Reception Learning Blog
2023-2024
What are Reception up to?
3.1
Awaiting content
2.2
We are focusing on writing sentences using our phonic knowledge. We are remembering our capital letter, finger spaces, sounds and full stops. We call this the 5 finger check! We are especially remembering to form our letters correctly, making sure that they are facing the right way.
Continue to use the number formation rhymes at home to support your child to form and recognise numbers to 20. We have especially been focusing on teen numbers. We have also been adding and taking away using rhymes and stories.
This half term our topic is ‘Traditional Tales’. We will be learning about traditional tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk and The Three Little Pigs.
2.1
We have been practising writing short consonant, vowel, consonant (CVC) words and have begun to put these into sentences EG ‘the cat on the log’, ‘the pig in the mud’, ‘I go on a bus’. We have also been learning lots of red words such as ‘the’ ‘I’ ‘was’, these are words that we cannot sound out and we just have to remember how to spell them.
Please continue to practise reading and writing words and simple sentences at home.
We have also been learning how to tell our own stories using our imagination.
The children have been working very hard on learning numbers up to 10. This includes counting objects up to 10, recognising numbers, putting them in the correct order and representing them in different ways. We have focussed on how the numbers are composed using addition and subtraction and representing this using the ‘part-part-whole’ method. They are even starting to recall some key number facts up to 10 (eg 5+5=10, 10 - 8 = 2, 3+7=10).
Please continue to support your child with their number work up to 10 including recognising and correctly forming the digit. We have introduced number lines and objects to help us and encourage the children to explain the reasoning behind their answers. This half term we will be continuing our work on numbers to 10 and recalling key number facts. We will also be focusing on repeating patterns by creating, continuing and describing a pattern.
This term our topic is 'animals'. We will be learning lots of different facts about animals, where they live and what they like to eat. We will also be looking at different plants and planting our own seed and watching it grow.
1.2
English: We have been practising writing short consonant, vowel, consonant (CVC) words and will begin to put these into captions and sentences such as ‘the cat on the log’ and ‘the pig in the mud’. We have also been learning lots of red words such as ‘I’ ‘the’ ‘to’ and ‘go’. These are words we cannot sound out and have to remember how to spell them. Please continue to practise reading and writing words and simple sentences at home.
Please read the books for pleasure with your child and fill out their reading diaries. You can also message on Seesaw to let us know how they got on. Your child may be able to read some words or simple sentences in the story books. We have a local library in Kings Heath if you are looking for a wider selection.
Book changing day is still every Wednesday.
Maths: In maths we will be learning about one more and one less, using the wording ‘add’, ‘take away’ as well as ‘more’ and ‘less’. We will also explore two parts making a whole such as 2+2 = 4 (part, part, whole). Please practice these concepts at home and also continue to use the number formation rhymes to support your child to form and recognise numbers to 10. Repetition is key to remembering! We will be beginning to introduce teen numbers, you could also discuss and explore these at home.
Topic: This term our topic is ‘Our community’, throughout the half-term we will we be learning about where we live, what local places we have in our community and all the people who help us such fire fighters, doctors, police officers, hairdressers etc. Please prepare your child by having some conversations around our community and about the people who can help us.
For Halloween, we watched Mr Jones carve a pumpkin. We saw all the seeds inside as he scooped them out. Then we passed it round so we could find out what it smelled like. We also found out it was really heavy! We kept it in our classroom and lit a small candle inside.
We spoke about the celebration ‘Bonfire Night’ and then made our own firework biscuits! They were delicious.
For Road Safety Week, the children made us extremely proud by crossing the road. They were able to follow the instructions of 'stop, look and listen’ and cross the road safely.
In PE we practised our balancing skills and carefully walked across the bench.
We spoke about the celebration 'Hanukkah' and made our own handprint art representing candles.
We had our school Nativity and we were Sheep, Shepard’s, Angels and Stars.
1.1
English:
Over the next half term, your child will begin to learn a new letter sound each day, using the Read Write Inc scheme. During this time, please feel free to support your child by playing some letter recognition games or initial sound games (for example, can you find the letter a in the supermarket? Or I spy something beginning with …?).
Maths:
We will begin to teach the children numbers 0-10 this half term. This will include learning number rhymes, such as 5 little speckled frogs, 5 little ducks and 10 in a bed. You could practise these at home and find opportunities to involve numbers in your daily life (for example, counting fish fingers on your plate or shoes by the door).
