Today we would like you to focus on counting forward and backwards. Below are a few suggested activities to help you practise this skill. You do not need to do all of them, only what you can manage.
Lay out a number of small objects ( e.g. lego bricks, raisins, buttons) . Count forwards from 1 – 5 tracking from left to right( or however many objects you have) Now count back down to 1 tracking from right to left.
2. Play THIS GAME on a tablet or laptop if you have access to one.
3. Count back from a given starting number to a given stopping point.
e.g. count back from 15 and stop at 9, count back from 36 and stop at 29, count back from 22 and stop at 17.
Many children find counting backwards and crossing the ‘tens’ tricky, so try to give a starting/end point in different decades to challenge this understanding.
4. Use the language of BEFORE and AFTER and ask your child ‘ What number comes before X ? etc.
We have been developing our ball skills and, so far, have been working on throwing, catching and bouncing.
You will need a ball / bean bag / soft toy / scrunched up piece of paper / light scarf or another object someone at home says is safe to throw and catch.
Catching
Activity 1
Throw your chosen object in the air and try to catch it with both hands.
Begin by only throwing the object slightly into the air, gradually throwing it higher as you become more confident.
If you feel really confident, try clapping once, twice or three times between throwing and catching.
How many times can you throw and catch without dropping the object?
Activity 2
Ask someone at home to throw your chosen object to you. Begin working closely together and move further apart as you begin to feel more confident.
Remember:
Keep your eye on the ball.
Make sure your arms are outstretched and your hands are ready to catch.
Throwing
Activity 1
Try throwing your object to a target. This could be, for example, a basket or box, another object placed on the floor, or a mark drawn in chalk outdoors. Use an overarm throw.
Before you throw, remember to:
Look to where you want your object to go.
Lift your arm (the one holding your object) back.
Point your other arm towards the target.
Activity 2
Throw and catch with someone at home. Try to throw the object so that your partner can catch it easily. This means throwing it towards them. Try to work out how much space you need between you and your partner to throw and catch more easily.
Cool down:
Listen and follow the instructions to help you cool down:
If we were in school today, we would begin our day by looking at our calendar and talking about the date.
Have a think about the following:
What day of the week do you think it might be today?
Can you remember what day it was yesterday?
What day do you think it is tomorrow?
Try saying the days of the week, in order, with someone at home.
Do you know the date today?
Have a look outside. How might you describe the weather?
Class Call
I’m looking forward to seeing those of you who can make it to our class call at 9.30am this morning. Someone at home should have received an e-mail with a link to this call. It’s a chance for us to say ‘hello’ to one another and to talk about our learning.
Today’s LearningActivities
You will find details of today’s learning in separate blog posts. Today, activities will be focussing on PE, literacy and numeracy.
We have been revising the six sounds we have learned since starting P1: s a t p i n
In small groups we were thinking about words beginning with these sounds, playing games, and identifying the letters which make these sounds. Some of us were learning how to ‘build’ and ‘blend’ three letter words with the sounds we know.
This week our starting sentence for writing was – ‘I was pointing at’.
THINGS TO DO AT HOME
Use letters written on a piece of paper or card to ‘build’ a word. The adult says a three letter word and the child choses the correct sounds to make that word.
An adult makes a three letter word, and the child says the pure sounds of each letter to blend together to read the word.
Some words you could use: sit sat nip pan tip pin pat sip nap
We have been learning how to form the 6 letters correctly and practising on whiteboards. Many children are keen to practise letter writing as part of independent learning.
NUMERACY
In numeracy we have been learning in small groups : identifying ‘how many’ in patterns of dots, making numbers using our fingers, describing equal groups, saying forwards and backwards number sequences, counting items and putting numerals in order.
THINGS TO DO AT HOME
Practise counting backwards from 10 starting from different numbers, if you feel that you can do this easily, try it from 20. For example, count backwards from 18 to 9, 15 to 6, 14 to 7 etc.
PE
We focussed on rolling and bouncing balls to each other .
