Spring Term 1
Literacy and Phonics
This half term in Literacy, our Reception class enjoyed reading books like ‘The Wonder,’ which inspired us to think about our imaginations and discuss our dreams. We also explored ‘William Bee’s Wonderful World of Things That Go,’ learning about various modes of transportation and discussing their impact on our planet. The children also loved sharing their own experiences of going on trains, trucks, boats, and planes.
In Phonics, the children have continued to gain independence in their reading and writing. They are now more confidently sounding out the word they want to write and using their sound mat, if they need it to form the letters correctly.
Nursery children have explored, ‘All through the night,’ and ‘The good egg.’ They enjoyed learning how people have different roles to ensure that people are safe and happy in our community.
Mathematics
This half term in Reception for our Maths lessons, we've been diving deeper into understanding numbers, specifically how smaller numbers combine to form larger ones. We've used part-whole models to investigate the composition of bigger numbers, focusing on our number bonds up to 5 and beginning to explore larger number bonds as well. Additionally, we've learnt about 2D shapes and their properties, created shape robots, and even went on shape hunts around the school!
In Nursery, we have met the Numberblocks 1-5. We explored how many cubes made each number and the Number Blocks corresponding numeral. We also explored positional language through the story, ‘We’re going on a bear hunt.’ The children really enjoyed joining in telling the story.
Understanding the World
In Reception, we explored the ideas of past and present by comparing old and new forms of transportation. We discussed why, for example, a steam train is older than a high-speed electric train. When learning about different cultural celebrations, we loved learning all about Lunar New Year, celebrating the Year of the Dragon. We made Chinese lanterns and enjoyed tasting Chinese food. We also had fun with science experiments, testing which objects would sink or float in water. It was a challenge even for the teachers to predict the outcomes!
This term, the children made a map of Brixton using roads and pictures of Brixton’s landmarks. The children enjoyed identifying the different landmarks and discussing where they lived in relation to the landmarks!
Expressive Arts and Design
We have all been working hard with Mr Mather both in singing assemblies and in our music lessons. We are getting ready for the Spring sing! Reception have been focussing on singing in a group or on their own, increasingly matching the pitch and following the melody. We have also been exploring and engaging in music making and dance, performing solo or in groups.
Nursery have been learning to sing the melodic shape (moving melody, such as up and down, down and up) of familiar songs.
Physical Development
This half term in Reception, our focus in PE was on gymnastics, where the children worked on their coordination, flexibility, and balance. They learnt different types of rolls, such as the pencil roll, teddy bear roll, and forward roll. They also worked on jumping from a height and learning to bend their knees to land safely. In the classroom, we've been developing our fine motor skills through activities like dough discos, precise cutting, and engaging in intricate tasks such as threading, using chopsticks and picking up pom poms with tweezers.
This term in PE in Nursery, the children enjoyed using their awareness of space and objects to follow an obstacle course. They also had the opportunity to use the trampoline to teach them muscle control and coordination.
Personal, Social and Emotional
In our PSHE classes in Reception, we've been exploring what keeps our bodies healthy, focusing on various exercises and sports. During Mental Health Awareness Week, we emphasised the importance of every voice. We created a video to share what matters to us, like family, friends, and learning. The children continue to embrace our Sudbourne values more and more each day, often reminding each other that ‘sharing is caring’ and to always be kind in your words and actions.
In Nursery we welcomed new friends and we helped them to learn the Sudbourne Values such as ‘kindness’ and ‘integrity’. We also learnt about how we can ‘persevere’ in tasks that we find difficult, building our resilience and confidence!
Communication and Language
In Nursery, we introduced a daily ‘Question Time.’ Everybody took turns to answer the question, trying their best to answer in a full sentence!
In Reception, we have been listening to and talking about selected non-fiction books to develop a deep familiarity with new knowledge and vocabulary.
We have also been working on using talk to help work out problems and organise thinking and activities, and to explain how things work and why they might happen.