Foundation - Oak
Welcome to Reception!
*Scroll down for weekly updates*
Welcome back, and welcome to all new starters. I hope you have had a very relaxing and enjoyable summer break and are now ready for the start of Reception. We have all had a fantastic week and the children have settled in to new routines very quickly. The children have enjoyed exploring their new classroom and are confidently accessing provision both inside and outside of the classroom.
Morning Routines
Each child has their own coat peg . Please help your child to hang their coats and bags on their peg. Following this, please help your child complete their morning activities.
- Lunch-time choices- If your child is having a school dinner please assist your child in selecting and option. If you would like a paper copy of the lunch menu, please ask Mrs Slater.
- Self-registration- Encourage your child to find their own name and place it on the Snack Area display board.
Following this, please settle your child on the carpet with a story. Each child has their own carpet spot.
Communication
Communication, both to celebrate the good things and tackle any problems or concerns, plays a principal role in ensuring the very best education for your child. Parents/guardians, please do not hesitate to contact me on the school number, or via email:
office@barwick-in-elmet.leeds.sch.uk
Alternatively, feel free to arrange a meeting- or simply pop in for a brief chat.
Many thanks,
Miss Leeman
Week Commencing 1st July 2019
Updated 5th July 2019
Another busy week in Oak Class!
Maths
The children started the week by recapping their knowledge of 3D shapes. The children really surprised Miss Leeman by using language such as ‘faces’ and ‘vertices’.
Transition
The children have had a great end to the week, spending a couple of days in their new classroom! The children thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mr Lynn and are already very excited for September!
Next Week...
On Thursday 11th July, Reception and Nursery are invited to join a Teddy Bears’ Picnic. A small contribution of £1 is asked to go towards picnic food and games prizes. Don’t forget to bring your teddy bear!
Week Commencing 24th June 2019
Updated 28.06.19
Maths
This week the children have been learning all about Number Bonds to 10.
The children have used Numicon to find ways to make ten and have enjoyed using cubes to build towers of ten. The children have shown fantastic knowledge of addition to ten- I was very impressed!
Phonics
This week we have been embedding our Phonics knowledge and have started to look at cluster blends in Phase 4. The children have enjoyed playing lots of different Phonics games to support their reading skills
Please Note:
Reception Parents' Evening will take place on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd July. If you have not made an appointment or your appointment time has not made its way home, please speak to Miss Leeman.
I will be collecting all Reading Books and Reading Records on Friday 5th July 2019. Please ensure all reading and library books have been returned to school.
Week commencing 17.06.2019
Updated 21.06.2019
Building hedgehog houses
On Monday, we received some very exciting news from one of the Vets assisting with Norman’s recovery. He is recovering well and should be released back into our Wildlife Area very soon! Some of the children have been busy creating houses in the Wildlife Area, ready for Norman’s return.
Maths
Me have been recapping our ‘one less’ and ‘take away’ knowledge this week. The children have used skittles and created their own number sums to show how many they knocked over.
Week Commencing 3rd June 2019
Updated 07.06.2019
What a week we’ve had!
The children have very much enjoyed our Hedgehog Investigation this week. They have all been super detectives, on the hunt to find out how Norman got injured. We are currently awaiting details from the vet to find out more!
Maths
This week we have been continuing to work on our addition skills, using our ‘counting on’ method to support our work. The children have also enjoyed using the number stones in the Outdoor Area to create an addition sentence.
Phonics
No new sounds this week- we have recapped all sounds and red words.
Literacy
We have been busy writing reports about how Norman the hedgehog got injured. The children have also made a start at writing facts out hedgehogs.
Week Commencing 20th May 2019
Updated 24.05.2019
Thank-you to everyone who joined us today for our Dinosaur Museum open afternoon!
Thankyou to all the staff who helped support our Messy Day on Thursday. We all had a wonderful time exploring our Outdoor Areas!
Week Commencing 13th May 2019
Updated 17th May 2019
This week we have enjoyed having Mrs Hough and Mrs Smith come and work in Reception during some of our Maths and Phonics sessions. Both Mrs Hough and Mrs Smith were very impressed with Reception! A BIG thank-you for your help!
Maths
This week we have continued working on time. The children have become very confident at telling the time to the hour.
We have also worked on our understanding of position and distance. The children have thoroughly enjoyed using the mouse robot to support direction skills.
