Here is a copy of our class curriculum letter that was sent home on Friday the 7th of January. The letter shares what we will be learning this half term and key dates.

• Spring 1 Curriculum Letter Reception.pdf

This half term, our topic is transport. Our model text is based on the book, The Train Ride by June Crebbin. The children learn the model text to perform aloud using actions. This will help children develop confidence in speaking and retelling stories. Children should use the pictures in the story map to remind them what comes next. Here is a video to help the children practice at home.

We are having a great time learning all about transport. We are especially enjoying creative activities like making a train and a hot air balloon!

This half term, our topic is transport. Our model text is based on the book, 'Mr Gumpy's Outing' by John Burningham. The children learn the model text to perform aloud using actions. This will help children develop confidence in speaking and retelling stories. Children should use the pictures in the story map to remind them what comes next. Here is a video to help the children practice at home.

Here is a copy of our class curriculum letter that was sent home on Friday the 5th of November. The letter shares what we will be learning this half term and key dates.

• Autumn 2 Curriculum Letter Reception.pdf

In our Literacy lessons, we use Talk4Writing and focus on different text types to help us develop our skills. This week, we have read the picture book, 'The Colour Monster' by Anna Llenas. The children learn the model text to perform aloud using actions. This will help children develop confidence in speaking and retelling stories. Children should use the pictures in the story map to remind them what comes next. Here is a video to help the children practice at home.

This week, we helped the Colour Monster to sort his feelings. The children worked in a team to sort the wool into different jars to represent different feelings. Yellow is happiness, blue is sadness, red is anger, black is fear, green is calm and pink is love!

In our Literacy lessons, we use Talk4Writing and focus on different text types to help us develop our skills. This week, we have read the picture book, 'Hug' by Jez Alborough. The children learn the model text to perform aloud using actions. This will help children develop confidence in speaking and retelling stories. Children should use the pictures in the story map to remind them what comes next. Here is a video to help the children practice at home.

When we start a new focus book, we do a hook activity to spark the children's interest. This week, we visited the nature garden to collect materials to make a jungle home for our small world animals. Reception enjoyed building a home for the animals and exploring nature.

Reception class have enjoyed their first week of school. They have enjoyed exploring the different areas of the classroom both indoors and out. We can't wait to see them develop and grow during their time at Quarry Mount.

It has been fantastic welcoming our new Reception class to Quarry Mount over the last week. The children have settled in well, have enjoyed exploring their new environment and making new friends. Well done everyone!

Preschool Reading

Children can learn a lot about reading even before they come to school and are formally taught. Young children learn about reading when

• they see people reading books, magazines, newspapers etc.
• they notice print in the environment
• they have their own books
• they are read to regularly and can talk about the story and predict what might happen
• they are encouraged to look at books and try to read for themselves
• they say rhymes and poems off by heart and sing songs

Starting School

We would like children coming into school to

• have had stories read to them
• have enjoyed sharing books with others
• have handled books on their own
• have an awareness of print around them
• have some idea of what reading and writing is
• have had the opportunity to draw and write with various materials
• have confidence and look forward to learning to read

Strategies used in teaching a child to read

Children use many strategies when reading. Phonics or ‘sounding’ a word out is the most important stage and we teach a scheme of work for synthetic phonics in our Reception class as recommended by the ‘Rose Report.’ Children also learn to use visual memory, that is looking at a word and remembering it. Children also learn when reading a good story. If the story makes sense and holds his/her interest the child can gather clues from the text and the pictures, making logical guesses about unknown vocabulary.

Helping your child progress with reading

Once children have started to read they will make better progress if you can help them by reading with them daily.

Helping Your Child with Maths

Activities to do at home

• counting in 1’s, 2’s, 5’s and  10’s
• number activities in everyday situations e.g. How many buttons are on your coat ?; Pass me 5 apples; What number is on that house?
• traditional games like Snakes and Ladders, Ludo and Dominoes are an invaluable and fun way to learn
• looking for relationships and patterns in numbers
• using ‘mathematical’ words e.g. long, longer, longest, tall, short, narrow, more than, less than etc
• recognising and naming shapes
• using the language of position e.g. under, over, above, between, next to, below, behind, in front of etc..

Helping Your Child with Writing

Children usually experiment with their own pretend writing first and this should be encouraged. Children are making marks at this stage but often to them they are writing. Ask your child to read back their writing to you and give them lots of praise, don’t tell them it is wrong or ‘just scribble.’ Young children learn writing when:

• they see people writing
• people share and discuss writing with them
• there are opportunities for children to join in writing with adults. Can they help write the shopping list?
• the child does some writing which is praised by the adult
• the child’s efforts (even pretend writing) are taken seriously

A young child encouraged in this way will soon be ready to form letters correctly and will develop a love of writing which will stay with them throughout their learning.

Activities to do at Home

• colouring books, dot to dots, tracing over patterns
• Activities which encourage a pincer grip (finger and thumb) like picking up small objects with plastic tweezers
• large arm movements especially anti clockwise such as waving flags and swirling ribbons
• painting
• make a name card for your child to copy
• as children progress write birthday cards together, shopping lists, invitations, thankyou letters, so that writing is shown to have a purpose.
• play simple word games
• Look at word with your child

In Reception, when children first learn their letter sounds they are taught to form their letters correctly. We will send out more information about this in the first half term.

Websites to help support your childs learning;

www.phonicsplay.co.uk

www.ictgames.com

http://www.numberjacks.co.uk/kids/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/alphablocks-games
www.oxfordowl.co.uk
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=37

Recommended Books to help with Maths;

• Dinosaur Dig! by Penny Dale – This inventive counting story manages to combine diggers, dinosaurs and counting.
• Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury – Illustrated beautifully by the illustrator of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, this story is ideal for young children.
• One Ted Falls Out of Bed by Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey – This magical story by the author of The Gruffalo has a counting theme and rhyming text. It’s all about the fun that toys have while children are fast asleep.
• One Mole Digging A Hole by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt – Another counting, rhyming story by children’s favourite, Julia Donaldson. From moles digging holes to parrots pulling up carrots, the wacky and wonderful illustrations by Nick Sharratt are sure to make counting fun!

Books to enjoy at home include:

• Julia Donaldson books- The Scarecrow's Wedding, Room on a Broom, The Grufffalo, A Squash and a Squeeze and many more.
• Nick Butterworth books- " Percy the Park Keeper Stories"
• Mike Inkpen books- Kipper, The Blue Balloon, "Penguin small","Jasper's Beanstalk"
• Jill Murphy books - " All in one piece", " Five Minutes peace", and lots more about the elephant family.

A good website for buying books at discounted prices is www.thebookpeople.co.uk/schools