What are we doing this week?

SPRING TERM 2 WEEK 5 March 24-29th 2025

Our Wild World Animal Adventures continue as we learn about another amazing true story from the past through our key text Zeraffa Giraffa by Dianne Hofmeyr and beautifully illustrated by Jane Ray.

In 1824 the Pasha of Egypt gave a baby giraffe to the King of France. Along with her keeper, Atir, Zeraffa Giraffa travelled over 4000 miles, sailing down the Nile, across the Mediterranean and then walking 550 miles from Marseilles to Paris. Zeraffa arrived in 1827, the first giraffe ever seen in France.

Our vocabulary will be lovely unusual nouns taken from the text:

Pasha-a man of high rank or office (as in Turkey or northern Africa)

Haboob-a type of intense dust storm which occur regularly in dry land area regions throughout the world.

Felucca-A traditional wooden shallow sailing boat used in the Mediterranean and along the Nile in Egypt, its rig consisting of one or two sails.

Amulet-a small object worn to ward off evil, harm, or illness or to bring good fortune; a protective charm.

Awning- a piece of material attached to the felucca which provides shelter from the sun.

Taffeta-a type of stiff, shiny cloth made from silk or a similar material, used especially for making dresses.

Rotunda-a type of building or room that is round and often has a dome on top. 

In Maths, we will continue with the White Rose Block-Building 9 and 10, learning to represent these numbers in different ways, and consolidating our understanding of counting in ones; 1 more and 1 less as we count forwards and backwards.

SPRING TERM 2 Week 4 17th -21st March 2025

In Literacy we will be learning the alphabet and alphabetical order, and our key text is a non fiction title  'A is for Africa'

which will continue our appreciation of the similarities and differences between life here and life in Africa.

We will begin to from capital letters correctly.

We will make our own African instruments.

In Maths, we are learning to compare heights and lengths.

SPRING TERM 2 Week 3 10th -14th March 2025

A lost penguin arrived in Class 1, and we will help it to find it's way back to Antarctica by crossing the equator in Africa. There we will meet Handa, and think how her home and local village area is different to our own.

We will learn an African call and response song to sing to him to, explore African instruments and move in time to the beat of African music.

In Maths, will begin to use the skill of estimating, thinking about the range of numbers that an amount could be.

SPRING TERM 2 Week 2 3rd-7th March 2025

Our topic 'Wild World' continues as we think about the weather both locally and around the world, and we will find out about various types of extreme weather. We will discuss places that are very cold and name the polar regions. Our key text is Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers.

In our Read Write Inc lessons we will consolidate the sounds we have learned so far, reviewing words and speeding up word reading. We have 2 guided reading groups, one group reading the Red Ditty books and one reading short ditties on a page. Your support at home is really appreciated. Remember to encourage your child to re-read their books to build confidence and fluency, and talk together about the story to secure understanding. 

In Maths, our focus is on consolidating the composition of 6, 7 and 8, and then learn about estimating.

We will be encouraging back and forth conversations & discussion, and extending vocabulary using photos as stimuli as part of the routine as the children come into class.

SPRING TERM 2 Week 1 24th February-1st March 2025

This week we will talk about the people we meet in the local area and the places we have visited in half term.

In our role play area we will take on the roles of people from the community who visit our homes. We would like every child to know their own address-and parents could help their child with this.

Our key text will be 'Noah's Ark' retold and illustrated by Lucy Cousins. We will read a daily weather report and learn that weather can be extreme. We will recreate the storm using body percussion, movement and instruments. Our Forest School sessions this term will help the children learn about the weather.

Our Read Write Inc sessions continue daily to help the children learn new sounds, read and write words and to read short ditties. In Literacy-Drawing Club- the children will have opportunities to apply their phonic knowledge as well as to draw in detail.

In Maths we are learning about doubling numbers and the composition of numbers 6, 7 and 8.

Spring Term 1 Week 6 10-14th February 2025

Last week saw the conclusion of our 'Pets in Space' topic, and the children are proud of achieving their Rainbow Challenges gold coins.

Our focus for the last week of this half term is the Chinese Restaurant visit on Monday, which will help us to learn about how the Chinese community in this country celebrate the Chinese New Year.