On Thursday the children enjoyed making ramps for cars in the Outdoor Area. The children were then asked to choose a resource to measure how far the car had travelled. The children used meter sticks, rulers, bead string, cubes and Numicon. We had a fabulous morning- pictures to follow on Tapestry shortly.
Phonics
This week we have continued to focus our learning on the ‘ure’ sound. The children have learnt to read and write the following words:
Pure sure cure mixture picture adventure
Literacy
We have been on a DINOSAUR HUNT. Using the well known story; ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen, the children adapted the story to fit with our theme of dinosaurs!
On Monday we began by going on a real-life Dinosaur Hunt! The children went in a forest, a swamp, a river and through the rain to find the dinosaurs. The children have become experts at retelling the story and on Tuesday, the children began writing the story in their Literacy books!
Topic
Next week is our last week learning about DINOSAURS! We invite all parents, carers, grown-ups and siblings to our Dinosaur Museum on Friday at 2pm.
Week Commencing 6th May 2019
Updated 10th May 2019
Maths
This week we have been learning about Time! On Wednesday we completed various carousel activities related to time.
- Can you play time bingo?
- Can you build your own clock?
- Can you sequence the events in order?
We also enjoyed a whole class game of ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’ The class have surprised me with their time telling abilities!
Phonics
This week we have recapped our learning of the phonemes ‘air’ and ‘ear’ and have become super-fast at reading our green words! The children have also been introduced to the ‘ure’ sound. We will be focusing on this sound for the next few weeks as it is quite tricky!
Literacy
We have been busy creating our own dinosaur information books! We will hopefully have this ready for our open afternoon for parents to see!
Topic
We’ve had a great week learning about dinosaurs! Thank-you to the children who have brought in artefacts and books to share with the class.
The children have also enjoyed time with Chef Noodles today!
Week Commencing 29th April 2019
Updated 3rd May 2019
Maths
This week we have recapped our learning of doubling facts to 20. The children have also explored halving and sharing a number. On Wednesday morning, the children enjoyed exploring a variety of Maths themed activities in groups. The children explored the following activities;
- Can you match the double dominoes to the number card?
- Roll the dice, read the number and practise your number formation.
- Can you work out the addition sentences using a Part, Part Whole model?
- Can share or halve the golden coins between two pirates?
Phonics
This week we have learnt to read and write the ‘air’ phoneme. Our green words have been:
air, hair, fair, chair, stair.
Challenge: Can you write a list of words which contain the ‘air’ phoneme?
Computing
The children have enjoyed exploring the computers this week by having a go at writing their name. It was quite tricky using the capital keys to write our names! Photographs to follow on Tapestry.
Topic
We have enjoyed continuing our learning focused around DINOSAURS! The children enjoyed going on a dinosaur hunt to find dinosaur footprints hidden around the Outdoor Area! We have also enjoyed revisiting our learning from Chef Noodles. On Thursday we made and ate a delicious fruit salad for our afternoon snack.
Week Commencing 22.04.2019
Updated 26.04.2019
Maths
This week we have been learning to recognise and represent the number 17 in a variety of different ways.
We have also learnt about doubling and have learnt to double numbers up to 12. The children listened to a story about a magic doubling pot and have used ladybird spots to work out the answer to doubling questions. Miss Leeman has been VERY impressed with everybody’s Maths Work this week!
Phonics
Our sounds this week have been:
Oi “Spoil the Boy”
And
Ear- “hear with your ear”
Challenge: Can you think of any words that contain the ‘oi’ or ‘ear’ phoneme?
Topic
This week we have started our new topic- DINOSAURS! The children enjoyed our topic launch where the teachers came dressed as their topic for this half term. The children in Reception were very excited to learn that they are learning about Dinosaurs!
Phonics- ear
Maths- Doubling
Happy Easter!
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter
Summer Term
Week Commencing 15th April 2019
Updated 18.04.2019
Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful break. It has been lovely to hear all about your holiday adventures!
Maths
This week we have recapped addition. The children have used a part, part whole model to support their work.
We have also learnt to identify, recognise and make the number 16.
Phonics
We have learnt two new sounds this week;
"ur- Nurse with a Purse"
Hurt, burn, burger, turn, fur.
"ow- Brown Cow"
Cow, now, how, down, town, brown.
