Welcome to our Reception class!

Summer Term 2024


This terms topic is 'Amazing Animals.' We are starting with the text, 'Silly Doggy!' by Adam Stower. We will also be reading 'I want a Pet' and 'Pesky Rat,' by Lauren Child. Over the term we will we will make observations, explore and investigate a range of different animals, including pets and wild animals. We have a 'Vets' and 'Outdoor Mud Kitchen Café' as our role play areas and are looking forward to a visit from a speaker from the RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre.

During this term, we will continue our Wellbeing Wednesday activities. These are activities chosen from our Reception Resilience Passport and we will also share with the children our Growth Mindset I CAN lessons. EHWB Toolkit using the Zones of Regulation framework to give ourselves the skills to self-regulate and manage emotions. Our Class technique is 'Worry Bubbles.' We also have access to 'Calm Creatures' and our class Worry Monster in our Calm Corner. All these new skills that they will learn along with 'Letting your light shine,' making new friends, turn taking and learning strategies to independently resolve conflicts allow the children to grow in confidence and independence.

English
We are continuing our Read Write Inc sessions and the children will be practising segmenting, blending and writing words with 4 and 5 sounds, such as, 'think,' and 'ribbon.' We will share with the children our special celebrations, such as the alligator chomp, the karate cheer and the cheese grater. With the children enjoying daily Read Write Inc phonics, they will begin to apply these skills in other areas. Reception get off to a flying start with their reading – segmenting and blending new 'green' words that they come across, recognising tricky 'red' words and beginning to build up fluency.

Our reading area is enhanced with a talking stories CD player. Up to six children at a time can enjoy listening to familiar stories visualising it as they listen. We will discuss what they think the characters and setting look like and be practising using any new vocabulary they have heard in a sentence. We have also added masks and a puppet theatre from the stories to use when retelling them.

Mastery Maths
We will be doing lots of subitising and counting using Numberblocks, numicon, compare bears, straws and cubes. We will play lots of games to help us to read and write numbers to 10 and beyond. The children will have a 'Talking Partner' to work with during carpet time and work together using Kagan Cooperative Learning Strategies to help solve mathematical puzzles and problems. We will also be learning to name some 2D and 3D shapes, recreate shape patterns and build models.

Routines in Reception
Our P.E. lessons will take place on Monday and Friday. Please come to school dressed in PE kit on these days. Also, the children need to bring a labelled water bottle everyday.


Reading at home
We read with the children through individual, guided reading and whole class reading. We ask that the children read with an adult at home as often as possible. Ten minutes a day really does make all the difference. Please ensure reading diaries are in school every day.

Useful links
www.phonicsplay.co.uk - some nice games for practising phonics
www.topmarks.co.uk - maths games to play at home
www.cbeebies.co.uk - the games are super for the children to practise their mouse skills on a computer
Purple Mash
https://www.purplemash.com/displayboard/653f97a8fc0c79337b7cc195