During Autumn 1 we will be focusing on our topic called 'I Wonder........Who You Are?'. This topic allows us to explore our different feelings as we begin our school journey! It allows pupils to get to know each other and school routines and expectations, enabling them to settle into school life.  They will have the opportunity to share their ‘All about Me' boxes they have made about themselves at home.  We can't wait to learn about each other’s interests and families.

We will be exploring the following texts:

Communication and Language

Communication and Language underpins everything that we do.  Through sharing their boxes the children will learn how to talk to small groups and how to answer questions.  When listening and responding to others' they will begin to understand the difference between making a statement and asking a question.  We will discuss and reflect on our key texts as well as use our communication and language skills through recreating roles in our home corner and small world, and through our imaginative play.  The children will have the opportunity to take part in various activities where they will use their different senses.  These activities encourage pupils to think of a range of different adjectives and ways of describing what they have experienced through their senses. 

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Pupils will help to create class rules, gaining an understanding why it is important for there to be rules. They will learn the school routines and expected behaviour. As our children become used to the school environment, they will be encouraged to become more independent by putting their things away first thing in the morning, changing themselves for P.E. and accessing the resources they need without adult help.  They will learn how to set up the painting area and how to make their own playdough, becoming increasingly independent at doing this over time.

When looking at 'All are Welcome' we will reflect on our differences (including family units, cultures and disabilities) within our class and that these are what make us interesting and us.  Pupils will clearly receive the message that we are all worthy and welcome within our class, school and society.  Through the text 'The Colour Monster' we will explore different emotions, thinking about when we may feel a certain way and why.  Children will learn that if you feel sad or angry there are different things you can do to channel your feelings or to make yourself feel more positive. 
 

Physical Development

Pupils will take part in a variety of fine motor activities to strengthen their fingers and hands in preparation for writing.  They will also have many opportunities to take part in gross motor activities that will develop their core strength and their ability to control their movements.  In P.E. lessons children will take part in team building activities.

Literacy

When starting school pupils will focus on recognising their name.  Some children will be at the stage to begin to practise writing their name.  We will play listening games in preparation for our phonics learning where they will need to listen carefully to sounds.  Pupils will also gain a better understanding of what the words 'rhyming' and 'alliteration' mean and will explore the sounds of different words. 
 
Throughout our provision there will be ample opportunities for our children to explore mark making..  Pupils will gain a better understanding of what 'instructions' are and what they are used for.  They will help us to produce instructions for making playdough and setting up the paint table.  These will then be used within our environment to aid pupils to independently do these tasks, and ensures that pupils realise their writing has a purpose.  Pupils will listen to and discuss not only our key texts, but many other books, stories and rhymes. 

Maths

Pupils will take part in daily registration and calendar maths where they will gain confidence in counting and ordering numbers.  We will discuss if we think a number if bigger than another by comparing towers or other representations of a number (for example, if there are 4 children having sandwiches and 6 are having pizza).  During our focused maths the children will focus on a number at a time and how it can be represented in different ways (e.g. 'the oneness of one' through looking at it as a tally, on a dice, a piece of Numicon, on a number line, in money, on a clock etc).  

Understanding the World

As the children start school we will be discussing who are in our families.  We will think about how things have changed over time, starting by thinking about how we have changed since we were born.  Pupils will have opportunities to investigate old telephones, lamps, typewriters and other objects used in the past.  Pupils will gain a better understanding of what maps are and what they are used for. We will use maps and photos of our local environment currently, and compare these to photos and pictures of how it looked in the past.  We will also produce our own maps to show and describe how we get to school. Pupils will be introduced to the vocabulary to describe different types of homes, such as 'flat', 'bungalow, and 'terrace'.

Expressive Arts and Design

Pupils will be able to roleplay and create roles within our home corner.  Our puppet theatre is fantastic for retelling well known stories and making up new stories.  Our children will learn how to set up the paint table and what the primary colours are.  Paint will be available on a daily basis and children can experiment with form and colour.  From studying themselves in a mirror and discussing what they can see, pupils will produce a self-portrait, thinking about the shapes and colours they could use to represent what they could see.  Children will be learning some new songs and will have opportunities to experiment with instruments.  Pupils will use Ipads and cameras to film and take photos of their work.

What you can do at home to support your child 

You can help your child this term by reading any stories that you may have.  The local library has many books to rent if you are wanting some different ones. Discuss what is happening in the story, introduce the idea of a beginning, middle and an end.
Your child will bring home a reading books a week. This will be on Mondays. Please listen to your child as often as possible and sign/leave a comment in the reading diary.  It is great if they revisit books they have previously read as this builds up their confidence due to knowing the book and what to expect.

Each time we learn a new sound, your child will bring the sound home on a sheet. Please ask them to teach it to you, they can tell you the name, sound, action!  The sheet will also show you how we write the letter, following our school handwriting policy.