Auckland (FS2)

Mrs Dale

Class Teacher

Mrs Blair

Class Teacher

Mrs Phelps

Teaching Partner

Mrs Cary

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 develop language and vocabulary and to assess and further the children’s understanding. The children are encouraged to recognise and record their own 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

Through PSED we will be exploring our emotions, how these make us feel and how we respond to others.

As part of RE we will learn about ‘Incarnation’.

In history we will be finding out about the seaside, thinking about how holidays at the seaside have changed over the years. 

The children will develop their skills by

  • listening to what others say
  • thinking about the past and present
  • speaking confidently to others about their own experiences
  • discussing similarities and differences

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

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.

See the Phonics Play link below for Phase 2 and Phase 3 activities.

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

We will continue to deliver Number Sense, a programme of short sessions that teaches a deep understanding of quantity and the composition of numbers to 10, through animations and discussion.

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 be exploring 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
  • generating photo montages using Pic Collage
  • using 2Simple software to draw and write
  • creating patterns and pictures with Revelation Natural Art.

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 listen to songs and use simple percussion 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 listening to, and talking about, hymns and songs. During the music lesson the children will be:

  • joining in with the rhythm and the beat of songs and dance
  • comparing different styles of music
  • composing simple rhythms using basic notation
  • performing as a group

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.