Phonics
In Phase 3 we will be recapping all the previous digraphs learnt so far - qu, sh, ch, th, ng, ai, oa. We will be learning two new digraphs - ee, or. We will be learning about the story of a donkey who says "ee-or" when given carrots as well as learning the song (see previous post with songs attached). The action for these sounds is to place your hands on top of your head like donkey ears. Have your hands pointing up for /ee/ and fold them down for /or/
We will be practicing writing both digraphs and then applying our knowledge or the sounds by writing words which include either sound e.g.
f-ee-t,
w-ee-p,
g-r-ee-n,
b-or-n,
f-or-t,
p-o-p-c-or-n
You can practise these at home so your child is confident with the sound and how to write it in a word. We will then be looking at using our words in sentences. Our tricky word we will be learning this week is "was".
Numeracy
We will be practising ordering numbers 11-19 as some children are still struggling to recognise these numbers out of sequence. You could practise with your child - instead of always counting in order from 1, try counting from different starting points.
We will also be looking at counting 2 sets of objects and combining the total, using the + and = signs up to a total of 20. This is something you could try at home, make your own + and = signs out of matchsticks, or pipecleaners. Arrange some numbers on the table (e.g. 10, 6, 4) and see if your child can put them in the correct order using the + and = signs. You could use objects to support the numbers as well.
6 + 4 = 10
You could then ask them if they think the total will be the same if we swap the 6 and 4 around.
Reading Books
Please continue to listen to your child read on a regular basis and leave a comment in their reading diary detailing how they got on, any words they struggled with, did they blend them back together correctly etc. It is also a good idea to question them about the story and ask them to explain the story in their own words - perhaps they could explain the story to another adult/sibling. This will ensure they have understood what they have read and not simply decoded words on a page.
Sunday 27 January 2013
Wednesday 23 January 2013
Phonics Activity Sheets
When we teach phonics in Reception we use Jolly Phonics which includes a story, song and action for each sound learnt to help children associate different things with the sound and so cater for the different learning styles that children have.
A few parents have been asking me for activities they can do at home with their child when we have learnt new sounds. We are going to be sending home some activity sheets that you can colour in and complete with your child if you wish to. They have the new sound and action for you to practise, a picture to colour in which links to the story and song, and it also has some example words for your child to sound out at home and copy writing them so they can put the new sounds into practice.
These are not a compulsory "homework sheet" and you are not expected to hand them back in. They are simply some fun activities that you and your child can do at home if you wish, to help embed their learning.
We currently aim to teach 2 new vowel digraphs a week and so will be handing out 2 activity sheets a week. If you want the previously learnt digraphs (qu, sh, ch, th, ng) then just let me know and I will get copies of these as well. Children in Phase 2 will also be given activity sheets relating to the single letter sounds, and blending these sounds in words.
A few parents have been asking me for activities they can do at home with their child when we have learnt new sounds. We are going to be sending home some activity sheets that you can colour in and complete with your child if you wish to. They have the new sound and action for you to practise, a picture to colour in which links to the story and song, and it also has some example words for your child to sound out at home and copy writing them so they can put the new sounds into practice.
These are not a compulsory "homework sheet" and you are not expected to hand them back in. They are simply some fun activities that you and your child can do at home if you wish, to help embed their learning.
We currently aim to teach 2 new vowel digraphs a week and so will be handing out 2 activity sheets a week. If you want the previously learnt digraphs (qu, sh, ch, th, ng) then just let me know and I will get copies of these as well. Children in Phase 2 will also be given activity sheets relating to the single letter sounds, and blending these sounds in words.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
Nursery w.c. 21.1.13
Squiggle
This weeks story is called 'Little Sun' & it focuses on making circular movements in the air with whole bodies or only with the arms (upright circles or flat circles). When squiggling the children will form one circle with both hands close together or two circles at the same time, one with the left hand & one with the right. There are also arm movements away from the body to represent the sun's rays & long lines will be drawn out or in.
Phonics
We are continuing with rhyme this week. Here are two more games you can play.
This weeks story is called 'Little Sun' & it focuses on making circular movements in the air with whole bodies or only with the arms (upright circles or flat circles). When squiggling the children will form one circle with both hands close together or two circles at the same time, one with the left hand & one with the right. There are also arm movements away from the body to represent the sun's rays & long lines will be drawn out or in.
