Special Ed. Resources
Mrs. Veale’s List of Suggested Activities
June 22nd to 30th
Hi girls.
Finally, here we are at the last of our distance learning activities. Because it’s the end of the school year, there will be no written work.
Can you believe we have been distance learning now for three and a half months??? I STILL can’t get my head around it! I have missed you all terribly. A huge well done to those of you who persevered and did some school work every day. I know it hasn’t been easy and I’m very proud of you all. And a huge well done also to your parents who have guided and supported you every step of the way!
Wednesday this week is our Virtual School Tour. Simply go to the home page of this Learning Space and follow the link.
I’d like to wish each of you, and your families, a very happy, safe and sunny summer. Enjoy the holidays girls and we’ll see you all again in September, please God.
Stay safe girls,
Mrs. Veale
Reading
For those that come to me for reading
This summer, why not join the Summer Stars Reading Adventure at Waterford Libraries?
Summer Stars is the public library national summer reading programme for children that runs from the 15th of June until the end of August. Anyone can join the adventure and enjoy the fun of reading and writing over the summer – and it’s all completely free!
For full details, just go to www.waterfordlibraries.ie. And the best bit? Everyone who takes part will receive a certificate in the Autumn!
This Week's Book
Ok girls, our final book to read this year has a water theme. The Crayfish Catchers has everything a good story should have – characters you can relate to, excitement, danger and of course a happy ending. It’s a bit longer than our usual book so perhaps share the reading with a family member, each of you reading a page or a chapter at a time. Remember, this book won’t work on mobile phones so you'll have to use a computer, laptop or tablet.
§ Go to https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/
§ Click My class login.
§ Class name - 4th Class 2020 (Make sure you use a capital letter for Class)
§ Class password - Mrs. Veale (Capital letter for Mrs. and Veale, have a space between them and don’t forget the full stop after Mrs.)
Copy and paste this link into the address bar
As always, it’s really important to read out loud, with someone. Use the blue buttons on the bottom right of the screen to turn the pages. Pick a page or two that you found a little difficult and read it out loud several times. Ask your mum/dad to ask you a few questions about your book to make sure you’re understanding what you’re reading.
Spellings
For those that come to me for spellings
This week, I’m not giving you any spellings to learn. What I’d like you to do instead is listen to this Slip Slop Slap song and count how many times an sl word is used. Many are repeated so you’ll have to listen carefully! Make a list of them and count how many times each one was said. How many did you find? Would you believe there are 47? Now, learn the song so you can stay safe in the sun - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKPP8qqA7cY
Spellings Game
Let’s have some fun with Fuzz Bugs Farm and initial blends. You can choose the blends you want to revise https://www.abcya.com/games/consonant_blends
1. Click the blue arrow
2. Pick your character, or two or three if playing with others.
3. Click the blue arrow again.
4. Select at least 3 sounds you want to play with and click the blue arrow.
5. Click Spin and then hold down the centre of the gold arrow for a second or two and then release.
6. Click anywhere on the page to move on from the ‘drag’ example to play the game.
Maths
For those that come to me for Maths
Our final Maths activities are all scavenger hunts. Search around your house or garden for shapes, numbers, textures, colours, sounds etc. Just pick one or two scavenger hunts to do each day and time yourself to see how long it takes you to find all the objects. Next week, why not make up a scavenger hunt for someone in your family, or ask them to try the ones you have done? Time them to see if they can beat your times!
Tables Time
Let’s get on the Mental Maths Train for the last time this year girls. Use it to practise whichever multiplication tables you found hardest and play this game for 5 minutes each day.
Parents/Guardians, if you want some tips to help your child learn their tables, you might find something useful here - https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/blog/times-tables-tips/
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
Dance Mat Typing is something you might like to continue practising right through the summer – maybe on a rainy day or if have some spare time. Learning how to type properly is a skill that will be useful to you throughout your whole life.
The important things to remember are 1) Use the correct fingers 2) There's no need to rush and 3) Always rest your wrists on the desk.
You should take a rest every so often, and shake your hands and arms to relax your muscles. It's also important not to look at your hands when you are learning to type. The best way to do this is to cover them up with a tea towel as you type.
These activities would benefit us all as they will improve the flexibility of the small muscles in our hands and fingers.
If you're looking for some movement breaks - https://app.gonoodle.com/ is a great website with lots of dances and exercises to try out.
Below are some useful activities, exercises, hints and tips from the National Council for Special Education.
Fine-and-gross-motor-info-sheets-for-the-home.pdfA selection of fine and gross motor skills activities that can be done at home
Gross-Motor-Skills-Parent-Booklet-Primary.pdfActivities for core strength, balance, bilateral integration and ball skills.
SLT-OT-Top-Tips-3rd-and-4th-class3.pdfTop Tips for 3rd & 4th Class