PSHE:
We will be settling the children into their new classes and focusing on making friendships. We will be discussing what makes a good friend and how we can follow our school rule of 'be kind'.
Computing:
Once the children are settled, we will start to explore and discuss different forms of technology, found in the home and at school. We will begin to practise basic mouse control skills on the computer and play some Maths and English games.
2022-2023
3.2
This half term our topic is ‘You Choose’ and we are following the interests of the children. We have asked what they would like to learn about, this includes: superheroes, exploring different foods, nature, the beach and animals.
Phonics
We will be focusing on using our phonic knowledge to write sentences, remembering our 5-finger check, (by using capital letters, finger spaces, all our sounds and a full stop) and forming our letters correctly.
Maths
We will be continuing to correctly form our numbers, especially teen numbers, adding and subtracting numbers using rhymes and stories and measuring using words like tallest, shortest, longest, heaviest and lightest. We will also introduce characters called Odd Todd and Even Steven to help children understand odd and even numbers and link this to sharing equally.
Reading
Book changing day will still be on Wednesday, please ensure your child brings their reading books in to school on this day so they can be changed. These books are to be shared with an adult to encourage reading for pleasure, as they are not matched to their reading ability.
Outdoor learning
Outdoor sessions will continue to take place on Friday afternoons. Please ensure, with the warmer weather coming, that children bring in a hat and wear sunscreen to keep them safe from the sun.
PE
PE sessions will take place on Monday. Please ensure your child’s PE kit is kept in school in case there are any timetable changes.
3.1
This half term our topic is ‘Traditional Tales’. We will be learning about traditional tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk and The Three Little Pigs.
Phonics
We are focusing on writing sentences using our phonic knowledge. We are remembering our capital letter, finger spaces, sounds and full stops. We call this the 5 finger check! We are especially remembering to form our letters correctly, making sure that they are facing the right way.
Maths
Continue to use the number formation rhymes at home to support your child to form and recognise numbers to 20. We have especially been focusing on teen numbers. We have also been adding and taking away using rhymes and stories.
Reading
Book changing will continue to be every Wednesday. Please ensure your child has their reading books in on this day. It’s important to read with your child as much as possible and record any observations in the diary.
Outdoor learning
We will continue to do an activity outdoors. As the weather will be getting warmer, please ensure your child has a sunhat and suncream in school for these lessons.
PE
PE will continue to take place every Monday. Please ensure your child leaves their PE kit in school in case there are last minute timetable change
2.2
Understanding the World This term our topic is 'animals'. We will be learning lots of different facts about animals, where they live and what they like to eat. We will also be looking at different plants and planting our own seed and watching it grow.
Phonics and Literacy
Please continue to read the books for pleasure with your child and fill out their reading diaries. Books will be changed every Wednesday.
We have been practising writing short consonant, vowel, consonant (CVC) words and have begun to put these into sentences EG ‘the cat on the log’, ‘the pig in the mud’, ‘I go on a bus’. We have also been learning lots of red words such as ‘the’ ‘I’ ‘was’, these are words that we cannot sound out and we just have to remember how to spell them.
Please continue to practise reading and writing words and simple sentences at home.
We have also been learning how to tell our own stories using our imagination.
Maths
The children have been working very hard on learning numbers up to 10. This includes counting objects up to 10, recognising numbers, putting them in the correct order and representing them in different ways. We have focussed on how the numbers are composed using addition and subtraction and representing this using the ‘part-part-whole’ method. They are even starting to recall some key number facts up to 10 (eg 5+5=10, 10 - 8 = 2, 3+7=10).
Please continue to support your child with their number work up to 10 including recognising and correctly forming the digit. We have introduced number lines and objects to help us and encourage the children to explain the reasoning behind their answers. This half term we will be continuing our work on numbers to 10 and recalling key number facts. We will also be focussing on repeating patterns by creating, continuing and describing a pattern.
We will also be covering 2D and 3D shapes; recognising them and describing their properties.
PE
PE will continue to be every week on a Monday. Please ensure your child has their named PE kit in school. Keep encouraging your child to dress themselves as this will really help them become more independent.
2.1
This term our topic is ‘Our community’, throughout the half-term we will we be learning about where we live, what local places we have in our community and all the people who help us such fire fighters, doctors, police officers, hairdressers etc. Please prepare your child by having some conversations around our community and about the people who can help us.
Phonics
Please read the books for pleasure with your child and fill out their reading diaries. You can also message on Seesaw to let us know how they got on.
