Welcome to Reception,

Please note: If your child does not bring back their guided reading book on a Wednesday, they will not be able to take home a new book on Friday. 

We are in the market for any cultural costumes for our role play area. We have lots of princess dresses, firemen outfits, police etc. If you do have any clothes that your child may have grown out of or know of someone who may have some that they may be sending to charity etc, please send them our way!

Click on the link below to help you learn all the Phase 2 and Phase 3 sounds with your child. Click on the ‘video’ tab at the top of the webpage to help you find what you are looking for. 

Mr Thorne phonics

Each week we will update this class page to inform you of the topics, phonics and number work introduced that week. We would like to tell you your children have settled very well into their routines, are enjoying making new friends and exploring their new environment. 

Week Beginning 03.10.16

Phonics: s, a, t. We introduced the sound the letter makes and the letter formation using the Monkfrith cursive script.

Maths: We practised counting to 10, ordering and recognising numbers to 6 and forming the numeral shape.

Topic: Children from both classes were particularly interested in creating their own pirate ship for role play and also enjoyed making kites in the creative area.

Week Beginning 10.10.16

Phonics: p, i, n. We introduced the sound the letter makes and the letter formation using the Monkfrith cursive script. We have started to segment and blend the 6 sounds learnt so far using ‘robot arms’ making words like pit, sip and tap.

Maths: We practised counting to and back from 10. We then recapped our numerals to 6 and introduced the numicon pieces to match. In the following lesson the children practised counting the holes in each piece, discussing the colours used and handling and feeling the different numicon pieces.

Topic: This week the children created a Fire Station in our outside area. Dressed up in role they worked in teams using the crates and climbing equipment to create their own fire engine and tools!

Week Beginning 17.10.16

Phonics: g, o, m. We introduced the sound the letter makes and the letter formation using the Monkfrith cursive script. We have now started segmenting and blending using the 9 letters introduced so far and the children have worked really hard to read words like sit, pig and top.

Maths: We practised counting to and back from 10. We recapped the different numicon pieces and their values and colours and then introduced the 7, 8, 9 and 10 pieces. We then asked for volunteers to count a number of items from a larger group to represent different numicon pieces to 10. In a lesson later in the week we practised our number formation reminding children that their numbers always start from the top!

PE: We had our first PE lesson on Tuesday and we were delighted with how it went! The children coped really well changing their socks, tights and shoes and taking off their own jumpers and cardigans. We encouraged all children to change independently and they coped really well! Thank you for all your practise at home and sorry for any back to front items of clothing…it was all their own work! The lesson itself focused on their understanding of space and how to move around the hall safely and sensibly in different ways, their listening skills were super!

IF YOU HAVE ANY OLD/ODD/UNWANTED SOCKS PLEASE SEND THEM IN IN YOUR CHILD’S BOOKBAG…WE WILL BE USING THEM FOR A MATHS ACTIVITY IN THE COMING WEEKS! THANK YOU!

Week Beginning 31.10.16

Phonics: c, k, ck. This week we learnt that the sounds c and k look different but sound the same. We also learnt that the c and k can sometimes be found at the end of words together like in sick, lick or tick. We practised all sounds using the Monkfrith script. We also learnt the high frequency words to and the. We practised reading them as a class and then did some shared reading identifying them within a sentence.

Maths: Our focus this week has been 2d shapes. We learnt the shape names (circle, triangle, square and rectangle) and then had a go at spotting these shapes in our learning environment. The children were amazing at spotting shapes in our outside area, looking at tyres, the climbing frame and the home corner for inspiration and inside they worked hard using the k-nex and geoboards to form the shapes in different ways. We all revised our numicon pieces to 10, identified the colour of each piece and held up the corresponding number of fingers.

Topic: This week the children really enjoyed creating their own police station in the outside area using crates and bricks. They were also able to construct their own obstacle course using tyres and planks to practise their gross motor skills.

