Reception Curriculum Evening 24th October 2012

The Early Years Foundation Stage Just a reminder… The Early Years Foundation Stage ensures there is consistency in provision for children from birth to five. We provide the foundations for future learning. ‘Early Learning Goals’ are set within this framework – the knowledge, skills and understanding that children should have acquired by the end of their first year at school. The ‘Early Learning Goals’ are based around seven areas of learning and development.

Seven areas of learning and development Prime areas Communication and language Physical development Personal, social and emotional development Specific areas Literacy development Mathematics Understanding the world Expressive arts and design

Communication and language Speaking and listening Unlocks the door to reading and writing! The more words children know and understand before they start phonics work the better equipped they are to succeed. Stories, rhymes, drama and songs fire children’s imagination and interest and encourage them to talk a lot, increase their vocabulary and improve their use and choice of words.

To be a successful reader and writer… Ingredients: Phonics Letter formation Speaking and listening Key words Time to practise

A successful reader can… Use a range of strategies with a strong emphasis on phonics Recognise high frequency words, many of which cannot be sounded out phonetically Look at context and other clues to assist in understanding text E.g. Using pictures

Reading At school Individual, group and shared reading Phonics sessions and high frequency words Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) is our main scheme At home Sharing and talking about books, rhymes and stories Look at and talk about printed language in their environment, on food packets, road signs, labels and leaflets Read ‘target’ books and write in the reading diary

What is phonics? Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters. E.g. a says a. Although there are 26 letters in the alphabet there are 44 phonemes in the English Language. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word. E.g. c-a-t We use a letter or a group of letters to represent these sounds (grapheme – how it is written). Pure sounds – don’t add ‘uh’!

Phonics We follow the ‘Letters and Sounds’ programme with ‘Cued Articulation’ signs to support. ‘Letters and Sounds’ is a six phase programme that aims to ensure that by the end of KS1 children develop fluent word reading skills and have good foundations in spelling. Daily 20 minute sessions.

Letters and Sounds Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Activities to promote speaking and listening skills Phonological awareness Oral blending and segmenting. Sound talk! Phase 2 Learning to pronounce sounds in response to letters Blending sounds for reading Segmenting words for spelling Phase 3 Completes teaching of the alphabet Introduces sounds represented by more than one letter Begin learning at least one representation for each of the 44 sounds Phase 4 Learning to blend and read words containing adjacent consonants Learning to segment and spell words containing adjacent consonants Read and spell the tricky words Write each letter, usually correctly

What does ‘learning a letter’ involve? Recognising the shape of the letter from other letter shapes Recognising and articulating a sound (phoneme) associated with the letter shape Recalling the shape of the letter when given its sound Writing the shape of the letter with the correct movement Naming the letter

Phonics at home Sounds sent home each week: Cued articulation action and letter shape Correct letter formation Letters to cut out for word games Words for reading and spelling

High Frequency Words Sight words should be read ‘automatically’ (improves the fluency of reading) Some can be sounded out and some can’t be sounded out (tricky words) High frequency words at home Sets of words sent home will mainly consist of tricky words Children need to recognise these words automatically Keep in book bags Suggested activities: Matching games Flash cards Spot the words in stories

A Successful Writer Children begin with ‘wiggles and squiggles’. They begin to ascribe meaning to these marks. Increasingly use phonic knowledge and letter formation in their writing. Write simple ‘CVC’ words as knowledge increases.

‘Wiggles and squiggles’

Letters with meaning

Beginning to use phonic knowledge

Writing simple words

What you can do to help! Encourage your child to draw, paint etc. Show children your writing, shopping lists, things to do, cards. Make scrap books, write postcards, party invitations. Develop fine motor skills by cutting, sewing, dot-to-dots etc. Encourage your child to have a go and praise all of their efforts!

Mathematics Children will have opportunities to: Experience counting games, number rhymes, songs and stories Count objects Learn the order of numbers Recognise numerals Write numerals correctly Sort and match objects by colour, size and shape Recognise and recreate patterns Use mathematical understanding to solve practical problems

Addition

Subtraction

Multiplication

Division

Maths at home Point out numbers around you, on houses, cars, television channels, cookers and microwaves, Say number names in order as you climb the stairs, count teddies on a bed, plates on the table. Compare quantities, who has the most sweets, which shopping bag is heavier? We will regularly send home a challenge linked to what we have been learning about at school.

Any questions?