Feeling Free
While creating this page and searching for images to suit the concept of 'free' I was astounded at how wildly different my concept of 'free time' is compared to the internet's!
So many people frolicking in heavenly-looking landscapes, parachuting through clear skies and an incredible amount of arms outstretched. If you are anything like me (and most of the parents I know) then 'free time' is practically non-existent and is usually spent on the following activities...
Unfortunately, in our house there's no time for straddle jumping in the ruins of Machu Picchu or yoga at sunrise. Time is a precious commodity and therefore I'm all for time-saving.
This page is for sharing time-saving freebies to busy caregivers and teachers. I plan on adding to it as and when I can.
Resources for parents and caregivers
In this section, I've tried to keep things simple with just a few free resources which I think can be used in a number of ways for home learning.
100 square
100 squares are incredibly useful tools. Not only can they help support pupil who are struggling with basic addition and subtraction, they can also be used as the basis of lots of maths games which is a great way for children to learn without them knowing they're learning.
A great game I've used quite a lot with Y6 students in the 'Factors and Multiples Splat Game'. Each player chooses a different coloured pencil. Player A chooses a starting number from the 100 square and colours that square in. Player B must then find one factor or a multiple of that number to continue the game. For example, if the starting number was 10, I could choose 1,2, and 5 as factors or 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100 as multiples. The game obviously gets harder as you go on and the numbers get used up.
Multiplication Grid and Times Tables Bookmarks
Multiplication grids are also a great SATs prep tool. I can't emphasise enough how important it is for your Y6 child to know their times tables inside and out, back to front, upside down and right side up. Honestly! So much of the arithmetic paper focuses on times table knowledge and not just straightforward calculations such as 12 x 12. Times table knowledge is also crucial for fraction work and lots of aspects of reasoning too.
Grammar Glossary
If I wasn't a teacher, I'm really not sure what I would be. However, I do know that 99% of my non teacher friends work in jobs that do not require them to know what the passive voice is or the past progressive tense. It can make be tricky to support your child in learning about things that may as well be written in egyptian hieroglyphs. This grammar glossary is a handy little tool to help with this.
Resources for teachers
Y6 SATS Q & A PowerPoint for parents and carers
A short PowerPoint I used a while ago with parents and carers to answer the common questions asked about SATs. Some of the slides are blank for you to add your own personalised information.
Letters to parents regarding SATs Q & A
I thought it might be useful to add these proforma for any teachers new to Y6. I hope it saves you some time or perhaps give you a framework for your own school's information regarding the tests.
Letters to parents regarding SATs after school clubs
I understand that not all schools have after school clubs and lessons which focus on SATs preparation. My previous school did. If your school does, this proforma might help you plan your letter to parents. It will need personalising.