PLEASE DON’T FORGET NEXT WEEK IS PLAY AND STAY! RR’S PLAY AND STAY WILL BE ON TUESDAY THE 8TH OF NOVEMBER AND RC’S WILL BE ON THURSDAY THE 10TH. ON THE DAY IF YOU COULD DROP YOUR CHILDREN OFF AT THE NORMAL TIME AND JUST WAIT OUTSIDE FOR 5 MINUTES WHILE WE SETTLE AND REGISTER THE CHILDREN AND THEN WE WILL BE READY TO WELCOME YOU IN! LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL THERE.

Week Beginning 07.11.16

Phonics: h,u, r. We introduced the sounds the letters makes and the letter formation using the Monkfrith cursive script. We also practised segmenting and blending words using a range of sounds taught so far. For example h-a-m, u-p, p-a-ck, t-i-p, r-a-t. We revised the tricky words taught so far (to, the, and) We then introduced I, no and go and practiced reading them on their own and also identifying them within a sentence.

Maths: We have covered a variety of skills in maths this week due to our play and stay activities however in class we learnt how to count an irregular arrangement of objects to 10, selecting or writing the correct numeral to match. We also practised our number formation from 1-6!

Play and Stay: Thank you for the fantastic attendance at our maths play and stay morning. It was simply a chance for you to get an insight into how we teach and learn about maths at school through a range of practical activities using everyday items. The children loved having you here and we had really positive feedback so thank you for making it a success!

Week Beginning 14.11.16

Phonics: l, b, f. We introduced the sound the letter makes and the letter formation using the Monkfrith cursive script. We recapped the tricky words I, go, no, to, the and had a go at recognising and reading the ORT character names including mum, dad, Biff, Chip, Kipper and Floppy. Through shared reading we also reminded children of the high frequency word ‘and’ aswell as enjoying class discussion on the features of different book using terms such as author, illustrator, blurb and front cover.

Maths: This week we learnt about different types of pattern and how to recognise what was being repeated or changed and then how to create one of our own. The children were fantastic at spotting various patterns focusing on colour, shape, different objects or gender and were able to make and draw some of the their own! Later in the week we also worked on estimation. We introduced the concept as ‘a sensible guess’ and both classes were fantastic at estimating how many objects were in each container and checking by counting the objects carefully. We also had a go at using maths vocabulary such as fewer, less than, more than or the most to describe and compare the varying amounts.

Topic: Our Topic over the coming weeks will be ‘Healthy Bodies’. This week we have focussed on different food we can eat to keep us healthy. With the children we named and described both familiar and unfamiliar fruits, what they look like, where they come from and why they are an important part of our diets. We linked our maths and topic work and the children had so much fun making (and eating) fruit kebabs and talking about the patterns they had created!

Week Beginning 21.11.16

Phonics: ff, ss, ll. This week we learnt that sometimes two of the same letter are found at the end of words ‘holding hands’. We explained that these letters, although there are two of them, only make 1 sound ‘f’ ‘s’ or ‘l’ and we practised forming these sounds as well as recognising and reading them within words (for example till, Biff, miss)

Maths: As part of our ‘Healthy Bodies’ topic we have set up a fruit and vegetable market stall in our outside area so we thought it would be great idea to begin learning about money. We started by talking about what money is used for and throughout the week have introduced the coins up to 10p, discussed the difference between silver and bronze and thought about each coins value using numicon. Finally the children practised buying different objects using the coins to make an amount.

Topic: Carrying on with our ‘Healthy Bodies’ topic this week we focussed on vegetables. We used a big book during carpet time to generate discussion about which vegetables the children could name and also spoke about where these vegetables could be found and the difference between raw and cooked foods! We have also discussed the importance of a balance diet using vocabulary such as vitamins, calcium, sugar, fats, protein and carbohydrates.

A big thank you to all who attended our Reception coffee morning! It was great to see you there and catch up with you about your lovely children!

 

Week Beginning 28.11.16

Phonics: e, d. We introduced the sound the letter makes and the letter formation using the Monkfrith cursive script. We have been word building with a range of sounds taught so far making cvc words (for example tip or lit)

Maths: This week we have been working on recognising, forming and understanding the value of teen numbers. We worked on understanding the value using numicon, starting with a ten piece and adding a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9.

Topic: We have carried on discussing what makes a healthy and balanced diet. We discussed the difference between brown and white rice and made toast with brown bread discussing the health benefits.