We will think about the features of our local area both on the journey to the restaurant and by looking at them on Google Earth.

We would love to set a half term holiday project for the children to send in photos of 'People and Places in the Local Area' see document below.

Spring Term 1 Week 5 2025 3rd-7th February 2025

Our key text for this week is'The Way Back Home'by Oliver Jeffers, and this will conclude our topic work on The Solar System and animal adventures in space. We will compare the book version with an animated version, and then use a story map to change the story to innovate our own versions of it.

In Read/Write Inc this week one group will begin to learn the Set 2 sounds, whilst the other group consolidate their Set 1 sounds and blending skills. The Set 2 sounds will be added to the red homework books. Other homework can be handwriting practice, revisiting the letter formation families-scroll down to find the videos.

In Maths we start the next block of White Rose Maths-Growing 6, 7 and 8-looking at different representations of these numbers, and how the are made up of smaller numbers.

The children are enjoying the broad range of curriculum opportunities in class, and have almost completed their challenge rainbows for this topic!

Spring Term 1 Week 4 27th -31st January 2025

This week we will be reviewing the 'Special Friends' diagraphs- sh ch th qu ng & nk and reading words with 2 syllables and 5 sounds.

Our key text will be 'The Smeds and the Smoos' by Julia Donaldson, a story about getting along with others even if they are different, which fits in with our Christian value of respect.

There will be plenty of opportunities in continuous provision and through our topic challenges for the children to explore the themes of space travel, aliens and far-off planets!

In maths we will learn more about mass and capacity, using balance scales, containers and non standard units.

We have been learning to name the planets in our solar system with the help of the song below.

Did you take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch?

The children are learning about our native wild birds at Forest School-see the spotter chart below.

Spring Term 1 Week 3 20th -31st January 2025

This week we will be reviewing the 'Special Friends' diagraphs- sh ch th qu and reading words with 3 or 4 sounds.

Our key text will be 'Dogs in Space' by Vix Southgate.

We will change our learning environment to reflect this theme, and learn more about space exploration and the solar system. Please see the 'Rainbow Challenges' below.

In Maths we will consolidate our understanding of the composition of numbers to 5, and the 1 more and 1 less relationship,between them.

Spring Term 1 Week 2 13th-17th January 2025

This week we will be reviewing the 'Special Friends' diagraphs- ck, ff, ll, ss and sh.

In our Word time lessons we will be reading and writing words with 3 & 4 sounds, trying to build up our 'Speed Words' and using our 'Fred Fingers' to write words with 3 and 4 sounds. T

In Maths, we will learn about zero and consolidate numbers 0-5. 

Our Animal Shelter role play area is set up and we are busy caring for many stray cats and dogs, of different shapes, sizes and breeds. 

In story time we will be describing the appearance and characteristics of 'Scarface Claw', the cat from our text of the week, 'Hairy McClarey from Donaldson's Dairy' using adjectives and descriptive phrases.

Our Jigsaw PSE lesson will focus on perseverance-keeping on trying when things get difficult-please encourage this at home!

The children enjoyed their first rugby PE session and will start gymnastics this week as well.

Spring Term 2025 Week 1 6th-10th January

In our first couple of weeks back we will be introducing our topic Animal Adventures, looking at the similarities and differences between different breeds of dogs and cats, through the stories Tabby McTat and Hairy McClarey.

In Letters and Sounds, we will review all set one single letter speed sounds, and learn to read and write words with 4 sounds, and we will be reviewing Set 1 'Special Friends'.The children will review letter formation-see videos below.

In Maths,we will talk about time; calendar, years, months and days, minutes & seconds and measure short amounts of time. 

On Wednesday we will visit the chancel, to learn about The Creation Story from The Bible, as part of our music lesson.

Autumn Term 2 2024

W/C 16th December 2024

This week we will enjoy some Christmas themed activities, including small world, role play and arts and crafts. 

We look forward to the exciting Christmas events like the Carol service in church, Christmas lunch, our class trip to the Everyman theatre in Cheltenham to see The Elves and The Shoemaker and Christmas Jumper day!

