1

Senior Infants 18 th – 22 nd May

Hello boys and girls,It’s me again! I hope you are happy to hear from me 😉 How are you all? I wish I could give you all a high 5 for the excellent work you are doing! I am back with some lovely activities and lessons to keep you learning at home. I have also received some super pictures of the fabulous work you are doing at home and these will go on display on the website. As always just try your best, and do not worry if there is anything you find a bit tricky 😊 You will have lots of help when we go back to school. I know we have a very important day this week-It is Emily’s birthday on Friday! We hope you have a fantastic day Emily and remember to ask someone at home to do your birthday spins! 😊

Parents, once again, the work below is not obligatory so please only do as much as you can. It is simply a guide to help maintain some structure and a link with school. There is never any pressure to get all work finished. Please only do what you can manage and what suits you and your family. It has been fantastic to talk to you all over the last couple of weeks. You really are all doing an amazing job. If you are ever unable to print an activity I have included, please do not worry-You can discuss it orally with your child instead or even use a page you have at home. I have tried to follow the same routine and layout as previous weeks. Please continue to date any written work.I have also included two videos this week (Irish and PE). I hope that by getting to see me in these videos the children feel connected to school that little bit more 😊 I have also included a short video where I run through key Irish vocabulary during Friday’s activities.

Finally, I want to say congratulations to Darragh Glancy who submitted a fantastic acrostic poem this week. It was a super poem and really accurately

2

described him!! This is the second last week to submit your child’s acrostic poem to wearewriterssnc@gmail.com if you still wish to do this. I have received some amazing and unique entries already. The deadline is May 29th. Thank you.

Monday 18 th May Gaeilge (This will be revision only):

1. Phrase: Revise the phrase ‘Cad atá ar siúl agat?’ (What are you doing?), ‘Tá mé ag éisteacht leis an iPod’ (I am listening to the iPod)

2. Abair Liom B: (www.folens.ie) Under lesson 15 ‘Teicneolaíocht’ select ‘Póstaer’ and play the vocab games ‘Foclóir 1 agus Foclóir 2.’ Finally, select ‘Comhra’, listen to the short ‘comhrá’ and play the short ‘ceisteanna’ game.

3. Video: In this video I revise 3 of our poems and 2 of our comhrá (conversations) I encourage the children to join in with the words and the actions! You will need the password Seniors2020 to login. https://vimeo.com/413276138. I understand that Irish can be an area of concern so even just focusing on any videos I include will help your child to practise their Irish.

English:1. Reading: We are going to revisit the class readers from www.cjfallon.ie

again. I will include pictures as a reminder below. Please select ‘click here’ on the homepage.

You will be taken to a page with a grid, fill it out like this.

You may recall that the three core readers are available on this page. Please select one of these books and read as much as your child wishes with them. It has been four weeks since we last used these books, so it is important to revisit them to continue building their confidence,

3

comprehension and expression. If you feel your child is confident in their fluency and accuracy you could increase the challenge by asking them to read the book backwards or in a funny voice throughout! You could also pick out random words in the text and check if they recognise them out of context. Your child could then put these words into their own sentences if you wish. Happy reading!! 😊

In addition, Twinkl currently has free access and you may have already made your free account earlier in the year. Search for eBooks and refine the list to Junior/Senior Infants. Titles like The Cautious Caterpillar will appear that include colourful illustrations. There are books that your child could read, and, there are longer books that you could read to your child. These resources are completely optional. I just wanted to draw your attention to this as an extra option for reading.

2. New Vowel Diagraph: We are moving onto the vowel diagraph ‘oo’ this week. We introduced the vowel diagraph ‘ue’ last week. (This is the long ‘oo’ sound)I have also included a video about ‘oo’ words that I was going to use in class. https://youtu.be/fLrAGcK26s4. The children could watch it and then try and remember as many of ‘oo’ words and sentences mentioned in it as they can. It may also be useful for your child to look in the mirror as they are saying the sound to see how their mouth moves.

