Phonics
Our high frequency words this week have been: get, dog, can, got, on, not and cat. Our ‘black cat’ single letter sounds this week have been: e, u, and r. We have had fun cutting and sticking to complete some initial letter sound sorting activities. The class has also continued to develop their ‘blending to read’ skills with words containing our focus letter sounds such as:
e – peg, net, get, ten, pet
u – sun, cup, mud, up
r - rip, rat, rug, rocket, carrot
We have also reviewed the tricky words we have studied so far:
‘Miss Oh-No’ words – go, no (long o sound)
Yellow Eye words – I (long i sound)
Cool Blue words – to , into (long oo sound)
Tricky Witch words – the, is, as (contain tricky letters)
Handwriting and Maths
We have looked at the cursive formation of f and o this week and have worked hard to write our own names independently. We have continued to consolidate our knowledge of number sequence (forwards and backwards) and to recognise numbers which are bigger or smaller than a given number. The children have also been using the words ‘biggest’ and ‘smallest’, ‘fewer’ and ‘more’ to compare different numbers and amounts (1-10). After half term, we will be exploring number bonds of 5.
Understanding the World
We have enjoyed learning about Diwali (which falls on Friday 1 November this year). The children have had fun taking part in team quizzes to test their knowledge of key facts about the festival, created their own rangoli patterns, made paper lanterns and decorated door hangings. The classroom has been a hub of creativity and colour! We wish you a very happy Diwali.
How to help your child at home
- Play sound-speak games such as:
“Can you touch you f-ee-t?” (l-i-p, ch-i-n, l-e-g)
“Can you put your h-a-t on?” (c-oa-t, b-a-g, t-ie)
“Where is your b-oo-k?” (p-e-n, g-l-ue, p-ai-n-t)
- Use the single-letter black cat sounds we have looked at so far to build different words: nap, sit, sat, tip, pat, pin, dig, tap, mat, map, sad, gap. Can they make a chain of words by changing one letter each time? Are they able to identify words that rhyme?
The letter sounds we have looked at so far are: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u and r
- Support number formation at home with the following rhymes:
“A downward stroke, my that’s fun. Now I’ve made the number one.”
“Half a heart will never do, slide to the right, make a two.”
“Around the tree, around the tree, That’s the way to make a three.”
“Down and across and down once more, now I’ve made the number four.”
“Make a hat, make his back, then make five’s tummy round and fat.”
- Developing fine motor strength is a key focus in the Reception classroom and any opportunities to do the following activities at home will be beneficial:
Creating with playdough
Using scissors
Independent buttoning and unbuttoning
Independent use of zips and poppers on coats
Colouring in
Threading beads to make patterns/ jewellery
Notices
We are planning some fun ‘up-cycled’ craft projects for Christmas Art Day. We would be very grateful if your child could bring into school the following items from home:
- Kitchen roll tubes
- Green milk tops
- Egg boxes
Many thanks for your help and wishing you all a very enjoyable half term break.
Mrs Collie
Reception Class Teacher