Week 1- 4.11.22
We have had a fantastic first week back after half term in Pear Class with lots of busy hands and brains!
In our maths work this week we have been looking at numbers 1, 2 and 3 .The children enjoyed singing the song ‘one finger, one thumb keep moving’ and watching the Numberblocks numbers 1,2 and 3 episodes as we talked about the 'one-ness' of one, the 'two-ness' of two and the 'three-ness' of three. episode as we talked about the ‘oneness of one’. The children worked hard to think about and compare these numbers with different representations. We had to sort these representations according to whether they showed 1 or 2 and whether different representations showed 3 or more than/less than 3. When looking at picture representations, some children saw a nose and thought this showed 1 nose, whilst others could see that his nose had 2 nostrils therefore it could represent both 1 and 2. We know that 1 pair of items equals two items that are the same.
Alongside making the numbers 1,2 and 3 and creating our own numberblock representations, we looked at the shape of these number block numbers. The children described the shape ofnumberblock 1's face as being a square and a square has 4 sides, not 1, however we discussed how the numberblock is not a flat square, but rather a cube 3d shape and he is made up of 1 cube. This understanding that number can be represented in many different shapes and forms with help to develop a strong foundation for our later maths work and help us as we begin to understand the composition of different numbers.
In our topic work this week it has been all things Bonfire Night. Our key vocabulary for this week has been: Parliament, gunpowder, plot, Guy Fawkes and King James. We will revisit these words regularly in the classroom, but please try to use these at home in your discussions with your children.
The children enjoyed learning all about the story of Guy Fawkes and his plot to blow up the houses of Parliament with gun powder. We looked at pictures of Guy Fawkes and King James and discussed how we thought that these people dressed differently to how people dress today, they wore funny hats and clothes! We were able to decide that this story happened a long time ago, long before we were born – in the past. The children thought it was very sad that because these people had different ideas that we call ‘beliefs’ that they wanted to hurt one another. Check your child’s understanding to see if they can recall the story and the reason why this story has led to our Bonfire Night celebrations and customs!
As part of this topic the children have had a wonderful time creating elaborate Houses of Parliament, creating computer firework pictures and enjoyed discussing their own present day Bonfire Night traditions.
In drawing club this week we enjoyed watching a firework display and listening to the wonderful sounds we could hear. We were introduced to a wow word- onomatopoeia (a word that sounds just like the thing it is describing) such as bang, pop etc. The children drew what they had seen in the firework display and either tried to write some words using onomatopoeia or used these words to tell us the noises their fireworks made .We are beginning to see some fantastic writing from many of our children but please do not be concerned if your child is still not choosing/able to form words at home. In reception children do not all develop in a linear way but I can assure you there is huge progress with all of our children!
Alongside this learning, we have enjoyed role-playing the story, talking about safety with fireworks and making our own firework rockets. We have been very busy!
Our P.E learning this half term is focussed around 'dance'. The children will be developing awareness of different dance styles, representation and movements. Pear class thought about what they already knew about dance and talked about ballet and ballroom styles. We remembered that in order to become a great dancer, we need to look after our bodies well- this includes healthy eating and healthy choices in our lives. Our first session was centered around the song 'I'm a little teapot' where children sang the song and then added the actions to it. We practised moving at a slow and sad pace and a fast and happy pace whilst singing an dancing this song with the actions- this made us laugh a lot! In order to warm our muscles up ready for our session we played one of our favourite games- dishes and domes and we also practised rolling a hoop to a partner who had to catch it! Then we had to climb through the hoop whilst our partner held it. Children enjoyed moving forward, backwards and sideways through the hoops.
Please remember that Pear class no longer have P.E on a Tuesday with NUF. They will continue to have teacher led P.E sessions on a Thursday.
Charanga music session this week was focussed on 'Roll Alabama by Bellowhead- we listened together and decided we liked the song as it was 'jolly'. On the interactive whiteboard the children listened to, watched and copied the movements for 'I'm a little teapot' and then kept the beat by tapping their shoulders, knees and toes. Our session ended with some fantastic performances.
Our R.E this half term is based around the question 'Why is Christmas special for Christians?' and this week Pear class thought about Jesus' birthday and the precious gifts that the Wise Men gave to him when he was born. We then thought about our own birthdays and the lovely gifts we have received. We decided that presents are an important part of Christmas for Christians- a reminder of the gifts that the Wise men gave to Jesus. Our children then thought about the gifts they would have given Jesus and we had some lovely suggestions such as a crown, special blankets and jewellery. They then drew a picture of their gift and some children attempted to write the sound that the gift began with. It is clear to see that children's phonic knowledge is improving daily- well done Pears!
In our Jigsaw circle time we all thought about what we are good at; an important part of celebrating difference is recognising that we are all good at different things and that we should all be proud of our achievements - we should all be happy for our friends who are good at different things and that we can all help each other learn.
Have a lovely weekend,
The Pear class team