Week Beginning 28.11.16

Phonics: This week we recapped the sounds k,ck,e,u,r,h,b,f,l,ll, ss and used them to word build (rub, fell, luck) We also had a go at building cvc words using b and d as children in both classes were confusing the two sounds. We also had a go at reading simple captions using the words to, the, no, go and I.

Maths: Our focus this week has been recognising and counting using teen numbers. In class we made a human number line and used language like 1 more, 1 less, before or after to see which numbers were missing and what order to put them in. We also continued working on number formation from 1-10. Later in the week we recapped 3d shape naming everyday objects and then introduced property vocabulary such as vertices, faces and edges in order to describe the shapes.

Science: This week Aria’s mum came to visit reception to demonstrate and teach us how to make our own cameras. Using tissue boxes, greaseproof paper, toilet roll tubes and foil reception worked in small teams to create their very own cameras. A big thank you to Aria’s mum for her time. The children really enjoyed the experience.

A few reminders!

– When choosing to go outside or at the end of the day the vast majority of children in both classes are unable to do up their own zips. Please could you practise this with your child so they can stay warm and be independent!

– Thank you for all of the recycled materials, boxes, bottles etc that you have been sending in. Please keep them coming in the new year!

– We are starting to prepare for our nativity performance and thank you very much for all of the lovely costumes. If you haven’t sent your child’s outfit in please do so in a named carrier bag as soon as possible.

Week Beginning 12.11.16

Phonics: This week we have recapped all sounds taught so far and used them to word build (m-e-n-d, f-i-n, m-u-ck)

Maths: We have been working on recognising and ordering numbers to 20. The children were able to spot missing numbers and use mathematics vocabulary (after, between, before) to describe how they knew which number was missing)

This week we have been rehearsing for our nativity and the children have been so well behaved and can not wait to perform to you all! Thank you for the wonderful costumes and we look forward to seeing you all there next week!

We have collected all pink books now until after Christmas when we will start to introduce new sounds. However, still continue to practise the sounds taught so far using the Monkfrith cursive script as well as the high frequency words we sent home. 

As from today your children will not be bringing home any school reading books until the new year.

We have had a wonderful Autumn term and look forward to lots more exciting learning in Spring! Have a wonderful Christmas and we wish you all a happy new year from the EYFS team!

 

Happy new year to you all!

We hope you all had a lovely Christmas break and wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for the very kind Christmas cards and generous gifts! They were much appreciated!

09.01.16

Phonics: This week we have taught the sounds v, j, w. We practiced the formation of these letters and the children were able to think of words with these initial sounds. The children also recorded simple sentences using the tricky word I to discuss what they got at Christmas time.

Maths: This week we have had a big emphasis on counting up to and beyond 20. We have used the numicon to reinforce the value of the numbers and used number lines with missing numbers to encourage children to talk about their knowledge of number and how they know what comes before or after. We also used the numicon to talk about the value of numbers from 11-20.

Topic: Some of the children across both classes were interested in hairdressing and the different aspects of the business. In light of this we set up a hairdressers role play area complete with reception desk, waiting area, mirrors, highlighting tools and a sink and the children have absolutely loved taking on the different roles building up friendships and use of different vocabulary.

16.01.17

Phonics: This week we have taught the sounds x, y and z.  We practiced the formation of these letters and the children were able to think of words with these initial sounds. We recapped our tricky words taught so far and also introduced the word went for spelling. It is often a word that children use in their writing but is commonly spelt incorrectly.

Maths: This week we have focused on measuring length and height. The children were asked to solve problems involving length and were able to order 2 to 3 objects.

Topic: This week we introduced our transport topic. We discussed what transport meant and then spoke about different forms of travel on land. The children were able to think of a number of ways to travel on land from the DLR to a scooter! We shared a number of non-fiction books and the children were keen to recreate their favourite form of travel using construction materials.

23.01.17

Phonics: As always we have revisited and reviewed all sounds taught so far and then introduced the sound q. Then, having taught all of the phonemes (the smallest unit of sound in speech) we have now moved on to teaching digraphs (a combination of two letters representing one sound.) Our digraphs this week are sh, ch and th and with each new digraph we teach an action and a rhyme. sh = shiny ship ch = chopping chips and th = thick and thin. We have also introduced 3 new tricky words we, me and be and the children have practiced using them in sentences.