We have started to write words using our phonic knowledge so your child may be able to read some words in the story books.
We have a local library in Kings Heath if you are looking for a wider selection. Book changing day is still every Wednesday.
Maths
Please continue to use the number formation rhymes at home to support your child to form and recognise numbers to 5. Repetition is key to remembering! We will be beginning to introduce numbers beyond 5, you could also discuss and explore these at home.
PE
PE will continue to be every week on a Monday. Please ensure your child has their named PE kit in school. Keep encouraging your child to dress themselves as this will really help them become more independent.
1.2
This term our topic is Celebrations. We are learning about the different celebrations that take place across the year such as birthdays, Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas etc.
Reading
Each week we have a class story theme where we read the story and complete activities linked to the story throughout the week.
Please continue to enjoy reading the story books we send home with your child; these books will be changed every Wednesday. We have a local library in Kings Heath if you are looking for a wider selection of books to enjoy.
Phonics
In Phonics, we will be learning a new sound each day. Focussing on recognising, forming and sounding out the phoneme. We have also began reading and writing 3 sounds together to make a CVC word e.g. dog, log, sit. Please continue to revise the sound with you child at home using their Read Write Inc green sound booklet.
Maths
In Maths this term we are learning numbers up to 5. Each week we will introduce a new number, focussing on counting, forming and representing the number. Please continue to use the number formation rhymes at home to support your child to write and recognise numbers. We will begin to use language of one more (add) and one less (subtract. We will also support your child to recognise 2D shapes around the house and local environment, (square, rectangle, triangle, square).
PE
PE will continue to be every week on a Monday. Please ensure your child has their named PE kit in school. Keep encouraging your child to dress themselves as this will really help them become more independent.
1.1
English:
Over the next half term, your child will begin to learn a new letter sound each day, using the Read Write Inc scheme. Within this pack there will be a sound chart for you to use at home with your child. You could play some letter recognition games or initial sound games (for example, can you find the letter a in the supermarket? Or I spy something beginning with …?). Please ask us if we can help with anything.
Maths:
We will begin to teach the children numbers 0-10 this half term. The number rhymes have been included in this pack. Please practise these at home and involve numbers in your daily life (for example, counting fish fingers on your plate or shoes by the door).
PSHE:
We will be settling the children into their new classes and focusing on making friendships. We will be discussing what makes a good friend and how we can follow our school rule of 'be kind'.
Computing:
Once the children are settled, we will be start to explore different forms of technology. We will begin to practise basic mouse control skills on the computer and play some maths and English games on the computer.
3.2
This half term our topic is ‘Come Outside’ where we will look at all things outdoors. We will be learning about growing fruits and vegetables and being healthy by reading ‘Oliver’s Vegetables’ and then being explorers with ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’ and ‘The Singing Mermaid’.
Phonics
We will be focusing on using our phonic knowledge to write sentences, remembering our 5-finger check, (by using capital letters, finger spaces, all our sounds and a full stop) and forming our letters correctly. We will also look at describing characters and settings using adjectives like the long, wavy grass from our Bear hunt story.
Maths
We will be continuing to correctly form our numbers, especially teen numbers, adding and subtracting numbers using rhymes and stories and measuring using words like tallest, shortest, longest, heaviest and lightest. We will also introduce characters called Odd Todd and Even Steven to help children understand odd and even numbers and link this to sharing equally.
Reading
Book changing day will still be on Wednesday, please ensure your child brings their reading books in to school on this day so they can be changed. These books are to be shared with an adult to encourage reading for pleasure, as they are not matched to their reading ability.
Outdoor learning
Outdoor sessions will continue to take place on Friday afternoons. Please ensure, with the warmer weather coming, that children bring in a hat and wear sunscreen to keep them safe from the sun.
PE
PE sessions will take place on Monday. Please ensure your child’s PE kit is kept in school in case there are any timetable changes.
3.1
This half term our topic is ‘Traditional Tales’. We will be learning about traditional tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk and The Three Little Pigs.
Phonics
We are focusing on writing sentences using our phonic knowledge. We are remembering our capital letter, finger spaces, sounds and full stops. We call this the 5 finger check! We are especially remembering to form our letters correctly, making sure that they are facing the right way.
Maths
Continue to use the number formation rhymes at home to support your child to form and recognise numbers to 20. We have especially been focusing on teen numbers. We have also been adding and taking away using rhymes and stories.
Reading
Book changing will continue to be every Wednesday. Please ensure your child has their reading books in on this day. It’s important to read with your child as much as possible and record any observations in the diary.
