Well I can tell that the children have been busy bees over the holidays, judging by the amount of work that we managed to get through last week! The standard of their work is testament to the amount of support that you are giving to your children at home, so may we pass on our thanks and anticipation of it continuing!

Domestics

PE Kits
There were a number of children without a PE kit this week, or with incomplete kit. Could we please ask that they are returned ready for Monday, in a labelled bag, which the children need to leave in school. Also, our curriculum this half term means that our PE sessions are indoors, but could we ask that you check that your child’s pumps fit correctly, ready for after the half term. Also, one white t-shirt looks very like another, so identifying them can be very difficult if they are not labelled. Please could you ensure that ALL uniform is CLEARLY labelled with your child’s name and class. Many thanks for your support with this.

High Frequency Words
The children’s reading is coming on in leaps and bounds and we have seen tremendous improvements in their ability to decode the words using familiar strategies. We have noticed however, that a number of children are finding difficulty with the high frequency words that are coming up in texts. The lists are provided at the front of your child’s diary for you to support them at home in the recognition of these words on sight.

It is vital to your child’s reading development that just 5 minutes a day is spent on the recognition of these words. Try making some flashcards, using the back of cereal box packets for the card and writing the words on. Bath time can be a great time to practice the spelling of them too, particularly using some of the bath crayons which can be bought cheaply from the supermarket. Mmm...a novel approach to washing!

Student

We have a student, Miss Lauren McKay, joining us this week for 5 weeks. She will be taking the class on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays, whilst I will be teaching the children on Thursdays and Fridays. We will both be planning the curriculum together, ensuring that the best possible learning happens for our children.

I will still be in school throughout all of this time, and shall be working with groups of children from Year 2, as well as working with groups of our children to support their learning. Any messages may still be passed on through the diaries or feel free to drop in as usual. Many thanks.

Outdoor play equipment

The children may have come home telling you about the cages we now have in school for them! Please do not be alarmed! The ‘cages’ are in fact large crates, which hold the outdoor play equipment for each class. The equipment has been purchased for the children to use on the playground during breaktimes and lunchtimes and this week, the children will be introduced to a number of possible games that they could play with them.

None of this would have been possible, without Mrs Walker, who has given up a large amount of her own time to label the equipment, put together the cages and organise the resources for everyone, so a huge thank you to her! The children are certainly very eager to start using the equipment – we just need the weather now!

So, on with the curriculum for this week...

Literacy

This week, we begin our work on Stories from other cultures. The children will be looking a variety of stories and investigating the repetitive nature of some of the texts and even joining in with some. They will then move on to adapt or even invent some sentences of their own, based on the stories which they have read.

By the end of the week, the children:

MUST be able to identify the main characters stories and say where the story takes place
SHOULD be able to identify the repetitive pattern of language in the text and continue the pattern
COULD be able to experiment with sounds, words and texts when making up their own stories and rhymes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/drilldown/stories/2/6/1/ good old cbeebies! The children still love visiting this site and it still had some of the best versions of the stories that I have come across on the web.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories-short.htm there are some lovely stories on this site, complete with activities to accompany them. Click on the top menu bar to navigate to longer stories.
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/aesop/index.html a lovely site which takes you on a guided tour of Aesop's Fables.

http://www.taletimeaudiostories.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=28 you can download some lovely audio books from this site. There are only a few free ones, but if your child enjoys them, then for a small fee, you can download many more.
http://www.snaithprimary.eril.net/rainbows.htm I loved this! There are some really good questions here about traditional rhymes, which should get the children thinking!

Phonics

By the end of the week, the children:

MUST be able to read and recognise SH TH NG AI EE IGH OA OO AR OR UR OW OI EAR AIR URE ER
SHOULD be able to use known phonemes to blend unfamiliar words
COULD be able to segment words containing known phonemes to spell unfamiliar words

This week’s question: Are there any letter patterns that make the same sound?

The children will be set a series of spelling challenges, in which they will have to try and work out the spellings to a number of words. Sound simple? Well, they will have a few words which don’t fit the patterns they have been given and they will have to work out what other letters can make the same sound.

http://www.ictgames.com/cluster.html spelling game based on the initial sounds they can hear

http://www.ictgames.com/hybrid.html it took me a while to figure out how to play this game! To select a word in the wordsearch, click on the first and the last letter of the word you wish to highlight, and the cow will ‘MOO’ if you are correct! A great way to investigate spelling patterns.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/snap/snap.shtml click SNAP when the sounds match the word written on the right hand side

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/spelling/spelling.shtml drag and drop the correct spelling pattern into the gaps before the time runs out.

Numeracy

We were thrilled with the children’s knowledge of place value last week, and many of them managed to identify thousands as well as hundreds, tens and units! The children found that using a place value mat (http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/853/PlaceValueChartv4.swf ) helped them with the reading of the number. If you could continue to support your child at home with the reading of these numbers, then it will really help to move their learning on.
This week we move on to adding two 1 digit numbers, crossing 10... ie 9 + 5 = ? The children will be using a number line to support them when counting on.

They will then move on to working with two digit numbers and saying what number is ten more and ten less than a given two digit number. I will be sending home a 100 square with this week’s homework to support the children with this.

By the end of the week, the children:

MUST be able to add two 1 digit numbers, crossing 10, by counting on
SHOULD be able to identify the number of tens and units in a two digit number and say the number which is ten more using a 100 square for support
COULD be able to say the number which is ten more and ten less than a given 2 digit number and begin to investigate with 3 digit numbers

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/number-english.html match the number names to the figures
http://www.ictgames.com/100huntplus10.html click on the number in the 100 square to find 10 more
http://www.hyperstaffs.info/work/math/wilce/cosmic.html I love this! The children have to solve the problems along the way, to complete the mission. Some are harder than others, so it may be best if you sit with them for this one. Good for problem solving.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/ngfl-flash/estimate/estimate.html group these objects into small groups in order to make counting easier
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/ngfl-flash/estimate/estimate.html this site is a bit more challenging, but it great at allowing the children to practice grouping in 10s to make counting quicker.

ICT
The children have loved using the laptops last week and in particular, the Photostory program, which we mentioned last week. I was really thrilled when a number of children told me they had been on the blog, downloaded the program and made their very own photostory. Show and tell has certainly become interesting in our class!

They will be working as part of a team this week, to make their own photostory, based on a story from another culture and putting music to their presentation. Then, at the end of the week, we will show them to each other – there may even be a little popcorn involved!

Houses and Homes

We will begin our topic of houses and homes and the children will be asked about the type of home they live in. They will also be comparing it to different types of houses in the past and listing some of the similarities and differences.

In preparation for this, it would be great if the children could bring in a photograph of the exterior of their house, so that we can create a display in class. They will also be using this photograph as a prompt when they come to draw it.

I know we will have a very busy, but fun-filled week!

Take care,

Year 1 team x