' the words to the comma song. Don't forget to you can listen to it at our pupil wiki!

2. Please learn the 'words beginning in 'bi' spellings for our test next Tuesday. Click here to learn at Spelling City.

Year Six
1. Please learn by heart the words to our semi-colon song:

There was a semicolon: a comma and a dot;
he separated clauses that were independent thoughts.
An independent clause is one completed thought,
and two are separated with a comma and a dot.

Example one:
Ron hit John in the face; (semicolon)
consequently, John's face is blue and swollen.
Are you gettin' a clue?
Well, here's example two:
Ron says basketball is his favourite sport;
amazingly, he's really good for being so short.


Between the two clauses, in case you forgot,
is Mr. Semicolon; yep, a comma and a dot.
HEY!
Mr. Semicolon is also used between
a bunch of items listed that have commas in those things.


We're going to record this as a video later in the week! Listen to our class audioboo:
Listen!

2. Please learn the 'words that begin with 'sus' spellings for our test next Tuesday!

P.S. Listen to a funky Nigerian semi-colon song here.

Sunday 8 November 2009

Alpha Plus Education presents Bald Worm Shares a Poem a Week: Sandwich



Falcons girls love poetry! Click play and listen to the poem Sandwich by Valerie Bloom. The video has a bit of 'hiss', but it is well worth persevering.

Monday means 11+ Comprehension Homework!

Year 5
Please read the next section of 'Blitz!'. We'll be having a fun quiz on the action so far on Wednesday!

Year 6
Please complete the XXX paper. Give yourself just five minutes to read the paper & forty minutes to answer the questions.

Due: Wednesday

(Image by anjamation; used under Creative Commons agreement)

NanNoWriMo Day 8: End of Week One

I've completed the first week of National Novel Writing Month - the international challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days. I'm taking part to show the girls at FSG how satisfying it is to write for pleasure.

I've now completed Chapter 1 and I'm halfway into Chapter 2, writing a really fun scene where a thief, Count Grassi, comes face-to-face with a brilliant detective from Scotland Yard.

Word Count:

Saturday 7 November 2009

Alpha Plus Group's Falcons School for Girls is West London's Most Creative Preparatory School!



The Falcons School for Girls is West London's most creative preparatory school. Up until now, I've been restricted to what I could share on the blog; from today, I have written permission to post videos and photographs taken in the school. This means it will be easier to share our brilliant kinaesthetic, visual and musical learning with the world!

Thanks to Miss Spurling for creating this brilliant video of our Falcon Time activities.

Thursday 5 November 2009

NaNoWriMo Day 5: An Accident with Something Sharp

Day 5, and I'm a good fifth of the day into my 50,000 word target for November. Tonight, I was working on a long suspense scene, but broke off to write a comic passage where a friend of Mr Whiskerton - the crack shot cat - has a rather nasty accident...

I came across this video on a Victorian blog whilst doing some research for an exciting coach chase scene that will appear in Chapter 3 (or maybe at the end of Chapter 1). This is a video of the traffic on Blackfriars Bridge...shot in 1896. One thing to remember is that the buses would have been covered with colourful adverts, just as in 2009.


Today's word count:

Year 5 Fiction: The Silver Sword



Wow! We've completed our spy project! I can't wait to get to share your completed spy base suspense videos on Falconstube next week!

We're now beginning our World War II topic. Have you visited the Year 5 World War II wiki page, complete with reading lists?

Task: Please read the Silver Sword pack and complete the question sheet.

Year 6 Fiction: 'Femme Fatale' Rewrite



We've been writing 'Noir' stories. Listen to one of the first drafts, and keep your ears peeled for some brilliant use of personification:
Listen!

Task: We've been thinking about creating atmosphere in our stories. Please redraft your 'Femme Fatale' timed writing piece, adding additional Noir slang, developing the atmosphere and working towards the target on your card. Write 1 1/2 sides of A4.

Feeling clever? Next week we are going to focus on the semi-colon. Try throwing in one or two into your story!

Due: Monday

And just for fun:


(Image by bogenfreud; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Wednesday 4 November 2009

NaNoWriMo Day 4: Breaking and Entering

I've never robbed a bank. Honest. And I never will!

But tonight I got to imagine what it would like to break into a Victorian bank- to steal from a crooked millionaire - armed only with a small set of files and an umbrella/harpoon gun.

Isn't writing brilliant!

Word count after day five:


(Nearly 1/5th of the way there!)

Brilliant 'Comma Song' on the FSG pupil wiki page!



Miss Nicholson has done it again! She has recorded a a superstar Year Six girl singing 'The Comma Song', setting it to a blues tune! It really is brilliant!

