Reception
Stokenham Area Primary School
Outline Planning for Summer Term 2024 Reception
Summer 1 topic = Growing and farming
Summer 2 topic = Pirates and maps
Dear Parents and Carers,
We hope that you have all enjoyed a lovely Easter break with your family and friends.
Listed below are the themes for each area of learning that we will be following this term which we hope you will find useful. Please also refer to the EYFS curriculum map on the school website for more information and detail about each area of learning. We will also continue to share photographs and observations to prompt discussion and develop positive home/school links via Tapestry and continue to look forward to you uploading significant ‘wow’ moments from home, including activities linked to our topics.
English/Literacy
This term we will be focusing on developing early reading and writing skills further through a range of fiction and non-fiction texts linked to our topics, including Jack and the Beanstalk and Oliver’s Vegetables in the first half term and The Treasure of Pirate Frank and The Big Picture Atlas in the second half term. The children will continue to have daily whole-class English sessions, with two guided group sessions per week to develop their writing skills. They also have many opportunities to develop their early literacy skills through the indoor and outdoor continuous provision and enhancements, including the reading and writing areas.
In our daily phonics lessons, we will be continuing to follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised phonics programme, moving on to the Phase 4 phonemes (sounds) and the corresponding graphemes (letters). You may find the informative videos and Little Wandle resources on the attached link useful: https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/. https://lettersandsounds.org.uk/index.php?page=reception We will develop fluency at reading previously taught ‘tricky words’ on sight, and introduce some new words, which you can find in reading diaries. The children will continue to have three group reading practice sessions linked to their decodable text each week, focusing on decoding (blending/reading), prosody (reading with expression and intonation) and comprehension skills.
Mathematics
The focus for this term will be to further improve children’s knowledge and understanding of the number system, including the core mathematical skills of reading, writing, counting and exploring the composition of numbers to 20. We will continue to follow the NCETM Mastering Number programme, in addition to investigating measures, exploring shapes and participating in a variety of practical problem solving activities linked to spatial thinking. All children will continue to have two guided group maths sessions per week with Mrs Cowling and Mrs Stevens, alongside daily whole-class teaching sessions and a range of child-led opportunities to develop mathematical skills through meaningful play in the indoor and outdoor continuous provision.
Foundation topics (Understanding the World/Expressive Arts and Design)
During the first half of the Summer Term our cross-curricular topic is ‘Growing and farming’, moving on to ‘Pirates’ in the second half of the term. Within these topics the children will be able to enjoy a wide variety of inspiring experiences including: planting a range of seeds (including beans), caring for plants and observing changes, sketching observational drawings, exploring where food comes from and the importance if a healthy and balanced diet. The children will also be visiting Coleridge Dairy Farm on Tuesday 7th May.
Planned activities after half term include exploring a range of maps and atlases, making treasure maps, learning about diving and exploring floating and sinking. They will also have an action-packed Pirate Day dressed up and ready for a day full of pirate fun, treasure hunts, sea-shanties and adventure.
In our weekly Charanga music lessons, the children will listen to and describe different funk songs through the unit ‘Big Bear Funk’. They will explore and engage in music making, singing and dance using a range of musical instruments, both in structured music lessons and in their independent learning/continuous provision.
Forest Schools/The Natural World
We are extremely lucky to have Mrs Moore taking our Reception class out for an extended Forest Schools session every Friday morning, where the children will be observing changes in the woods linked to the seasons and identifying native flowers, trees, insects and birds. These calming and awe-inspiring sessions also improve mental health and wellbeing, in addition to helping to develop the children’s language and communication skills and their personal, social and emotional skills. Please ensure children are dressed appropriately for the weather and that all items are clearly named.
PE/Physical Development
We are continuing to follow a structured PE programme based around health and fitness and being physical, in addition to engaging in a range of activities linked to improving physical development through indoor and outdoor continuous provision. The children will also be having weekly swimming lessons in the school pool from half term. Please remember named swimming costumes, hats and towels, and to apply suncream at home (not to be brought in to school please).
PSHE/Personal, Social and Emotional Development
This term every child will continue to develop their personal, social and emotional skills, learning how to get on with each other and to have mutual respect and responsibility, linked to our school values of being ‘safe, kind and responsible’. This will be achieved through a variety of methods including through play, circle times as well as mindfulness yoga. They also have a focused PSHE session each week, this term looking at the theme of ‘Health and Wellbeing’ exploring physical and oral health, mental wellbeing, growing and changing and keeping safe.
Home learning
In Reception we ask you to support your child’s learning by supporting them with reading his/her book every night for ten minutes and would also recommend that you enjoy reading and discussing a longer, high-quality text to your child, especially if s/he is still developing reading fluency. This may be the ‘sharing book’ which your child chooses to borrow each Friday to develop a love of reading. Please continue to record/tick that you have read with your child in their reading diary, which we check for messages and comments every morning registration. It is also beneficial to help your child practise correct letter and number formation and to support them with knowing all Phase 2 and 3 phonemes and tricky words (which are stuck inside reading diaries). You may also find some of the maths and phonics games on these educational websites useful:
https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/literacy.html
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/counting
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/numberblocks https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary
Many thanks for your continued support with your child’s learning.
Mrs Cowling and Mrs Stevens
