Autumn 1 2022
Friday 21st October 2022
The children have just finished their first half term of big school - a full seven weeks! They are absolutely shattered but they have been amazing. Today I had children asking for their name cards because they wanted to practice writing their name. I've had children asking what the sounds on the displays around them are.. The children are hungry for learning!
This week we have looked at the digraph 'ff', 'ss' and 'll'. The children read words with these in and even challenged themselves to write them. We even read a non-fiction book as a class today called 'Get Fit' and the children sounded out and blended all of the words and recognised all of the tricky words used.
We have finished our RE topic off by looking at how Christian and Muslim babies are welcomed into the world and then we created a song in a band about why and how we are special. They used their confidence value and lots of instruments (not my wisest Friday afternoon activity - ouch!).
In our Maths we have been looking at capacity and which containers we think will hold the most liquid - the children were mesmerised when the cylinder held the same amount of water as the jug. It was taller so it completely blew their minds. We then looked at smaller and larger scoops and found out which scoops would fill the containers faster.
We have made super potions to keep the witches away and we have been writing tricky words on the skins of pumpkins. The children have also been practicing their cutting skills and creating their own pumpkin faces - some even had bottoms. Hehe.
The children have begun to really understand the school values and are always suggesting people who should have values stickers. We are becoming a real little class Plym family.
Thank you for everything that you have done this half-term. The children have settled in tremendously and deserve this rest.
Please keep reading over the holidays and just spotting sounds and having fun with it. Get the chalks out, write in the steam on the shower door.. anything to keep on learning those sounds.
See you on November 1st to start the countdown to Christmas!
Miss G x
Friday 14th October 2022
This week we have learnt the sounds: r, h and b. We looked at how 'b' and 'd' are different because we kept getting them muddled up. Our tricky word focus of the week was 'into'.
This week has been amazing. The children have shown that they know all of the routines and expectations and I am ever so proud. We have had some really good quality learning taking place this week.
In PSHE we worked together to create a set of class rules that we can all follow and we all agreed to abide by them.
In PE we worked with a friend to create a dance and then we performed it to the class, we really used our confidence value for this.
In outdoor learning, we used chalk to write numbers 0-5 and then used natural objects to create our own number line. We made one as a class first and then had to work in small groups to create our own.
In RE we continued to think about where we belong and looked at some family tree work the children had completed at home. We then read a story about how all families are different and that whatever they may be, it is a place where we belong. We talked about how school is also a place that we belong and our school badge is a logo to show that we are part of this group.
We have had lots of magnificent discussions about our text, The Rainbow Fish, this week and we had a go at doing a shared write to describe one of the settings. We chose the cave. We came up with 'The cave is very scary'. 'The gave is very gloomy',We talked about finger spaces and I modeled how to sound out the words and use finger spaces between the words.
In Maths we thought about sizes and different sized boxes and animals. Which animals could live in which house based on their size? Then the children had model creatures and had to create them appropriate sized houses using the blocks. We looked at the books 'A Squash and a Squeeze' and 'Dear Zoo' to assist with this.
The children completed a name writing challenge this week too and did brilliantly.
The children have enjoyed some party hat and tiara enhancements in the home area and then extended this by using play doh to create party cookies. The children even created birthday cards and used an old CD player for party music. (The children thought the CD player was a robot head - a sign of the times, hehe).
Please keep reading and spotting the sounds and blending them together.
Thank you very much to those of you that attended the Phonics information session. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require anymore information.
Have a truly wonderful weekend,
Miss G x
Friday 7th October 2022
What a busy week we have had! We have been learning our new sounds which included our first digraph - a sound made up of two letters - 'ck' and we also learnt, k, u and e and had a go at reading words with these sounds in and having a go at writing them in our phonics books.
Children looked at photos of them at the Eden project and had to write the starting sound of what they could see. For example, one photo was a child going down a slide so the children had to identify the initial sound was 's' and write it. I was very impressed!
The children also started looking at their final English text for this half-term and we started The Rainbow Fish. So far the octopus has disappeared and we are waiting to see what happens next. We really hope that the Rainbow fish is going to decide to use his kindness value and share his scales.