Phonics
We are continuing with rhyme this week. Here are two more games you can play.
Odd one out
Put out
three objects or pictures, two with names that rhyme and one with a name that
does not. Ask your child to tell you the ‘odd one out’: the name that does not
rhyme.
Your child needs to be familiar with
the rhyming words before they can use them in a game – so be sure to spend time looking at the
pictures and talking about the pairs.
Finish the rhyme
Visit the local library and ask for rhyming books such as:
•It’s the bear
•Where’s my teddy?
When you are reading books that rhyme
and your child knows the story well, pause before just before you say the
rhyming word and let your child say the rhyming word.
Look, listen and note how well your child can recognise & identify the rhyming pairs.
Maths
This week we are learning about 2D shape - circle, square, triangle & rectangle. We will be naming them, recognising shapes of different sizes, counting the corners & sides of the shapes, looking at shapes in the environment & in pictures,etc. Talk about the shapes you see around you at home & when you are out & about with your child. Go shape spotting!!
Sunday 20 January 2013
Reception Planning w/c 21/01/13
Phonics
For those children who are doing Phase 3 phonics, we will be looking at the digraphs "ai" and "oa" We will be looking at the sound these digraphs make, how to write them and also applying this knowledge to enable us to write words that have these digraphs in e.g. rain, goat etc. When sounding out words like these we would say r-ai-n, g-oa-t etc. Please practise these at home with your children as well as the previous learnt digraphs; qu, sh, ch, th, ng. Keep reminding them that when we see these letters together they make new sounds - we dont try to sound them out as seperate letters such as "s-h" we would simply say "sh" This can be quite tricky at first and some children are struggling with this so the more help you can give at home to embed the learning the better. We are also going to start looking at capital letters and full stops when writing sentences so again please practise these at home. If your child does some independent work at home, please bring it in and share it with us. Or if you have taken a photo of their learning please email it to us. We would love to see it.
For those children who are doing Phase 2 phonics, we will continue to practise our blending and segmenting skills to help with reading and spelling. We will also practise our letter formation and our list of key words. Please practise these at home.
We have also been learning the names of the alphabet, which the children have enjoyed singing along to, the following is a video we have used in class, some of you may recognise the tune being played in my classroom :-) (this video is also useful for showing capital letters)
Numeracy
This week we are going to look at 3D shapes; cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, pyramid. To help children understand the difference between 2D and 3D you could use a balloon - when deflated it is "flat" like a 2D shape. But when we blow a balloon up it becomes "fat" like a 3D shape. A cube is like a square that has been "blown up" and made "fat".
We will be learning about the properties of the shapes e.g. how many faces, edges, corners does each shape have. What 2D shape are the faces on a cube, cylinder, cone, pyramid. You could have a look at home and see if you and your child can find any 3D shapes; football, tin of soup, dice, party hat etc. When out walking see if you can spot any 3D shapes in the environment and take some photos of them. You could also show them some images of the Egyptian Pyramids....
If your child has any building blocks at home you could talk about the different shapes and look at the properties of them. You could carry out an experiment to see which shapes will roll down a slope and which ones won't. You could also play the magic feely bag game, when you hide some shapes in a "magic bag" and you have to describe what you can feel, the other person must guess what shape is hidden inside. Using different shaped cardboard boxes/plastic containers, can you make a model using only one type of shape or use lots of different shapes. Talk about which shapes your child has used.
Children need to be able to talk about the size of different objects as well as explore the characteristics of everyday objects and shapes, using mathematical language to describe them.
The following is a video I found on youtube that we will be singing in school so you can practise at home too..... (maybe you could see if you can collect all the objects that it mentions)
For those children who are doing Phase 3 phonics, we will be looking at the digraphs "ai" and "oa" We will be looking at the sound these digraphs make, how to write them and also applying this knowledge to enable us to write words that have these digraphs in e.g. rain, goat etc. When sounding out words like these we would say r-ai-n, g-oa-t etc. Please practise these at home with your children as well as the previous learnt digraphs; qu, sh, ch, th, ng. Keep reminding them that when we see these letters together they make new sounds - we dont try to sound them out as seperate letters such as "s-h" we would simply say "sh" This can be quite tricky at first and some children are struggling with this so the more help you can give at home to embed the learning the better. We are also going to start looking at capital letters and full stops when writing sentences so again please practise these at home. If your child does some independent work at home, please bring it in and share it with us. Or if you have taken a photo of their learning please email it to us. We would love to see it.
