Autumn 2

Autumn Term 2

In this busy half term we will focus on the key question of 'What makes me happy?' and begin to explore the various celebrations and festivals that bring us joy. We will investigate the similarities and differences between us and others, including comparing our own family traditions. We will also be exploring the range of emotions and feelings we have at special times.

Specific festivals we will look at will include; Bonfire night, Remembrance day, Diwali, Birthdays and Christmas.

These are the 'key texts' we will share in depth during this half term...

Penguin

Diwali

The Gingerbread Man

The Night Before Christmas

In phonics we will continue our formal learning of Phase 2 sounds. The children will learn how to blend these sounds together so they can begin to decode simple words and phrases for themselves when reading aloud. Please continue to complete the phonics homework we send home each week and listen to your child read each day, making a note in the reading diary. Please also keep on reading stories and sharing the school library books with your child.

In literacy we will be learning to correctly form letters when writing with a good pencil grip. We will write Christmas lists, a letter to Santa and greetings cards.

In Mathematics we will be learning through the themes of 'circles and triangles', '1,2,3,4,5' and 'shapes with 4 sides'.

We will also weigh and measure ingredients to bake our own Gingerbread recipe.

Our Religious Education sessions will be built around the theme of 'Prophecy and Promise'. Children will learn that Mary was chosen by God to be Jesus' mother and that she travelled with Joseph to Bethlehem. They will know that Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger and that shepherds visited Him. We will also learn about how Advent is a time to get ready for Christmas and understand that Jesus came for the whole world.

In our Physical Education learning the children take part in physical activities both inside and outside the classroom daily through our continuous provision and use of the outdoor learning area. This helps develop co-ordination and control both in small movements (e.g. holding a pencil and using tools such as scissors) as well as larger whole-body movements. In this half term we will explore the creative aspects of dance along the theme of 'Nursery Rhymes'. We will also develop a range of fundamental movement skills along the theme of 'How to catch a star'.

In our learning in the area of Understanding the World we will explore the similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities and celebrations. As the weather turns colder we will also explore the outdoors, experiencing frost and snow - hopefully! Followed by warm hot chocolate inside...all cosy!

Our learning within Expressive Arts and Design will focus on making art and craft objects that express various celebrations. We will make clay diva lamps and experiment with paint and media to create Christmas art. In music, we will be learning new songs for our Christmas Nativity performance.

As ever, our flexible curriculum allows us to follow the motivations and interests of the children and we will follow their lead and enthusiasms as they emerge!

  Autumn Term 1

Throughout Reception we follow the 'Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage' to shape our curriculum and learning experiences for children.

In Autumn term 1 we focus on the key question of 'Who am I?' and this involves learning about the children as individuals and their families. It covers making new friends and thinking about themselves and other children around the world. Settling into school routines and developing our personal and social skills is an especially important part of our learning in the first few weeks.

We celebrate Autumn and Harvest by exploring the school grounds to notice the changes in season, picking our school grown apples and making a crumble! Our visits to church also enable us to join in with simple acts of worship to thank God for our wonderful world and the fruits of the Harvest.

Reading and sharing books is a very important aspect of our learning and we have some key texts that we delve into in greater depth. These include,

Going to School

Lucy And Tom Go To School

When Grandad Was At School

Little Red Hen

Traditional Nursery Rhymes

My World, Your World.

We also organise a family visit to Poulton library after school where we can share a special book together and join the library if you haven't already got a library card. We really hope you can attend and details will be shared with you about the event in due course.

We begin the whole school approach to phonics through the 'Little Wandle' scheme. The children will learn the letter sounds within phase 2 and these are detailed in your child's reading diary. They include -s,a,t,p,i,n,m,d,g,o,c,k,ck,e,u,r,h,b,f,l. We introduce how to 'blend' letter sounds into words when reading and also learn some 'tricky words' which do not follow the rules. Your child will most likely bring home a wordless reading book to begin with until they are confident in recognising and using the sounds taught. I plan to run a parents information evening about phonics and the early stages of learning to read and write. This will also detail how you can support your child at home to develop their literacy skills - look out for more details coming soon! 

In Mathematics we will be learning to...

Match, sort and compare.

Talk about measure and patterns.

Explore the numbers of '1,2,3 -It's me!'.

Our Religious Education sessions will be built around the theme of 'Creation and Covenant' where we explore God's beautiful world.  We will learn that God made each one of us as a unique person, He loves us and we are part of His family. We will experience how to look after people and the world around us. We will also learn the words and actions of the sign of the cross and some school prayers.

In our Physical Development learning the children take part in physical activities both inside and outside the classroom daily through our continuous provision and use of the outdoor learning area. This helps develop co-ordination and control both in small movements (e.g. holding a pencil and using tools such as scissors) as well as larger whole-body movements. Throughout the year children will develop fundamental movement skills of running, jumping, dancing, catching and throwing, hopping, skipping and climbing. We enjoy playing games and taking part in age-appropriate sports during our whole class PE time. In this first half term we will use the adventure playground area, balance bikes and develop our physical skills through simple games.

In our learning in the area of Understanding the World we will explore the school grounds and plant bulbs for spring time flowering. We will also talk about the important people in our lives and the special experiences we share together.

While developing knowledge and skills in the area of Expressive Arts and Design we will be making self portraits using different media. We will explore the mark making of Jackson Pollock and how nature is used in the art work of Andy Goldsworthy. In music, we will be singing nursery rhymes and following the theme of 'Me!'.

Our flexible curriculum allows us to follow the motivations and interests of the children and we will follow their lead and enthusiasms as they emerge!

For a complete overview of the long term plan for the year please open the document below for a summary of each half term.