In outdoor learning this week we had large bits of paper and trays of paint and had to find natural objects on the field and then dip them in paint to see what printing patterns they would make on the paper. We found exciting things like spiky conker shells, sticks, oak tree leaves and someone even had a broken branch with leaves on the end and created a picture that looked like fireworks!
In Maths we have been creating repeating patterns and then challenging ourselves to continue a pattern that had been started. We then went on to having two five frames and let a friend put cubes on them both and we had to decide which five frame had MORE cubes on it. There was some really careful counting taking place!
In PSHE we had Jigsaw Jeanie, our special cuddly toy, crying because she had been told off for hitting someone. We read the story .Hands are Not For Hitting' and talked about what Jigsaw Jeanie could have done instead if he was feeling angry. We said we could shout really loud, do some rainbow breathing or tell a grown up so that they can help us to feel calm again.
In RE we talked about how Christians believe that God loves everyone and we listened to a story where some of Jesus' disciples tried to send the children away but Jesus told them off because he loves children and believes they are part of his family too.
The children have a family tree task to do this week for their RE discussion next Friday, please just do what you're comfortable with.
Please keep reading, I hope the session on Tuesday afternoon at 2:30pm will help you support your child with their reading.
See you next week,
Miss Gillespie x
Friday 30th September 2022
What a wonderful end to a busy week with an entire school trip to the Eden Project. The children were so well behaved and we couldn't have been prouder. They stayed with their grown ups and were a credit to you all. We had the best time wandering through the Biomes and looking at gigantic leaves that were bigger than ourselves and we saw trees that were taller than our houses. We got to see a robot dancing too and lots of lovely sights from the bus.
This week we have been exploring how we can sort things - we sorted bears and cotton reels into groups that were the same colour. We then challenged ourselves further and began to sort by other characteristics such as their size and whether they had a scarf or not on. We worked in pairs which is a huge progression from 1:1 the previous week. Have you got anything at home you can ask your child to sort? Fruit, socks, laundry?
The children have learned g,o and c this week and have been reviewing our previous sounds and beginning to make CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant) like cat, dog, got. I saw children in the home area this week writing a recipe for macaroni cheese and writing 'm' as the initial sound This is superb and I am so so proud of them. Choosing to mark make is absolutely wonderful. We have learnt the tricky word 'go' so should be able to read this word by sight now.
The children explored creating people from their families using paper outlines of people and decorating them with PVA glue, buttons, ribbons etc. It was fun to explore a different type of adhesive from a glue stick or sellotape.
The children were amazed to see that the water tray had turned to some green slime and they explored how it doesn't go through the holes in the colander like the water did. I heard lots of lovely discussion about how the slime is thicker than the water as well as children discussing how the cylinders would hold more water if they were wider and taller.
Just a gentle reminder but please can children leave any toys at home, we don't want them to get lost and they shouldn't be in school anyway.
Please remember to keep looking at books with your child, I will be doing an assessment early next week so look out for a new banded book to read together - how exciting!
Have a super weekend,
Miss Gillespie x
Friday 23rd September 2022
Week three for our lovely new reception children and I think we have settled in superbly. The children have had a bit of change this week with Miss G off but they have been absolute superstars for Mrs Gibson.
This week we have really shown that we know the daily routines now of coming in and completing activities before then doing the register, weather song, date and then our phonics lesson. The children know to line up after break and lunch and to walk down the slope and not run. The children are now much faster at getting ready for home time and have been sitting absolutely beautifully to listen at story times and offer some really thoughtful and insightful comments and suggestions.
The children have been learning more sounds and this week have learnt: i, n, m, d and they have been working as a class to read two and three letter words using these sounds, and the ones from last week too. Have you noticed a change in your reading time with your child? I hope so! We have also been focusing on the 'tricky word' 'no' so we now have 'I' and 'No' that we should be able to read from sight.
This week the children continued with our English text of Owl Babies and talked about owl habitats and how they are nocturnal. The children found it funny that they wouldn't have a sofa or a tv in their hole in the tree. The children then went outside in their welllies and gathered materials to make some lovely owl homes. They talked about how owls are nocturnal and only come out at night. We read a story about an owl that came out in the day and he got all confused! The children were also introduced to a non-fiction book about owls and discussed how this isn't a story book, but instead gives us information. The children also created 'missing' posters for mummy owl and the adjectives they came up with were astounding - big, small, fluffy, smooth, brown, sharp etc..
