English
You're Called What?!
This week's learning is based on the story You're Called What?! by Kes Gray and Nikki Dyson. Click the link below to listen to the story.
Day One
Watch the video of ‘You’re Called What?!’ being read in the Story Time section of the Year One page. Discuss the name of the Aha ha.
Why is this a good name for the end of the story?
Scroll down below the video to look at the fact page at the end of the story. Read it together and discuss the animals.
Ask questions such as:
How is this page different from the rest of the story?
Why do you think photographs are used as well as illustrations on this page?
Which is the funniest animal and why?
You could extend your child’s learning by encouraging them to write a sentence using the word ‘because’. E.g. The bone-eating snot flower worm is my favourite because...
Day Two
Click here and scroll down to the reviews section of the You’re Called What?! page on the Scholastic website. Read the reviews and write one of your own.
Day Three
Play the animal guessing game. This could be done whilst engaged in other activities such as walking, driving, drawing etc. Take turns to think of an animal and then answer yes or no questions about that animal.
E.g. does it have stripes? This can be a hard game for young children. To make it easier allow them to ask open questions such as ‘Where does it live?’.
Ask your child to choose an animal and write down the questions they asked which had ‘yes’ answers. They may need you to remind them of the difference between a question mark and an exclamation mark.
If you have an Alexa, she will play this game if you ask her to play ‘the animal game’. She will play a variation of this game if you ask her to play ‘the animal guessing game’.
Day Four
Read the riddles in the document above and discuss which animals they could be describing. Answers are at the bottom of the page! Ask your child to notice how the riddles give clues about the animal but don’t tell you what it is. Look at the questions they wrote down yesterday and discuss how they could be changed into a statement to form a clue. For example, ‘Does it live in the sea?’ could be changed into ‘It lives in the sea.’
Day Five
Now ask your child to write their own riddles. They could use the animals from the story or choose their own. You could write one or two together so that they develop confidence. They do not need to rhyme! Children often find it easier to pretend they are the animal and use the word ‘I’ to begin their sentences...
I live in the sea.
My name rhymes with bark.
I have a big fin.
You could challenge your child to use the word ‘and’ to extend their sentences....
I live in the sea and swim around looking for food.
My name rhymes with bark and starts with sh.
I have a big fin and very sharp teeth.
Your child might enjoy making their riddle interactive. They could draw their animal and then tape their riddle over the top so that it can be lifted up to find the answer. If your child is really inspired they may wish to gather their riddles together to make a little riddle book.
For tips on how to support and challenge your child during writing tasks, see the ‘Key Skills and Resources’ section of the Year One pages.