Home Learning
🐒 Literacy - (Please bring literacy tasks into school for me to mark)
Literacy Tasks are based on our novel 'The Explorer' by Katherine Rundell
Writing Activity: “A New Chapter in the Jungle!”
Objective:
To encourage creative writing, imagination, and comprehension by building on the story of The Explorer.
✏️ Instructions for learners:
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Imagine you are one of the children stranded in the Amazon jungle (Fred, Con, Lila, or Max).
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Write a new chapter for the book where the group faces a new challenge or discovers something exciting.
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Your chapter should:
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Describe the jungle setting using at least 3 sensory details (what you can see, hear, smell, touch, or taste).
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Include a problem the group must solve (e.g., crossing a river, finding food, meeting a wild animal).
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Show teamwork between the characters.
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End with a cliffhanger to make the reader want more!
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🌟 Example Starter Sentences:
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“Fred pushed aside a curtain of vines and froze. Something was watching them…”
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“The jungle was louder than usual that morning; the screeches of unseen animals echoed through the trees.”
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“They thought they were safe, but the river was rising fast.”
Reading Activity
🌿 Amazon Rainforest Comprehension Questions
(log in to Hwb Britannica to help you answer these questions)
1. Understanding Basics
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Where is the Amazon Rainforest located?
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Why is it sometimes called the “lungs of the Earth”?
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What is the Amazon River, and why is it important to the rainforest?
2. Animals and Plants
4. Name two animals that live in the Amazon Rainforest.
5. Why do some animals have bright colours or loud calls?
6. How do the trees in the rainforest help animals survive?
3. Weather and Environment
7. What is the weather like in the Amazon Rainforest most of the year?
8. Why is the rainforest so wet and humid?
9. How many layers does the rainforest have, and what are they called?
4. Human Impact
10. What is deforestation, and how does it affect the rainforest?
11. Name one way people are trying to protect the Amazon.
5. Thinking Deeper
12. How would life change for humans if the Amazon Rainforest disappeared?
13. If you could visit the Amazon, what would you most want to see or learn about?
Oracy Activity
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Pick a character from the book and speak like that character.
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Scenario: The group has just discovered a mysterious cave. You must decide:
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Should you explore the cave right away?
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Or should you stay at camp and focus on survival tasks like finding food and water?
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🎯 Learning Focus:
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Speaking: Use clear voice, expression, and full sentences.
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Reasoning: Give reasons for your opinion using “because…” or “I think this is best since…”.
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Empathy: Step into your character’s shoes.
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Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
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✏️ Spelling Safari: Words from the Jungle!
Goal:
To practise spelling words related to The Explorer and the Amazon jungle while building story connections.
🐒 Instructions for Learners:
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Use the list of jungle-themed words from The Explorer (see word bank below).
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Write each word correctly in your notebook.
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For each word, write a sentence that shows its meaning in the story.
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Then, go on a Spelling Safari:
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Hide or place the words around the house (on sticky notes or cards).
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Walk around with a clipboard or notebook.
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Copy the words correctly as you “find” them in the jungle (classroom).
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🌿 Word Bank (Mix of Easy, Medium, and Tricky Words):
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vines
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raft
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explorer
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jungle
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Amazon
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survival
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mosquito
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adventure
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mysterious
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exhaustion
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poisonous
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discovery
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🏆 Challenge Round:
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Write a short jungle paragraph using at least 5 of these words spelt correctly.
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Bonus points for adjectives and descriptive phrases!
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Punctuation
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Here are 10 unpunctuated sentences based on The Explorer by Katherine Rundell .Please punctuate (speech marks, exclamation marks, capital letters, full stops): Only check the answers when completed.
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fred said we need to build a raft if we ever want to get home
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max shouted look theres a monkey in the tree
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con asked do you really think we can find our way out of the jungle
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the children stared at the enormous river ahead of them
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watch out yelled lila as the branch snapped under her foot
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they were tired hungry and covered in mosquito bites
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we should keep going whispered con its getting dark
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wow cried max that parrot is so colourful
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lila picked up the map and studied it carefully
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fred exclaimed this is the most amazing adventure o
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✅ Punctuated Sentences (Answer Sheet)
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Fred said, “We need to build a raft if we ever want to get home.”
