Year R

Year R

Welcome to Year R 2023 ~ 2024

We have 2 classes in Year R.

Potter Class

Our teacher is : Mrs Ebenezer

Hargreaves Class

Our teachers are : Mrs Brant and Mrs Walker

Spring Term 2024

Spring 1 topic projects are called:

Winter, Antarctica and Africa

Spring 2 topic projects are called:

Dinosaurs, Easter and Spring

As part of our topic we will be:

building relationships

understand other peoples feelings

try new activities

develop ball skills

apply fine motor skills to small tools e.g. sewing

name different places and countries

look at similarities and differences

plant seeds

Week 3

Year R have continued to learn about dinosaurs this week. In writing, we have shared “Don’t Follow a Dinosaur” by Alex Latimer and the children have used their phonetic knowledge to write words and sentences about the story.

In discovery time, the children have enjoyed role-playing in the Dinosaur museum and played a memory game with dinosaurs. In celebration of World Book Day, the children have designed book tokens, drawn new front covers for stories they know and learnt a bit about World Book Day. On Monday, we enjoyed reading with our parents and carers from home. On Thursday the children came to school dressed as their favourite book characters; they looked amazing! On Friday, the children watched ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and enjoyed the performance very much.

Week 8

This week, Year R have continued to learn about dinosaurs. At the beginning of the week we returned from lunch to find enormous footprints and a lot of mess in Discovery Room! The children wrote about what they thought had caused it. We also discovered a large egg on a nest of twigs. The children drew the dinosaur that they thought might be inside. We looked at a non-fiction book ‘Dinosaur Dinners’ and the children wrote some facts about different dinosaurs.

In discovery time, the children prepared some cabbage dinner using their fine motor control skills, looked at some real fossils and made their own fossils using salt dough.

In maths, the children have been comparing heights of objects and practised their counting and ordering numbers.

Week 7

In EYFS this week, we have been learning about dinosaurs. We found out what dinosaurs eat and how we group them: carnivore, herbivore, omnivore. During Discovery Time, the children played with dinosaurs in the small world area, built dino worlds in construction, became palaeontologists excavating dinosaur bones in the sand and ordered/ sorted dinosaurs according to size, colour and where they live.

In writing, we have read ‘Tyrannosaurus Drip’ by Julia Donaldson. The children used their phonic knowledge to write words and sentences about the story and to predict what the story might be about.

In maths, the children have been comparing lengths of objects. In Number, the children have practised their counting and finding ‘one more’ or ‘one less’.

Week 6

In writing, we have read ‘The Ugly Five’ by Julia Donaldson. We learnt about the animals in the story: hyena, wildebeest, vulture, marabou stork and warthog. The children used their phonic knowledge to write words and sentences about the story.

In maths, the children have been exploring length. We sorted items according to ‘longer’ and ‘shorter’. In Number, we learnt about ‘more than’ and ‘less than’.

During Discovery Time, the children continued investigating African animals. At the end of the week, we learnt about the celebration ‘Chinese New Year’. The children made lanterns and had a go at using chopsticks.

Week 5

In writing, we have read ‘Handa’s Surprise’ by Eileen Browne . We felt, smelt and tasted some exotic fruits. The children used their phonic knowledge to write words and sentences about the story.

In maths, the children have been focusing on events that happen ‘in the day’ and ‘at night’. We enjoyed the song ‘Five Little Men in a flying saucer’ and used it to help us explore the concept of ‘what number is left’.

During Discovery Time, the children enjoyed role playing African safari explorers and investigating African animals. We made musical shakers and used them to perform some music. We learnt about colour mixing using paint and made a sunset sky; we added to this using silhouettes of safari animals to create amazing African safari scenes.

Week 4

In writing, we have read a non-fiction book called ‘Antarctica’. We explored where Antarctica is using maps. The children used their phonic knowledge to write words, sentences and labels about the animals, the weather and what people (scientists) should wear in Antarctica.

