Please name all items of clothing, but crucially cardigans, sweatshirts and coats. The children frequently remove cardigans and sweatshirts in the classroom/gym hall, and it can be impossible to reunite them the rightful owner if they are unnamed. Similarly for coats which are often left behind in the playground – if it is named it means it can be taken directly to class.

The un-named grey TU cardigan (age 3) remained unclaimed so has gone to the general lost property box . We now also have a purple sweatshirt fabric cardi, from Asda ( aged 4/5). This will make its way to general lost property on Monday.

Please check this blog every Friday as we will share the learning from the week. We would encourage you to look at it with your child so that they can talk to you about their experiences in class. The blog will also include this week’s ‘homework’ activities

We may also share other information via the blog during the week, so you may wish to set up an alert for new posts.

Our learning this week

Here are some photographs of us developing our skills through our independent learning opportunities and experiences this week. Please take time to share these photographs with your child so they can share their learning with you.

Literacy focus

This week we have been learning to recognise and begin to write the graphemes p and t

Please see the Homework section of the blog for this week’s tasks.

When revising these sounds at home please always use the pure sound of the letter (e.g. sssssss and not suh or the letter name Ess ). As we begin to use our knowledge of letter sounds to blend and build words to read and write, not using the correct pure sound can make things tricky for us. If you would like further explanation please just ask at the door.

We have been practising our pencil grip and tracing skills

Our detailed drawing and story telling prompt this week was Changing shoes

Maths and numeracy focus

In P1 we use the SEAL programme ( Stages of Early Arithmetical Learning) which promotes number literacy. Pupils will be learning skills and strategies appropriate to their current stage of development. This includes ( but is not limited to) recognising numerals to 10, 20 and beyond; counting forwards and backwards in sequence; counting objects with accurate 1-1 correspondence; ascribing numerosity to random arrays, spatial and finger patterns; counting two seen/unseen collections; describing and creating equal groups; partitioning patterns and numbers.

Other areas of the Curriculum

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In PE we continue to play games and practice our gross motor skills of running, hopping, jumping, skipping and ascending/descending stairs.

PE days are Wednesday and Thursday. Children should come to school dressed ready to participate as we will not change clothes in school -e.g joggers/leggings/shorts and a T shirt with a Buckstone jumper on top.

As far as the weather will allow , Thursday PE will take place outdoors until October so outdoor shoes on that day would ideally be trainers if possible.

As part of our ‘ My School in Buckstone’ topic, we went on a walk round the local area. We have also been discussing what the word ‘address’ means and finding out who knows their address

We explored the effect of wet ground on chalk. Lots of great vocabulary was used and we discussed colour mixing, dissolving , changing textures and lots more.

Looking ahead to next week

We have the Evening news photographer on Tuesday. Those pupils who have been denied permission for their photograph to be taken will not be included .

Loose parts learning on Wednesday.

Homework

Literacy.

Spelling homework should ideally be done in several short sessions across the week . (5-10 minutes 4 times a week will have a huge impact)

Adult write the lowercase letters s, a, t and p on individual pieces of paper ( or can use magnetic letters if you have them)

Task 1.

Using the letter cards, the adult can build the following words

• sat
• pat
• at
• tap

The child should pronounce each sound as the pure sound, then blend the sounds together to read the word.

Task 2

The adult should say one of the spelling words and the child uses the cards to build the word by fining the sound at the start, the sound in the middle, the sound at the end.

You may wish to keep the letter cards you make as we will be adding more sounds for spelling homework next week.

Other literacy activities

Make up real or nonsense rhymes for names or things. eg, John/bon/ton/gone

Encourage children to identify initial sounds of things you can see – car starts with ? bird starts with ? etc

Numeracy

All children acquire numeracy skills at different rates, so the homework activities are skills to practise. If your child finds it easy, increase the level of challenge by adjusting the range of number (eg, work within 10, up to 20, up to 50 etc)

• say the number AFTER a given number ( What comes after 7 ?) Children should answer quickly without the need to count from 1
• say the number BEFORE a given number
• explore teen numbers. e.g 11 = 10 and 1, 12 = 10 and 2. 13 is ten and how many more ?
• count forwards and backwards
• count a random collection of moveable or fixed items accurately with 1-1 correspondence.

Life Skills

• Learn to turn sleeves the right way out
• Learn your address