3. Spellings: The spelling sheet follows the same layout as normal. Please complete Monday’s box and copy the dictation sentence on line 1. (See separate attachment for spelling sheet)

4. ‘Long oo worksheet’: Boys and girls, please try your best to do the worksheet below. If you do not have scissors and pritt stick you could write in the letters instead. If you do not have access to a printer, you could draw pictures in the copy and practice writing the words underneath.

4

Maths-We are starting the topic of weight today:

5

1. Initial Brainstorm: Please talk to your child about what words they think of when they think about the concept of ‘weight’. If your child mentions words such as heavy, light, the same, heavier than, lighter than etc please ask them further question to assess their prior knowledge.

2. Video: Please watch this short video that discusses the concepts of heavier/lighter and introduces the idea of measuring weight using a balance scale. https://youtu.be/ybEU-6U7s8k

3. Quick Fire Quiz: Boys and girls, can you think of answers for my challenging questions below? 😉

Name 3 light/heavy animals. Name 3 light/heavy types of fruit. Name 2 heavy things in your classroom. Name 2 light things in your classroom

4. Additional optional activity: Begin exploring objects at home by handling. Can you find a heavy object in your bedroom? Can you find a light object in the kitchen? We will be comparing different items by handling as the week continues, so there is no pressure to do this activity today unless your child wants to.

PE: Please see daily timetable on the Active School page. You may also like to do this 5-minute body workout. 😊 https://youtu.be/d3LPrhI0v-w

Science: We have been learning about what flowers need to grow. You may like to watch last week’s video https://youtu.be/89QRrnnYPNw again to help remind you. 😊 Now see if you can complete the cut and stick activity below. What 4 things does a flower need to grow? What two pictures did you not need to use?If you do not have scissors and pritt stick you could draw pictures instead. If you do not have access to a printer, you could draw the four necessary items in your copy or on a page instead.

6

Well done!! You completed Monday’s work!! 😊

7

Tuesday 19 th May Gaeilge:

1. Phrase: Practice saying yesterday’s two sentences for one more day. 2. Abair Liom B: (www.folens.ie) Under lesson 15 ‘Teicneolaíocht’, play the

vocab game ‘Tráth na gCeist.’

English: 1. Reading: (www.cjfallon.ie) Please continue yesterday’s class reader, or

start a second one, and read/discuss it with them. The children are familiar with these stories so you could ask them more challenging questions to develop their comprehension of what is happening in the story. Remember you can also increase the challenge by reading part of the book backwards and reading it using a specific tone or expression.

2. Spelling: Please complete Tuesday’s box and copy the dictation sentence on line 2.

3. Long ‘oo’ Sound of the Day worksheet: You will find this worksheet on the page below. This worksheet asks your child to write 5 ‘oo’ words on the lines provided and draw a picture for each word in the accompanying box. Secondly, your child will choose one of these 5 words and put it into a sentence on the lines given. Finally, could parents please think of an ‘oo’ word and give a clue to describe the word they have thought of (without saying what it is!) i.e. ‘You see this in the sky at night’ = moon. Your child listens to this clue and draws a picture of what they think the word is in the box titled ‘Guess the word of the day challenge.’

Feel free to complete this activity orally if that suits better.

8

Maths-Length Ctd:

9

1. Recap: Please watch this short video that revises yesterday’s concepts of heavier/lighter and measuring weight using a balance scale. https://youtu.be/sVRhhmExdK0

2. Heavier or Lighter: Please name an object and ask your child to name another object which is heavier or lighter than the said object.

3. Exploration by Handling: Please allow your child to feel the weight of a teaspoon. Can they

now find 3 items in the kitchen that are heavier than a teaspoon? Now please allow your child to feel the weight of a cereal bowl. Can

they now find 3 items in the kitchen that are lighter than a cereal bowl?

4. Additional Optional Worksheet if the children wish to complete it:

10

PE: Please see daily timetable on the Active School page. I also attach a short exercise video I did if the children wish to join in. You will need the password ‘Seniors2020’ to login as normal. https://vimeo.com/414678845

History: Please talk to a grown up about how you are keeping in contact with grandparents, cousins, friends etc at this time i.e. Phone calls, FaceTime, Skype etc.I attach below a picture of the first handheld portable ‘mobile phone’ that was used over 40 years ago! Look at this picture…. can you think of 5 differences between the mobile phone below and the one your mammy or daddy uses?