Maths: This week during our choosing time we have included lots of counting activities with numbers 1-20 were we have modelled and then encouraged children to count using 1-1 correspondence.  We have then moved on to introducing addition through practical activities. Using the language altogether, total, equals and add we have asked children to physically put two groups of objects together in practical activities. We will let you know when we introduce the mathematical symbols.

Topic: We have continued with our transport topic and thinking about travelling on land. We have had read the book ‘Naughty Bus’ with a focus on travelling and adventure using a bus and are in the process of developing a travel agents in our role play area. If you have anything you could provide for a travel agents we would be very grateful for donations!

NB: On occasion your child may have brought home a guided reading book they have previously read. This may be due to a different objective being covered in our guided reading sessions. Children often read a book more than once because they enjoy it and have grown in confidence and ability! 

Week Beginning: 30.01/17

Phonics: As always we have revisited and reviewed all sounds taught so far including the digraphs from last week. We then introduced 3 new digraphs with rhymes and actions. ng = thing on a string ai = snail in the rain and ee = see the knee! We have practiced recognising all three within words and forming them during handwriting sessions. This week we have also introduced the high frequency word ‘was’ and practiced writing it in a sentence.

Maths: Following on from last weeks work on addition we revisited the idea of grouping objects together in practical activities to find a total. We also introduced how to record using different types of markings. For example if we had two groups of 3 items we modelled how to record 3 dots and another 3 dots and count to find how many altogether. We have also learnt about ordinal numbers and linked our maths work to our topic book ‘Naughty Bus’ We have also started counting in tens using numicon.

Topic: Still thinking of different forms of transport and how they link to our emergency services we were lucky enough to have a visit from firefighter Gav! Please ask your child about our special visitor and what they learnt from the session. A big thank you to Gav for giving up his time from the reception team!

As the children gain so much from these visits are there any other parents that would like to come and share information on their profession?

A couple of notes….

From now on could all birthday invitations be distributed before or after school as staff are very busy and it is difficult to find time for this extra task. 

We have noticed there are lots of large keyrings/attachments on the children’s book bags. We would appreciate the removal of these as they make it difficult for adults when sorting letters and books into your child’s book bags and often become lost causing upset.

Can we also remind you to keep a check of what is in your child’s book bag removing and sorting any old or out of date items. 

Thank you!

Week Beginning: 06/02/17

Phonics: As always we have revisited and reviewed all sounds taught so far including the digraphs from last week. We then introduced 2 new digraphs and 1 trigraph all with rhymes and actions …. igh = night, night, sleep tight oo (long) = poo at the zoo  oo (short) = look at a book and oa = goat in a boat. We have practiced recognising all three within words and forming them during handwriting sessions. We also loved our shared reading lessons this week and were able to make predictions about what might happen next in the story.

Maths: This week we have been thinking about using language related to time. We discussed what we do in the morning, afternoon, evening and at night and also used the vocabulary yesterday, today and tomorrow. We have been learning the days of the week and singing them in the correct order to the tune of ‘The Adams Family.’

Topic: After our visit from firefighter Gav the children developed an interest in different occupations and ways of life. They set up their own doctors surgery and several police officers have been on duty and checking everything is in order in our classroom!

We even had a visit from a real doctor…Emily’s mum came in to speak to us about how she cares for people and her role as an obstetrician and gynaecologist.

This prompted the children to set up their very own hospital for babies in our outside area!

                         

Since the Christmas break we have introduced a carousel of morning activities in order to target different areas of the children’s learning. These activities take place straight after the morning register for around 20 minutes. The activities remain the same each week and the children will have the opportunity to complete all jobs on a weekly rota. During  the week all children will take part in guided reading, gross motor activities outside, handwriting, independent reading/story time and dough gym. Take a look at our morning learning… 

Thank you to all who attended our coffee morning, it was lovely to see you and catch up!

