Just a quick post today to say how pleased I am to be back with the class before the holidays. Huge thanks to Miss Croal to looking after them so well in my absence.
Many thanks for the kind gifts and cards I received today.
I hope you can all contain the children’s excitement for the next few days and that you and your families all have a joyful and peaceful Christmas.
This week we have done revision in all areas of our learning.
All activities were linked to the Christmas theme: our morning challenges, numeracy and literacy. In Maths have been working on addition and subtraction (to 10, 30 , 100) and in Literacy we have worked on comprehension skills answering written questions about a given text. Our PE focus has been on games. We also had a Christmas tree challenge using Kapla.
We had lots of exciting activities across the school: fun run, Christmas quiz in houses, Carol singing, Window walk, etc.
We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2024!
We are looking forward to seeing you all in January.
This week we have done revision in all areas of our learning.
All activities were linked to the Christmas theme: our morning challenges, numeracy and literacy. In Maths have been working on addition and subtraction (to 10, 30, 100) and in Literacy we have worked on comprehension skills answering written questions about a given text. Our PE focus has been on games. We also had a Christmas tree challenge using Kapla.
We had lots of exciting activities across the school: fun run, Christmas quiz in houses, Carol singing, Window walk, etc.
We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2024!
We are looking forward to seeing you all in January.
Good afternoon! We have had a busy couple of weeks during the lead up to Christmas.
Literacy
We have learned 3 new sounds – wibbly wobbly w, x and yo-yo y. We also learned two new tricky words: want and no.
In our writing this week, we drew a Christmas tree and described what we had created – some big trees and lots of baubles and tinsel!
Numeracy/maths
We started Symmetry last week, and have had great fun finger-painting symmetrical butterflies, creating symmetrical peg boards and numicon boards, and matching the symmetrical patterns on the smart board.
Other areas
We had a brilliant Santa run, and did amazing running for two whole laps of the school! We continued with The Nutcracker drama and dancing, and did some fantastic snowflake dancing.
We also showed our cutting skills by making spiral Christmas trees.
Last week, we had a brilliant time playing games, meeting Santa and eating our yummy snacks at our Christmas Party!
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and New Year!
We hope that you enjoyed our Carol singing performances on Wednesday. We have had a very busy week in P2!
Important Information
Please send in a carrier bag on Thursday 21st December. We intend to send home all indoor shoes and spare clothes on that day. This should give you time over the holiday to check that items still fit. Some of the velcro on the gym shoes has lost its ‘stick’ and they are becoming unsafe, especially for PE. Please feel free to send in an existing pair of trainers from home which can be used for the classroom as well as indoor PE if it saves you buying a pair of new gym shoes.
There has been a problem with the recording of the Christmas carols so we will need to refilm this on Monday. If possible, please could you send your child to school wearing their Christmas jumper on Monday. Thank you!
We will not be sending reading books home this week. Please send in any books you may have at home to allow us to collate the sets in time for the new term in January.
Here is a summary of our learning
Literacy
We wrote letters to the elves asking about their jobs.
In phonics our focus has been on the final consonant blends ng and nk. We have been finding this really tricky! Examples of words with these sounds are ring, king, tank, sink.
In spelling we have assessed all children on their spelling of tricky words.
Ideas for learning at home:
Here are two fun videos to watch to reinforce the ‘ng’ and ‘nk’ patterns.
Please continue to practise reading and spelling the tricky words. An idea is to play Kim’s Game. Write some of the words on separate pieces of paper. Ask your child to read the words. Turn the pieces of paper over and ask your child to remember what was written on each one. Try it with different words.
Here is the link to the website we use for handwriting. You can watch the animations at home and ask your child to practise the formation.
You could also practise making symmetrical models with lego or other building bricks. Or even making symmetrical pictures of funny faces or patterns using small objects from around the house.
Other Curricular Areas
We had lots of fun at the Christmas party on Monday.
We have been enjoying teamwork games in PE.
We enjoyed performing our Christmas carols.
We have been busy making baubles and Christmas cards.
We hope that you enjoyed our Carol singing performances on Wednesday. We have had a very busy week in P2!
Important Information
We are sorry but due to technical issues we haven’t been able to send you the link with the Carol Singing. We will record it again and send it to you. Please, could all children please bring Christmas jumpers and Christmas headbands/ hats on Monday? Thank you.
Please send in a carrier bag on Thursday 21st December. We intend to send home all indoor shoes and spare clothes on that day. This should give you time over the holiday to check that items still fit. Some of the velcro on the gym shoes has lost its ‘stick’ and they are becoming unsafe, especially for PE. Please feel free to send in an existing pair of trainers from home which can be used for the classroom as well as indoor PE if it saves you buying a pair of new gym shoes.
We will not be sending reading books home this week. Please send in any books you may have at home to allow us to collate the sets in time for the new term in January.
Here is a summary of our learning:
Literacy
We wrote letters to the elves asking about their jobs.
In phonics our focus has been on the final consonant blends ng and nk. We have been finding this really tricky! Examples of words with these sounds are ring, king, tank, sink.
In spelling we have assessed all children on their spelling of tricky words.
Ideas for learning at home:
Here are two fun videos to watch to reinforce the ‘ng’ and ‘nk’ patterns.
Please continue to practise reading and spelling the tricky words. An idea is to play Kim’s Game. Write some of the words on separate pieces of paper. Ask your child to read the words. Turn the pieces of paper over and ask your child to remember what was written on each one. Try it with different words.