This is another example of using music to help us to remember 'dull' or 'difficult' information.

Want to listen? Just click here and press play on the mini-podcast player!

(Image by debird; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Year 6 Fiction: Noir Suspense


Please write the homework suspense scene, using as many of our suspense techniques as possible. Don't forget, try to avoid cliché!

Due: Friday

He's Back



Saturday 14th November at The Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London

Don't miss this chance to join Anthony Horowitz as he talks about Alex Rider's latest adrenaline-fuelled adventure. For more information and to buy tickets
Call: 01497 822 629

Visit: http://www.hayfestival.com/p-1602-anthony-horowitz-presents-alex-rider-crocodile-tears.aspx

Ticket price: £5.00

Please note that due to popularity, Anthony will only be signing one book per person at each event.

NaNoWriMo Day 3: A Quick Dash

Yesterday was day 3 of the global challenge to write a novel of 50,000 words in just thirty days. I'm taking part to show you that writing is fun!

Unfortunately, I had an event after work, so the only time I had yesterday was a quick half-hour before breakfast - I dashed off 700 words about the bank my characters are attempting to rob.

Word Count: 7,900

Tuesday 3 November 2009

Year 5 & 6 Wednesday Homework



Year 6
Please complete the Verbal Reasoning pack for tomorrow.

Year 5
Please complete the Jane Blonde rescue task, using as many of Bald Worm's action techniques as you can, please! Watch this video before you begin:


We're recording our Spy base movies on Friday!
(Image by Ryan Somma; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Monday 2 November 2009

NaNoWriMo Day 2: Trying to Make a 'Boring Bit' Less Boring

It is day 2 of the global competition to write a novel - a 50,000+ story - in just 30 days. I want to show you that we write not to pass exams, but for the joy of writing!

Today, I've been working on part of my story where the poet Count Grassi meets his arch-enemy. This could be quite a dull part of the book, so I spent a couple of hours tonight trying to make it quite...a little bit...sort-of funny.

Today's word count:

Year 5 and 6 Tuesday



Year 5 Spellings
1. Please learn the 'auto' spellings for our test next week Tuesday.

2. Please complete the 'Suspense' comprehension for Wednesday. Please staple the sheets back together if you pulled them apart!

Year 6 Spelling Revision
1. Please revise the unstressed vowels words - very common mistakes, these! - for our test next Tuesday. We can't be spelling any of these words incorrectly in our stories and comprehensions!

2. Please complete the 'Warburton' comprehension for Wednesday. I want 25 out of 25, please!

Sunday 1 November 2009

NaNoWriMo Day 1: Beginning the Novel



I'm taking part in National Novel Writing Month, writing a 50,000 word novel in just thirty days. That means I need to write at least 1,663 words per day. Gulp! My story, The Crimes of Count Grassi, is about a girl, Rebecca, who lives with her strange Uncle, the poet Count Grassi. Only Rebecca knows the Count's secret: when night falls, Count Grassi is a thief!

I began writing my NaNoWriMo novel today (Sunday). I 'set the scene' in chapter 1, describing my character Count Grassi's study. I also set up the first crime.

It was fairly easy to reach my word count today, so I tried to 'go big' and rack up a lot of words, so if it get harder later in the month I'll have already bitten off a good chunk of my 50,000 word target. Today's word count:

11+ Comprehension Year 5 and 6



Year 5 Comprehension
Please complete the 'longer P-E-E answers' Scratch comprehension. You can download another copy of this comprehension here.

Due: Wednesday

Year 6 Comprehension
Please complete the Warburton comprehension. Don't forget to pay particular attention to the longer mark questions.

P.S. Don't forget to give Mum/Dad your 11+ Reference form!

(World War II image by gbaku; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Thursday 29 October 2009

I've Joined the National Novel Writing Month!



Gulp! I've just committed to writing a full-length novel - 50,000 words or more - by midnight on 30th November! National Novel Writing Month - NaNoWriMo - is an international competition, challenging people to write a complete novel -50,000 words of more - in just thirty days. Over 87,000 people around the world have signed up to writing 1,500 words (that's about six sides of A4) every single day for the next thirty days.

Why have I signed up? Two reasons:

1. I've been tinkering on and off for a couple of years with an idea for a story about a girl thief - and the time has come to get it down on paper, once and for all.

2. The one thing I really dislike about the 11+ exams is the thought that it teaches pupils that 'you write stories so you can pass a test'. By taking part in NaNoWriMo, I hope to show all the girls at FSG that writing fiction is something we can do for the sheer fun of it, rather than to impress the Grumpy Examiner.

Wish me luck! I'll be updating you on the blog as I aim for the magic 50,000 word target!

