Living and Learning
This week’s Living and Learning statement in KS1 is ‘I can learn about my own identity and what makes me unique’.
We started the session off by playing a game whereby every child rolled a ball to somebody else in the class and said something nice about them. After this, we had a reflection about how it made us feel. We then had some time to reflect upon what we like about ourselves (our school’s Living and Learning statement this week).
We then played a game. The teacher read out a statement and the children moved to the left or right hand side of the room depending on if it described them or not. Some of the statements were –
- I have glasses.
- I have black hair.
- I have freckles.
- I like martial arts.
The children recognised that they are all different. This does not only mean how we look, but how we feel, our families, our hobbies and more.
Sharing a Shell
We’ve continued our learning on coastal habitats this week, by taking a closer look at rockpools and some of the sea creatures you may find in them.
Sharing a Shell
We’ve been reading Sharing a Shell by Julia Donaldson.
We looked at the characters, events and settings and matched them with real images and text in a non-fiction book.
In our writing, we retold parts or all of the story in our own words.
The book also had some great messages about sharing and how to treat others. Linked to this, our word of the week was thoughtful.
Holidays in the past
We’ve been looking at the way people enjoyed a seaside holiday in the past, specifically in Victorian times. We’ve been looking at similarities and differences with seaside holidays in present day.
Ask your child what they can remember about seaside holidays in the past.
Making a rockpool
Maths; comparison and doubles
This week, we’ve re-visited comparing quantities and identifying when there is more, fewer or an equal amount. We’ve also revisited how to find doubles and reciting them using the maths stem sentence, eg.
“4 is made from 2 plus 2; double 2 is 4”
In provision, we’ve been using Numicon to compose numbers. This encouraged us to use a range of skills: shape matching (Numicon frame), subitising (Numicon) and addition.
Froglets!
Our tadpoles have turned into froglets (or metamorphs to give them their posh, scientific name!) Some with just their back legs so far, some with all legs and still with their long tail. They’ve had to move into a taller home as they’re getting very adventurous!
Phonics
Summer 2 week 3 has focused on:
Phase 4 words ending –s /s/
Phase 4 words ending –s /z/
Phase 4 words ending –es
longer words
Please continue to use the Little Wandle sheets, sent home with your child each week.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers.
This week’s poem is the traditional rhyming song- The Big Ship Sails
Click below to watch Reception recite this week’s poem!
Help at home; packaging and pollution
As part of our continued art project, please send your child into school next week with one or two items of packaging. We would ask for these to still be solid, in their original 3d shape.
Our recycled art project links closely to our literacy focus text next week and to pollution. You could help prepare your child by having a quick chat about what the word ‘pollution’ means and about the ways we might help to keep our planet clean and healthy.
Outdoor learning come rain or shine!
More of our learning this week…
Reminders and Dates
Transition Morning- Thurs 6 July Drop off and collect your child from their usual Reception classroom on this day. We will send a slip home with your child on this day, confirming which class they will be in from September.
Learning journey drop-ins- Week commencing 10 July
An opportunity to “drop into” school and share your child’s learning journal with them. We would like to welcome you into the classroom on one of the following sessions:
9.00 – 9.30 Monday 10 July
9.00 – 9.30 Tuesday 11 July
3.30 – 4.00 Thursday 13 July
Swimming
Rainbow- 5 July, 19 July
Sunshine- 28 June, 12 July
Year 1 – Phonics
Last week, the year 1 children completed their phonics screen assessment. This is where the children are asked to read a variety of real and fake words in order to check their phonic knowledge.
We know that we are nearing the end of the last half term, however we want to continue to highlight the importance of regularly reading both to and with your child at home. We feel strongly that this regular reading practise should continue to be a high priority at home both throughout this half term and over the summer holidays. We would like the children to start year 2 being fluent readers of books at their phonic level.
If you are unsure of their ebook login please ask your child’s teacher.
Help at home: read with your child and to your child regularly every week.
Maths – partitioning
During the last few weeks, we have been looking at partitioning two digit numbers.
The year one children have been looking at partitioning numbers greater than 50 into tens and ones, representing this in a variety of ways.
The year two children have been parttioning numbers in other ways.
Help at home: Choose a two digit number and support your child with partitioning it.
The Seaside
This week, we have explored differences and similarities between cities and the seaside.
Literacy
In our writing, we reflected on our own experiences of visiting a seaside.
Maths
We have focused on deepening our understanding of numbers to 10, including the composition of each number.
Phonics
This week, we have continued to focus on phase 4 words with long vowel sounds.
In provision, we’ve been reading words and matching them to the correct picture.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called I Have a Little Frog.
Art; Observational drawing and Artist focus
We followed an art tutorial to support us to draw a crab.
We also continued our project based on our focus artist; Alexander Calder. We’ve been cutting shapes from card, which will be used over the next few weeks to make mobile sculptures based on Calder’s work.
Check out our other learning…
Reminders and Dates
Swimming
Rainbow- 21 June, 5 July, 19 July
Sunshine- 28 June, 12 July
Living and Learning
‘I know how to respect the similarities and differences of people.’
In Living and Learning sessions this week, KS1 have been discussing the similarities and differences between themselves and others around them.
We talked about some differences between boys and girls and spoke in detail about a how a lot of these differences are actually opinion rather than fact. For example that only boys can play football and that only girls can wear makeup.
One child in 2C said, ‘Girls and boys have different histories because in the past, boys had more rights.’
The children were very respectful towards one another, listened politely and shared their own ideas with care.
Where in the World?