RE
The children have enjoyed learning about how Christians celebrate Easter. We have used drama to act out different parts of the story and have enjoyed reading a simplified Easter story.
Week Commencing 25th March 2019
Updated 29th March 2019
Maths
We have continued to focus our learning on ‘money’ this week. We have used Part, Part, Whole Models to add money together. The children can now add numerous amounts of 1 pence coins together and some have added 2 pence coins, using their knowledge of counting in twos.
Literacy
This week we have been reading the story of ‘Dogger’ written by Shriley Hughes. The children have really enjoyed this story and have written about their favourite part in their writing books.
We have all really enjoyed the Mr Men them this half term! The children have created some wonderful work around Mr Men. Well Done!
Beanstalks
This week the children have been busy planting their very own beanstalks! The children enjoyed thinking about how they can help their plant grow as tall as Mr Nosey’s beanstalk! Remember you can upload your photos to Tapestry to share them with Miss Leeman and Mrs Slater!
I hope you all have a wonderful break. I look forward to hearing about all your adventures when we return to School on Monday 15th April for a fun week of Easter themed activities!
Week Commencing 18.03.2019
Updated 22.03.2019
What a fun week we’ve had in Reception!
Maths
We started our week learning about ‘sharing’. The children helped share Miss Leeman’s sweeties between two people. This was used as an introduction to halving an amount. For example 4 shared is 2 and half of 4 is 2.
We then moved on to looking at money. The children have learnt to recognise and identify 1p, 2p, 5p and 10p coins. We had started to add amounts of coins together and will continue with this next week. A highlight from our money topic was the ‘Snack Shop!’ The children were asked to ‘buy’ their snack for the afternoon using 1p and 2p coins. We had great fun!
Literacy
This week has been Shakespeare Week. The children learnt a few facts about Shakespeare;
“Shakespeare lived in Stratford Upon Avon”
“Shakespeare had 3 brothers and 4 sisters”
“Shakespeare wrote lots of plays”
“Shakespeare’s dad made gloves”
We have learnt a very simplified version of a Midsummer Night’s Dream and learnt that Puck, King Oberon’s fairy, used a magic flower to cast spells. The children have enjoyed making pom-pom flowers on the modelling table this week with wool. This tested concentration and perseverance skills!
Faith Day
On Thursday we enjoyed learning about the story of ‘The Good Samaritan’.
We started the morning by looking at a model of praying hands. The children talked about what it made them think of. Some of our responses were;
“Praying”
“Talking to Jesus and God”
“Kind hands being gentle”
We then worked in groups and moved around the classroom completing various activities-
- Acting out the story on The Good Samaritan
- Drawing Kind Hands
- Making cards for friends who have been kind
- Sorting Good and Bad choices
World Down Syndrome Day
We also learnt about World Down Syndrome Day and learnt the Makaton signs to a song!
Week Commencing 11th March 2019
Updated on 15.03.2019
Science Week
The children have thoroughly enjoyed participating in a variety of Science Experiments this week! On Thursday, the children enjoyed creating their own potions in the Messy Area!
Maths
This week we have continued our focus on ‘teen numbers’ and the children have been busy creating various amounts using Numicon.
Literacy
We have been reading the story of Mr Nosey and the Beanstalk. The children have learnt to sequence the events in the story and can retell the story in their own words
Phonics
This week the children have learnt to read and write the ‘oo’ (u) digraph
“oo- look at a book”
Look
Book
Hook
Foot
Cook
Good
04.03.2019
I am away on Jury Service for the next few weeks, please speak to Mrs Slater if you have any concerns. I am unsure as to how long I will be needed for so will inform you at a later date with regards to Parents’ Evening- I may need to reschedule.
I hope you all have a wonderful two weeks- I shall miss you all and can’t wait to hear about all of your adventures!
See you all soon,
Miss Leeman
Spring 2- Week 2
Week Commencing 04.03.2019
Updated 08.03.2019
It looks like you’ve all had fun this week! I enjoyed seeing you all today and have loved hearing about your World Book Day activities!
Maths
This week the children have been practising counting in twos. Mrs Slater set the children a challenge this week to use a number line to identify how to count in twos.
We have also had a big focus on two-digit numbers to 20 this week. The children have worked hard to identify a number and creating the amount on a ten frame.
The children have also enjoyed finding objects the same size as Mr Tall and Mr Small!