Sunday 25 October 2009

Friday 16 October 2009

The Nine Parts of Speech Song


Miss Nicholson and a Year Six pupil combined to create this catchy song to help you revise the parts of speech! This is an example of using music to help us learn grammar

Thanks, Miss Nicholson and our superstar singer!

Thursday 15 October 2009

Alpha Plus Education Group Sister School: Cliff School



Year 5 at our sister school in Yorkshire, Cliff School, are now keeping a blog. Click here to visit! Why not leave a comment and say hello?

Wednesday 14 October 2009

11+ English Year 6 Fiction: Character Description Audioboo

Listen!

We love describing characters, but character descriptions can sometimes break the 'flow' of a story. We have been learning about incorporating character descriptions into the 'flow' of our narratives.

Listen to my 'eduboo' audioboo before you start writing! You can also listen to S's example character description audioboo:
Listen!

Task: Write a second dialogue and description between two of the characters at the party. Make sure you write the description from the point-of-view of one of the other characters.

Due: Thursday

Tuesday 13 October 2009

11+ English Year 5 Fiction: Suspense and Action




We have been learning about combining suspense and action. You can revise these key skills at my short story techniques website, http://www.baldworm.co.uk.

Task: Imagine you and a friend are enjoying a nice day in the park...until you realise you are being watched...watched by something green, slimy and very hungry!

Don't forget to watch these videos to remind yourself of our key techniques.

11+ English Year Six: Complete the Evelyn Waugh Comprehension



Please complete the 'School Sports Day' comprehension - due tomorrow.

(Image by No Trams to Lime Street; used under Creative Commons agreement)

11+ English Year Five Comprehension: Action Techniques



Please complete the action techniques comprehension in your A4 purple book. Don't forget to revise the action techniques before you begin.

Due: Thursday

Sunday 11 October 2009

Year 6 Comprehension: Warburton

Please complete the Dr Pagan's Prep. School Sports Day paper in your purple comprehension book.

Pay particular attention to who you think is speaking the lines!

Due: Wednesday

Year 5 Spelling: Prepare for the Spelling Age Test



Please prepare for our Spelling Age assessment on Tuesday by revising at my area in Spelling City.

Due: Tuesday

Tuesday 6 October 2009

Year 5 Fiction: Redrafting Rescue!


We've been looking at how to write brilliant action scenes.

1. Task: Please write an action scene between two boys, using our action techniques.

2. Next week is our Reading and Spelling Age tests. Please revise our spelling rules at my area in Spelling City.

Year 6 Timed Writing: Redrafting



Task 1: Falcons girls know that writing is all about drafting and redrafting our work. Make sure that:
(i) You've included one or two pieces of reported speech;
(ii) You include lots of 'shown feelings'

Task: Please redraft your 'Orphan' story.

Due: Monday.

Task 2: Next week we have Spelling and Reading Age tests; next Friday will be your first mock exam day, with tests in English comprehension, English composition, Mathematics and Reasoning. We'll sit these tests in the hall...and complete all four before lunch. You'll receive your results in the Year Six Autumn term report.

Please prepare for these assessments by (i) revising key skills at Bald Worm and by watching the Bald Worm mini-guides at Falconstube and (ii) revising our spelling rules at my area in Spelling City.

Year 6 Verbal Reasoning: Logical Reasoning



Please complete the 'logical reasoning' pack for Friday.

Due: Friday

(Image by Wadem; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Year 5 Fiction: Rescue!


Please finish writing the first draft of your rescue story. Write 1 1/2 sides of A4. Your aim is to include our suspense techniques:
* Impact sentences (3-4 word sentences)
* Using dashes
* Scary sounds
* Suspicious movements in the shadows
* Mentioning how dark and cold it is
* Asking questions, e.g. "Was I alone?"
* Talk about the character sweating
* Talk about the character’s heart
* Have the character call out, and tell themselves that there is nothing to worry about.

Feeling clever? Don't forget to include lots of characterisation.. This video introduces you to some of the key skills for making your character seem real:

Due: Friday.

Year 5 Spellings and Comprehension

1. Finish the 'Jane Blonde' comprehension from last night.

Due: Wednesday

2. Learn the irregular plural spellings for our test next Tuesday. Learn these words the fun way - at my area of Spelling City.

Year Six Prose: Introducing Reported Speech



Watch the video above for an introduction to reported speech.

Reported speech is a little tool that can spice up a dialogue - and the Grumpy Examiner loves it! Remember, the more little tricks you throw into your story, the more you will impress your readers!

Task: Please write a dialogue - a conversation - between a chef and an angry customer about a bad meal. Write 1/2 page of A4.

