Category: Reception Blog

Well done this week to our two phonic superstars

In phonics this week, we will be continuing our learning on single sounds, special friends and Fred-talk. Some of the phonics groups will have learned all the set 1 special friends, therefore, will spend time recapping and securing the knowledge on them. The children will also be assessed, this week, for appropriate reading books. These books will be given to the children when they return from their Christmas break.

In maths this week, we will be introducing the children to 4-sided shapes. We will be looking at squares and rectangles and discussing how a square is a special type of rectangle. We will also be hunting for squares and rectangles in the environment and to see how many we can find inside and outside of the classroom. We will also be learning about night and day and the children will be sorting the types of activities and routines they do at night time and in the day time.

In the wider curriculum, we will be reading Christmas stories and discussing different traditions families take part in, during Christmas time. We will be asking the children what traditions are important to them and their families. We will be talking about how spending time with our families and giving to others, is just as as important as receiving gifts at Christmas time.

The children are very excited to perform their first Nativity to you all, this week. They have been working so hard practising the songs and their roles. Please remember to bring your masks with you, as you will not be allowed to watch your child without one.

Have a great week!

The Reception team

The children had a fantastic time at the farm, yesterday! They fed the animals, met Santa and listened to and performed the Nativity story! We would like to say a very big well done to all of the children for behaving so well at the farm, they showed great resilience and maturity throughout the day.

In phonics this week, we will be continuing our Read Write Inc learning and ‘special friends’. The children will be sent home their special friend sound cards, on Friday. Try and practise these as much as you can at home.

In maths this week, we will be continuing our learning on 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. We will be focusing on adding and taking away from these numbers. We will be singing the song ‘5 green bottles’ and discussing how each time a bottle falls off the wall, we are taking one away. In pairs, the children will have the opportunity to create their own nursery rhyme about adding one more. We will ask the children to try and link their song to the trip to the farm e.g. ‘one pig was rolling in the mud’. When the children have practised their song they will have the opportunity to perform it to the rest of the class.

In the wider curriculum this week, we will be looking at different stories about the farm and comparing and contrasting the different texts. We will also be creating our small world into a farm and giving the children an opportunity to delve deeper into their learning of the animals and farm environment. We will also be rehearsing our Nativity in the hall for the first time, this week. The children will also be assigned their role and speaking parts.

Have a great week!

The reception team

In phonics this week, the children will be recapping the single sounds that they have already learned and writing them down using the correct letter formation. Some of the children will be learning/recapping ‘special friends’ (two letters that represent one sound) . They will be using these ‘special friends’ in some words and Fred-talk. The children will also be using their word time to spell out letters, either by writing them down or using magnetic letters, depending on their phonics group. The children will be asked to use their ‘Fred fingers’ to count the sounds and then to pinch each sound (finger) to help them spell the word.

In maths this week, we will be learning the different ways we can represent 4 and 5. We will be reading stories to the children about numbers in the environment, such as buttons and candles on a birthday cake. We will also be making links between numbers and shapes – a square has 4 sides, this is another way we can represent the number 4. The children will be using unifix cubes to create as many shapes as they can with 4 and 5 cubes. We will be discussing what they notice and any patterns they can find between the numbers.

In the wider curriculum this week, we will be learning about the Christmas story and why many people celebrate Christmas, all over the world. We will be linking this to our Nativity play and how we are re-enacting the story of when Jesus was born. We will also be asking the children whether they would like to speak in the play and assigning roles and lines to the children. We will be rehearsing our Nativity script and songs throughout the week, so you may find the children singing along to the songs at home!

A reminder, it is non-school uniform for the chocolate tombola on Thursday 25th November and teacher day on Friday 26th November, so the children will not be coming to school.

Farm trip Monday 29th November – children can come to school in their own clothes for the farm. We do ask that the children are wrapped up as warm as possible, as it can get very cold during the day. Children can wear wellies, however, the duration of the trip will be on hard ground and we are hoping to access the playground at some point during the day, so the children may find this difficult if wearing wellies. Thick socks and sensible walking shoes are more than sufficient for the trip. Any other questions regarding the trip, please ask a member of staff.

Have a great week!

The Reception team

We are all very excited to open our new outdoor area to the children! The children have observed the progress of the new playground and have been waiting patiently to finally be able to explore and learn using the new facilities. We will be discussing how the children need to use the equipment safely, sensibly and to wait their turn.

In phonics this week, we will be continuing our learning in our different phonics groups. Some of the children will be recapping the sounds they have already learned and ensuring they are secure with the sounds, before moving on to any new sounds. Other phonics groups will be finishing the single letter sounds ‘z’ and ‘x’. We will also be introducing some of the children to ‘special friends’. Special friends are sounds which have 2 or 3 letters representing them e.g. ch, sh, th.

In maths this week, we are introducing shapes and their properties. We will be starting this topic, identifying circles and triangles. We will be discussing what a triangle and circle need to have and how we can turn the shape in different ways, but it will always stay the same shape. We will also be identifying shapes the environment. We will be hunting for shapes inside and outside of the classroom and creating a chart to see how many triangles and circles we can find!

In the wider curriculum, we will be discussing how we can be a good friend. We will be looking at different stories based around friendships and how the characters behave friendly/unfriendly. We will be asking the children how they think they can be a good friend?

Reminder, that the children can come to school on Friday 19th in non-uniform, in support of Children in Need. If all children that take part could bring in £1 donation, it will be a huge help for the charity and the amazing work they do for children that are in need.

Have a fabulous week!

The Reception team

In phonics this week, the children will be continuing their set group objectives. Some of the phonics groups will be focusing on recapping the sounds they have already learned and using Fred-Talk to blend sounds together to make the word. The children will need to be secure in their sounds before moving on. Other phonics groups will be learning the sounds ‘j’, ‘r’, ‘v’, ‘y’ and ‘w’. The children will be learning how to say the new sound and how to write it down using the correct letter formation. The children will also be using the sounds they have learned to create simple CVC words. In our daily handwriting, the children will start to write simple captions such as, ‘a cat sat’. We will be introducing fingers spaces and why they are important when we write.

In maths this week, we will be continuing our learning of 1, 2 and 3. This week, we will be focusing on more and less than, matching the numeral to the amount of objects and adding 1 more. The children will be playing the ‘more than card game’ and ‘splat the match’. We will also be playing the bean bag game, where the children will be throwing 3 beanbags into the hoop and adding up how many they managed to get in. They will then be comparing their scores with their partner – who got the most points?

In the wider curriculum this week, we will be talking about how we are all different. We will also be discussing the different celebrations we have been learning about and how some of us celebrate them and others do not. The children will be given the opportunity to discuss what they are good at and how we can all be good at different things.

On Thursday, we will be learning about Remembrance Day and the importance of why we remember all the brave men and women that gave their lives, so we could live the life we do today. We will also be discussing the significance of the poppy and why people wear them in honour of Remembrance Day.

Have a fabulous week!

The Reception team