The children have been using green play doh to create birthday cakes and using buttons and conkers to decorate them, practicing their counting skills. They have been using pipe cleaners and toilet role tubes with holes in and metal colanders to develop their fine motor skills. They have been using rocks and natural materials to create pictures of their families and some funny faces. Children have also been exploring the concept of floating and sinking and really enjoyed testing a variety of materials.
I am so proud of how children are enjoying the mark-making element of our phonics sessions. Children are mostly remembering how to hold their pencils and are able to push a little harder to make it work on the paper. They have been writing their sound of the day and also trying to write their 'tricky words' - have you noticed any writing at home? If so, please let us know so we can celebrate it in class too!
In PE we continued with being dinosaurs and used a jump and a spin to link two dino movements together. We did it to music and it looks amazing! I can't wait to add more and create a sequence next week.
Please keep reading at home, counting how many chips are on your plate or how many shoes are in the hallway etc. It really does all help. Also, sing, sing and sing.
Have a superb weekend and see you next week,
Miss G x
Friday 16th September 2022
What a superb second week we have had in class Plym! The children are coming in much more confidently in the mornings and remembering to put their face on how they are feeling. We are getting much better at transitioning between activities and carpet time as well as practicing being good listeners by ensuring we don't have anything in our hands and we are looking at who is talking.
This week we have talked about who is in our families and had a go at drawing them. This was inspired by our Owl Babies book as they were a family of three owls looking for their mother. We have also had a go at some scissor skills and cutting out the owl babies to order from smallest to largest. We thought about who was the smallest and largest in our families too.
We have been doing some wonderful counting, we count how many children are in the class and we count what the date is, using the number flags on the ceiling to support us. We have also been singing lots of wonderful counting songs and rhymes, today we did 'ten little men in a flying saucer' as well as lots of others.
I am astounded at how quickly the children are learning their sounds. This week we have learnt 's', 'a', 't' and 'p' and ALREADY some children are beginning to sound out and blend words like 's-a-t....sat'. I actually had tears of joy, they really are amazing.
In their choosing time children have been deciding to build bridges and make them extra hard, whilst pretending that the floor is lava. We have had play doh cupcakes and buns, we have been making extravagant potions that give us amazing powers and using the herbs from our outside area to add extra magic. We have been using feathers as quills to practice some mark making - sorry for the black clothes, eek. Children have been building sand castles and creating stories with the sea creatures in the water tray. We have also been making crowns to remember our beloved Queen, the children thought this would be a nice way to remember her.
In RE we talked about how we are all special and related it to the story of The Ugly Duckling, he was different from the others but he was very special. We talked about what we are all very good at and how this also makes us special.
In outdoor learning we created clay people using sticks for arms and legs and leaves for hair. Some children even used sticks as tools to add details such as belly buttons, hehe.
Apologies for any missing clothes or shoes on the wrong feet, we have had to get changed everyday this week apart from Friday. The children are very very tired but they have done exceptionally well.
Please can you ensure that you read with your child every day, even if it is just for a few minutes. Ask them what they can see, what do they think is going to happen next, who do they like the best and why. Ask if they can spot any of the sounds that we have been learning.
Our 'tricky word' this week was 'I', can they spot this anywhere?
Have a wonderful extended weekend and I shall see you on Tuesday.
Miss Gillespie
Friday 9th September 2022
Welcome to our class Plym page! This is where you can look every week to see what we have been up to during the week.
This week I am so proud of the children for using their Confidence value and coming into school everyday and with a great big smile on their faces. We have been learning the new routines and learning where everything is.
We have been reading the story of The Colour Monster and exploring the different colours and feelings and what things may make us feel that way.We went outside and used a variety of spray bottles and pipettes to create potions and some of us came home very blue - sorry! But we had so much fun!
In PSHE we talked about belonging and how lots of the toys belong in our classroom and we belong there too. Class Plym belongs to all os us so we need to look after it and each other.
Children have come home today with a letter detailing that we will be having PE on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so will require PE kits. We will also be having outdoor learning sessions on a Thursday so if children could bring in a pair of wellies, that would be fab.
The children are all very tired and rightly so, it has been a momentous week for them all.
Have a superb weekend,
Miss Gillespie x