Help Your Child At Home : Year 7 We are what we repeatedly do. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Help Your Child At Home : Year 7 ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.’ Aristotle

From Day 1 of Year 7, all students need to be used to: • Working hard • Being challenged • Finding things difficult • Writing for long periods of time • Remembering things off by heart • Working independently at home • Engaging with and acting on teacher feedback

Homework • Homework timetable : set days of the week for every subject • Once every three lessons • Around 30 minutes per subject – 4 to 4.5 hours a week • Done in exercise books if written • HMK in the margin

Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri 7NJ Maths English Science Geography (1&2) Tech (1&2) Homework timetable French Computing (2) History (2&3) RE (1) Art (3) PE Mus / Dra (1&3) (1&3) 7PW Maths English Computing (2) Science French RE (1) Geography (1&2) Art (3) History (2&3) Tech (1&2) PE (1&3) Mus / Dra (1&3) 7BE Maths Science Mus / Dra (1&3) French Tech (1&2) PE (1 &3) English History (2&3) RE (1) Art (3) Computing (2) Geography (1&2) 7BG Maths English Mus / Dra (1&3) French Science RE (1) Geography (1&2) History (2 & 3) Computing Tech (1&2) PE (1 &3) Art (3) 7BW Spanish Tech (1&2) English Science Maths Geography (1&2) PE (1&3) History (2 &3) RE (1) Mus / Dra (1&3) Art (3) Computing (2) 7MS Science Tech (1&2) English RE (1) Maths Spanish PE (1&3) History (2&3) Geography (1&2) Mus / Dra (1&3) Computing (2) 7CW Spanish Tech (1&2) English Science Maths Geography (1&2) History (2&3) Computing (2) RE (1) PE (1&3) 7FI Spanish Science English Geography (1&2) Maths History (2&3) Tech (1&2) RE (1) Mus / Dra (1 & 3) PE (1 & 3) Computing (2) Art (3)

Homework • Types of homework : written, learning off by heart, revision, research • Ready to Learn club : before and after school ICT1 and G3 • Role of parents and carers: – Checking and signing planner weekly – Conversation about what they have been set and how they are coping with deadlines – Looking at some of your child’s homework with them: presentation indication of effort

Revision • Year 11 : 100% exams • Assessments • KS3 exams • How parents and carers can help with revision: – Little and often – Making resources from class notes : flashcards, mind maps, spoken recordings – Quizzing / self testing – Reframe what your child realise they have forgotten as a strength : this is where to focus next – Re- test a few days later

Some simple ways to support your child’s literacy skills • Vocabulary • Writing and presentation • Spellings • Reading (will cover when discussing English lessons)

Word of the week • What is it? A weekly word introduced to all students Y7 – 13. • Why? To have a small but whole school approach to extending students’ vocabulary • Where? Emailed to all students, sent out on our school app, on all students’ and staff desktop • What can parents and carers do? – Ask your child what the word is and what it means each week. – Try and use the word in your family each week.

1. evanescent 21. meander 2. industrious 22. meticulous 3. macabre 23. versatile 4. copious 24. vigilant 5. enervate 25. replenish 6. intervene 26. pristine 7. inevitable 27. soporific 8. devoted 28. benevolent 9. concur 29. cumulative 10. penultimate 30. brusque 11. malevolent 31. penchant 12. averse 32. gratuitous 13. essential 33. nadir 14. indicative 34. zenith 15. adverse 35. salient 16. conspicuous 36. sycophantic 17. defiant 37. myriad 18. gusto 38. oblivious 19. egregious 39. jubilant 20. kindle

Presentation of work

Presentation : a good indication of a child’s effort • What can parents and carers do? – Look each week at a few of your child’s books with them. Perhaps ask to look at something they are very proud of and something they think they might have done better. – Discuss with them : are they meeting our presentation requirements? – Celebrate successes with your child. – Consider asking them to improve a piece where something has slipped – eg underline titles. – Look at a few pieces of written homework with your child and check they meet our presentation standards.

Best piece of Y6 writing • What is it? An example of a good piece of writing from primary • Why? To remind Year 7s how well they can write • Where? Stuck in the front of most of your child’s exercise books • What can parents and carers do? – Remind your child to set out work as neatly as the best piece and try as hard - especially homework.

Literacy target • What is it? All year 7s have a literacy target, chosen through Y6 staff liaison. • Why? To encourage year 7s to keep working on something Y6 staff said was important for them. • Where? Year 7s have their target stuck onto the front of their planners. • What can parents and carers do? – In the first few weeks especially, encourage students to look at and act on their target when starting and checking their own written work at home.

Use a wider vocabulary, thinking about why and who you are writing for. 62 Check your work to make sure you are using capital letters and full stops. 53 Always write neatly and re-read your work to check for careless errors. 31 Use different ways of starting your sentences and different types of 18 sentences in your writing. Add more detail to your answers by using a wider range of connectives 15 like therefore, because, as a result and so on. Use complex punctuation such as : ; ( ) - to express your ideas more 13 precisely. Read questions and tasks carefully. Look up or ask about words you do 7 not know. Think more deeply about a text and what it might mean or be about rather 7 than settling for the first idea that comes to mind. Use a wider range of punctuation like , ! ? : ; 5 Plan what you are going to write before you start writing. 4 Make sure you understand the question before you start it and ask for help 4 when you need it. Check you have not mixed up tenses in longer writing. 1 Paragraph and structure your work. 1

Spellings • Marked by staff – up to 5 spellings • Written out three times • Word Wall in planners • Look, cover, write, check • Practise at home with parents and carers

Subject Specific Advice • But first, some common ground all subject areas gave… – Ask your child to explain what he or she has been learning in a subject that week, perhaps looking at their books with them. – Ask your child to demonstrate a skill they have learned, such as a technique in Art or Technology. – Encourage your child to talk to his or her teacher if struggling, or for an online link to help or to read around the subject. – Remind your child not to copy and paste information from the Internet for homework. Instead, encourage your child to write ideas up in their own words so they understand what they have read. – Learn key spellings in the subject – using look, cover, write, check. – Practise any spelling corrections given by staff : write them out three times, use in a sentence, and record on the Word Wall in the planners. – Re-read any advice given by teachers in their marking : be able to explain to you the next step they need to take to improve.

Creative Arts Drama Art • When learning a script, as well • Make sure you have good as breaking it into smaller chunks of text, encourage your child colouring pencils. Not to add a movement or gesture that wax crayons or felt tips. reflects the meaning of each line. • • Talk about and research Supporting homework evaluations by asking not only the artists your child is "What did you do/say?" but also studying. "How did you do/say it", "Why did you do/say it like that" and "Did it achieve your intention? Why?" • Go and watch a performance. Theatres often put on free events, - Derby Theatre Nottingham Playhouse.

Technology • Food practicals are always set a week before, so check with your child what they need and when. • Read the recipe together and talk about how the product will be made. • Encourage your child to practise skills at home if you have a family member who is skilled in sewing, embroidery, cooking, using a tenon saw or chisel. • Encourage your child to label any designs done for homework, explaining the different parts of the design and thinking about its positives and drawbacks.

PE • Ask your child when their PE lessons are. • Ask if they have their PE kit ready on the appropriate day. • Try and encourage them to do something physical everyday.

English • Encourage your child to read widely and out of their comfort zone. Some advice on authors to try is here for you to take away. • Really reluctant readers, encourage them to keep reading and value anything they read. • Encourage your child to look up, remember and use new words from what they read. • Encourage your child to read over everything they write to check for basic errors, and their own literacy target.