English overview

This week we have a lovely collection of lesson ideas based on a short video clip. There are 4 suggested lessons to go with the clip and then a stand-alone lesson for day 5. This week’s English focuses on many things including imagination, putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes, recognising emotions and poetry with the use of adjectives and verbs. Day 5 includes many different aspects of English including grammar (past tense) and spellings to practise (this weeks are Mr, Mrs, parents, Christmas, beautiful, move, prove, improve).

Day 1 – Parents/carers if you could watch the clip first https://www.literacyshed.com/cloudylesson.html

and then get ready to pause at the intervals below so that you can ask your children the questions at the right times in the clip.

Questions to ask your child:

Pause the film before the title scene ‘A cloudy lesson’ where the house in the clouds is visible. • What is strange about this house?

Pause the film before the old man blows through the ring. • Is this an old or young man? How do we know? • What might their relationship be? • What do you think he is going to use this tool for?

Pause after the boy blows his little cloud. • His cloud is small – what other words do we know that we can say instead of small? • How do you think the little boy is feeling?

Pause the film after the boy breaks the ring. • What has happened? • What do you think the old man will say to the boy?

Pause the film after the boy has made the ring into a star shape. • What is the boy’s plan?

Watch the film to the end. • How do we know the characters are happy?

Other activities you could complete after watching the clip: • Create your own written or oral weather report including details of some rather strangely shaped clouds! • Find out about the different types of clouds. Day 2

Keep Your Eyes Open Watch the clip as many times as needed.How many of these emotions / attitudes do you see the characters experiencing throughout the short story? Tick each as you see it (or label with ‘M’ for Man and ’B’ for Boy to show who experienced each emotion).

You could write a sentence to explain who is feeling the emotion and why.

Day 3Point of view.

Imagine that you are the boy from the clip. Answer the questions below using full, detailed sentences. Try to use some of the emotion words from the previous activities in your answers. You can make up information to help you.

Who is the man and why is he training you?

Confused

Excited Jealous

Interested

Annoyed Frustrated

Proud Determined

Worried

Shocked

Inspired

Pleased

Surprised

How were you feeling before your training?

What was it like trying to blow your first cloud?

What did the man say to you when you bent the wand?

Were you expecting what happened next?

How will you remember this day?

Day 4

Cloud poetry:

Use the vocabulary below (or your own) to create your own cloud poem. You might choose to write a poem which describes the clouds or you might like to imagine yourself as a cloud. Remember that poems do not need to rhyme. The most important element to a poem is the careful word choice. adjectives: graceful, tranquil, calm, fluffy, cottony, bright, gentle, delicate, never- ending verbs: emerging, floating, blowing, bobbing, twisting, wafting, sailing, gliding, drifting, bounding, ascending

Example Poem:

Clouds Floating, bobbing, twisting and ascending above the towering mountains.

Drifting, gliding, sailing and bounding over the churning ocean.

Wafting, blowing, snaking and meandering beneath the pale blue sky.

Gentle, cottony, delicate and bright.

Day 5

It was another humid day in the rainforest. The rain was a welcome and refreshing break from it. Dylan could hear a rumble of distant thunder: a sure sign that this was just the beginning of the storm. Holding a large leaf over himself, he sat comfortably on the tree stump. Raindrops drummed on the flat surface of the leaf like fingertips, but Dylan didn’t mind.

He stared into the forest, wondering when his friends would return…

Answer these questions?

1.What kind of animal can you see in the photograph?

2. How is the animal similar/different to a human?

3, Who are Dylan’s friends, and where have they gone?

4. Why does Dylan like it when it rains?

5. What do you think it’s like to live in the rainforest?

6. How is the weather in a rainforest different to where you

live?

Sentence challenge

Can you find examples in the story starter where I have used my senses to describe?

Can you use your senses to describe what it is like to be in a storm?

Fix these sentences

He held the leath.

it woz raining.

He could the storm

he could sees lightning.

Spelling practice

Mr mrs parents

christmas beautiful

move prove improve

Can you write a sentence including each spelling?

Challenge: Can you come up with a mnemonic trick for spelling beautiful, here is my example;

Big Elephants Are Usually Tired If Found Under Logs.

Grammar focus

Can you change these words into the past tense?

is holding sits stares hears