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Dear Parents,
Welcome to the Year 8: ‘Preparation for Learning’ handbook for Summer 1.
What is Preparation for Learning?
Homework at Mayfield has been revised to allow students to develop their independent learning and
extended writing skills. Whilst Maths homework will be set every lesson to embed the skills learnt in
school, all other subjects will set in-depth projects allowing students to develop key skills and a love of the
subject.
How much work should my child receive?
Each half term, students will have three or four projects on top of the regular Maths tasks. The planned
schedule is:
Summer 1
Maths
Project 1
Project 2
Project 3
Project 4
English
Music
ICT
-
Therefore, this half term, all year 8 students will complete a project for English, Music and ICT. To support
students to plan their time, every subject has divided the projects into manageable tasks which should take
half an hour a week. Some students may wish to spend longer depending on their engagement in the task.
In total every student should spend up to two hours a week on project work and also complete the
additional Maths tasks.
What support will my child receive?
All tasks are available in detail on the school ‘Moodle.’ Students can access this through the Mayfield
school webpage using their usual school log in and password. Students have received training on this in ICT
lessons.
On the Moodle, students can access support materials and useful internet links. Some of the tasks also
have support sheets and differentiated materials for different ability students. Guidance on this will be
given by the subject teachers.
The school library also hold a selection of books to support each of the projects.
Should your child not have internet access at home, we can provide paper copies of the tasks and support
material.
How can I support my child?
The most important support will be to have regular discussions at home about the projects and how they
are going.
Please remind students that projects should be handwritten unless stated by a teacher. This is to develop
their literacy and focus on subject specific vocabulary and spelling.
If you have a concern about your child’s progress, please make a note in their planner to communicate
with the tutor.
How will the projects be marked?
Projects will be marked within two weeks of the deadline, and feedback will be given to students in lesson.
All students will be given a homework grade when data is posted home. These grades have been revised
and from the end of Spring 2 they will be represented on a number scale from 1-5:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
All of the set tasks have been completed to an exceptional quality.
The majority of the set work has been completed to a good standard.
Some parts of the set work are incomplete, missing or of poor quality.
Work has not been handed in.
Work has not yet been set in this subject.
This half terms projects
The remaining pages outline the three tasks for this half term. They include an outline of how the projects
have been broken down and also a mark scheme to allow students to assess their own progress. Students
will be guided in how to fill in empty deadlines by their subject teachers.
Subject: English
Task: Spelling Bee
I need to bring the first half of my project to the lesson on: Friday 8th May 2015.
My finished project has to be presented to the class on: Friday 22nd May 2015.
What do I have to include?
Task 1 You must learn the following 10 spellings and then look closely at the others in your spelling booklet to
prepare for the spelling bee.
Task 1 to be completed by
- pleasure, feature, guardian, cycle, dishonest, eager, lawyer, encourage,
professor, reason
Friday 24th April 2015
- Select five of these words and create a memorable pneumonic for each
so that you can remember how to spell them. Draw an associated image so that it sticks in your mind.
Task 2 You must learn the following 10 spellings and then look closely at the others in your spelling booklet to
prepare for the spelling bee.
Task 2 to be completed by
- appear, guard, achieve, apparel, awkward, cemetery, conscious,
passenger, scent, stolen
Friday 1st May 2015
- Write a story which uses as many of the words from Task 2 in the spelling
booklet in it as possible. You need to use them correctly so look them up
in a dictionary if they are unfamiliar. Spell them correctly in the story. Underline the words that you have
used from the list.
___________________
Task 3 You must learn the following 10 spellings and then look closely at the others in your spelling booklet to
prepare for the spelling bee.
- kindness, mountain, record, jealous, manageable, precious, mightily,
Task 3 to be completed by:
neither, virtue, visual
- Now try to find all of the above spellings in the word search. It will
Friday 8th May 2015
focus you on looking at the individual letters. The other words from the
Task 3 list are in there too.
