Auckland (FS2)
Mrs Dale
Class Teacher
Mrs Blair
Class Teacher
Mrs Phelps
Teaching Partner
Miss Last
Teaching Partner
OUR TOPIC FOR TERM 2: UNDER THE SEA
Self-initiated Learning
We value play very highly as a vehicle for learning and social development. A large variety of exciting resources are prepared in the classroom and outdoor area that are designed to stimulate creativity, curiosity, problem solving and imaginative play.
The children have access to areas such as role play, sand and water exploration, construction, art and technology. We encourage the children to select their own activities, ensuring that their experiences are wide-ranging and educational. The adults use questioning to assess and further the children’s understanding, develop vocabulary and teach the children how to record their learning.
Reading
The children read individually to a member of staff each week. We also have a number of volunteers that kindly come into the classroom to hear readers. Your child has their own reading book, and a Link Book to record their progress, and these will go home with them each evening in a book bag. Every morning the children are able to choose a new book. The children move at their own pace through the reading levels.
Click on the PDF below, Reading at Home, to find out about the structure of our reading levels and how you can support your child with reading.
We also offer ‘Read Together’ books for your child to take home, story and non-fiction books that you can both enjoy as a bedtime story or at a time to suit you.
If you would like to hear readers in the classroom, please let us know.
Reading At Home.pdf
Literacy
Our literacy work is strongly connected with our phonics programme so the children will be building a bank of phonics knowledge and tricky words that they can apply to their writing.
This term our guided writing will stem mostly from fiction and non-fiction books about the sea.
The children will continue to apply their phonics knowledge in order to segment and form letters to write words, phrases and whole sentences. This term we will explore:
- recounting stories
- list writing
- using the laptops to type captions
- fact writing
- creating our own sea creatures.
Our ‘Talk for Writing’ book this term is ‘Tiddler, by Julia Donaldson. Towards the end of term, we will be looking at the Christmas Story.
Understanding the World
This area of learning broadly covers science, geography, history and culture.
As part of our science topic, we will be identifying the common materials around us and exploring properties such as floating and sinking. The children will be developing their skills by:
- carrying out their own practical investigations
- making verbal predictions and explaining what they have noticed
- considering some properties of common materials
- exploring our natural environment
- flags
- seasons
- landmarks
Art and Design
The children will be finding out about the artist Andy Goldsworthy and looking at his work using natural art. The children will collect and explore natural materials. They will then use these materials to create their own patterns, pictures and art pieces similar to that of Andy Goldsworthy.
The children will be developing their artistic skills by
- understanding what an artist is
- exploring a variety of natural materials
- understanding that different media can be combined to create new effects
- using their imagination to create their own artwork
- describing their work to others
- choosing particular colours to use for a purpose
PSED and RE
As part of RE and Geography we will learn about ‘Christmas around the world’. We will look at why, and how, people celebrate in different cultures. The children will develop their skills by
- listening to what others say
- finding out about celebrations around the world
- speaking confidently to others about their own experiences
- discussing similarities and differences
Phonics
Phonics is taught four times a week and the sessions last around 20 minutes. This term we will begin Phase 3 of the programme. We will continue to learn the sound and shape of individual letters in the order which encourages quick succession to blending. We will be exploring the early stages of segmenting for writing and blending for reading.
In week 3, we will be learning the first of our blends. As with the individual sounds, these have a jingle in order to help your child remember the phoneme and the letters involved. In all there are four consonant blends and fourteen vowel blends to learn. We will also start to learn the letter names and consolidate the sounds already learnt. The children will continue to bring home weekly mini-books until all of these blends have been covered. You can find the Phase 3 sounds listed in the front of your child’s Link Book.
Each phonics lesson is broken down into four sections: revising previously taught sounds, teaching a new sound, practising writing and reading the sound, and applying the sound to read and write words and phrases. This structure provides a comprehensive routine that the children quickly get used to and enjoy.
Maths
Maths is taught four days a week. Every week we will have a different maths focus, all of which builds on problem solving, reasoning, shape, space and measure and key number skills. Whilst the children are learning independently there are other opportunities outside of mathematics lessons where they can develop their skills and understanding. This term, during our maths sessions, we will focus on
- ordering numbers and quantities
- simple addition and subtraction
- one more and one less
- 2D and 3D shape
- sequencing and repeating patterns.
Computing
There are a variety of digital devices available in school and the children use these during their self-initiated learning and through maths and literacy activities. The laptops are accessible at all times and we will also continue to explore the iPads and the BeeBot floor robots.
This term the children will be developing their technology skills by:
- using a mouse to draw, drag and drop
- inputting commands into a floor robot
- creating scenes with 2Simple software by selecting objects and activities
- exploring simple iPad apps
- using software to draw and write
- operating a cd player.
Physical Education
Each week the children take part in two PE sessions, one in the hall and one outdoors. This term the children will be taking part in outdoor games, ball skills and yoga. We will be developing their co-ordination and movement and a general awareness of space and others around us. Through PE lessons the children will be:
- improving their throwing and catching skills
- playing a range of target activities using a variety of PE equipment
- following rules and instructions
- taking part in co-operative team games
Music
Music is a fundamental tool in developing language, maths and social skills. Throughout the week we will sing songs and use simple percussion or actions to enhance the children’s confidence and motor skills. They will become familiar with a number of topic related songs and rhymes in the classroom, as well as joining the rest of the school for our weekly Singing Worship.
The children will be learning to:
- explore body percussion
- join in with simple rhythm patterns and actions
- recognise the different sounds that instruments can produce
- play along with the beat of a song.
Voice tuition will be delivered by Caroline Radcliffe every Friday morning. The children will learn about rhythm, pitch and patterns in music through simple songs. This will foster a love of singing and develop confidence in performing within in the class.