 

Week Beginning: 21/02/17

Phonics: As always we have revisited and reviewed all sounds taught so far including the digraphs from last week. We then introduced 3 new digraphs all with rhymes and actions …. ur = nurse with purse ar =  start the car or = shut the door. We have practiced recognising all three digraphs within words and practiced forming them during handwriting sessions. This week we learnt how to read and write the tricky words my and you using them in our guided writing sessions.

Maths: This week have discussed what subtraction means using the vocabulary less than, take away, total, how many are left and subtract. We sung songs including 10 green bottles, 5 little men and 5 speckled frogs to help the children understand the concept of something being taken away and then used practical activities to support this. As always we continued to practice counting in ones and counting in tens.

Topic: Over the next few weeks we will be introducing the text ‘Handa’s Surprise’ and through this we will be thinking about where we live in comparison to environments found in different countries.

Week Beginning: 27/02/17

Phonics: As always we have revisited and reviewed all sounds taught so far including the digraphs from last week. We then introduced 2 new digraphs and 1 new trigraph all with rhymes and actions …. oi = point to the coin ow =  How now brown cow? ear = hear with your ear. We have practiced recognising all three sounds within words and practiced forming them during handwriting sessions. This week we learnt how to read and write the tricky word they and used it to write sentences about our topic Handa’s Surprise.

Maths: This week we have been looking at the concept more than. We have used key vocabulary such as 1 more, more than, total and count on and practised finding one more than a given number using practical resources and number lines. We have taken our learning outside by jumping along a large number line to find one more, developing our gross motor skills at the same time.

Topic: This week we are looking at the setting of our text Handa’s Surprise and the environment that Handa and her friend Akeyo live in. We are comparing the houses in their village to the houses around our school.

Week Beginning: 06/03/17

Phonics: As always we have revisited and reviewed all sounds taught so far including the digraphs and trigraphs from last week. We then introduced 2 new trigraphs and 1 new digraph all with rhymes and actions …. er = Better letter air =  Thats not fair! ure = Are you sure its pure? We have practiced recognising all three sounds within words and practiced forming them during handwriting sessions. During our guided writing session we used picture prompts from the story to write a sentence and tried really hard to use some digraphs and trigraphs when spelling words.

Maths: This week we have been looking at the concept less than. We have used key vocabulary such as 1 less, less than and count back and practised finding one less than a given number using practical resources and number lines.

Topic: The children have thoroughly enjoyed our Handa’s Surprise topic so far. This week we have drawn around templates to create wild animal masks and the children have used them for role play acting out the story. On Friday we will be fruit tasting and discussing the difference between sweet and bitter and textures of different fruits.

Week Beginning: 13/03/17

Phonics: This week we have been revisiting and revising the digraphs oo, oa, ai, or, ur and ow. We have have recapped our rhymes and actions for these sounds and then thought very carefully about letter formation and handwriting. We have introduced writing the sounds on lines and have also started to practice our joins.

Maths: This week we have been recapping coin values (1p, 2p, 5p and 10p) We stuck the coin to the corresponding piece of numicon to reinforce their value and then asked the children what coins they would need to make small totals (3p/4p/5p). We have also touched on position movement and language, programming the bee bots to move around Handa’s village. In addition to this we have also recapped 2d shape names and properties and then used various 2d shapes to create symmetrical patterns and pictures.

Topic: This is our final week of our Handa’s Surprise topic. We begun the week thinking of adjectives to describe various wild animals and recorded them during our guided writing session. We also discussed life in Africa commenting on similarities and differences with regards to clothing, food, landscape, animals and housing.

A few notes…..

In the coming weeks we will be discussing the seasons, months of the year and birthdays. Could you please send in a picture of your child as a baby so we can discuss growing up and the things we weren’t able to do but can now as we begin to grow and develop. PLEASE NAME ALL PHOTOGRAPHS AND NOTE WHICH MONTH THEY WERE BORN IN! 

After Easter we will also be working on telling the time and thinking about the use of clocks and watches. If you have any old watches or clocks that you do NOT want back please send them in for the children to investigate and explore!

With the Easter holidays fast approaching and our current learning in mind please encourage your children to handle and name coins in everyday contexts. Get them to ‘play shops’ with items costing up to 10p or whilst shopping talk to them about prices and costs of various items. In addition you will notice that we are sending new, lined handwriting books home. Please refer to the example in the book as a model of the Monkfrith script and how to join letters! Enjoy!