W/C 9th December 2024

We will continue to look at the Owl Babies story and focus on The Nativity story.

In R.E. we are learning how Christians celebrate Christmas.

We are excited about performing The Nativity for parents and grandparents on Monday and Tuesday!

W/C 2nd December 2024

This week we are looking at Owl Babies as part of our topic on Night and Day.

We learned about Road Safety with the Bikeability and Balance bike instructor.

The Nativity dress rehearsal takes place at the end of this week for grandparents and members of the church and local community. 

We have been looking at Autumn Celebrations.

These have included Halloween, Bonfire Night, Remembrance and Diwali.

In our Drawing Club time we have looked at stories like Christopher Pumpkin, Rama and Sita and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

In our Maths focus, we have been reinforcing number skills and learning not just to count but to understand about the representation of numbers 1 - 4 and beyond. We have also been busy identifying what a repeated pattern looks like and thinking about shape recognition.

We look forward to collecting ideas to help inspire us with the help of the author B. Ware during the special author day for our school and class.

Forest School is continuing each Friday afternoon and P.E. will continue each Tuesday. We've been learning how to create simple dance sequences linked to Bonfire and Firework patterns and shapes as well as Diwali dances.

The balance bike day was a great experience to learn and practise simple balance and co-ordination skills with the help of the Bikeability instructors.

Class 1 have also been busy practising for the Nativity with Class 2 as we learn about The Christmas Story. 

Reading books will continue to be changed on Tuesdays and we will send home a choosing book and phonics book.

The red sound book will also come home daily to currently reinforce the 'special friends' (diagraphs) from our Phonics learning.

Reminders of forthcoming events

Friday 29th November 5.00-7.00pm PTFA Christmas Fayre in the school hall. All welcome!

Monday 2nd December - Road Safety Talk and class workshop

Friday 6th December 1.30pm-Dress rehearsal for the Nativity. Grandparents and parents with pre-school children are welcome at attend. Countryside Nursery are also invited. No tickets are needed for this showing.

Monday 9th December 1.30pm Nativity - Parents with younger children and adult welcome. Tewkesbury Fields Care Home residents are also invited. (Tickets required)

Tuesday 10th December 6.00pm -Parents and adults only. (Tickets required)

Tuesday 17th December 9am Carol service in Eldersfield church for the whole school.

Please transport your child/arrange transportation to and from the church. Parents and grandparents are welcome to join us back at school for tea, coffee and mince pies. Thank you for your support.

Tuesday 17th December - Christmas Lunch

Wednesday 18th December -The Elves and the Shoemaker at The Everyman theatre in Cheltenham.

Friday 20th December - Autumn term finishes for the Christmas holidays (at the usual time)

Week 6 13-17th October

Our role-play journeys by train have brought us to the seaside! We will be sharing books with a sea setting and use these to inspire our own illustration.

 Our key text for this week is 'The Sea Monster' to inspire creativity and develop vocabulary. We will use the story to inspire our 'Drawing Club' work and also introduce the 'Tales Toolkit' to the children, which is a play-based approach to creating and writing stories.

Science with Mrs George continues as the children learn about their 5 senses-this week it is taste.

In Maths we will begin to learn all about repeating patterns.

Our Read/Write Inc sessions continue to teach new sounds and to use 'Fred talk' to blend words orally and using magnetic letters, and write words using 'Fred Fingers'

We will assess the children before half term to see if they can read all the sounds we have covered so far speedily, and if they can blend these to read words.

Week 5 7th-11th October 

Drawing Club this week will be inspired by an animation, 'The Wackey Races', developing our learning about vehicles and travelling. The children will be challenged to construct vehicles, and to go on a role play journey with new friends.

We will look at how the sea is represented in art, explore mixing shades of blue and green, and ways of making wave patterns.

In Read Write Inc sessions we will continue to learn to blend the sounds we know to read words, and some children are ready to write words as well.

In science, learning about our 5 senses continues. 

Week 4 30th September-4th October

'We are off on a journey out of the town, what shall we see, what shall we see?'

