1. Early Years Meeting
September

2. Information contained in this powerpoint.
The Foundation Stage
Apple, Mango and Peach
Numeracy
Literacy
Assessment and Profiles
Nursery
Homework
How we communicate with you
Special Educational Needs (SEN)

3. The Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals Topic based learning
Prime Areas
Communication and Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social and Emotional
Specific Areas
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Art and Design
Topic based learning

4. Communication and Language
Development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

5. Physical Development
Involves providing opportunities fro young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

6. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and to develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behavior in groups and to have confidence in their own abilities.

7. Literacy
Development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials to ignite their interest.

8. Mathematics
Involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures

9. Understanding the World
Involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

10. Expressive Arts and Design
Involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

11. Assemblies
Visitors
Visits

12. Nursery All 7 areas covered during the day
Adult led focused activities
Child initiated independent activities
Outdoor play
Fun Friday!

13. Apple, Mango and Peach
Reception focus on literacy and numeracy in the morning
Working with Year One on all the other areas of learning in the afternoon

14. Phonics
Jolly Phonics is a foundation for reading and writing. It teaches the letter sounds in an enjoyable, multisensory way, and enables children to use them to read and write words.
Jolly Phonics includes learning the irregular or 'tricky words' such as said, was and the.

15. Letter Sounds Letter Sounds Letter sound order
There are 42 different letter sounds, which are divided into 7 groups.
The order in which the letter sounds are taught go from the simplest to the more complex letter sounds.
The first group of letters were chosen because you can make more simple, three-letter words than with any other combination of 6 letters.
This enables the children to start blending and reading words from the first week. This is hugely motivating for them.
Letter names
Initially, only the letter sounds are taught, with the letter names coming a few weeks later.
This helps to prevent the children getting muddled between the sound and the name.
Digraphs
The digraphs (where two letters make one sound) are introduced in the fourth group of letter sounds.

16. Storylines and Actions
Learning the /s/ sound
Action:
Weave your hand like a
snake, making an ‘s’
shape, saying ssssss
Storylines and Actions
The first of the 5 basic skills is learning the letter sounds:
Action
• There is an action linked to each letter sound.
• This multi-sensory approach helps the children remember the letter sounds more easily.
Storyline
• Each sound and action is introduced through a story.
• For the /s/ sound, the story is about a boy who takes his dog for a walk.
• When the dog starts to bark, the boy runs over and sees a snake rearing up out of the grass in an ‘s’ shape, saying /ssssss/.
• For the action, the children weave their hands in an ‘s’ shape, like a snake, and say /ssss/.

17. the /s/ Sound Sheet from The Phonics Handbook.
Sound Sheets
This is
the /s/ Sound Sheet from The Phonics Handbook.
Sound Sheets
The left-hand part of the worksheet is for parents:
It demonstrates the action for the letter sound.
It gives some words that have the new letter sound in them.
These words act as a guide to the sound the letter makes.
Some parents like to make a file of all the worksheets their child has done. This gives an appreciation of the children’s work and acts as useful revision.

18. Sound Books Go home every 6 sounds
Do one sound a night in the book, after your child has done it at school
No new sound on a Friday
Ten minutes
Cursive writing
When completed leave in book bag for marking

19. Pencil Hold Tripod grip ‘Froggy legs’ movement Pencil Hold Tripod grip
The ‘tripod’ type of pencil hold makes it easier for children to write. They need to learn that:
The pencil goes between the thumb and the first finger.
The next finger stops the pencil falling down.
The last two fingers are not needed and should be tucked away.
‘Froggy legs’ movement
The movement comes from the knuckles. When the pencil is moved in this way, it looks like ‘froggy legs’!
It is helpful to encourage your children to use this pencil hold.
(If you have time, get everyone to put their first finger and thumb together in the tripod grip and pretend to write with the ‘froggy legs’ movement.)

20. Parental support is important to all children as they benefit from plenty of praise and encouragement whilst learning. You should be guided by the pace at which your child wants to go. If interest is being lost, leave the teaching for a while rather than using undue pressure.
You can find out more at

21. Assessment Every child has their own individual profile
Significant achievement
Observation
Work samples
Photographs

22. Homework Sound Books Reading Books (Reception)
Picture Story Books (Nursery)
Homework Books (See half-termly newsletter)
Learning through everyday experiences

23. Reading at Home Valuable and enjoyable
Reading together / independently
Adults model reading
Pointing to the text
Importance of pictures
Discussing the book
Using phonic skills
Nursery – picture story books
Reception – books given out after Christmas
Year 1 – two books changed twice a week

24. How we communicate with you
Weekly Early Years newsletter
Half termly newsletters/homework
Parents Evenings
Open Day
Informal chats in the playground
End of year reports
Curriculum presentations
Booking a meeting with us