Author: Mrs Wood

Welcome back! We hope you had a great holiday.

This term in Reception, our themes will be ‘Fire and Ice’, ‘Superheroes’ and  ‘Chinese New Year’.

Frozen planet
Our return to school often coincides with frosty weather. We use this as a stimulus for learning. As a scientist, your child will investigate ice: making it and melting it. They will use their senses to describe how the weather has changed and the effects on their environment. Linking to Geography, your child will find out which are the coldest regions on Earth, using globes or maps of the world. They’ll learn about animals which live in these places and what it’s like to live there.

Superheroes
This theme is all about different superheroes! At first, your child will use their imagination to create their own fictional superhero stories using small world resources to develop their ideas. Your child will then learn that superheroes are in their lives every day.  Developing their drama skills, they’ll take on the role of doctors, paramedics and police during role-play times. Your child will also consider what makes them special, learning how important and individual we all are.

Chinese New Year
This theme takes place during the week that Chinese New Year occurs each year. As a geographer, your child will find China on a globe or world map. They will find out about the story relating to Chinese New Year, learning about customs and traditions. They will watch dragon dances and create their own versions of these with their friends.

Phonics

We will continue to learn digraphs(two letters that make one sound) in phonics. This week the new phonemes are sh and ch.  The children will be learning how to blend plurals eg cats, naps, hits.

Literacy

The children will be encouraged to continue to use their phonic knowledge to write labels and captions for their drawings. They will begin to write sentences.

These are the main books we will be reading and retelling this half term.

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson

Supertato by Paul Linnet and Sue Hendra

Maths

The children will be encouraged to continue representing quantities in different ways, including by showing amounts on 1 hand ‘all at once’. There will also be a new focus on the symbolic representation of number and the children will work on their recognition of numerals to 5, matching numerals to correct quantities in various games.
They will play games which involve counting on and use  number tracks (with numbers placed in equal spaces in ascending order) to play dice-based games. Playing games with dice will consolidate the children’s understanding of the stable order of numbers.

Why not play some board games at home?

The last two weeks of the term are always really busy. As we head towards Christmas we will begin our mini-topic of Christmas by decorating our home corner.

Phonics

This week we will learn the phonemes z, qu and ch.  The children will be taught the term ‘digraph’- two letters making one sound.

We are really impressed with how well the children are doing with their phonics learning. Please keep practising the phonemes and listening to your child read at home.

Literacy

The class have been enjoying listening to Julia Donaldson stories and talking about their favourites.

Christmas events

Guess how many ‘reindeer poos’ are in the jar.

The children have seen the jar and have made some guesses about how many ‘reindeer poos’ they think there are. You can enter the competition on the app.

The children enjoyed making potions in our ‘Potions Lab.’

We made a bubbling potion and children watched what happened when we mixed some magic ingredients (bicarbonate of soda and vinegar) together.

Phonics

This week we will be learning the phonemes j, v, w, x. Please continue to read with your child at home. They have read their reading book three times before bringing it home. Extra reading will increase their confidence.

This week’s story is ‘Room on the broom’ by Julia Donaldson. The children will invent a new character for the story.

Maths

We are continuing to investigate the composition of numbers to 5 as well as learning to count to higher numbers.

We will be comparing size, mass and capacity and using the language heavier, lighter, taller, shorter.

This week we start our mini-topic-‘It’s magic’.

Our roleplay area has been transformed into a witch’s kitchen based on the fantastic book, ‘What’s in the witch’s kitchen’ by Nick Sharratt.

The children will be scientists this week making their own potions and observing what happens when different ingredients are mixed together.

Phonics

We have finished the first sets of letters and will be recapping them this week. Please continue to practise blending and segmenting words at home and learning the tricky words to, the, I, no, go, into. When we teach these words,  we look at which part of the word is ‘tricky’.  The children can still use their phonic knowledge to decode them.

Maths

We are continuing to investigate the number 5 and learning which numbers can be used to make 5.

We will also be investigating capacity and building on children’s understanding of full, empty, half full, nearly full and nearly empty.

They will make direct comparisons by pouring from one container to another and indirect comparisons by counting how many pots it takes to fill each container.

Expressive arts and design

Last week the children looked at ‘The Starry Night’ by Vincent Van Gogh and produced their own version using a printing technique.

Don’t forget our drop-in session on Wednesday.

We look forward to seeing you all.

This week is World Nursery Rhyme Week.

A nursery rhyme is a simple traditional poem or song for children. They date back to the late 1700s when the earliest versions were lullabies that mothers would sing to their babies.