Literacy
The children have enjoyed reading a variety of Mr Men and Little Miss books this week. I will be adding your World Book Day photos to Tapestry when I am back!
Next week the children will be reading Mr Nosey and the Beanstalk!
Phonics
News sound- ‘oo- Poo at the zoo-
Green words: poo, moon, zoo, boot, roof.
Red Word: Mr
Spring 2, Week 1
Week Commencing 25.02.2019
Update 01.03.2019
Maths
This week we have started to learn to count in twos. The children have enjoyed washing socks in the Outdoor Area, pegging them in pairs to dry and then counting to see how many they had.
Challenge- Can you impress you grown-ups by counting in twos to ten or twenty?
Literacy
Thank-you to everyone who brought their favourite book in this week! We have enjoyed sharing these with our friends and have been busy writing about our favourite stories during our Literacy lessons.
Next week is World Book Day- don’t forget to dress up!
Challenge- Can you read a bedtime story to a grown up over the weekend?
Phonics
This week we have learnt to read, write and identify the ‘oa’ phoneme
Green words:
Goat
Coat
Throat
Toast
Oak
Challenge: Can you write a list of ‘oa’ words?
Our new red word this week is ‘You’
Week Commencing 11.02.2019
Updated 15.02.2019
We have had a wonderful last week to Spring 1! The children have been busy exploring a variety or resources to assist their learning and development.
Maths
This week we have focused on Capacity. The children have enjoyed exploring the water tray to explore making containers full, half full and empty.
The children have also continued with their learning of weight and have explored resources to see if they would float or sink. The children made predictions and explored each of the resources. They came to the conclusion that heavy items will sink and lighter items will float.
Challenge: Can you find items that float or sink at home?
Phonics
Our focus sound this week has been;
“igh- fly high”
Can you read and write these green words?
High
Night
Light
Sight
Might
Bright
Flight
Fright
Challenge: Can you write a sentence that contains an ‘igh’ word?
Topic
This week we have been learning about Chinese New Year. The children have enjoyed exploring our Chinese restaurant themed role play area.
On Monday the children joined in and created their own Chinese Dragon dances- these will be uploaded onto Tapestry over the next few days. The children have also enjoyed eating noodles for their snack and some children had a go at using chopsticks!
The children have also learnt about key traditions;
“Some people wear red because it’s a lucky colour.”
“They have dragon and lion dances.”
“Some people use chopsticks to eat with”
I hope you all have a wonderful half term :)
Week Commencing 04.02.2019
Updated 08.02.2019
What another busy week we have had in Reception!
Maths
We have been busy exploring the weight of moon rocks this week. The children have used balancing scales to identify which rock was heavier. The children have also started to think about capacity and have enjoyed using different containers in the water tray to explore how much water they can hold.
Phonics
This week we have learnt to read and write;
'or- shut the door'
Some of the green words we have written are;
fork, sort, snort, short, sport
Challenge: Can you write a list of 'or' words in your homework book?
Super Challenge: Can you write a sentence containing an 'or' word in your homework book?
Literacy
We have started reading the story 'Beegu' by Alexis Deacon. We have also continued to focus on our CVC words and sentence writing.
Challenges- this week our provision based challenges have included:
Can you stretch the loom bands onto the board?
Can you weigh the moon rocks?
Can your order the numbers?
Can you write a secret message using the secret pens and UV light?
Can you build an alien using the tins and magnetic resources?
Can you sort the objects? Do they contain the 'or' 'ee' or 'ai' phoneme?
Week Commencing 28.01.2019
Updated 01.02.2019
Maths
We have been busy ordering objects according to their size this week! We even had ago at putting everyone in size order- Please check Tapestry over the weekend to see our photos!
Literacy
We have been reading and writing all about ‘Whatever Next’ by Jill Murphy. The children have enjoyed using the resources in Role Play Area to retell the story with their friends. Come and see our Mark Making display for our superstar writing!
Topic
The children have enjoyed learning facts about Space this week. We have watched a video about Tim Peake and learnt that there is no gravity in space. The children have enjoyed writing about their favourite fact in their Literacy Books.
Challenges
Our play-based challenges this week have included:
Can you match the sentences to the pictures?
Can you build a rocket using the modelling resources?
Can you write a sentence about one of the pictures?
Can you order the size or the stars, aliens or planets?
Can you use cubes to work out the addition calculations?