TREASURE HUNT
We have been learning about The Rights of the Child. With our P6 buddies we used clues to find letters scattered around the school to make a message. We enjoyed exploring the school with our buddies and trying to work out the message. The message was – everyone has rights.
MEMORY BOXES
We have loved listening to the children share their memory boxes and it has been an excellent opportunity for everyone else to practise being a good audience. The children have spoken about the content of their boxes in a confident and articulate way, and we look forward to sharing the rest of the boxes in the weeks ahead.
Some examples of independent learning taking place this week:
We have been focussing on the sounds i and s. In small groups we were thinking about words beginning with these sounds, playing games, and identifying the letters which make these sounds. Some of us were learning how to ‘build’ and ‘blend’ three letter words with the sounds we know. We all practised writing i and s, learning the correct formation of the letters.
This week our starting sentence for writing was – I was shocked when………………………. We had some super stories, some real and some using our imaginations. The children are encouraged to draw their story then explain what is happening in their picture. Some children are keen to write the letters they have been learning.
NUMERACY
In numeracy we have been learning in small groups : identifying ‘how many’ in patterns of dots, making numbers using our fingers, describing equal groups, saying forwards and backwards number sequences, counting items and putting numerals in order.
PE
We practised using our eyes to track an object, having our hands ready to catch and throwing directly to a partner. We used beanbags and small balls to practise our throwing and catching.
MUSIC
We were learning to use our voices to sing and clapping our hands and parts of our bodies in time to the music.
DRAMA
Our drama was linked to the Julia Donaldson story ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’. We were using mime, movement, and facial expressions to express our ideas.
LOOSE PARTS
We enjoyed using water and all the loose parts materials to problem solve and investigate with our friends across the stage. Next Loose Parts play will be Wednesday 27 September.
MEMORY BOXES
We have loved listening to the children share their memory boxes and it has been an excellent opportunity for everyone else to practise being a good audience. The children have spoken about the content of their boxes in a confident and articulate way, and we look forward to sharing the rest of the boxes in the weeks ahead.
We have been focussing on the sounds n and p. In small groups we were thinking about words beginning with these sounds, playing games, and identifying the letters which make these sounds. Some of us were learning how to ‘build’ and ‘blend’ three letter words with the sounds we know. We all practised writing n and p, learning the correct formation of the letters.
NUMERACY
We began learning in small groups and were focussing on saying number sequences up to 30 starting at different numbers, identifying numerals, and counting collections of items.
PE
We finished our focus on different ways of travelling and began learning how to throw and catch an object. We practised using our eyes to track an object, having our hands ready to catch and throwing directly to a partner.
MUSIC
We were learning to use our voices to sing and clapping our hands and parts of our bodies in time to the music.
DRAMA
Our drama was based on the story of ‘Bonting’ and we were using movement and facial expressions to re-tell part of the story.
MEMORY BOXES
We have loved listening to the children share their memory boxes and it has been an excellent opportunity for everyone else to practise being a good audience. The children have spoken about the content of their boxes in a confident and articulate way, and we look forward to sharing the rest of the boxes in the weeks ahead.
Some examples of learning taking place this week:
LOOSE PARTS
Our next Loose Parts learning will take place on Thursday 14.9.23, pleases make sure your child is dressed in clothing suitable for wet weather: waterproofs, wellies, rain jackets etc.
We have had another good week in school, the children are learning each other’s names and building friendships.
LITERACY
We have been focussing on the sounds a and t. In small groups we were thinking about words beginning with these sounds, playing games, and identifying the letters which make these sounds. Some of us were learning how to ‘build’ and ‘blend’ three letter words with the sounds we know. We all practised writing a and t, learning the correct formation of the letters. Please see the letter your child has brought home today in their purple folder for guidance on how to support your child at home.
This week we were drawing a picture of ourselves reaching for something. We spoke about what we might be reaching for and Mrs Bailey wrote our story.
NUMERACY
We have continued speaking to individual children to assess their knowledge of number so that we can start their learning at the correct level for them. Numeracy groups will begin next week.
