Our Learning
Communication and Language:
This half term, Potter Class will focus on learning and using new vocabulary related to our topic of Minibeasts. Children will learn words for different parts of an insect and use this new vocabulary in their speech and writing. They will also be developing the skill of expressing themselves in well formed sentences.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development:
Children will be continuing to focus on the skill of resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge, linked to our school virtues. The presence of minibeasts in our classroom (caterpillars/butterflies and worms) will give children plenty of opportunities to consider their own hygiene as well as think about what other creatures may need to stay healthy.
Physical Development:
Children in Potter Class will access variety of motor skills activities including mark making, scissor skills, threading, working with tweezers and daily access to a variety of fine motor skill games. Children will continue to have access to our Early Years outdoor area and have plenty of opportunity to ride large wheeled toys in and play with balls and hoops.
Literacy:
Buttercups will continue to learn new phase 3 sounds including digraphs (two letters
making one sound) Children will use these new sounds to segment to write and blend to
read simple words. This term our new graphemes will be: ur ar oi ear air ure
Sunflowers will begin phase 5. During this phase children begin to learn alternative
graphemes for each sound (for instance, ay as an alternative for ai) and some of the spelling
rules that go along with these alternative sounds. This term our new graphemes will be
ay ou ie ea oy ir ue aw ew oe au ey
Children will develop their sentence writing skills and begin to know that a sentence needs a capital letter and a full stop. They will further move towards the ability to write sentences independently and use appropriate vocabulary in their writing.
Mathematics:
The children will learn some of their key number facts including odd and even numbers, doubles and counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. Children will also have lots of exposure to word puzzles for addition and subtraction, allowing them to apply their mathematical knowledge in a “real life” context.
Our learning is centred around the theme of: minibeasts
Understanding the World:
The children will have the opportunity to learn about different life cycles of animals and plants. They will have exciting encounters with real animals at school including ducks hatching from eggs, caterpillars turning into butterflies and worms tunnelling through soil. These are fantastic chances for the children to explore the natural world around them and describe what they see, hear and feel.
Expressive Arts and Design:
The children will enjoy a wide variety of art and craft activities based on our minibeasts theme. They will use different materials to create models and artwork through the term and look closely at nature to record it. Children will also sing songs about minibeasts and listen to and create music inspired by nature.
Children will begin the day with Worship and learning a prayer to start our day
What we are reading this half term:
Fiction:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle
Elmer and Butterfly - David McKee
The Butterfly Dance - Suzanne Barton
Snail Trail - Ruth Brown
Yucky Worms - Vivian French
Bee: Nature’s Tiny Miracle - Britta Teckentrup
The Bad Tempered Ladybird - Eric Carle
Nursery Rhymes/songs:
Incy Wincy Spider
Wiggly Woo
The Bees go Buzzing
Ladybird, Ladybird
Useful Information
- PE day: every Tuesday (please send your child in their full PE kit on this day each week)
- Library books due in: every Thursday
Please see the main Parent Portal page for any school closure dates
- Please ensure all uniform is clearly labelled with your child's name.
- PE pumps and horticulture kits need to be kept at school at all times.