Fantastic work!! You completed Tuesday’s work! 😊

Wednesday 20 th May Gaeilge (This will be revision only):

1. Phrase: Revise the phrase ‘Cén aois thú?’ (What age are you?), ‘Tá mé sé bliana d’aois.’ (I am 6 years old)

2. Abair Liom B: (www.folens.ie) Under lesson 16 ‘Breithlá Sheáin agus Shíofra’ select ‘Póstaer’ and play the vocab games ‘Foclóir 1 agus Foclóir 2.’ Finally, select ‘Comhrá’, listen to the short ‘comhrá’ and play the short ‘ceisteanna’ game.

11

English:1. Reading: As it is Wednesday, I have once again included something a

little different for reading. I attach a link to a read aloud of the story ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. I chose this story as it we had just finished it before school closed in March, so it is revision. https://youtu.be/oyYh43hxSts

2. Spelling: Please complete Wednesday’s box and copy the dictation sentence on line 3.

3. Narrative Writing Revision: We focused on writing ‘Our News’ during term 1. In their spelling copy, please help your child to write 2-3 sentences about their news. We usually begin with the sentence ‘Today is Wednesday’ so this may be a helpful starting point! The children can then draw a picture at the top if they wish. The children have become more and more familiar with using capital letters, full stops, finger spaces and sitting their letters on the line. It has been a while since we did this in class, but we did practise it for several weeks.

Maths: Weight Ctd1. Mental Maths Game: Please play this game about clicking on the

‘heavy’ or ‘light’ object. See if can you get 5 green ticks in a row just like we do in class 😉 https://ie.ixl.com/math/sr-infants/light-and-heavy

2. Please complete page 126 of the big Planet Maths workbook.3. Additional Optional Activity: Boys and girls, ask your mammy or daddy

nicely if they could help you to weigh some ingredients in the kitchen. Before you begin, use your eyes and hands to guess which ingredient will be the heaviest and which ingredient will be the lightest. Then ask your mammy and daddy to check if you were right using the weighing scales.

PE: Please see daily timetable on the Active School page. You may also like to try another ’10 at 10’ video so I will include that link here again. https://rtejr.rte.ie/10at10/.

Music: ‘Part Of Your World’: This is another song from ‘The Little Mermaid’😊 Please listen to the video https://youtu.be/SXKlJuO07eM and identify the mood of the music. Is it happy, sad, excited, etc. Secondly, what is the tempo of this music and is the pitch high or low sounding? Now let’s think back to the song ‘Under the Sea’ from last week. This song is also from ‘The Little Mermaid’. Is the mood of both songs the same? Does the tempo differ? Do both songs have the same pitch? I will attach the link here again just in case you want to have another listen https://youtu.be/GC_mV1IpjWAFinally, respond imaginatively to the music through movement (Have fun with this and dance away like a merman or mermaid!) 😊

Super! You completed Wednesday’s work!!

12

Thursday 21 st May Gaeilge (This will be revision only):

1. Phrase: Practise saying yesterday’s two sentences for one more day. 2. Abair Liom B: (www.folens.ie) Under lesson 16 ‘Breithlá Sheáin agus

Shíofra’, play the vocab game ‘Pléasc an Balún

English:1. Reading: (www.cjfallon.ie) Please continue reading/discussing the class

reader at your child’s own pace. and read/discuss it with them. As this is our last day reading these books, please also ask your child to pick their favourite story that they read this week and give a reason for their answer.

2. Spelling: Please complete Thursday’s box and copy the dictation sentence on line 3.

3. Handwriting: Please complete page 29 of your big handwriting book (Capital I and small i). Please complete this in pencil and sit all your letters on the blue line. Capital letters also always touch the top red line! I also think you might recognise a girl’s name from our class on this page! 😉

Maths: Weight Ctd1. Mental Maths Game: Please play this game that revises the concepts of

‘wide’ and ‘narrow’ from last week. Try again to get 5 green ticks in a row😉 https://ie.ixl.com/math/sr-infants/wide-and-narrow

2. If possible, could parents please choose 5 items from around the house and put them on a table. Allow your child to feel and handle these items before asking them to order the items from heaviest to lightest. (You could extend this activity if you wish by choosing 5 new items and asking your child to order them from lightest to heaviest.)

