Weekly update 12th June 2006

Weekly update

Welcome back everyone! I trust that you have all had a sunshine filled half term!

With the sunshine in mind, please ensure that you provide your child with a sunhat with their name in. If you wish your child to apply suncream please place it in their bag with their name clearly written on the front.

New Starters
We have yet another fun packed and exciting half term planned for the children. However, this week will see our New Starters for September visiting Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon, and therefore, the children will spend sometime mixing with the present Year One children prior to the classes being finalised for next year. This may be a unsettled start to the half term for some children. However, having the visits all in one week enables us to get back to business the following week.

Mathematical Development
This week we will be reviewing the children's understanding of shapes. Please help your child to notice shapes in the environment and describe their properties. I have listed below a few websites you may wish to visit. I will also be using some of these in class.
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/maths/maerdy_2d/e_index.html - this site asks the question 'What am I?'. It gives the children a description of the properties of a shape and the children have to guess what it is. It does include pentagon and hexagon which we have not covered yet and the children will be introduced to it this week.
www.ictgames.com/YRshape.html - click on the star or the circle and move your cursor around the screen. Can you work out the shape? All these shapes are 2d shapes like circle, square, rectangle and triangles.
www.ictgames.com/Y2shape.html - this is just like the above web page but used 3d shapes like cone, sphere, cylinder, cuboid and prism.
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/Phase2delivery/Wales/Artanddesign/Keystage1/Making/Shapepictures/Introduction - if you select the interactive whiteboard activity and the children can make a picture using shapes and then make a print out of it. Perhaps they could bring it into school to show everyone.
www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk/Curriculum/Foundation%20Stage.htm - this site gives you clues and you have to guess the name of the shape from the clues given.
www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/kidsonly/findout/shape/shapes.htm - this made me laugh!
www.bbc.co.ul/cbeebies/artbox/playit/shapes/shapes.html
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/funandgames/flash/pictureperfect/pictureperfect.html - do you remember first getting a computer and playing solitaire and once you started you couldn't stop? Well this game is just as addictive yet frustrating. Let's see if the children can beat the clock!

Communication, Language and Literacy
The children will be consolidating their phonic skills this week. I will be introducing new sounds such as 'sh', 'ch', 'th', some blends and some long vowel sounds.
The following websites will support your child in their learning.
www.saintambrosebarlow.wigan.sch.uk/ShorCh.htm - this shows a selection of pictures and the children must decide if they include sh or ch in them.
www.crick.northants.sch.uk/Flash%20Studio/cflit/WW1/ww.html - this has a word wheel that the children must stop to match the pictures.
www.crick.northants.sch.uk/Flash%20Studio/cflit/WW2/ww2.html

Everything else?
The children will be completing their minibeast models this week. The finished products will be photographed and be used to support their writing next week. In music they will be encouraged to make body sounds (that should be interesting!!!) getting louder and softer and then progressing to create a musical pattern with their partners. By the end of next week, it is hoped that the children will be able to create a composition that reflects the story of Jack and the beanstalk.

Of course there are other things going on yet too many to mention.

Take care and I look forward to seing you all on Monday.

Best wishes
Jayne Narraway x
In dance the children will be responding to music through movement and gesture. In PE they will be creating sequences of movement.