What a wonderful week it has been to explore the snow and ice! Look at the photos below to see how much fun we have had this week!
Week Commencing 21.01.2019
Updated 25.01.2019
Maths
This week we have learnt to identify and represent the number 12. The children have enjoyed using the following resources to make 12;
-Numicon
- Cubes
- Bricks
- Clocks (telling the time to the hour)
- Ten Frames
- Part, Part Whole Models
Challenge: Can you make a number story about the number 12?
The children have also learn to identify the – symbol (take away). Using two single-digit numbers, the children have read the abstract and used concrete resources on a Part Part Whole Model to work out the answer. Super work everybody! We will continue to work on this next week.
Phonics
New sounds for the week:
ng- “thing on a string”
ai- “snail in the rain”
Some of the green words we have been reading:
ng- sing, wing, bang, song, thing
ai- paid, snail, nail, rain, tail
Challenge: Can you make a list of ‘ng’ and ‘ai’ words?
Literacy
We have been reading ‘Whatever Next’ by Jill Murphy to start our new Space Topic. The children have thoroughly enjoyed this story and have learnt to re-tell it in their own words. The children have worked on story sequencing this week and will begin to write simple sentences about the main events, next week.
Understanding the World
The children have been VERY excited and interested in the Ice this week, but weren’t very sure where it had come from!
Where has the ice come from in our Outdoor Area?
- “Jack Frost has been”
- “It’s from the snow”
- “It’s ‘cos it’s cold outside”
- “It’s from the rain”
As the children weren’t entirely sure, we decided to conduct an experiment. One of the children thought that it had to be “cold, really cold” so the children thought of different places around school to place a cup of water. The children discussed their ideas with their talk partner. Some of the suggestions were:
- Outside
- In the Classroom
- In the freezer
- In the fridge
When the children had gone home, Miss Leeman left a cup of water in various different places. The next day, the children made predictions and then explored the different cups on water to see which cup of water had frozen. The children found that the only cup of water that had frozen was the cup that was placed in the freezer. The children learnt that it has to be below zero degrees for water to freeze.
After exploring the ice, and seeing what it felt like, the children went off to complete their learning challenges. As we got ready for lunch we looked at the ice again but had discovered it had gone! Next, we will explore how ice melts!
Week Commencing 14.01.2019
Updated 18.01.2019
Maths
This week we have learnt to identify the addition sign. The children have used Part Part Whole Models to work out addition sums to 10.
Challenge: Can you play the counting game on the TopMarks website?
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/teddy-numbers
Phonics
This week we have learnt to read and write the 'th' digraph. The children have learnt to read the following words;
path
bath
maths
cloth
thin
thick
Challenge: Can you write a list of words that include the 'th' digraph? Can you think of anymore 'th' words than Miss Leeman? Remember that sometimes the 'th' makes a sharp nosie as in 'that'.
This week the children have been introduced to Learning Challenges around the classroom. The challenges have included;
- Can you sort the winter and summer clothes?
- Can you use the pegs to show different ways of making 11?
- Can you complete the Phonics jigsaw to build the CVC words?
- Can you use the tweezers to put the pompoms in the cup?
Happy New Year!
Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. We have had a very busy start to the year!
Maths
We started the week with an exciting task set by Maths Man! Throughout the day, Maths Man sent Miss Leeman maths challenges that the children had to solve. At the end of the day, the whole school met together and it was revealed that the children could have a whole day of Art on Tuesday!
On Tuesday the children spent the morning exploring the work of Kandinsky. Some of the children spent time re-creating the art work and others spent time exploring how colours mixed. In the afternoon Miss Richards took Reception whilst Miss Leeman spent some time in Year 1. Reception looked at creating repeating patterns in Art and created their own Rangoli pattern.
On Wednesday we started to explore 3D shapes. We are learning to name and identify the following 3D shapes:
Cone
Cube
Cuboid
Sphere
Cylinder
Challenge: Can you find items around your home that match one of our 3D shapes?
Phonics
In Phonics we have learnt to read and write words containing the ‘sh’ and ‘ch’ digraph. Some of the words we have learnt to read and write are:
- Shed
- Ship
- Fish
- Wish
- Shop
- Shut
- Chip
- Chop
- Chin
- Chick
We have enjoyed playing a game on Phonics Play this week. The children have had a go at reading the word and deciding if it is a real or nonsense word.
