Highlights of the week:
Phonics:
We have learnt the letter group ch as code for /ch/ as in chair. We have also learnt sh as code for /sh/ as in sheep.
The children are working hard towards our end of year expectations for reading and writing. We have been working particularly hard at remembering to use capital letters, finger spaces and full stops when writing sentences.
For your information we have attached the end of year Early Learning Goals. These set out what a child is expected to have achieved by the end of the year.
Early Learning Goal - Reading:
- Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs.
- Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending.
- Read aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.
Early Learning Goal - Writing:
- Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.
- Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters.
- Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.
Phonics Top Tip:
We teach children to never sound out the ‘end e’ in words. This is because many words in the English language end with the letter ‘e’ but often it does not require decoding with its own ‘sound’. There are some exceptions to this rule and the children will learn these as they move through the school.
When reading a word with a vowel in it (a, e, i, o, u) we teach the children to try the short vowel sound first, then, if it doesn’t sound like a real word, to try the long vowel sound.
Maths:
This week we have been working on recalling our number bonds to 5. We have been working hard to try and quickly recall them without the use of concrete resources.
Early Learning Goal - Number:
- Have a deep understanding of numbers to 10, including the composition of each number.
- Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5.
- Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts
Early Learning Goal - Numerical Patterns:
- Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system.
- Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity.
- Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.
Core text:
This week we have been exploring the book ‘I Can Only Draw Worms’. The children have enjoyed this book and found it very funny. The children then explored all about worms and looked at their habitats. They then had a go at being an illustrator and sketching their own worms.
PE:
This week we started our new unit of PE about the ‘Olympics’. The children enjoyed working on their ball skills and moving the balls around to make sure to hit and miss specific targets. This term we will be focusing on ball skills, running and jumping.
Topic:
We started looking at our new concept of ‘change’. We started the week by looking at how our school and local environment has changed. We showed the children photos and videos of the golf course that used to be on the school grounds. We then looked at photos of the local estate being built. The children enjoyed seeing what was here before and looking at photos of the school in construction.
Music:
This week we practised our minibeast songs ready for our performance to parents.
Home learning ideas:
- How many levels can you complete on Numbots?
- Take some time to look through your child’s phonics folder with them and pick out some pages to practise. You can record this as part of your child’s reading in their reading journal.
- Remember you can complete the reading challenge and collect a prize from the prize box every time you read 10 times.
- Can you listen to some of the number bond songs and recall all of the numbers bonds to 5?
- To support your child in reaching the end of year expectation in comprehension, enjoy reading and talking about books together. Reading comprehension is about the children being able to talk about what has been read to them.
This is the Early Learning Goal for comprehension which sets out what a child is expected to have achieved by the end of the year.
Early Learning Goal - Comprehension:
- Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary.
- Anticipate (where appropriate) key events in stories.
- Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, nonfiction, rhymes and poems and during role play.
