We are looking forward to having lots of fun learning in the sunshine and outdoors.  Our learning will be based around mini-beasts, lifecycles, summer and the story ’The 3 Billy Goats Gruff’

Communication and Language 

The children will be able to watch the caterpillars growing and changing and discuss what they notice. In order to do this, they will learn lots of new vocabulary linked to insects and other creatures. With the story of The 3 Billy Goats Gruff, the children will retell the story and act out the story in our outdoor theatre.

Vocabulary: centipede, millipede, woodlouse, chrysalis, cocoon, metamorphosis, colony, hibernate, thorax, antennae.  

Literacy

This half term, our focus book will be The 3 Billy Goats Gruff.  The children will learn this story using actions and the story map.  At the end, they will write their own story. We will read lots of other versions and compare them.

Our Read Write Inc sessions for phonics based reading will continue each morning.

In our writing areas, the children will have word mats with vocabulary linked to mini-beasts, the children will create lift the flap information about different features of different creatures. We will read lots of information books about different insects so that the children see that knowledge can be gained from reading. They can then use this information in their own fact books that they make.

Vocabulary: antennae, wings, chrysalis, cocoon, metamorphasis, symmetry, insect

Physical Development

In our PE sessions, we will practise team work games. Simplified versions of football, hockey, basketball, cricket. We will continue to practise the skills for these games to start the sessions and then end with mini games.  As the children practise these skills, they will add these into sports. We will play: basketball in the mugger, football and dribble the ball and then shoot into the goal. We will be outside each week on the field or the playground.

In our playtimes, we will continue to go out on the hill.  The children will have access to tyres this half-term, to build up their arm strength to roll and carry them.

Vocabulary: throw, sport, team, catch, kick, goal, target, aim, shoot, dribble, pass.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

In our circle times this half term, we will look at ‘Building Relationships- my friends and family.  Although this is something we have discussed all year, it will be nice to recap on all of these points in the focused sessions.  

Vocabulary: kind, thoughtful, patience, sharing, listening, helpful.

Mathematics

We will be moving on to look at numbers beyond 10. With cubes, 10 frames and bead strings, the children will compose numbers beyond 10 and see them as a 10 and a part for example, 10 and 3 is 13 or 2 tens and 3 are 23. Through daily counting and songs, we will count in 2s, 5s, 10s and forwards and backwards beyond 10. By playing games of bingo the children will match numbers to pictures of different amounts over 10. With shapes, the children will look at how they can arrange them in different ways, they will be given arrangements to see if they can replicate these.  Using real objects both inside and outside through play and with adult led activities, we will be adding and taking away. Using stories such as, first there were 3 dinosaurs, then 2 more came along, how many dinosaurs now?

Vocabulary: more, less, count, forwards, backwards, bigger, ten frame, take away, add, subtract, same, different, puzzles, shape, arrange, match, rotate.

Understanding the World

Our focus is on summer and how the environment and weather changes.  We will look at sun safety and the importance of protecting our skin from the sun.  With mini-beasts, we will look at where they like to be and the characteristics of the different creatures. We will compare and sort them according to their features such as wings or number of legs.

We will go on regular bug hunts and use the magnifying glasses to look in detail and talk about our observations.

With the story of The 3 Billy Goats Gruff, we will look at parts of the world with mountains and rivers and see how they are different to our local area.  The children will make bridges and act out the story outside. We will link it to animals that eat grass and find out about herbivores and carnivores.

Using Google Earth, stories and Cbeebies programmes, we will continue t find out about other countries around the world, food, art, religions, animals and climates.

Vocabulary: antennae, legs, habitat, diet, river, mountain, bridge, herbivore, carnivore.

Religion and Worldviews

Our Kapow topic is ‘Why are some places special?’ We will look at different places of worship. Some features and special items that you would find in these places of worship. We will watch children share their religions, read books and look at photographs as well as artefacts.

Vocabulary: church, mosque, temple, synagogue, pray, special, worship.

Computing

The learning that the children will be doing in their maths sessions will support their learning in computing.

The children will be learning to use ‘Beebots’. They will start by being Beebots themselves and with a partner, they will have to follow directions that their partner programs them to do.  They will then transfer these skills to using the beebots. They will learn to program and debug.

Vocabulary: program, debug, instructions, directions, up, down, left, right, forwards, backwards.

Expressive Arts and Design

Mini-beasts are so different and interesting, so we are looking forward to using junk modelling to make various ones. When we read ‘The Very Busy Spider’, the children will make spiders and spiders webs.  With The Very Hungry Caterpillar, we will make cocoons and butterflies using kitchen rolls and tissue paper. We will be trying out salt painting as part of our Art lessons as well as making beautiful petal sun catchers.

Vocabulary:   join, attach, thread, concertina, scrunch, fold, paint, mix, stroke.

USEFUL WEBSITES

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/zf44jxs/videos/1

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/Early-Years.html

http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/freeIndex.htm

http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/