Challenge: Can you use a tablet or computer to play the following game?
https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/PicnicOnPluto.html
Please see the pictures below to see what we have been doing this week!
As we approach the end of term I would like to wish everybody a very
MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Well done to everyone for working so hard this Term. I am sure you have all made it on to the Nice List and I hope Father Christmas brings you lots of wonderful gifts.
Week Commencing 10th December 2018
Updated 14.12.2018
Maths
This week we have been busy creating lots of repeating patterns using different objects and media.
We have also enjoyed lots of other Christmas themed activities this week.
Can you use the tweezers to decorate the Christmas Tree?
Two little Elves have been busy in our Christmas workshop!
On Thursday we were lucky enough to be invited to a Pantomime in the School Hall!
A big THANK-YOU to Leeds City Council Road Safety Team for putting on a FANTASTIC show! The children LOVED it and have remembered the important safety messages.
We've had a great afternoon at the Christmas Fayre!
Week Commencing 03.12.2018
Updated 07.12.2018
Maths
This week we have been using ten frame buses to support our take away sums.
The children have used story stems to support their understanding.
“First I had 5 people on the bus, then 2 people got off. Now I have 3 people left.”
Phonics
We have continued to work on our blending and segmenting skills this week. The children have been working in small groups to consolidate their Fred Talk.
A big thank-you to all the parents who supported our visit to Church. We all had a wonderful time decorating the Church Christmas Tree.
Our Classroom is now well and truly ready for Christmas!!
Week Commencing 26.11.2018
Updated 30.11.2018
Maths
This week we have been exploring the number 9. The children have learnt to identify and represent the number 9 in a variety of ways.
We have also been exploring one less than a number. The children have used marbles to identify one less. Our learning objectives have included;
I can count how many objects I have
I understand that the amount changes when counters are taken away
I can work out one less by using concrete objects
I can tell you one less than a number.
Phonics
This week we have learnt to read, identify and write
w- up, down, up, down, up
y- up, down a horn, up a horn and under the head
v- up, down a wing, up a wing
Can you read these words?
wet web
yap yum
van vet
Can you think of anymore words?
Next week...
Monday- We will be decorating the school christmas tree- please create a decoration for our tree!
Tuesday- We will be visiting the Church- please see letter sent home on Friday for further information.
Friday- Deadline for all Nativity costumes.
Week commencing 19.11.2018
Updated 23.11.2018
Maths
This week we learnt all about the number 8. The children enjoyed exploring the resources to find objects that represent the number 8.
We have also used a Part Part Whole Model to explore addition using concrete objects. The children have learnt to use a story stem to support addition-
“First I had 2, then 3 more came along, and now I have 5”
Phonics
We have learnt to read and identify the ‘j’ and ‘v’ graphemes this week.
We made yummy jam sandwiches to support out 'j' learning.
We have also learnt to read and write the following RED words:
I, the, to, no
Week commencing 12.11.18
Updated 16.11.18
Maths
We have enjoyed identifying one more than a given number. Miss Leeman taught the children a song;
“Have you seen my adding one machine?
This is how it goes.
I put a number in your ear
and the answer will appear
When I BEEP my nose.
X and one more is…”
This week we have also learnt all about the number 7.
Phonics
We have been practising blending to read this week.
We also learnt to read and write two red words;
‘I’ and ‘the’
Topic
This week we have….
- been on an Autumn Walk! The children enjoyed hunting for autumnal items and ticking them off their list
- enjoyed dressing up for Children in Need!
- enjoyed having our grownups for a Stay and Play session!
Week commencing 05.11.2018
Updated 09.11.2018
PE- Next week we will begin getting changed for PE. Please can all children have PE kits in school- T-Shirts and shorts.
Maths
We have enjoyed recapping all of our numbers to 6. The children have thought about different ways to represent each of the numbers including;
- Using a clock- telling the time to the hour.
- Ten frames
- Dominoes
- Numicon
- Numerals
- Picture representation.
Phonics
This week has been all about blending and reading CVC words. The children have enjoyed reading CVC words and using their Fred Talk skills to blend the sound together.
Phonemes:
This week we have learnt to recognise and write
‘f’- up, down the stem and across the leaves
‘l’- up, down the long leg.
Some of our challenges included:
- Can you write a ‘f’ on the football?