Week Beginning: 20/03/17

Phonics: This week we have been revisiting and revising the digraphs qu, oa, er, ur,oi and ar. We have have recapped our rhymes and actions for these sounds and then thought very carefully about letter formation and handwriting. We have continued writing on lines and practising our joins. This week we also asked children to write about their weekend. They practised writing sentences on lines using finger spaces, full stops and capital letters.

Maths: This week we have been thinking about how the year is divided up into seasons and months. We started the week talking about the four different seasons and how we know which season we are in according to the weather, planting, growing, clothing or celebrations. The children helped us to sort different props according to the seasons giving reasons for their choices. We then spoke about the 12 months of the year and sang a song to help us remember the order…click on the link to sing along! —->  Months of the year song. We also spoke about which month we were born in and used language such as older, younger, before, after, soon or next creating a pictogram to compare our birthdays with people we know. Finally we made ‘Numicon sandwiches’ to practice our bonds to 10. The two blue 10 pieces were our bread and we selected fillings to put inside which totalled 10. EG – 1 piece of cheese (yellow piece = 3) and 1 piece of ham (pink piece = 7) makes 10!

Don’t forget to send your child back after the Easter break with their PE kits. This should consist of a white Monkfrith t-shirt, blue shorts and a pair of plimsolls. 

Week Beginning: 27/03/17

Phonics: This week we have been revisiting and revising the digraphs sh, ch, th and ng. We have have recapped our rhymes and actions for these sounds and then thought very carefully about letter formation and handwriting. We have continued writing on lines and practising our joins. This week we have also introduced the high frequency words put and said. The children had a go at identifying them in a sentence and wrote them on their whiteboards.

Maths: This week we continued to work on our bonds to 10, thinking of all the different combinations and ways to total 10. The children have been introduced to the + and = signs and have been encouraged to use these when recording their number sentences. We have also touched on estimation, explaining that to estimate means to make a sensible guess.  We put several objects in a see through pot and asked children to make an estimation. We then got the children to problem solve asking them to estimate how many glass beads, pine cones or stones they might need to complete a pattern or to make a shape.

Cooking: This week the children have loved baking Easter biscuits. They worked well in small teams to read recipes, weigh ingredients and combine the mixture using their hands. They were then able to recount the process writing their own recipes and instructions. I am sure your children would thoroughly enjoy experiencing this process at home as well!

Just another reminder…Could you please send in a picture of your child as a baby so we can discuss growing up and the things we weren’t able to do but can now as we begin to grow and develop. PLEASE NAME ALL PHOTOGRAPHS AND NOTE WHICH MONTH THEY WERE BORN IN! THESE NEED TO BE IN SCHOOL BY TUESDAY THE 18TH APRIL! WILL BE USING THEM FOR OUR WRITING ON TUESDAY AS OUR NEW TOPIC IS ‘OURSELVES’

Thank you!

 

Week Beginning: 17/04/17

Phonics: At the beginning of all of our phonics lessons we are reinforcing all digraphs and trigraphs covered in phase four of the Letters and Sounds document. We are then using these in words to blend for reading and segment for spelling.

Maths: This week we have revisited 3D shapes. We started by reminding ourselves of the names of some 3D shapes including a cone, cylinder, cube, cuboid, pyramid and a sphere. As our learning developed we discussed the different properties of the shapes using vocabulary such as vertices, faces and edges. New high frequency words introduced said, that, for, so.

Topic: We have been thinking about ourselves and our feelings. We loved sharing a baby photos and guessing who’s baby photo belonged to who (with surprising success  We were also able to discuss similarities and differences comparing ourselves as babies and now as grown up boys and girls!