In maths, the children have been finding squares and rectangles in our environment. Also, we learnt the song ‘Five, little, speckled frogs’ and thought about what number is left.

In our Heart Smart lesson, we discussed and practised how to greet visitors to our classroom in a kind and welcoming way.

During Discovery Time, the children enjoyed using their hand to make penguins and water colour and wax to create an Antarctic scene. The cars and track have been used for racing and practising ‘taking-turns’. We have also enjoyed playing with the air hockey table. The children decided that they would make a list to add their name to so that everybody would know whose turn it was next.

Week 3

In writing, we have read the book ‘Lost and Found’ by Oliver Jeffers. The children used their phonics to write words and a sentence about how the characters were feeling and the setting.

In maths, the children have engaged with activities with the purpose of counting to find out ‘how many’ there are. We have looked at ordering numbers and knowing which numbers come first, next and last in a sequence.

I was amazed at the discussion about how people show their feelings in our Heart Smart lesson. We discussed how it is ok to feel sad, mad etc. but the important thing is not to stay that way.

During Discovery Time the children enjoyed using their scissor skills to create snowflakes. They have decorated our classroom to make it feel very wintery. They have also been taking turns whilst playing games and working as a team to create models in our construction area.

Week 1 and 2

Our topic over the next few weeks is winter and Antarctica.

This week the children have been introduced to the digraphs ‘oo, oo, ar and or’. We are continuing to practise reading words with these sounds. This term we are going to be using the wider school site by visiting the forest area, field and garden. This week the children went to the field. They enjoyed playing in the sandpit, rolling down the hill and stamping in the mud. In maths, the children encounter a track. This is the basis of track games like snakes and ladders. They learnt to count on from the number they are on rather than start from the beginning.

In HeartSmart we talked about our families. They talked about what is similar and different about each of their families.

Autumn Term 2023

Welcome to BIG SCHOOL!

We are so excited to get to know you all and can't wait to have lots of fun!

Our first topic project is called:

WHO AM I?

As part of our topic we will be:

talking about our family and who we live with

looking at similarities and differences

listening to stories

singing familiar songs

sharing and taking in turns

thinking about people who help us

Autumn 2

Week 12

The children have been practising their Nativity play. They performed it to Nursery and KS1 on Monday, parents and family members on Tuesday and Wednesday. They spoke, sang and acted with confidence. We were really proud of them. Well done!

In maths, the children have been learning about repeated patterns. The children created their own repeating pattern wrapping paper to use in continuous provision.

The children have been enjoying the Christmas theme. They have been writing Christmas lists for Santa in the role play area and creating decorations in the creative area.

Week 11

This week the children have been introduced to the phonemes ‘sh, th, ng and nk’. We have continued to practise letter formation for these sounds.

This week we read the story ‘Stanley’s Stick’. The children went and collected sticks from the school grounds. They used their imaginations to create items using these sticks. They made fishing rods, men, dinosaurs etc.

In maths, the children found different ways of making 4 and 5. They used squares to show us the different shapes.

Week 10

This week the children have been introduced to the phonemes ‘qu, ch and z’. We have continued to practise letter formation for these sounds.

This week we went on a welly walk to look at the signs of Autumn. The children noticed the wind, leaves changing colour and falling off the trees. We collected leaves to make leaf pictures in continuous provision. We read the story ‘Leaf Thief’ which the children enjoyed. They then created wanted posters to find the stollen leaves.

In maths, the children have been learning how toys and our bodies are whole but made up of parts. We sang the song ‘head should knees and toes’.

Week 9

This week the children have been introduced to the phonemes ‘x, y, w and v’. We have continued to practise letter formation for these sounds.

This half term we have introduced dough disco. The children have dough and follow movements through song. This will build the strength in their hands for writing.

In maths, the children have been comparing quantities. They noticed when two sets of objects are the same. They used the phrases ‘more than, fewer than and equal to’.