- Can you make a firework picture?
- Can you make a leaf picture?
- Can you squeeze the lemons?
- Can you paint a picture of an animal starting with the ‘l’ sound?
Topic
We’ve had a busy week learning about lots of exciting events
- Bonfire Night
- Diwali
- Remembrance Day
This week we have also been learning to zip up our own coats in preparation for the colder months! Keep practising everybody!
See the pictures below to see what we have been doing in our class.
Week commencing 15th October 2018
Updated 18th October 2018
Maths
This week we have been learning all things shape! The children have continued to explore the properties of 2D shapes this week and have had a go at building their own shapes using the open ended resources in the Outdoor Area. Our focus questions have included:
Can you build a 2D shape using lolly sticks?
Can you build a shape using the wooden planks?
How many pieces of wood will you need?
How may sides does a square/ rectangle/ triangle/ hexagon/ circle have?
What can you tell me about the difference between a square and a rectangle?
Here are some photos below to showcase our Maths learning this week:
Phonics
Our focus sounds this week have been;
r- robot- “Up, down the robots body to his feet and across his arm”
b- boot- “Up, down the laces to the heel and around the toe.”
h- horse- “Up, down the horses head to his hooves and over his back.”
Some of our Phonics challenges have included;
- Can you build a robot?
- Can you paint a rainbow?
- Can you create shape rocket?
- Can you ride a balance bike?
- Can you build a boat?
- Can you balance on the beam?
- Can you tie the laces on the boot?
- Can you build a shape house?
- Can you paint a horse?
- Can you complete the letter formation sheets?
To celebrate Space Week, we read the story 'Whatever Next' by Jill Murphy. The children thoroughly enjoyed this story and chose to use the story props in their own play.
In the Outdoor Area, the children enjoyed building a giant rocket with a little help from Miss Leeman!
Week Commencing 08.10.2018
Updated 12.10.18
Morning routines
Now all the children are settled and aware of daily routines as well as school rules, we have adapted the morning routines. On a morning, the children will come in, find their name on the table or carpet, and complete a writing activity until 9am. Following this, we will then gather on the carpet for the register and calendar.
School lunches will be chosen the day before at home time. If this is a problem, please speak to Miss Leeman.
Maths
This week we have explored all things SHAPE! The children have learnt to name and describe the following 2D shapes;
- Rectangle
- Square
- Circle
- Triangle
- Hexagon
Our activities have included;
- Shape hunt What shapes can you find?
- Shape draw Can you draw around the shapes?
- Shape feely bag What shape am I describing?
- Shape did What shapes can you find in the sand?
- Shape sort Can you sort the shapes according to their shape?
Phonics
The children are continuing to impress me with their Phonics knowledge. So far we have learnt to identify and read the following sounds
- s
- a
- t
- p
- i
- n
- m
- d
- g
- o
- c
- k
- e
- u
Home challenges
Each child has been sent home their first reading book today. Reading books will be sent home every Friday and must be returned on a Wednesday. Reading books will only be changed if a parent comment or signature has been added to the reading record.
Challenges:
Can you tell a story using the pictures in your reading book?
Can you find anything around your house that begins with a sound that we have been learning in class?
Can you find something that is a square/ rectangle/ triangle/ circle shape?
Please upload any evidence onto Tapestry- we love sharing parental comments during News Time on an afternoon.
Photos from this week
Week Commencing 02.10.18
Updated 05.10.18
Tapestry
Thank-you to everyone who has returned their Tapestry permission slips. All parents have been sent an activation code via email. Please login to Tapestry ASAP as the activation link only lasts for a short period of time. If you have any problems, please ask!
I will also be holding an 'Introduction to Tapestry' evening on Thursday 8th November at 6pm. Please come along to find out more about the benefits of Tapestry.
Maths
This week we have explored Ten Frames. The children have been busy exploring ten frames on the Maths table using a variety of different objects.
One of our Maths focus activities this week involved matching the ten frame to the superhero number.
Phonics
We have enjoyed exploring the sounds of different instruments this week.
Can you play your instrument loud/ quiet?
Can you make a fast/ slow beat?
Can you copy my beat?
We have been learning to identify the initial sounds in objects this week.
The children have enjoyed going on a trip on Bertha to Bus to the zoo.
"Bertha the Bus is going to the zoo.
Who does she see as she passes through?"