This is from our key text, The Train Ride, by June Crebbin, which will be the stimulus for our new set of Rainbow Challenges, Home & Away-Journey to the Seaside. (see below)

After our trip on Tuesday, we will small world resources to sequence the story and make maps of the story.

In Maths, we are exploring different criteria for sorting objects.

Week 3 23rd-27th September

We have introduced our 'Rainbow Challenges' to the class,(see below) and they will work towards collecting their coloured lolly sticks to create a rainbow and reach their 'Proud Cloud'. Our first 'Purple' challenge is for them to remember the morning routine with very little prompting from us; let's see how independent they can be!

Thank you for coming to the meeting about reading-see document below. Remember, in Class 1 we give out books every Tuesday, to be kept all week and returned with the completed reading record every Monday. Did you know that the more nursery rhymes that a child knows ay 5 years old, the more confident they are learning to read-see video below for singing at home together!

Our key Text this week is Not Now, Bernard by David Mackee.

We have made a start with our 'Letters and Sounds' and the children are doing so well in class and at home too, as seen in their red home learning book-thank you for your support! Helpful videos will be added to See-Saw.

If you would like to support them at home with their Maths, follow the link below to the White Rose Home Learning resources. We are starting the unit of work titled 'Just Like Me'-Week 1 which is all about matching and sorting.

Autumn Term 1 Week 2 

The children were fantastic in their induction week, getting to know us, each other and the school routines and expectations. We hope they enjoyed their first week and are not too tired!

Our Focus texts last week were 'The Colour Monster' and 'The Colour Monster goes to school'. These books help us to understand our feelings, including the mixed up feelings we have about staring school. We have thought about feeling happy, sad, calm, angry and frightened, and how these feelings are represented by the colours yellow, blue, green, red and black. We will be extending the children's vocabulary by thinking of other words for these emotions, such as cheerful, miserable, relaxed, furious and worried. These words will be revisited through the year as we share stories and empathise with others.

We also shared the story of 'Mr Big' a jazz pianist gorilla who had no friends; he was so big that he frightened everyone away, and inside he felt very small. He was very lonely until he bought a piano and his music drifted out of his window around the town. He received an invitation from other musicians to play in a band in the jazz club, and then he wasn't alone or lonely anymore! We will be encouraging the children to play together, to be friendly, to include everyone. We will pair them up with a new friend to be 'Learning Partners'.

We have been using the social phrases of greetings and partings; saying 'Hello', Good Morning, and 'Goodbye', as well as remembering good manners by saying 'Please' and Thank you'.

This week we carry on focusing on Nursery Rhymes and our key text is 'Little Lumpty'.

This week we begin our teaching of 'Letters and Sounds' using the Read/Write Inc approach. You are all invited to learn more about this at our reading meeting on Tuesday 17th at 5.30pm.

In Maths we are singing number rhymes to help with finger counting. Number of the week is Number 1 (see Number-block video below) and shape of the week is the circle.

In science this week, we will introduce our five senses and talk about how they help us to learn. In art, we are looking at our physical features and making a self portrait painting. In PHSE we will learn the word unique and talk about individual talents and interests.

Induction Week Monday 9th-Friday 13th September 2024

On Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday your child will be attending school for a 2 hour 15 minute induction session in a small group, either in the morning or the afternoon. They will learn about the entering school routine; what they will be expected to do independently every morning. Please help your child by talking through this routine at home, using the slides below.

During the induction sessions, the children will have the opportunity to explore and play in the different areas of the classroom, indoors and outdoors; to select and use resources and to return them to the right place when they have finished with them, or at tidy up time.

They will begin to get to know each other and the layout of the room, including the toilet. Please help your child to be independent with toileting and hand washing. However, there will be explicit teaching of good hygiene procedures in school. Please help your child by watching the NHS handwashing video below.

We will observe and chat with the children to get to know them better. We will share stories, songs and rhymes and games that help us to get to know each other too. Please share lots of nursery rhymes together at home; see video below.

We will meet together as a whole class on Thursday, and the children will need their PE kits.

On the afternoon of Friday 15th, we will have our introduction to Forest School session, and the children will need their Forest School bag- a big supermarket shopper is the best! Please see the information presentation about Forest School, which lists the items needed.