Can you believe we are in the last half term of the school year? We have lots of great things coming up in Summer 2. This half term’s theme is ‘Where in the World?’ We’ll be exploring maps to identify which country and city we live in, thinking about coastal habitats and sealife and preparing to move into year one.
As we prepare the children for their transition, you may hear them talking more about ‘getting ready’ for year one. Thank you to parents and carers who’ve already started to support with this, by encouraging children to come into school and complete their morning jobs independently.
One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab
We’ve been reading One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab by April Sayre and Jeff Sayre.
This book, which is set on a beach, has a maths link. It describes how many legs you can see when combining different animals, insects and humans!
In our writing, we’ve used images from the book and described what we can see.
The book has also inspired lots of talk around seaside locations we have visited before.
Help at home- To continue our discussions around seaside locations, it would be lovely to have some pictures up around the classroom of the children visiting a beach. Please email these over to the usual address below:
Geography- Where do we live?
In our non-fiction reading, we’ve been looking at maps of the United Kingdom. Country is our word of the week. We’ve learnt that there are many countries across the world and that our country is called England.
The children enjoyed looking at a map of the United Kingdom, locating Leeds and having a go at reading other town and city names on the map. We’ve also been creating our own maps by copying images and place names or using our imaginations. We focused on adding a coastline to show which areas are land and which are sea.
Help at home- Next week, we’ll be focusing on our city; Leeds. Please have a chat with your child about their favourite places to visit in the city, as we’ll be asking about this in class.
Maths; counting and arrangement of shapes
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be revisiting mathematical skills learnt across the year. This week, we’ve been counting collections of objects from larger sets.
We made collections of 20 and shared some great maths reasoning when talking about ways to group our objects to make it easier to see there is 20:
“we put one Numicon peg on each finger and did it twice… we did that because we know that 10 add 10 makes 20!”
“put one counter under each finger of one hand…we need 4 groups of 5”
“we made 2 groups of 10”
“we made a tower of 20 with multilink cubes because they are easier to count in a row than when they are spread out”
In provision, we’ve been using Tangram pictures to match position, orientation and arrangement of shapes.
Art; Observational drawing and Artist focus
We’ve been making observational drawings of real-life objects that have washed up on beaches.
We also began a project based on our focus artist; Alexander Calder. We’ve been cutting shapes from card, which will be used over the next few weeks to make mobile sculptures based on Calder’s work.
Phonics
Summer 2 week 1 has focused on phase 4 words with long vowel sounds.
In provision, we’ve been having a go at ‘sentence substitution’; reading a sentence and replacing one word with a different word, making sure the sentence still makes sense.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called Thunderstorm
We talk about how a poem sometimes has rhyming words and sometimes doesn’t. Can your child tell you the rhyming words in this week’s poem? We also talk about how a poem can have a fast rhythm or a slow rhythm.
Click below to watch Reception recite this week’s poem!
Pictures of outdoor learning this week…
Reminders and Dates
Swimming
Rainbow- 7 June, 21 June, 5 July, 19 July
Sunshine- 14 June, 28 June, 12 July
My body
We have finished our topic ‘Life on Earth’ by exploring human bodies.
Using Non Fiction books, we were able to share our known facts as well as learn new ones.
In writing, we wrote our facts.
Science
This week, we have explored how to keep our teeth healthy by using eggs and different liquids we might drink.
We started by putting toothpaste on half of each egg and then putting them in milk, water, cola, and fresh orange juice. When looking at the sugar content, the children were able to make sensible predictions as to which drink might be the healthiest for our teeth.
It’s stained. (cola) Jack
On one side it’s dark and one side it’s light. (cola) Alyzah
It had too much sugar. (orange juice) Zachary
We also discussed the benefits of some of these drink for our whole body.
Milk is good for your bones and teeth. Ellie
Milk has calcium. Keira
Maths
We have continued to develop our subitising skills using familiar images and objects while introducing a new piece of equipment (Rekenrek) that allows us to explore the structure of small numbers and deepen our number sense.
Butterflies
Everyone was very excited to see the newly hatched butterflies on Monday morning. Throughout the week, the children have observed them closely and looked at the details on their wings and bodies.
On Thursday, it was time to release them outside. It was wonderful to watch them fly around our garden and even on one of the children!
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called Monkey Babies.
We talk about how a poem sometimes has rhyming words and sometimes doesn’t. Can your child tell you the rhyming words in this week’s poem? We also talk about how a poem can have a fast rhythm or a slow rhythm.
PE; Foot-Tech Academy
A big thank you to Food-Tech Academy for the donation of new balls. We can’t wait to use them to develop our skills next half term!
Click here to see Rainbow class enjoying using the new balls.
Reminders
Sun cream – Now that it’s hot, please remember to bring in a labelled sun cream. As your child will need to independently apply their sunscreen, please practise this at home.
Swimming
Rainbow -7 June, 21 June, 5 July, 19 July
Sunshine – 14 June, 28 June, 12 July
Topic-Heroes
Our topic this half term has been heroes. We have been looking at two in particular-Nelson Mandela and Leonora Cohen.
The children have learnt about their lives and beliefs.
They have been using vocabularly such as apartheid and suffragette to describe what these two historic people stood up for and the difference they made to others.
The children have enjoyed dressing up as real life heroes and sharing why they are real life heroes.
Maths – fractions
This week in 2C we have been securing our knowledge of fractions. We have been looking at fractions of shapes and of amounts including one and two-digit numbers.
The fractions we have been learning about are halves (two equal parts), thirds (three equal parts) and quarters (four equal parts).
In order to find fractions of a number, we used paper plates and counters and divided them up into equal parts.
Help at home: think about where you can find fractions in the home. Why not use pizza or cake and cut them into slices to find fractions?