The children worked in groups. They took it in turns to select an animal picture card, identify the initial sound and match it to the correct grapheme.
We've also been extremely grown up this week!
The children have used their Phonic knowledge to have a go at reading some of our green words containing the following graphemes;
s a t p i n g o c.
Fantastic blending everybody!
Week Commencing 24.09.2018
Updated 28.09.2018
It’s been another lovely week in Reception!
Maths
This week we have been exploring Numicon. We started by playing a game of pass the parcel with Numicon. The children had to guess which piece of Numicon was hiding behind the wrapping paper and match it to the correct piece of Numicon.
We had great fun!
We have also been busy exploring the Numicon in the Outdoor Area too!
Miss Goodison, who teaches our class on a Friday morning has shared some special friends with us this week! The children have been very excited to meet;
Rainbow the monkey
Timmy the turtle
Birdie the blue bird
Phonics
In Phonics we have been consolidating our knowledge of rhyming skills. The children have been exploring ways to continue a rhyming string. We have been playing games such as ‘Rhyming jumps’ where the children have jumped through the hoops saying a rhyming string.
We have also started to think about the initial sounds in a word and have used the ‘Sound Pots’ to explore the initial sounds of objects.
On Wednesday we enjoyed our PE outside with Mr Peate. We continued to practise our balancing skills and played games that involved exploring movement.
Week commencing 17.09.2018
Updated 21.09.2018
What another fantastic, fun-filled week we have had in Reception!
This week we have enjoyed spending time in the Outdoor Area to explore the different areas. The Mud Kitchen and Digging Area have been extremely popular this week! The wet weather has meant we can make mud pies and dig with ease!
On Thursday we enjoyed a sensory exploration afternoon. Unfortunately the rain meant we couldn’t go outside, however we had fun exploring inside! The children enjoyed exploring;
- Shaving foam
- Moon sand (flour and baby oil)
- Gloop (cornflour and water)
Apologies to Mrs Hart and Mr Hough; we made a big mess but we tried our best at tidy up time!
Messy Play!
Phonics
This week in Phonics we have learnt to read and write the following sounds;
p i n.
The handwriting rhymes are as follows;
p- up, down the pirates plait and around his face
i- up, down the insects body and a dot for his head
n- up, down Nobby and over his net.
We have had a go at writing the letters using chalk and water;
Maths
This week we have celebrated Bobby Bear’s birthday! Bobby is our class bear who chooses to go home with somebody at the end of the week.
Bobby was 5 on Tuesday and the children helped to celebrate by making cards and drawing pictures.
We have had lots of birthday themed activities this week;
- Can you make a birthday cake in the Playdough Area? How many candles have you got on your cake?
- Can you write a birthday card? What number will you write on it? Can you write your name?
- Can you put X amount of sweeties in the party bags?
- Can you wrap a parcel for Bobby Bear?
Tidy up officers
A big well done to our Tidy-up Officers this week! They have been super stars at tidy-up time and were promoted to Tidy-up Officers! Their role was to inspect each of the areas in the classroom to check to see if they were tidy.
Week commencing 10.09.2018
Updated 14.09.18
What a fantastic first full week we have had in Reception. The children have been busy exploring the areas of the provision both inside and outside of the classroom. We have also been busy developing our classroom and tidy-up time routines.
The highlight of the week has to be out SUPERHERO dress up day! The children all came dressed in fantastic outfits and were all eager to share with their friends.
Maths
This week we have been focusing on our counting skills. The children are developing the skill of how to count with one to one correspondence and identify the amount. We have also introduced a ‘number of the week’ display. The children spent the afternoon hunting for our special number and representing it in a variety of different ways.
Phonics
We have been developing our rhyming skills this week. The children have enjoyed creating a silly rhyming soup as well as playing rhyming pairs. We will continue to consolidate this skill next week.
The children have learnt three new phonemes and graphemes this week; ‘s’, ‘a’ and ‘t’. Each sound has a special handwriting rule;
s- up, slither down the snake
a- up, around the apple and down the leaf
t- up the tower, down the tower and across the tower.
Photographs
Photographs and observations will uploaded onto Tapestry as soon as I have received all permission slips.
A photographer from the Yorkshire Evening Press will be in school Monday afternoon. If you DO NOT want you child to be in the photograph, please speak to Miss Leeman.
Have a great weekend,
Miss Leeman