1. Mrs Hutchinson Reception/Y1 Spring-Term 4 2013 This term our topic is Aliens and Space Welcome back! As always, pop in and see me if you have any questions. Also, let me know if you fancy helping out in school. Understanding the World We will be learning about the world around us and continuing with our materials topic. We will be thinking about why certain materials are chosen for particular jobs. We will be using the Beebots and I pads in ICT sessions and will continue to use Education City to consolidate our Literacy and Maths skills. We will look at space also as part of our topic. Communication, Language and Literacy The children will learn about aliens and space in our lessons this term. They will listen and respond to stories including ‘Aliens love underpants’ and ‘Here come the aliens’. Our first role play area will be space station control and this will provide opportunities for speaking and listening and writing. We will be listening to poems as well as sharing fiction and non- fiction books. We will also learn about Neil Armstrong. Please note the new reading and writing targets that the children will be working on this term-you will find them in their reading record books. Any help towards this target at home is greatly appreciated. Please also note how important it is to read at home and practice reading key words and sounds- 5 minutes every school night makes a huge difference. Thank you. Mathematics The term will begin with money work, practising adding and subtracting coins and working out change. We will be weighing and measuring in length and capacity. We will be using standard and non-standard units in this work. Challenge-can your child count in 1s? 2s? 5s? 10s? What number can they count up to? Please practise at home as it really does help your child in sessions in school. In Reception, given a number from 10-20, children are working towards saying the number 1 more or 1 less. In Y1 they are working to knowing 1 more and 1 less and 10 more and 10 less than a given number, working with numbers up to 50. The children can count on or back using their fingers or can imagine a number square and think about the number above or below it. We are also ensuring we know our number bonds to 10 (i.e. 8 +2, 3 +7) and then 20. Reception children will be learning to consistently recognise numbers beyond 10 now. Expressive Arts and Design The children will have opportunities to develop their drawing, painting and construction skills linked to making rockets, aliens and planets. The children will be creating rockets using junk modelling-please send in any clean boxes/yoghurt pots etc. for us to use. They will be using their imagination to have space and alien adventures in role play activities. We will be creating our own art work in a similar style to the artist Paul Klee. Physical Development: In PE, the children will be taking part in sessions using large and small apparatus and learning new games activities. They will also be having sessions with Mr Burke, a specialist sports coach. PE days will be on Tuesday and Thursday but please ensure the children have their kit in school every day. Personal, Social, Emotional Development and RE ‘Circle time’ is weekly. We will be starting our SEAL topic ‘Good to be me’. We will be learning about when we feel proud and how we can stop ourselves feeling anxious and worried. In RE, we will be learning about our beautiful world. We will be thinking about the story of creation and how we can help look after our local environment. We will also be listening and responding to the Easter story. Our guinea pigs ‘Sausage’ and ‘Mash’ have returned from their holidays at the Hutchinson house. My girls loved having them! Any donations in terms of guinea pig food, fresh vegetables, hay, toys and treats are gratefully received. Thanks.