Here is the link to the website we use for handwriting. You can watch the animations at home and ask your child to practise the formation.
You could also practise making symmetrical models with lego or other building bricks. Or even making symmetrical pictures of funny faces or patterns using small objects from around the house.
Other Curricular Areas
· We had lots of fun at the Christmas party on Monday.
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 also introduced two ‘tricky words’ want and no. Tricky words cannot be sounded out but have to be learned. We will continue to introduce new tricky words on a weekly basis.
We were writing about a Christmas tree, trying to write some letters and words independently, thinking about the correct formation of letters.
THINGS TO DO AT HOME
Hold up the letters and ask your child to tell you the sound they make. Ask them if they can think of a word beginning with that sound. Play ‘I spy’ using the sounds your child has learnt.
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.
Write down want and no on a piece of paper or card, hold the cards behind your back then show them to your child and ask them to read the word you have shown them. Your child could practise writing these words, forming the letters the way they have been shown in class.
(If you are unsure about correct letter formation, please speak to one of us at the end of the day).
NUMERACY AND MATHS
Following on from our learning about shape , this week we have been looking at pattern. We talked about what a pattern was and copied and continued a variety of different patterns. There were activities set up in the classroom to support this learning.
PE
We were playing games and working cooperatively.
RSHP
We were discussing people who help us and talking about who helps us at home and who helps people in certain situations.
SCIENCE
We talked about energy and looked at electricity in particular linking it to last week’s power cut in school! We looked at a poster which showed the dangers of electricity and how we can stay safe. We then thought about the items in our homes which are powered by mains electricity and items which use batteries.
Have a look around your house and see if you can find some items which use mains electricity and some which are powered by batteries.
LOOSE PARTS
No more loose parts this term.
Some other examples of learning taking place this week:
We hope you have received the lovely letter from your child inviting you to our Carol signing on Wednesday 13th December at 9.00 and 2.30. We are looking forward to seeing you all. Please don’t worry if can’t make it as we have recorded our performance to P7 for you to enjoy. This will be sent via email.
Please return as soon as possible all the reading books. We are missing a few books already.
Change of clothes: Please ensure that your child has a spare change of clothes at school (including pants and socks); these don’t have to be school uniform. It is really helpful for them all to have them (especially when they get wet). Some children took them home after needing them in but haven’t returned them back to school. Please label all the items.
This is a summary of our learning this week:
Literacy
This week we have learned the final blends: nt, ft, sp, lk.
This video is good for revision:
We have practiced our reading skills: prediction, inference, summarising, etc. This will be the last week that reading books will be sent home. Next week we will be reading in school but not sending books home.
We have revised the words from block 4. It would be very helpful if your children practice reading and writing these words and previous blocks.
In writing we wrote a letter to invite you to our Carol singing. The children were very proud of their letters and worked hard on them as they knew they were for you.
In our cursive handwriting we have practice g and q. See the link below of the formation we are practicing at school.
Please ask your child to read the school reading book at home.
Ask your child to write and read these words: loft, lift, soft, daft, raft, left, gift, sift, lent, hunt, mint, went, shunt, rent, bent, hint, dent, belt, milk, kilt, crisp, wasp, gasp, wisp, etc. You can write the words and ask your child to look for the final blends and circle them.
Please continue to read stories to your child at home.
Please continue to encourage your child to read at home. It is important that children practice reading every day.
Maths
We have done a final review about time. We have been learning about sharing equally, arrays (columns and rows).
Ideas for learning at home:
Ask your child to explain to you:
Please continue to talk about time. Ask what time it is and related to day-to-day events.
Sharing equally:
Playing games which include sharing out cards, items etc. Ask your child to share the cards/items equally between the number of players (can be 2 or more) and initially explain that ‘sharing equally’ means everyone will have the same amount/number of items at the end. Then when playing the same game again or a different one, ask your child how s/he will know the items have been shared equally.
Possible games: card games, Snap, Dominoes.
Using everyday objects and sharing items between 2 or more people, e.g. sweets, biscuits, segments of an orange. Ask your child to share these items equally between the number of people who are going to have them, e.g. sharing 10 sweets between 2 people:
How many sweets do you have?
Can you share them equally between your sister and you? What does ‘share equally’ mean? How are you going to share them?
If your child does not know, then prompt by saying, “I wonder what will happen if you shared them out one at a time?”
Your child might have his/her own idea, so let them have a go (even if it is not right). If they share the items and they are not equal amounts, ask your child if s/he have shared the items equally. If your child says, “No,” then ask them why they are not shared equally and how s/he are going to solve the problem. Talking through a problem and coming to a solution is a great way to learn, so let your child make mistakes.
Your child might immediately say 5 and 5. Ask him/her how they know and s/he might say “5 and 5 altogether makes 10” or “Double 5 makes 10.”
Once the items have been shared equally, count/say how many items each person has or ask your child how s/he know the sweets have been shared equally. Promote the language, “We both have the same amount.”
Then use language, such as, “10 shared between 2 is 5, each person has 5.”
Share items up to 10 initially and then up to 20.
Share between more than 2 people, but make sure the amount can be shared equally between the number of people.
Sharing board: place different numbers of items (up to 10/20) in the first box for the children to share equally between the 2 boxes below.
Items can be things found around the house, e.g. pasta shapes, buttons, raisins etc.
Encourage your child to use the appropriate language in their explanations.
Buckstone Primary School 