Welcome to Reception Class!

During the Spring Term in Class R, we will be continue to build positive relationships and feel confident to play, learn and grow together!  We will be developing holistically through the question… 

‘Would you rather?

This will involve exploring some of the following topics: comparing places, polar regions and the rainforest/jungle, under the sea, space, Now and Then, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter and seasonal changes – Winter into Spring.

It is important to remember that our topics are very much child led, and as a result, learning can often take an entirely new direction!

For a more detailed look at the seven areas of learning and planned activities for these topics, please see the attached topic web below.

Learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Did you know that children develop more rapidly during the first five years of their lives than at any other time!

During their time in reception, your child will be learning through the seven areas of learning and development which are outlined in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  They will be learning to play and explore, be an active learner and be creative while thinking critically.

The attached document below, outlines some of the things that your child will be learning within the 3 prime and 4 specific areas of learning. It has been written to help you as a parent/ carer know what to expect during these vitally important years.

You will also notice some additional documents that identifies some of the ways in which you can help your child to continue learning at home.

A Typical Day in Reception Class...

Each day includes:

• A time for the whole class to be together for story-telling, imaginative talk, word collecting, sentence building and writing!
• A phonics session (a combination of whole-class speed sounds practise and small group time with an adult)
• A mathematics session (again, in a group with an adult)
• Opportunities to self-select from a wide range of activities both inside and outside the Reception Classroom
• A time for a snack of fresh fruit and a drink of water or milk
• A group session/time for (and this changes from day to day) music, physical activity, drama, arts and craft, cooking etc.
• A challenge or investigation (two or three times a week); for example, “How can we make our hall fit for a ball?”

Read, Write Inc.

During the Spring Term, we will continue to use the Read, Write Inc

scheme to consolidate all the individual and ‘special friend’ sounds that we have learnt so far.  We will begin to take part in focused small group RWInc phonic sessions where the children will continue to develop their word reading, comprehension and writing skills.

Additional reading and writing opportunities will also continue to take place on a daily basis (through our continuous provision and adult led activities) where children are encouraged to use their sound knowledge to support their independent reading and writing.

Maths

We will be exploring mathematical ideas and concepts through a wide range of activities both indoors and outdoors!

This terms number focus look closely at the following concepts:

Spring 1

•   Increase confidence in subitising patterns within 5.

•   Explore a range of patterns made by numbers greater than 5.

•   Explore ‘1 more than’

•   Continue to develop verbal counting to 20 and beyond.

•   Continue to develop object counting skills and link counting to cardinality, including using their fingers to represent quantities between 5 and 10.

•   Order numbers, linking cardinal and ordinal representations.

•   Continue to explore the composition of 5

•   Explore the composition of 6, 7 and 8 linking this to familiar patterns, including symmetrical patterns

•   Begin to see that numbers within 10 can be composed of ‘5 and a bit’.

•   Comparing sets - equal and unequal.

•   Compare mass, capacity, length and height.

Spring 2

•   Explore symmetrical patterns, in which each side is a familiar pattern, linking this to ‘doubles’.

•   Continue to consolidate their understanding of cardinality, working with larger numbers within 10

•   Become more familiar with the counting pattern beyond 20.

•   Explore the composition of odd and even numbers.

•   Link even numbers to doubles.

•   Explore the composition of numbers within 10.

•   Compare numbers using reasoning.

•   Repeating and recreating patterns.

iPads

In class, your child has access to lots of educational apps on our class iPads. Many of these are free, although some require payment. Here are some of the most popular ones...

Twinkl Phonics, Eggy phonics, Collins ‘Big Cat’ stories, Twinkl Count to 20, Addition and Subtraction for kids, Tiggly chef/ Tiggly Series, Space numbers, How to write numbers, Get Growing, Meet the Alphablocks, Shape’s got Talent, Chef Addition, Story Maker, Safari.

Helping at Home

Help your Child to be Marvellous at Maths!

Did you know that children with good numeracy skills are more likely to learn more, stay in education longer and have more chance of actually being in work when they grow up?

Children are born with an innate mathematical ability and research has shown that parents have a massive effect on how this develops.

Do maths together every day...

This may not sound very attractive, but guess what?  You already are!  Maths is everywhere - helping your child get dressed, baking together, going to the shops, singing counting songs, building with blocks - practically every activity we do with our child involves Maths!  For further information, please follow the link...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/help-your-child-with-maths#:~:text=When%20your%20child's%20getting%20confident,feel%20they've%20grasped%20it.

Read, Read, Read

Read to your child as often as you can!  Read anything and everything, not just the reading scheme books.  Real books, with pictures, rhyme and enjoyable stories are crucial here.  Try to encourage your child to talk about the pictures, or to make predictions about what will happen next.  It’s most important for your child to enjoy reading above all, so try to relax, and stop when either of you begins to feel pressured or anxious.

Encourage your child to recognise and read print when you are out shopping, on the bus or at the park.  Most children can recognise the Golden M for McDonald’s a mile away!

Communication and Book Bags
Our aim is to be paperless; therefore most written communication will be via Showbie or the school email system.  Feel free to ask if you require any support with accessing or using Showbie. 

Please could you ensure your child brings their book bag into school every Friday so that reading books, reading for enjoyment books and all other reading materials can be changed weekly.  

It would be great if you could aim to read with your child as much as possible, maybe even every day, just 5 minutes!  Every little bit of reading practise will help your child develop their reading skills - not just word recognition or sound blending techniques, but their comprehension of the text they are reading.  Asking questions to check their understanding of the text is really helpful too!  The children will be heard read weekly in their RWI groups as well as individually during our DEAR Time.

SPRING TERM DIARY DATES

Monday, 6th January - INSET DAY

Tuesday, 7th January – Start of the Spring Term (children return to school)

Friday, 14th February - End of Spring Term 1

Monday, 17th February - Friday, 21st February - Half Term

Monday, 24th February – Return to school

Friday, 11th April - End of Spring Term

Please note, my door is always open so please feel free to arrange an appointment to come and see me if you wish to discuss anything about your child and their learning. 

Thank you to all parents for your continued support. 

Best wishes,

Mrs Graham