Spring 2     

Happy Spring Time! 

 

At last, the mornings and early evenings are getting a little lighter day by day.

And fingers crossed, the weather will be getting a tad warmer too.  

We have lots of exciting topics and things to do in this half term.

 

Below is an overview of what we will be doing for the next half term:

 Topic/English 

This term we will be looking at the topic 'Awesome Animals'. Using the English books, 'The Elephant's Umbrella' and the non fiction book 'Chimpanzee', the children will learn about different countries and habitats, particularly the similarities and differences, animals and their babies, journeys and materials and their properties. 

             

 Writing 

We continue to encourage the children to be keen writers. At every opportunity, we encourage them to write in sentences, captions, cards, letters, etc. We promote full stops and the awareness of capital letters too.                        

 Read Write Inc  R.W.I

Using our programme RWI, daily activities will teach the children to 'Fred talk' read the word, learn 'special friends', read 'red words' (tricky words that cannot be sounded out) and spell the words they are reading. In addition, the children are learning to read and write short captions and sentences. Putting into practice the above, please continue to watch the R.W.I videos each week (set on Google Classroom). This will consolidate and practise the children's learning. 

                                                   

Reading

Please continue to read the material the children take home on a weekly basis. Plus, don't forget to do the RWI activities sent weekly on google classroom too. 'Little as often' is the key. It is important that children practise their reading/sounds, and continue to share books with an adult and listen to an adult read to them. This not only strengthens their vocabulary but also develops their inference and prediction skills—all of which play a key role in fostering a lifelong love of reading. In addition, the children can access the online 'Oxford Owl' e-books, which also consolidates the level and support they are reading at. 

 Speaking and Listening 

This term, the children will be focusing on engaging in a conversation about characters, feelings and to back it up with explanations for their answers. Also, familiarising  themselves with non-fiction books and developing new knowledge and vocabulary. 

                                                                                           

Maths

This term, our focus will be on the composition of 9 and 10. Looking at the number bonds to these numbers, adding in two parts and three parts to make 10, 1 more and 1 less and doubles. 

We will use a number of images and models, e.g. 'Numicon' and 'tens frame', to support the above concepts and skills.

For mental starters, the children will recite numbers from 0-20 and back from 15, find one less and one more between the numbers 0-10 and consolidate subitising 5 objects with quick recall. 

In addition, the children will be learning about exploring 3D shapes, i.e. the 2D faces of each shape, making the shapes roll or stack and complete patterns that look at simple to more complex arrangements, e.g. ABABA to ABCABC 

                                     

Homework

Each week, the children will be given short activities to complete at home. This will include a ‘Talking Homework’ task, and a maths or an English or topic activity and phonics videos for you to watch together.

All homework is designed to either consolidate the learning taught that week or provide pre-topic research to prepare your child for upcoming lessons.

Homework will be posted every Friday on Google Classroom, and completed tasks can be uploaded to your child’s account for the Lion Cub team to see.

Physical Development

 P.E. is on Friday mornings. We are very fortunate to have a gymnastic coach this term, who will be focusing apparatus. The children will develop their skills of balance, control and stillness. In addition, they will learn to combine sequences of movements, to make their own routine. 

                                                                                              Understanding of the World

As part of our topic, we will be looking at the changing seasons of 'Spring', animals in hot countries, animals and their babies, begin to develop an understanding of light (including colour and shadow) and explore the properties of different materials: 

               

 RE, SMSC & PSHE                                                                                                                                                                              Through stories, artefacts and 'Rev Fisher and Puddles the cat', the children will learn about the Christian festival of Easter, new life and the Muslim festival of Ramadan.  In P.S.H.E, we will be looking at 'how to keep one safe', e.g. to know and to talk about the different factors that support their overall health and  wellbeing:  sensible amounts of ‘screen time’, having a good sleep routine and  being a safe pedestrian.         

              

Expressive Arts and Design

 Through the topic 'Awesome animals', the children will be drawing, sketching, making and using water colours. We also like to act out stories through drama and using puppets.  In addition, we will be listening to and exploring 'African drumming'.                   

                                        

 The Curriculum

For more information about what we have planned for this academic year, please visit the Curriculum section on the school’s webpage, click on Reception, and have a look at our exciting and busy curriculum.

In Reception, we also value and follow the children’s own ideas and interests. This means that sometimes activities may not appear on our topic web, but grow from the children’s curiosity and enthusiasm. For example, we might explore themes such as sharks, Bluey, or Minecraft if these capture their interest.

   

                               

Tapestry 

We look forward to sharing our observations with you on our electronic learning journal, Tapestry. This will give you a window into the wonderful learning and progress your child is making in school.

Equally, we encourage you to upload your own special moments from home—such as a family day out, a celebration, or a “wow” achievement. We love seeing what the children have been doing outside school, and they really enjoy sharing their photos and videos with us and talking about their experiences.

                                                                      

Water Bottles

Please ensure that they take it home every day to be cleaned and refilled. 

                                                                           

We have an open-door policy, so if you have any questions or queries at the end of the day, please feel free to ask. You can also contact us via email at lioncubs@parkgate.cheshire.sch.uk.

No question is too small—please never feel uncomfortable approaching us.

Thank you for your continued support,

Mrs Foster, Mrs Barralet, Miss Whiteway & Mrs Wilson  xxxx