Reception Class News 01/03/24 and 08/03/24

Welcome back Reception Class to a new term.
Last week, our classroom was abuzz with excitement as we kicked off our new topic about dinosaurs.
Lots of us eagerly shared our vast knowledge of dinosaurs, showcasing some impressive expertise within our class.
Let's share the highlights of our learning journey so far...

Understanding the World Development:
We embarked on a quest to explore what dinosaurs were, understanding their existence in the distant past and the concept of extinction. Through lively discussions, we delved into the world of science, emphasizing the significance of fossils in uncovering dinosaur secrets. We identified two types of fossils – trace and body – and pondered over where we might discover fossils today.

Mathematical Development:
In mathematics, our focus was on number bonds to ten using a ten frame. Starting with concrete representations, we progressed to using counters in the ten frame, enabling us to represent all the number bonds to ten. We confidently crafted number sentences, articulating the relationship between the two numbers and their sum.

Literacy Development:
We immersed ourselves in the charming story 'Dear Dinosaur' by Chae Strathie, recounting the adventures of Max and a T-Rex in a museum. To our surprise, we received a letter from T-Rex himself, inviting us to correspond. Exploring the structure of a letter, we crafted our own letters, bundled them in a big envelope, and we are now eagerly awaiting a reply.

Physical Development:
Coach James led dynamic hockey sessions, commending our safe stick-travel skills from forest school. We honed our dribbling and passing abilities. In another session, we navigated an orienteering course around school, identifying various animals in a random number order, concluding with some time spent on the adventure playground.

Personal, Social, and Emotional Development:
During our well-being time, we contemplated what they would do if they ruled the world for a day. The responses were heartwarming, filled with thoughtful and kind ideas about caring for the environment, animals, and championing our courageous advocacy of recycling to preserve our land, rivers, and oceans.

Expressive Arts and Design Development:
Creativity flourished as we recreated one of the two types of fossils identified in our understanding of the world. We drew inspiration from x-ray images to create body fossils, using pasta to depict bones. To acknowledge oceanic discoveries of fossils, we painted a blue background to represent the sea.

Our journey of discovery continued this week and we're thrilled to share the highlights with you.

Mathematical Development:
This week was all about deepening our understanding of number bonds to ten using the part-whole model. Engaging in various practical activities, we manipulated whole numbers into two parts, strengthening our grasp of the concept. Confidently using the vocabulary of 'parts' and 'whole' in our mathematical sentences, we now understand that a whole number can be composed of two or more parts that, when combined, make a complete number.

Literacy Development:
Before diving into the Ready Steady Write text 'Little Red' by Bethan Woollvin, we examined pictures to identify the character and setting. After reading the text, we explored new words from the story, incorporating them into our sentence accuracy tasks. Enjoying a rhyming example of 'Little Red' and listening to the story song added to the excitement. Handwriting practice focused on down letter formation (m, n, t, l), distinguishing tall and small letters, and understanding their placement on the line. World Book Day brought extra joy as we dressed up as our favorite book characters, shared our choices, and engaged in various book-related activities.

Physical Development:
Under the guidance of Coach James, our hockey skills flourished, and we wrapped up the session with some enjoyable games. Football and outdoor adventures on the playground, basking in the sunny weather, created a perfect setting for developing our physical prowess. Rumor has it, the goalkeeper was outstanding – who could she be?

Personal, Social, and Emotional Development:
Wellbeing time provided an opportunity to explore the range of emotions we might experience in a day. Together, we discussed strategies to navigate through these emotions, empowering ourselves with strategies to manage our feelings effectively.

Expressive Arts and Design Development:
Creativity continued this week as we delved into the world of fossils once again. Using clay, we meticulously crafted trace fossils, capturing the footprints from our large dinosaur models. The results were amazing and showcased the artistic talents within our class.

We appreciated the active participation and support from our families during World Book Day helping us to dress up as our favourite book characters.

Next week is Science Week, so we are very excited and looking forward to another week of exploration and growth!

Have a super weekend everyone