Learning and singing nursery rhymes is beneficial for:

• boosting vocabulary and language development
•  helping children  develop literacy skills
•  providing a fun way to support early numeracy skills
•  helping children develop social, physical and emotional skills

We will be learning five nursery rhymes.

Sleeping bunnies, Incy Wincy Spider, Wind the bobbin up, Down in the jungle and Head, shoulders, knees and toes.

You can find links to all these rhymes at www.worldnurseryrhymeweek.com/

Phonics

The children are really enjoying their phonics lessons and beginning to use the letters and sounds they have learnt to blend and segment words independently. This week we will belearning the phonemes b, f, ff, l,ll. The tricky words are I, no and go.

Maths

Thank you to everyone who attended our maths presentation. I hope you found it useful. If you have any questions, please ask.

This week, the children will continue to engage with activities that draw attention to the purpose of counting – to find out ‘how many’ objects there are. They will develop their understanding of the concept of cardinality (that the last number in the count tells us ‘how many’ things there are altogether).

Children In Need

Friday is a non-uniform day to raise money for Children In Need.

Don’t forget to let us know of any ‘wow’ moments at home. Is your child beginning to notice and read words? Do they try to read signs when out and about?

Please let us know of any achievements.

moortownreception@spherefederation.org

This week has been really busy!

We made Rangoli patterns and Diwas to celebrate Diwali.

The children are really enjoying their roleplay area which we have turned into an Indian restaurant!

This week’s learning

Phonics

We are continuing to learn letters and their sounds. This week’s letters are e,u,r and we are learning the ‘tricky words’ to and the.

Most children are now bringing home a book with words. The children will be able to read these books as they only contain words with the phonemes we have learnt. They also have a word book containing words to blend. We will send new words home to add to the book each week.

Please read with your child and practise blending each day. Keep the reading book and reading record book in your child’s bookbag so we can read with your child and change their book.

Please ask if you have any questions about reading and phonics.

Maths

This week we will be learning all about the number 5 and building on their understanding of composition by decomposing numbers  by investigating the  composition of 3, 4 and 5. Composing and de-composing numbers involves the children investigating part–part–whole relations, e.g. seeing that 3 can be composed of 1 and 2. Through practical experience, they will consolidate their understanding of a whole being made up of smaller parts. They will begin to recognise that numbers can be made by combining parts in different ways.

Don’t forget our Maths Presentation on Tuesday.  This session will give you some guidance on how we teach Maths in Reception and how you can support your child at home.

The session starts at 6pm and will last around 20-25 minutes. There will be a question and answer session at the end of around 5-10 minutes.

Please ask if you have not received the details of the meeting.

We hope you had a great half-term break!

This term our themes will be ‘Light and Dark’ and ‘It’s magic’.

Phonics

We are continuing to learn letters and their sounds. This week’s letters are e, u,r,h.  We will also learn the first ‘tricky words'(words that are not phonetic)- the, to.

Please keep practising these phonemes and using them to blend(read) and segment(spell).

Maths

I can’t believe we have reached the end of the first half term in Reception.

The children have settled well and made new friends. They are enjoying learning and particularly look forward to PE and phonics!

Phonics

This week we will be learning the next set of phonemes g,o,c,k and practising blending and reading words, including the high frequency word and. 

Maths

In maths, we are continuing to investigate small numbers 1,2 and 3 and subitising (say the amount, don’t count).

The children will compare sets of objects and say which has more and which has fewer. They will be encouraged to answer in a full sentence.

____has more/fewer than______.

Remember to send any questions and ‘wow’ moments to moortownreception@spherefederation.org

Have a great half-term break!

The children have really impressed us with how quickly they have settled and their eagerness to learn. They are loving their phonics sessions!

Last week we went on a walk around school and drew maps. The children talked about their journey to school and where they lived. We looked at maps of Moortown and tried to spot school and Moortown Park.

Reading

All the children have been given a reading book. Please keep this book in their bookbag for reading at school. We will change their book once a week.

This week we began learning phonics and the children were all excited and eager to learn.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Phonics meeting last week. We hope you found it useful. If you would like a copy of the slides we used, please let us know.

Phonics

Your child will have brought a book home with the first four sounds. Please practise these. We will learn the next set this week and send the letters home for you to stick in the book.

Reading

We will begin sending reading books home this week. Please read with your child and comment in the reading record book. We will change books once a week and may read with your child often throughout the week. Please keep the book in their bookbag.

Maths

We are continuing to learn about the number 1 and taking part in sorting and matching activities.

The children will be learning to subitise. This means recognising a small number of objects without counting them.

If you have any questions or want to share those ‘wow’ moments please email.

moortownreception@spherefederation.org