Your challenge? Include some reported speech. (Don't make it all reported speech - include two or three examples over the half page.)

Feeling clever? Try setting out the dialogue in different ways, e.g.

Bob frowned: "You call that soup?"

Due: Tuesday

Sunday 4 October 2009

Friday 2 October 2009

Year Six Comprehension: Oliver Twist North London Girls' Schools' Consortium-Style Comprehension Paper



Bald Worm has a treat for you! I've created a comprehension in the style of the new North London Girls' Schools' Consortium paper. Download a copy from here.

Task: Please complete the 'Oliver Twist' comprehension
Due: Wednesday.

(Image by Smabs Sputzer; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Year 5 Comprehension: P-E with Jane Blonde


We've begun our spy project!

Homework: Complete the 'Jane Blonde' comprehension. Stuck on a question? Visit Bald Worm's comprehension blog: http://bit.ly/comprehension
.

Click here to visit the fantastic 'Jane Blonde' site!">

We have been learning about P-E-Eing all over the page!

P.S. Spelling Test on Tuesday! Revise the words ending in u here.

Due: Wednesday

Bald Worm's Book Club: The Remarkable Adventures of Tom Scatterhorn


I'm going to read 'The Remarkable Adventures of Tom Scatterhorn: The Museum's Secret.' Why not read this with Mum and Dad, and discuss it at dinner? Or you could ask someone at home to read it to you as a treat before you go to bed!

Order a copy of the book here.

Read an interview with the author, Henry Chancellor, here.

Watch an interview with the author here.

Falcons Girls love reading!

Year Six Fiction: Redrafting the 'Christmas Pudding'


Please redraft the 'Christmas Pudding' story you wrote during our timed writing session.

Missed school today? Download a copy of the task here.

Focus on including lots of shown feelings and meeting the target on your target card.

Due: Monday.

Have a great weekend! Don't forget the Dickens reading list at our pupil wiki.

(Image by Matio; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Thursday 1 October 2009

Year 6 Dickens: Distinctive Voices



In class we've been looking at Dickens' technique of using distinctive voices. Listen to our first-draft audiboo of some of the conversations between a Cab Man and Mr Pickwick:
Listen!

Task: Please redraft your Cab Man & Pickwick conversation, making sure you use all of our characterisation techniques.

P.S. Don't forget the reading list and useful links at our pupil wiki.

Wednesday 30 September 2009

Year 5 Composition: Bring in Your Spy Base & Create Poster of Suspense Techniques


Your homework comes in two parts:
(1) Try to bring in your Spy base tomorrow. If it isn't finished, bring it in on Monday.

(2) Please create a neat, colourful poster showing all of our suspense techniques. You can use coloured pencils, textures, pictures from a magazine...but no felt tips, please. This is an example of visual learning.

You can find the full list here, at baldworm.co.uk

The poster is due tomorrow (Thursday).

Monday 28 September 2009

Year 5 Prose Style: Dialogue



Prose StylePlease write a conversation (not a story) between two girls on a Residential Camp. One is telling a scary story; the other wants her to be quiet so she can go to sleep.

You could begin like this:

"Please be quiet," whimpered Sally.

Note: Please don't use the names of girls in the class!

Feeling clever
Break up the speech like this:

"Oh!" said Sally. "I didn't think of that!"

(Image by Stevecadman; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Due: Wednesday

Spellings
Please learn the 'words ending with u' spellings. Don't forget to play some Spelling City words to help you learn

Test: Next Tuesday

Saturday 26 September 2009

Year Six Prose Style: The Dreaded Apostrophe



Can you spot the mistakes in the image above?

Visit the Apostrophe Protection Society.

Task: Please complete the apostrophe worksheets.
Due: Wednesday

Spellings
Please learn the 'en' and 'ify' words for a test next Tuesday. Revise at Spelling City.

(Image by libsk; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Year 5 Comprehension: H.I.V.E. P-E-E



We have started learning about P-E-E-ing all over the page. Use the P-E-E approach in our comprehension.


(P.S. The Web 2.0 tool above is a Voicethread. We'll be using these in class soon!)

Task: Please complete the H.I.V.E. comprehension
Due: Wednesday

(Image by bdjsb7; used under Creative Commons agreement)

Year Six: Charles Dickens Comprehension



Want to learn more about Charles Dickens? Enjoy this brilliant animation of the life of Dickens and here to play the 'Surviving Charles Dickens' London' game.

Task: Please complete the Dickens comprehension in your book.
Due: Wednesday

P.S. Want to take part in my MixedInk experiment? Click here and add a sentence that includes a nonsense word.

(Photo by Simon Harryiott; used under Creative Commons agreement)