Task 4 You must learn the following 10 spellings and then look closely at the others in your spelling booklet to
prepare for the spelling bee.
Task 4 to be completed by
- suit, theatre, appoint, boundary, reign, calendar, condition, meanwhile,
memorable, weird
Friday 15th May 2015
- Re-organise the whole Task 4 list of spellings from the booklet so that
they are in the following groups. You can put the same word in more than one
group:
___________________
- Nouns (naming words e.g. place, object, person, thing etc.); verbs (doing words or shows action); adjectives
(describing words); connectives (words that help organise ideas e.g. time connectives); words with ‘ea’ in
them and words with double letters next to each other.
Task 5 Revise all of the words ready for the Spelling Bee.
Task 5 to be completed by
- To prepare for the spelling bee this week you should be revising all the
Friday 22nd May 2015
spellings and making a list of any words that you find particularly tough.
Spend time using the LOOK, SAY, COVER, WRITE, CHECK method to
learn these and make some posters to put up so that you keep seeing the words.
Where can I find information?




Look on Moodle at the spelling resources and in your Spelling Booklets.
http://www.kidsspell.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/z8bd7ty
http://www.spellingcity.com/
IF YOU ARE STUCK, YOU MUST TELL US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN HELP YOU!
Subject: English
Mark scheme: Spelling Bee
1) I will decide my National Curriculum Grade
Level 3
I have tried to learn the spellings and have tested myself but I still make lots of mistakes and struggle.
I have completed the tasks but could have produced some better examples of revision and practice sheets.
Level 4
I have learnt lots of the spelling and have tested myself and although I don’t get them all right I am improving.
I have completed all of the tasks to a satisfactory standard.
Level 5
I have made a good effort to learn the spellings and have used some different strategies before testing myself.
I have produced some good examples of revision and practice sheets.
Level 6
I have worked hard to learn the spellings using different strategies and regularly test myself getting high marks.
I have produced some excellent examples of revision and practice sheets.
2) I will decide my ‘Attitude to Learning’ Grade
Attitude 1
I have completed all the tasks to a high standard and handed them in on time.
I have presented all of my work in a neat and well organised way and my handwriting is neat.
I have used a large range of revision strategies to prepare for the spelling bee.
Attitude 2
I have completed all of the tasks and handed them in on time.
I have presented each task well with thought given to my handwriting and the way I organise my work.
I have used different revision strategies to prepare for the spelling bee.
Attitude 3
I have completed all of the tasks and handed them in on time.
My project is presented in a simple and sometimes not particularly clear or organised way.
I have used only basic revision strategies to prepare for the spelling bee.
Attitude 4
I have not completed all the tasks and/or failed to hand them in on time. I have not learned the spellings.
My project is presented in a muddled or messy way with little effort given to my handwriting or my organisation.
Subject: ICT and Computing
Task: Inside a Computer and Networking
I need to bring the first half of my project to the lesson on: Friday 1st May.
My finished project has to be presented to the class on: Friday 15th May.
What do I have to include?
Task 1 – Bytes and Networks
- I must complete the work sheet on Bytes and Networks. I need to
make sure that the diagram is neatly drawn in pencil. Labels should
be neatly written in pen
Task 1 to be completed by:
Friday 24th April 2015
Task 2 – Nibbles and ASCII
- I must complete the worksheet on Nibbles and ASCII code. (Try to
write the nibbles in number order.)
Task 2 to be completed by:
Task 3 – Sir Tim!
- I must complete the worksheet about Sir Tim Berners-Lee. I must try
to write as much of this as I can in my own words.
Task 3 to be completed by:
___________________
Friday 8th May 2015
Task 4 – Browsers
- I must complete this worksheet about web browsers. I should try to
give good and bad things about at least 2 of the browsers
Task 4 to be completed by:
Friday 1st May 2015
Friday 15th May 2015
___________________
Where can I find information?


