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Teacher’s Report
Students: Denis, Grace and Anna
We are writing to describe to you the content of our teaching sessions to Denis, Grace and Anna during their stay in the UK. We have thoroughly enjoyed teaching these eager and enthusiastic children, and have watched them develop throughout the weeks.
Please see below the subjects we have covered in English, Science and Maths, followed by personal reports for Denis, Grace and Anna.
English
In English we have looked at different types of text including instructions, creative writing and play-scripts. Every English session has included a particular focus on reading, with the aim that the children develop a thirst for literacy in order to develop their English understanding and use. We have therefore introduced to the children the imaginative writings of Roald Dahl. In English sessions we have been identifying nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives (WOW words) in Dahl’s texts, and we have practised using these in our own writing when describing places, characters and actions. The children have all been able to comprehend the texts we have read, and demonstrate inferential understanding. We have also spent time on punctuation, including speech marks, exclamation marks and ellipses. Continuing our study of Roald Dahl, the children have compared and contrasted classic children’s nursery rhymes with alternative poetry, and spent time understanding characters and expression through their own dramatisation of classic stories.
In sessions we have read extracts from Matilda, The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Revolting Rhymes all by Roald Dahl. During their own time the children have also embarked on their own reading journeys reading the full stories; The Twits (Denis), Esio Trot (Grace), and George’s Marvellous Medicine and Matilda (Anna).
Science
In science sessions we have covered:
- Material properties, including waterproof, man made/natural
- Water resistance, including floating and sinking
- Animal life processes, including habitats and the food chain
- Material changes, including melting/freezing, evaporating, condensation, gases, liquids and solids
- Properties of light, including, how we see, light sources, refraction and reflection
- Plants, including germination, seed dispersal and growth (including the effect of light and water on growth).
- Scientific enquiry and experimentation – all sessions have involved practical work in investigation encouraging the development of skills in methodology, measurement, collation of results and concluding. The children have been able to appreciate scientific theory more thoroughly through practical work.
Maths
In maths sessions we have spent time working on the times tables, fractions , digital and analogue time, measurement, data handling and word problems. Through word problems the children have (at their own level) tackled multiplication, addition, subtraction and division. In data handling, the children have collected their own data through measurement, calculated averages, and used the data to draw both bar charts and line graphs, from which they were able to draw conclusions. Maths sessions usually have comprised of a fun and engaging starter concentrating normally on the times tables, which we have found to be a useful way to challenge the children’s knowledge.
Denis
Denis has been an animated and enthusiastic student over the 7 week period. He has demonstrated a good ability to pick up new knowledge in science, and can apply this knowledge accurately in practical work and with confidence. Denis has been learning to appreciate the importance of fair testing in science during investigations, however demonstrates good practical ability.
Denis can read English well, appreciating the traits of characters and grasping the concept of a story. In writing creatively Denis struggles to apply correctly positive and negative adjectives and therefore we have tried to work on this aspect during English sessions.
Denis is very competent in maths, and has particularly enjoyed competitive games using his times tables. Denis is brilliant with word problems, and can calculate difficult multiplication and division problems mentally in a practical ‘maths hunt’ situation.
Grace
Grace is a very quiet student, however she can apply herself well and tries hard to complete tasks given to her. Grace has enjoyed the practical side of science and has picked up knowledge very well.
In English Grace can read very well. She easily appreciates the happenings of a story and infers on the unwritten content. In writing, Grace has progressed in using punctuation and is beginning to develop in her creative writing remembering the structure of sentences and how to include more adjectives and adverbs.
Grace has spent time over the maths sessions concentrating on her times tables. She is competent with her 2, 5 and 10 times tables and is beginning to feel more confident with 3 and 4 times tables when she is given calculation time. Grace has developed skills in measurement, and is now able to use a ruler. In word problems, Grace can solve mentally addition and subtraction questions, and using counters can divide and multiply.
Anna
Anna is a willing student who is happy to tackle new topics. In science she has demonstrated a willingness to learn and has contentedly included herself in practical experiments and has shown her ability to apply her knowledge in real contexts,
Anna reads very well, and has shown an enjoyment in Roald Dahl’s work, particularly in her independent reading. In writing Anna has demonstrated improvements in using punctuation and using adjectives in creative writing.
Anna is able to solve word problems well in maths, and demonstrates clear understanding of data handling and representation. Anna has progressed in her understanding of fractions, and is particularly keen to tackle any work set.
Yours Sincerely,
Katherine Livesey & Anna Crabtree
Trainee Primary School Teachers (PGCE Edge Hill University)
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