Foundation Stage Weekly Newsletter
Puffins and Penguins Weekly Newsletter, 16th October 2020
The Little Red Hen
To support our learning on friendship we have been exploring the story of The Little Red Hen. The children enjoyed learning actions to the story and joining in with repeated refrains (a line or group of lines that regularly repeat). We discussed the following questions: Should the animals have helped? Why or why not? Should you only help if you get something out of it? Is this the right thing? Do you think the hen should have shared the bread? We made a story map to help us remember and retell the story. The children made character hats and used drama to retell the story. We will continue this next week and will be writing some cvc words (words made up of a consonant, vowel, consonant sound) from the story; dog, cat, hen. Please help your child to hear the sounds in these words c-a-t then write them in their red book using the correct letter formation.
Read Write Inc
This week all children learnt the sounds w and z. These were the last two single letter sounds from set one. Some children then moved on to the diagraphs (two letters that make one sound) and some children recapped previously taught sounds to help secure their knowledge. A Link to RWI speed sound videos will be assigned on Seesaw.
In Maths we have been exploring the number 4.
We have been using the part, part, whole model (cherry model) to partition the number 4, e.g. 2 and 2, 1 and 3.
A new activity that we introduced was ‘How many hiding?’ First we showed the children that we were holding 4 counters. Then, without the children seeing, we put different quantities in each hand, and then we opened one hand so they could only see ‘part’ of the ‘whole’. The children had to work out how many counters were hiding in the closed hand, i.e. the missing ‘part’. We will continue to practise this concept.
We have also been continuing our work on subitising using fingers, dots and Numicon. The children are getting very speedy at this!
In school we aim to create a love of learning, to provide an understanding of what it means to be a good citizen and to prepare children for a future world of work that could be very different to today. To promote these aims, this week we explored teamwork and collaboration. In PE we worked together using the parachute. The children had to complete tasks and activities working together to succeed.
In the Woodland Camp this week children were challenged to collaborate on a task. Some children worked together to create nature pictures, others made bird nests, bat homes and bug hotels. The children enjoyed practising the skills of collaboration, sharing ideas and taking turns listening to one another.
During choosing learning time, we took photos of children collaborating to share with the rest of the class via AirServer. This is an innovative way of sharing an image from an ipad on to the big TV. The children enjoyed discussing their achievements and explaining how they had worked together.
We continue to develop our curriculum to enable children to rehearse the skill of collaboration.
Animal Care Club
We have an exciting opportunity for your child to join our Animal Care Club on a Wednesday after school with Miss Lovell-Healy. The children will meet the animals and learn how to care for them. They will visit the guinea pigs, chickens and rabbits and talk about how they can use their school values to help them. A link to the booking site has been sent via text message - booking will close on Wednesday lunchtime.
- You will have received an e-mail and text message regarding a Zoom parent meeting after half term. We look forward to discussing how your child has settled in school.
- The last day of term is Friday 23rd October and school returns on Monday 9th November.
Home learning options
- Watch the RWI speed sound lesson on Seesaw.
- Read the story of the Little Red Hen with your grown up and talk about what happens.
- Complete the rhyming activity assigned on Seesaw.
- Play the ‘How many hiding?’ game as described in the Maths section above. You could use pennies or any other small objects to hide in your hand. Alternatively, hide them under a blanket. Practise this with numbers under five.
Upload photos on to your Seesaw journal and then you could use the microphone button to record your voice telling us about your work.
From Mrs Bastin, Mrs Clague and the Foundation Stage Team