www.teach-ict.com
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize


http://webfoundation.org/about/sir-tim-berners-lee
www.asciitable.com
IF YOU ARE STUCK, YOU MUST TELL US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN HELP YOU!
Subject: ICT and Computing
Mark scheme: Inside a Computer and Networking
1) I will decide my National Curriculum Grade
Level 4
I can identify the different ways networks can be set out, and I can identify and describe various networking
equipment such as hubs, switches and routers.
I can identify people who have contributed to networking technologies and describe the role that have played.
Level 5
I understand ASCII codes and can convert a code into a letter or number.
I can explain the good points and bad points about the different web browsers.
Level 6
I can make links between network technologies and their uses in the outside world by explaining how a range of
different networks work and benefit the user.
I can explain the implications of new technologies on our lives.
2) I will decide my ‘Attitude to Learning’ Grade
Attitude 1
I have completed all the tasks to a high standard and handed them in on time.
I have presented all of my work in a neat and well organised way with a front cover and neat handwriting.
I have used a large range of resources to complete my project.
Attitude 2
I have completed all of the tasks and handed them in on time.
I have presented each task well with thought given to my handwriting and the way I organise my work.
I have used different resources to complete my project.
Attitude 3
I have completed all of the tasks and handed them in on time.
My project is presented in a simple and sometimes not particularly clear or organised way.
I have used only basic resources.
Attitude 4
I have not completed all the tasks and/or failed to hand them in on time. I have copied and pasted from a
computer.
My project is presented in a muddled or messy way with little effort given to my handwriting or my organisation.
Subject: Music
Task: The Orchestra
I need to bring the first half of my project to the lesson on:
My finished project has to be presented to the class on:
(teacher will confirm dates).
(teacher will confirm dates).
What do I have to include?
You will be creating a hand written project on the structure of the Orchestra.
Task 1 – The String Family
- Research and write in your own words about the String section from
the Orchestra.
Task 2 – The Brass family
- Research and write in your own words about the Brass section from
the Orchestra.
Task 1 to be completed by:
Friday 24th April 2015
Task 2 to be completed by:
Friday 1st May 2015
Task 3 – The Woodwind Family
- Research and write in your own words about the Woodwind section
from the Orchestra.
Task 3 to be completed by:
___________________
Friday 8th May 2015
Task 4 – The Percussion Family
- Research and write in your own words about the Percussion section
from the Orchestra.
Task 4 to be completed by:
Task 5 – The Conductor
- Research what the job of the Conductor is and what the Conductor
is responsible for.
Friday 15th May 2015
Task 5 to be completed by:
___________________
Thursday 21st May 2015
___________________
Where can I find information?
-
Moodle
Ask your teacher
Library
IF YOU ARE STUCK, YOU MUST TELL US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN HELP YOU!
Subject: Music
Mark scheme: The Orchestra
1) I will decide my National Curriculum Grade
Level 4
I can describe the families of instruments.
I can describe the role of the conductor.
Level 5
I can use words and diagrams to explain how the Conductor keeps time.
I can explain with words and diagrams the different playing techniques for each instrument.
Level 6
I can analyse how the Conductor tells different instruments when to play, and how he tells the players to play
expressively.
I can produce an extended piece of writing on one well known player of one of the family of instruments.
2) I will decide my ‘Attitude to Learning’ Grade
Attitude 1
I have completed all the tasks to a high standard and handed them in on time.
I have presented all of my work in a neat and well organised way with a front cover and neat handwriting.
I have used a large range of resources to complete my project.
Attitude 2
I have completed all of the tasks and handed them in on time.
I have presented each task well with thought given to my handwriting and the way I organise my work.
I have used different resources to complete my project.
Attitude 3
I have completed all of the tasks and handed them in on time.
My project is presented in a simple and sometimes not particularly clear or organised way.
I have used only basic resources.
Attitude 4
I have not completed all the tasks and/or failed to hand them in on time. I have copied and pasted from a
computer.
My project is presented in a muddled or messy way with little effort given to my handwriting or my organisation.