PE
We had PE outside in our playground and in the new hall. The children were learning to share the space and listen to instructions in order to stay safe during PE. We continued to practise different ways of travelling and the children had the opportunity to work with a partner.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays please send your child dressed for PE.
LOOSE PARTS PLAY
We had our first session of loose parts this week and were very lucky to have a warm sunny day. The children were learning to put out the equipment safely , share resources and investigate the loose part materials. Primary One worked together as a stage so the children were able to get to know the pupils in the Panda class.
We have had a good first full week in school, the children have settled well and are getting to know each other and become familiar with the class routines.
This is what we have been learning:
LITERACY
We have been speaking to the children individually to assess their prior knowledge of phonics.
We talked about our families and drew a detailed picture of the people who live in our house. If they were able, they wrote their names, or the start of their names, beside the drawing.
We have been sharing the ‘Frog is…..’ books by Max Velthuijs which look at a range of different emotions in an engaging and humorous way.
NUMERACY
Again, we have started speaking to individual children to assess their knowledge of number so that we can start their learning at the correct level for them.
PE
We had PE outside in our playground and in the new hall. The children were learning to share their space and listen to instructions in order to stay safe during PE. We played some warmup games and then tried different ways of travelling in the space.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays please send your child dressed for PE.
Some examples of learning from this week:
We hope you all have a relaxing weekend.
Thank you to everyone who has sent in tissues for class use.
Welcome to our first Reflective Friday blog, this will be where we share our weekly learning and information about what is happening in P1. Please find some time to talk about the blog with your child so that they can share with you what they have been learning that week.
We have had a fantastic start to P1, the children are able to follow class routines already and have managed so well in the dinner hall. We have been busy learning through play, making friends and understanding the school day.
We have been talking about our class charter – Ready, Respectful, Safe and we used our hands to show that we will try to follow this charter in school.
Can you please make sure that every item of clothing is named so that we can find its owner should it go missing. Please put names on lunch boxes and water bottles too.
Our PE days will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Tuesdays will be outdoor, and Wednesdays will be in our new hall. Please dress your child in clothes suitable for PE on these days: shorts, t-shirts or joggers can be worn with a school sweatshirt.
Thanks so much to all parents who have sent in tissues, we always need plenty of tissues in Primary One , especially as we move towards the colder months. All further donations gratefully received.
We hope that your child has had a happy start to Primary One, we are available to talk to parents and carers at the end of the day if there is something you would like to discuss. We hope that you all have a lovely weekend.
We have been working on a variety of skills including sequencing decade numbers, describing, and making equal groups, counting items, and saying alternate numbers forwards and backwards.
Through our play we have been experimenting with everyday items as units of measure to investigate and compare sizes and amounts.
In small groups we were comparing length and height using nonstandard units. We investigated mass and capacity using different sized beakers.
LITERACY
We are not going to introduce any more new sounds this term and are going to continue to practise reading and spelling words with the sounds we have been learning so far. We will also be revising the tricky words and will be learning some new ones too.
WRITING
We wrote about our dads and what makes them special to us.
HANDWRITING
We practised writing out our tricky words, thinking about the size of the letters and trying to keep our writing on the line.
THINGS TO DO AT HOME
Use the sounds/letters and tricky words that have previously been sent home to help practise your reading and word-building skills.
PE
We were developing our skills using a bat and a ball. We were controlling the ball with the bat, bouncing the ball with the bat, and trying to hit the ball when it was thrown towards the bat.
ELECTRICITY
We talked about the importance of electricity in our daily lives and also discussed the dangers associated with electricity. We helped to make a display for our classroom showing how electricity impacts our lives.
RSPCC – SPEAK OUT, STAY SAFE
We watched a special assembly which showed us the ways a child can be hurt by others and how a child can get help.
We discussed this as a class, identified safe adults we can talk to and learned the Childline phone number.
LOOSE PARTS
The next day for Loose Parts is TUESDAY 20 JUNE.
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY
Some examples of the different kinds of play taking place this week.
Buckstone Primary School 