For those children who are doing Phase 2 phonics, we will continue to practise our blending and segmenting skills to help with reading and spelling. We will also practise our letter formation and our list of key words. Please practise these at home.
We have also been learning the names of the alphabet, which the children have enjoyed singing along to, the following is a video we have used in class, some of you may recognise the tune being played in my classroom :-) (this video is also useful for showing capital letters)
This week we are going to look at 3D shapes; cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, pyramid. To help children understand the difference between 2D and 3D you could use a balloon - when deflated it is "flat" like a 2D shape. But when we blow a balloon up it becomes "fat" like a 3D shape. A cube is like a square that has been "blown up" and made "fat".
We will be learning about the properties of the shapes e.g. how many faces, edges, corners does each shape have. What 2D shape are the faces on a cube, cylinder, cone, pyramid. You could have a look at home and see if you and your child can find any 3D shapes; football, tin of soup, dice, party hat etc. When out walking see if you can spot any 3D shapes in the environment and take some photos of them. You could also show them some images of the Egyptian Pyramids....
If your child has any building blocks at home you could talk about the different shapes and look at the properties of them. You could carry out an experiment to see which shapes will roll down a slope and which ones won't. You could also play the magic feely bag game, when you hide some shapes in a "magic bag" and you have to describe what you can feel, the other person must guess what shape is hidden inside. Using different shaped cardboard boxes/plastic containers, can you make a model using only one type of shape or use lots of different shapes. Talk about which shapes your child has used.
Children need to be able to talk about the size of different objects as well as explore the characteristics of everyday objects and shapes, using mathematical language to describe them.
The following is a video I found on youtube that we will be singing in school so you can practise at home too..... (maybe you could see if you can collect all the objects that it mentions)
Sunday 13 January 2013
Nursery
Firstly I would like to wish you all a (belated) Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year and that Santa was kind!
Welcome also to the new children who started in Nursery this week and their parents :-)
Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle
This week we learnt a new story, song & dance called 'Little Water Shute' which focuses on creating wavy movements and lines. At home try cutting paper circles in half. Your child can then stick them side by side and use a writing implement to draw wavy movements along them.
Maths
We have focused on counting and number this week - linking one number with one object. At home try to create lots of opportunities to count objects. The children are learning about different counting strategies, e.g.
Phonics
Over the next couple of weeks we will be focusing on Rhythm & Rhyme.
Top tips for listening:
Welcome also to the new children who started in Nursery this week and their parents :-)
Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle
This week we learnt a new story, song & dance called 'Little Water Shute' which focuses on creating wavy movements and lines. At home try cutting paper circles in half. Your child can then stick them side by side and use a writing implement to draw wavy movements along them.
Maths
We have focused on counting and number this week - linking one number with one object. At home try to create lots of opportunities to count objects. The children are learning about different counting strategies, e.g.
- scanning - running their hand over the objects or picking each one up;
- touching each object;
- organising - e.g. putting them in a line;
- partitioning - moving each object as it is being counted.
Some points to look out for:
Does your child realise that the number of objects is the same no matter how they are organised?
Does your child understand that, when counting a set of objects, the last number said represents that number of objects.
After counting, can your child remember how many objects were in the set without having to recount?
Phonics
Over the next couple of weeks we will be focusing on Rhythm & Rhyme.
Top tips for listening:
•Remember that rhyme is a difficult skill to master so playing lots of
games will help your child develop these skills . When your child can tell you
a list of rhyming words and non-words, after being given a start, they can be
considered to be well on the way to grasping rhyme (e.g. you say cat, mat,
sat…and the child continues fat, pat, mat, rat).
•
If you
visit the library, ask for books that have a rhyme in them. The librarian will
know where to find these easily.
•
Try and
collect objects that rhyme and put them in a box or a basket for you and child
to explore and play with.
• Remind yourself of the rhymes you knew as a child and say them with your children.
• Try to think of words that rhyme with your
child’s name or their favourite toys or television characters.
I hope that you enjoy doing these activities with your children. Feel free to comment on any that work particularly well!