3. Please complete this short worksheet below. You could do it orally also.

13

PE: Please see daily timetable on the Active School page. You may also like to do this new 5-minute body workout. 😊https://youtu.be/SbFqQarDM50

Art: As our music activities were inspired by ‘The Little Mermaid’ the past two weeks, I have included two mermaid/merman colouring sheets below. You can choose your favourite one to do or even both if you wish! If you do not have a printer, you could draw your own mermaid or under the sea inspired picture instead. Have fun! 😊

14

15

Super! You completed Thursday’s work!!

Friday 15 th May Gaeilge: (This will be revision only):

1. Phrase: Revise all four phrases from this week. Practise saying them to an adult out loud.

16

2. Abair Liom B: (www.folens.ie) Under lesson 19 ‘ Seán agus an Gas Pónaire’ (Jack and the Beanstalk) listen to the ‘scéal.’ I also attach a short video where I revise the key vocabulary from the story. It might be helpful to watch this video first so that the children are aware of the key words to listen out for. https://vimeo.com/416451274

English:1. Reading: No assigned reading task today. However, I encourage the

children to do their own 5 of minutes of DEAR time if they want to. (Drop Everything and Read!)

2. Spellings: Boys and girls, please ask a grown up to call out your spellings to you. Use the next page of your blank copy and write a new spelling on every line like we do in school. Please also try to write your dictation sentence as independently as possible and ask a grown up to check over them for you.

3. Oral Language: We introduced unit 12 of the Rainbow Oral Language Programme last week-The Library. Please quickly recap on the interactive poster by having a 1-2-minute chat about it. Please also play Vocabulary Games 1-2. The children are familiar with these games from other units that we covered in school. Game 1 is a listening game while game 2 is a matching game. https://rainbow.cjfallon.ie/#/units/senior/12

You can refer to last week’s poster and question prompts again if this suits you better.

Maths: Revision Friday (No written tasks today-Do as many of these activities as you like)1 Length: If you have building blocks/Lego etc at home, see if you can build

a long and short tower or a wide and narrow tower. 2 2D Shape Hunt: Go on a number hunt around your house and see if you

can find any of the following 2D shapes-square, rectangle, circle or triangle. We will do a 3D shape hunt next week.

3 Mangahigh: Play some activities of your choice if you wish. This is completely optional, and you can still sign up if you wish. Well done on all the medals you have been earning so far! I have also set a task based on the topic of time that you might like to do. Most importantly, have fun!! 😊

PE: Please see daily timetable on the Active School page. You may also like to do one of our Just Dance videos again-Blue, I Like to Move It, The Gummy Bear song. Good luck!! 😊

Geography: We have been learning about uses of water and how we can save water in our everyday lives. Recycling is another thing we can do in out everyday lives which is very important for the environment. This is something

17

we learned about earlier this year. However, I feel now is a good time to revise this concept with a short cartoon. https://youtu.be/6jQ7y_qQYUA Then, when you are finished watching this video, tell a grown up 3 facts from it that you think are important. The video mentioned an apple core and a banana peel-Can you remember the name of the bin we can put these items into to? It was not mentioned in the video, but we learned about it in class not too long ago 😉

WELL DONE ON FOR YOUR HARD WORK THIS WEEK.

YOU REALLY ARE ALL SUPERSTARS!

Corrections for this work are up on the website now so please check over your written work with an adult. Thank you again to parents for their support and assistance with this online work. We could not do this without your help and really appreciate all your hard work. Please do not hesitate to send on a picture of your child’s work so that I can put it on the website for their classmates to see. The email address is st.colmcilles1@gmail.com. Thank you for all the lovely work that has been sent in so far.

I will be in touch again by Monday.Thinking of you all,Ms Doran