Week Beginning: 24/04/17

Phonics: At the beginning of all of our phonics lessons we are reinforcing all digraphs and trigraphs covered in phase four of the Letters and Sounds document. We are then using these in words to blend for reading and segment for spelling. New high frequency words introduced like, have, some, come

Maths: This week we have been practising our subtraction skills. We discussed the different vocabulary for subtraction (minus, take away, less than) and practiced taking away practically using various objects. We later introduced the subtraction sign and modelled how to form take away number sentences using – and =

Topic: We have been thinking about ourselves and our feelings. We really enjoyed sharing several big books on how we might feel at certain times. We discussed what each feeling means,  what it makes our bodies do and when we might feel a certain way.

WE HOPE YOU ALL HAD A FANTASTIC HALF TERM BREAK AND IT WAS LOVELY TO SEE YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN BACK AT SCHOOL THIS WEEK! 

Week Beginning: 05/05/17

Phonics: At the beginning of all of our phonics lessons we are reinforcing all digraphs and trigraphs covered in phase four of the Letters and Sounds document. We are then using these in words to blend for reading and segment for spelling. We have also read the children a simple sentence using these words and asked them to record it on their whiteboards. This week we have recapped a number of high frequency words already taught using flashcards.

Maths: This week we have focused on coin recognition up to £2. We discussed the difference in size, colour and value of each of the coins and thought about which was worth the least and the most. This carpet session was followed up with a coin rubbing activity. Also linked with our history week topic we spoke about creating patterns in order to make brooches and necklaces just like the Queen’s. The children were able to think about how many beads were required, the colours and shapes used and whether their brooch was symmetrical.

Topic: It is history week and our topic is Queen Elizabeth II. We began our week with some role play…one of the teachers dressed as the Queen and the children had to think carefully about what questions to ask in order to guess her name! We then discussed the Queen’s role and together found out some amazing facts and information! Throughout the week the children have taken on various roles including Queens, kings, soldiers, foot guards, gardeners and chefs. Both classes were really interested in where the Queen lives and were keen to use their new found knowledge to build their very own palace or castle. They also used oil pastels and chalk to draw portraits of her majesty and made their own bunting and flags. The children have also made scones in small groups for our tea party on Friday! What a fabulously informative and royal week! Please talk to your children and build on their growing knowledge and interests.

CAN WE PLEASE REMIND ALL PARENTS NOT TO LET THEIR CHILDREN CLIMB ON OR USE OUR WONDERFUL NEW APPARATUS AND AREAS OUTSIDE RECEPTION AND YEAR 1 BEFORE OR AFTER SCHOOL! THANK YOU.

Week Beginning: 12/06/17

Phonics: At the beginning of all of our phonics lessons we are reinforcing all digraphs and trigraphs covered in phase four of the Letters and Sounds document. We are then using these in words to blend for reading and segment for spelling. We have also read the children a simple sentence using these words and asked them to record it on their whiteboards. This week we have introduced two syllable words and learnt a song all about sticking two words together to make a new one. Here are some examples…greenhouse, lunchbox, bookshelf, raincoat and beanbag.

Maths: We have been measuring length this week. We spoke to the children about the different vocabulary used to measure length and asked them to problem solve and explore using a range of materials including ribbon, sugar cubes and beads. The children were fantastic at describing the varying lengths using the appropriate vocabulary – short, shorter, shortest, long, longer, longest and equal. Later in the week the children loved standing in paint to make their own footprints and then used them to create and measure a trail outside.

New climbing structure/textiles kitchen: We were able to open our amazing new climbing structure and textiles kitchen this week and the children have absolutely loved it! They used all areas to develop their gross motor skills and core strength and were able to use their imagination and knowledge of the world to create campsites and make their own potions!

Week Beginning: 19/06/17

Phonics: At the beginning of all of our phonics lessons we are reinforcing all digraphs and trigraphs covered in phase four of the Letters and Sounds document. We are then using these in words to blend for reading and segment for spelling. We have also read the children a simple sentence using these words and asked them to record it on their whiteboards. This week we have recapped our trigraphs  ear and air. We recapped our rhymes and actions and then asked the children to read and write this words in a simple sentence.

Maths: This week we have been identifying, discussing and making different patterns. We have created a pattern den in class and offered different media and materials for children to create their own patterns.

Sports Day: All children enjoyed our sports day and we will continue working on gross motor skills in our outside area! A big thank you to 6LD for all of their help and encouragement. We hope you enjoyed the morning as much as we did!