Thursday 3 January 2013
Reception planning for first week back
Happy New Year!!!!! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year.
Here is the planning for our first week back.
Phonics
Those children that are moving onto Phase 3 Phonics will be learning new digraphs (two letters that make one sound). We will look at qu, ch, sh, th. Please practise writing these sounds and saying them at home, pointing them out in words when reading with your child, doing the actions and singing the song etc to help embed their learning. We are also practising writing some sentences using the sounds we know so far and the key/tricky words. You can practise this at home, perhaps using a picture to support learning and provide a context for the children's writing.
Those children that are in Phase 2 will be recapping all the sounds we have learnt so far in order to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of each individual letter sound. Please practise them all at home by sounding them out on their own, blending them with other sounds to read words, practise writing the letters and doing the actions/songs at home with your child. You can use phonicsplay.co.uk (Phase 2) for some games to help with their learning and make it fun.
Please can everyone recap all their key/tricky words and also practise Lists 1-6 again. We will be handing out List 7 on Tuesday. We are also going to be learning some alphabet songs so the children can learn the names of the letters now that we have learnt all the sounds so please practise this at home as well. YouTube has some alternative versions of the "traditional" alphabet song if you feel like a change.
Here are the songs for all the Phase 3 digraphs we will be learning over the next few weeks....
Numeracy
In maths we will be concentrating on the numbers 11, 12, 13 in the first week back as there has been some confusion in the lead up to christmas with recognising and forming the "teen numbers." Please practise these at home. We will also be looking at counting out sets of objects and looking at 1 more and 1 less.
When your child is confident with this, you can move them on by allowing them to do it mentally. So ask them what is 1 more than 5? What is 1 less than 7 etc. Start with numbers up to 10 and at first they may want to use their fingers to help them. Once they are confident they can move onto numbers past 10.
Counting is so important, and finding an opportunity to count with your child will help them progress even more. Counting things you see, things you can touch, things you do. By doing this on a regular basis you will help strengthen their ability in mental maths.
When your child is confident counting forwards (up to 100?) you can start asking them to start from different numbers, turn this into a game. You can then practise counting backwards, counting in 2s, 5s, 10s until your child is confident with their mental maths.
The key is to Make It Fun.
Here is the planning for our first week back.
Phonics
Those children that are moving onto Phase 3 Phonics will be learning new digraphs (two letters that make one sound). We will look at qu, ch, sh, th. Please practise writing these sounds and saying them at home, pointing them out in words when reading with your child, doing the actions and singing the song etc to help embed their learning. We are also practising writing some sentences using the sounds we know so far and the key/tricky words. You can practise this at home, perhaps using a picture to support learning and provide a context for the children's writing.
Those children that are in Phase 2 will be recapping all the sounds we have learnt so far in order to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of each individual letter sound. Please practise them all at home by sounding them out on their own, blending them with other sounds to read words, practise writing the letters and doing the actions/songs at home with your child. You can use phonicsplay.co.uk (Phase 2) for some games to help with their learning and make it fun.
Please can everyone recap all their key/tricky words and also practise Lists 1-6 again. We will be handing out List 7 on Tuesday. We are also going to be learning some alphabet songs so the children can learn the names of the letters now that we have learnt all the sounds so please practise this at home as well. YouTube has some alternative versions of the "traditional" alphabet song if you feel like a change.
Here are the songs for all the Phase 3 digraphs we will be learning over the next few weeks....
Numeracy
In maths we will be concentrating on the numbers 11, 12, 13 in the first week back as there has been some confusion in the lead up to christmas with recognising and forming the "teen numbers." Please practise these at home. We will also be looking at counting out sets of objects and looking at 1 more and 1 less.
When your child is confident with this, you can move them on by allowing them to do it mentally. So ask them what is 1 more than 5? What is 1 less than 7 etc. Start with numbers up to 10 and at first they may want to use their fingers to help them. Once they are confident they can move onto numbers past 10.
Counting is so important, and finding an opportunity to count with your child will help them progress even more. Counting things you see, things you can touch, things you do. By doing this on a regular basis you will help strengthen their ability in mental maths.
When your child is confident counting forwards (up to 100?) you can start asking them to start from different numbers, turn this into a game. You can then practise counting backwards, counting in 2s, 5s, 10s until your child is confident with their mental maths.
The key is to Make It Fun.
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