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Max shouted, “Look! There’s a monkey in the tree!”
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Con asked, “Do you really think we can find our way out of the jungle?”
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The children stared at the enormous river ahead of them.
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“Watch out!” yelled Lila as the branch snapped under her foot.
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They were tired, hungry, and covered in mosquito bites.
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“We should keep going,” whispered Con. “It’s getting dark.”
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“Wow!” cried Max. “That parrot is so colourful!”
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Lila picked up the map and studied it carefully.
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Fred exclaimed, “This is the most amazing adventure of my life!”
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Grammar – Choose the Correct Word
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Here are 8 ungrammatical sentences (based on The Explorer by Katherine Rundell)
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📝 Sentences to Correct:
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fred and max was sitting near the fire eating berries
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the jungle were very quiet that night
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lila dont like climbing tree’s because she is scared of heights
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him and con builded the raft with vines and sticks
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the children seen a jaguar walking by the river
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we was lost in the rainforest for days
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theres lots of dangerous animal in the amazon
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fred runned fast when he heard the branch crack
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✅ Corrected Sentences with Explanations
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Fred and Max were sitting near the fire eating berries.
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✅ “Were” is used instead of “was” because the subject is plural (Fred and Max).
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The jungle was very quiet that night.
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✅ “Was” is correct because “jungle” is singular.
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Lila doesn’t like climbing trees because she is scared of heights.
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✅ “Doesn’t” replaces “don’t” for a singular subject.
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✅ “Trees” doesn’t need an apostrophe because it’s plural, not possessive.
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He and Con built the raft with vines and sticks.
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✅ “He” replaces “him” because it’s the subject of the sentence.
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✅ “Built” is the correct past tense of “build,” not “builded.”
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The children saw a jaguar walking by the river.
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✅ “Saw” is the correct past tense of “see.”
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We were lost in the rainforest for days.
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✅ “Were” is correct because the subject “we” is plural.
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There are lots of dangerous animals in the Amazon.
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✅ “There are” is correct for plural nouns, and “animals” is plural.
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Fred ran fast when he heard the branch crack.
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✅ “Ran” is the correct past tense of “run,” not “runned.”
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Handwriting
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Copy this poem in your neatest handwriting, illustrate by drawing around the margin and below
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Amazon Wonder
Emerald canopy stretches high,
Chirping birds dance in the sky,
Rivers ripple, winding through,
Leaves whisper stories for me and you,
Monkeys chatter in leafy halls—
Nature’s chorus softly calls,
Sunlight glows on every green layer,
The Amazon’s magic lives everywhere. -
Copy the poem in your neatest handwriting, try adding your own lines to make it even better.
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Decorate your poem with illustrations around the margin and below.
Spring - Coming soon!
Activity 1 - Writing
Activity 2 - Reading
Activity 3 - Oracy
Activity 4 - Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
Activity 5 - Handwriting
Summer - Coming soon!
Activity 1 - Writing
Activity 2 - Reading
Activity 3 - Oracy
Activity 4 - Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
Activity 5 - Handwriting
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Maths - answers provided to mark at home
Autumn Maths
Activity 1 - Place Value
Questions - Y5-HL-Autumn-Block-1-Place-value-2020.pdf
Answers at end of booklet
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Activity 2 – Addition and Subtraction
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Questions -Y5-HL-Autumn-Block-2-Addition-and-subtraction-2020.pdf
Answers – at end of booklet
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Activity 3 – Statistics
Questions - Y5-HL-Autumn-Block-3-Statistics-2020.pdf
Answers - at end of booklet
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Activity 4 – Multiplication and Division
Questions -Y5-HL-Autumn-Block-4-Multiplication-and-division-1-2020.pdf
Answers – at end of booklet
Activity 5 – Perimeter and Area
Questions - Y5-HL-Autumn-Block-5-Perimeter-and-area-2020.pdf
Answers -at end of booklet.
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Our termly topic home learning missions and our termly literature spine are available below. Please bring completed missions into school for me to mark.
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