Outdoor learning
We will continue to do an activity outdoors. As the weather will be getting warmer, please ensure your child has a sunhat and suncream in school for these lessons.
PE
PE will continue to take place every Monday. Please ensure your child leaves their PE kit in school in case there are last minutes timetable changes.
2.2
Phonics and Literacy
We have been practising writing short consonant, vowel, consonant (CVC) words and have begun to put these into sentences EG ‘the cat on the log’, ‘the pig in the mud’, ‘I go on a bus’. We have also been learning lots of tricky words such as ‘the’ ‘I’ ‘was’, these words are unable to be sounded out and we just have to remember how to spell them.
Please continue to practise reading and writing words and simple sentences at home.
We have also been learning how to tell our own stories using our imagination.
Maths
The children have been working very hard on addition, using the ‘part-part-whole’ method and they are even starting to remember some number facts to 10 (EG 5+5=10, 8+2=10, 3+7=10). This term we will be continuing our knowledge of addition and learning about subtraction.
Please continue to support your child recognising and correctly forming their numbers to 20. We have introduced number lines and objects to help us. This half term we will be exploring positional language, patterns, 2D and 3D shapes, recognising them and their properties.
Understanding the World This term our topic is 'animals'. We will be learning lots of different facts about animals, where they live and what they like to eat. We will also be looking at different plants and planting our own seed and watching it grow.
2.1
Phonics
Please read the phonics books with your child and you can message on Seesaw to let us know how they got on.
Enjoy reading the story books we send home with your child.
We have started to write words using our phonic knowledge so your child may be able to read some words in the story books, including tricky words; I and the.
We have a local library in Kings Heath if you are looking for a wider selection. Book changing day is still every Wednesday.
Maths
Please continue to use the number formation rhymes at home to support your child to form and recognise numbers to 10. Repetition is key to remembering! We will be beginning to introduce teen numbers, you could also discuss and explore these at home.
We will also be learning about one more and one less, using the wording ‘add’, ‘take away’ as well as ‘more’ and ‘less’.
PE
PE will continue to be every week on a Monday. Please ensure your child has their named PE kit in school. Keep encouraging your child to dress themselves as this will really help them become more independent.
1.2
Phonics
We have been practising recognising sounds in the alphabet and hearing the initial sound in words. We will continue to practise writing each of the sounds we have learnt. We refer back to the Read, Write Inc sounds. We have started working on blending 3 sounds together to make a CVC word (eg. dog, log, sit).
Maths
We will continue to practise writing numbers to 5 and will begin to develop our knowledge around numbers to 10. Please continue to use the number formation rhymes at home to support your child to write and recognise numbers from 0-10. We will begin to use language of one more (add) and one less (subtract. We will also support your child to recognise 2D shapes around the house and local environment, (square, rectangle, triangle, square).
In RK we carefully painted rocks as part of a mindfulness activity during PSHE to place rocks in our mental health garden. We chose our favourite colours to paint on the rocks. We also read stories about being worried and practised ways of letting go of our worries. We remembered that it was important to talk about our worries to make them go away.
We enjoyed exploring our different classrooms both outdoors and indoors!
For our topic all about me, we made self portraits.
After learning some new sounds we practised catching and matching the sounds.
We learnt how to count and made sure we were doing careful counting using our finger to touch each object.
After learning how to hold our pen like a snappy crocodile we practised writing our names.
We enjoyed learning about Autumn and going to forest school to collect Autumn leaves, sticks and conkers. Here are our creations!
We had lots of fun learning about Halloween and made lots of spooky things and even carved a pumpkin!
1.1
English:
Over the next half term, your child will begin to learn a new letter sound each day, using the Read Write Inc scheme. Within this pack there will be a sound chart for you to use at home with your child. You could play some letter recognition games or initial sound games (for example, can you find the letter a in the supermarket? Or I spy something beginning with …?). Please ask us if we can help with anything.
Maths:
We will begin to teach the children numbers 0-10 this half term. The number rhymes have been included in this pack. Please practise these at home and involve numbers in your daily life (for example, counting fish fingers on your plate or shoes by the door).
PSHE:
We will be settling the children into their new classes and focusing on making friendships. We will be discussing what makes a good friend and how we can follow our school rule of 'be kind'.
Computing:
Once the children are settled, we will be start to explore different forms of technology. We will begin to practise basic mouse control skills on the computer and play some maths and English games on the computer.