In continuous provision, we have been learning about Remembrance Day and Diwali. Both celebrations happen this week. They made poppy pictures and then described what they could see. Later in the week the children made Diva lamps out of clay.

Week 8

This week the children have been introduced to the digraphs ‘ll, ss and ff’. We have continued to practise letter formation for these sounds. In maths, we have continued to practise counting accurately. The last number they say represent the amount they have counted. The children have an understanding of 5 as a quantity by linking the number itself to the 5 fingers on one hand. In continuous provision, we have changed out topic to celebrations. The children have learnt about fireworks and bonfire night. They have used their fine motor skills to hammer golf tees into a pumpkin, created fireworks pictures, created firework patterns in glitter, created rockets and created some observational drawings of pumpkins. During their Heart Smart lesson, learnt about how each one of us is love, special and important.

Autumn 1

Week 7

This week the children have recapped all the phonemes that we have learnt this term. Each child had the opportunity to show their teacher which phonemes they remembered and tried to blend them to read / identify words.

In Maths, we continued to think about how to make 4 in different ways. We also compared numbers, thinking about which was more and which amount was less.

In continuous provision, we have thought about keeping ourselves healthy. We learnt about brushing teeth and washing our hands properly. The children explored using their senses -touch, see, hear, smell and taste.

During their HeartSmart lesson, the children learnt about caring for others’ hearts and went on a hunt to find a heart to care for.

Week 6

This week the children have been introduced to the phonemes ‘h,b,f,l’. They have continued to practise letter formation for these sounds.

In maths, we compared size, mass and capacity. They decided what was too big or small enough to fit in a box. We also introduced the number 4. The children investigated the different ways to make the number 4.

In continuous provision we have carried on with the theme from last week, homes and houses. This week we read the story ‘The Three Little Pigs’. We made houses out of bricks, straw and sticks and then re-enacted the story.

During their Heart Smart lesson, the children talked about what makes their heart full and drew it on a heart.

The children performed nursery rhymes in front of their parents. They sang with confidence and clarity. Well done Year R!

Week 5

This week the children have been introduced to the phonemes ‘ck,e,u,r’. They have continued to practise letter formation for these sounds.

In maths, we learnt the about the words heavier and lighter. The children became scales and investigated which items around the classroom were heavier or lighter than each other. The children have been embedding their knowledge of 1,2 and 3. Today they were introduced to the number 4.

In our HeartSmart lesson we learnt about feelings. We read a story about Boris and talked about the change in feelings. We recreated how the characters were feeling.

The children have been busy practising the nursery rhymes they will be performing to their parents next week.

Week 4

This week the children have been introduced to the initial sounds ‘g,o,c,k’. They found items that start with these sounds. They have continued to practise letter formation for these sounds.

In maths, we sang counting songs to 5. They used subitising to identify the number in a set; they will now develop their counting skills to enable them to identify how many there are in a set that cannot be subitised.

We discussed toys they play with and toys in the past. They discovered that toys in the past are made out of wood and metal whereas toys today are mainly made out of plastic. The children were able to interact with toys in the past.

Week 3

This week the children have been introduced to the initial sounds ‘i, n, d and m’. They found items that start with these sounds. The used their cutting skills and matched pictures to sounds.

In maths, we found lots of pairs of socks from a pile. The children also washed the socks, paired them and pegged them out to dry. We learnt that matching means the items are the same.

We discussed different types of families. Some families have a mum and a dad, 2 mums, 2 dads, one parent, carers or grandparents in them.

Week 1 and 2

This week the children continued to learn new routines. They have been introduced to the initial sounds ‘s,a,t and p’. They have practised saying and writing these letters within discovery time.

We learnt about feelings by reading the story, ‘The Colour Monster’. The children told us how they felt about school.

The children have enjoyed sharing their scrap books with each other and talking about their families.