English Maple – Spring 1Look at the home-learning tasks below.

A grown-up can help you! Record what you do in your Home-Learning Log/word document.

Day

Grammar/Punctuation/

SpellingWriting

Mon

Practice reading Phonics: ir sound. twirl, girl, whirl and bird.Y2: Unit 8 suffix –ing. prodding, beginning, spinning, nodding.Y3: Unit 7 c sound spelt ch. school, echo, character, scheme.Y4: Unit 7 Words ending in out -ous.serious, obvious, hideous, anxious.

Learning Objective: To write a story about being lost in the rainforest.

Look at the image below in this document1 and discuss the following questions: What has happened here? How long has the plane been there? Where are they? How many survivors? How would you feel if you were lost in the rainforest?Your task is to write a short story (no more than 30 minutes of writing) about what happened/is going to happen.

Tues

Practice writing the words / Find the meaning to the words above.

Full Stops Game (advanced) (roythezebra.com)Sentences - 10-11 year olds - Topmarks

Learning Objective: To read and understand a challenging text.What do you know about the rainforest?Where are they?What animals live there?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vijLre760wListen out for and note down three new pieces of information.What’s one of the largest rainforests in the world?We are going to look at the book called: The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. Read the Introduction from the book2. What does this talk about? Create an illustration/drawing including as much detail as they can about the animals and plants mentioned in the Introduction from the book2. Then label add labels to their pictures, showing which parts of the forest are which, e.g. canopy, understorey. Use the layers of the rainforest image3 to support if you are finding the task tricky.

Wed

Lots of time for reading today so I need to you to focus on the lesson

Learning Objective: To write in the style of a book I have read.Read Kapok Tree Information4 together. What would you say are the three most interesting things that you learn about this tree? How can it be used by humans? Why is it important to animals?What type of writing is this?Read the up to the jaguar page from The Great Kapok Tree PDF5. When reading, try and use a style of voice that animal might use. Why has she chosen to partly narrate the story and partly tell it through the direct speech of the animals?Look at the talking animals resource6 and continue to add what they would say to the person (Senhor) who is trying to chop down the tree. You can write these as sentences in your books or on a word document. Don’t forget to use speech marks/inverted commas. “ “

Thurs

Put the words in sentences.

Learning Objective: To expand and improve sentences.Read The Great Kapok Tree PDF5 starting at the jaguar page and reading to the page where the man stops and thinks (ending: “But he heard no sound, for the creatures were strangely silent”).Read the Extract7 How does Lynne Cherry make this writing so descriptive? Find and highlight any descriptive words from the extract7. Next, read and then improve sentences about the rainforest from Sentences to Improve8. Year 4 try the challenge.

FriTest yourself. Learning Objective: I can write a letter in role.

Read nearly the whole of The Great Kapok Tree PDF5 the last page you

should read begins with… “He picked up his ax. He swung back his arm…” DO NOT read the last page. What do you think the man will do when confronted with the rainforest animals, and the small child, who value and need the Kapok Tree? Finish by reading the rest of the story, and Lynne Cherry’s final letter. Write a letter from the man to the logging company, explaining why he could not bring himself to cut down the great Kapok tree.Challenge – Challenge children to refer to and argue against the possible arguments from the logging company. They can use the phrase, “You may say… but I…”Look back at your writing: What would you do if you were the man? Why?

Monday’s resource1

Tuesday’s resource2

  Introduction In the Amazon rain forest it is always hot, and in that heat everything grows, and grows, and grows. The tops of the trees in the rain forest are called the canopy. The canopy is a sunny place that touches the sky. The animals that live there like lots of light. Colourful parrots fly from tree to tree. Monkeys leap from branch to branch. The bottom of the rain forest is called the understory. The animals that live in the understory like darkness. There, silent snakes curl around hanging vines. Graceful jaguars watch and wait.

 And in this steamy environment the great Kapok tree shoots up through the forest and emerges above the canopy.  This is the story of a community of animals that live in one such tree in the rain forest.Tuesday’s resource3

Wednesday’s resource4

Kapok Tree Information

A giant in the rainforests, the Kapok tree can reach up to 60 metres in height, sometimes growing as much as 4 metres per year. The trunk can expand to 3 metres in diameter.In the nooks and grooves of this huge plant live a diverse number of species including frogs and birds. The white and pink flowers of the Kapok tree emit a foul odour that attracts bats.

As the flying mammals move from flower to flower feasting on the nectar, they transfer pollen on their fur, helping pollination. The Kapok tree does a great job at spreading its seeds, producing anywhere between 500 and 4,000 fruits at one time, with each fruit containing 200 seeds. When these fruit burst open, silky fibres spread the many seeds all over the forest.The Kapok tree has many uses for humans. Its wood is lightweight and porous; good for making carvings, coffins and dugout canoes. The silky fibres that disperse the seeds are too small for weaving but make great stuffing for bedding and life preservers. Soaps can be made from the oils in the seeds. Other parts of the giant tree are used as medicines.Wednesday resource5

Is in the attached PDF, Read up to the jaguar page!

Wednesday resource6

Talking AnimalsThe boa constrictor is a large snake that constricts its prey.

“Senhor, this tree is a tree of miracles. It is my home, where generations of my ancestors have lived. Do not

chop it down.”

This type of bee stores pollen and honey and has no sting.

“Senhor, my hive is in this Kapok tree, and I fly from tree to tree and flower to flower collecting pollen. In this way I pollinate the trees and flowers throughout the rain forest. You see, all living things depend on one another.”

Squirrel monkeys can live in massive groups, of up to 500 members! “Senhor,…

Toucans mostly eat fruit, lizards and small insects.

“Senhor! You must not cut down this tree….

The red-eyed tree frog is threatened by forestry and pollution.

“Senhor,…

The jaguar has a very powerful bite compared to the other big cats.

“Senhor, the Kapok tree is… ”

Thursday’s resource7

ExtractThe man awoke with a start. Before him stood the rain forest child and, around him, staring intently, were the creatures who depended upon the great Kapok tree. What wondrous and rare animals they were!

The man looked about and saw the sun streaming through the canopy. Spots of bright light glowed like jewels amidst the dark green forest. Strange and beautiful plants seemed to dangle in the air, suspended from the great Kapok tree.

The man smelled the fragrant perfume of their flowers. He felt the steamy mist rising from the forest

floor. But he heard no sound, for the creatures were strangely silent.

Thursday’s resource8

Sentences to improveAdd adjectives, adverbs, adverbials and comparisons to the sentences below to make them come alive with imaginative detail….

Write your new sentences in your books to create a vivid description.

Many birds live in the emergent layer of the rainforest.

The trees are surrounded by flowers and other plants.

Animals prowl through the understory.

A variety of creatures inhabit the canopy.

Butterflies to be found everywhere.Challenge: Write some dialogue where two creatures from the rainforest describe their homes.

Remember to use inverted commas and correct punctuation.