Sunday, April 27, 2008

Where did those shoes come from?

Hola

At the weekend I went to Warrington Museum to have a look at the canvas we have produced on the theme of Echoes. If you want to have a look it is in Gallery 4 and remember the museum is free. The work from the other school is very good and worth taking a look at too.

Last week we completed our final pieces of art work for the exhibition at the Pyramid centre ready for next week. This week, we will be composing poems on the theme of echoes to support our work.

The children also had a wonderful time demonstrating their collaborative and cooperative skills by working as a team to create a model dragon. The week finished with seven fantastic models and some lovely writing to accompany them.

Communication, Language and Literacy
In addition to the poems, we will be centring most of our work on the fantastic traditional tale ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’. There will be a range of activities available to the children through all the areas of learning. These will include:
Writing about things they can do with their feet;
Measuring the size of their feet and completing a class graph;
Writing about where they wish they could walk to;
Walking through different textures e.g ice cream, baked beans etc – messy but great fun!!
Well throwing competitions;
Adding percussion instruments to the different parts of the story;
Shoe polish leaves artwork;
Sewing our very own shoes;
Making patterned elf hats with feathers.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/colour/elvesshoemaker.shtml - print out and colour to make your very own version of the story.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/teacher/english/elves/documents/5.doc - write a diary entry if you fancy doing a little writing.

Phonics
We are nearly there with the patterns we have been concentrating on the last two weeks. Some children are transferring them into their writing which is really great! ‘Igh’ and ‘oa’ are okay but we are still a little unsure of ‘ar’ and ‘or’. Therefore, we will only concentrate on these two this week. You may wish to support your child by practising the spelling of words containing the spelling patterns or by looking for them in books.

By the end of the week, the children;
MUST be able to identify the patterns ‘or’, ‘oa’, ‘ar’ and ‘igh’ on sight;
SHOULD be able to use them to make new words;

COULD be able to read and write words containing the patterns.
Here are the websites to support this area of learning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/poems/flash/fpoem4.shtml - this looks at the spelling pattern ‘oa’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/poems/flash/fpoem9.shtml - this looks at ‘igh’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/snap/snap.shtml - a snap game to help the children quickly identify the letter patterns in words.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/cvc/whirl/game.shtml - I would recommend this website to support the blending of sounds together when reading.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/literacy/phonics/index.shtml - a great website with different levels. Start at the medium level and then work on from there at your own pace.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/16022007/wordmaker_vowels1/lesson.html - I really like this one. You could easily have a go at sections 1 and 2.
http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/the-lonely-vowel/load.htm?f - a great little video!
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f - select the games to play with our spelling patterns in them.


Problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy
As I stated last week we are on a two week unit of addition linked to problem-solving. We were amazed at how much the children remembered about addition and we are ready to move on pretty quickly. The focus for this week is to count on from the largest number when adding two numbers together.
By the end of the week, the children:

MUST be able to find one more than a given number to 10;
SHOULD be able to understand that addition is the combining of two sets of objects and use 1p coins to pay for the total of two items.
COULD be able to find the total of two numbers by counting on from the largest number, and find ways of making given totals.

Suitable websites to support these learning objectives are:
Addition
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/numbers/ch1.shtml
www.ictgames.com/save_the_whale_v4.html - this game asks the children to select the number to add to the given number to make magic number 10. The strategy the children need to use is the counting on from the number given to 10;
www.ictgames.com/safecracker.html - the children have to choose two numbers to make the target number given.
www.ictgames.com/beaver.html - the children must select two numbers that make the magic number 10.
http://demo.iboard.co.uk/screens/thread_home.htm?thread_id=8
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/maths/num%20machine/add1.html - good website for rapid recall of adding one more.
http://www.rainforestmaths.com/ - you could have a go at year 1 also.
Money
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/maths/counting_with_money/index.htm
http://www.ictgames.com/moneysplat.html - a good website for encouraging addition

I will also send home the rhyme linked to the pairs to 10 for the children to go over too.

Any other details…
As far as I am aware this week is actually quite normal! (mmm…am I tempting fate here?) The only important date is Thursday when we welcome Mr Derek Barnes (a senior Advisor) who is assessing the school for its third quality mark in the basic skills.


Have a great week!

Best wishes
Jayne Narraway and the foundation stage team xxx

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Who ate the porridge?

Hola

Welcome to this week’s blog!

On Friday the children voted to do the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Therefore, the role play area will have a selection of props which will enable them to re-enact the story with their friends. This is a vital part of your child’s development so any encouragement of pretend play is good. As part of our endeavour to create independent learners the children will receive a letter from Goldilocks. She has decided to apologise for sleeping in Baby bear’s bed and breaking his chair. She says in the letter that she would like to commission our children to help her design a new chair and bedroom just for baby bear. Let’s see where it takes us!

Phonics
Mrs Malone took the children whilst I was on a course last Thursday. When I asked the children in front of her what they are really good at the response was ‘listening and phonics’. I say no more! This week we will be consolidating their understanding of the sound patterns taught over the past few weeks which include ‘or’, ‘oa’, ‘ar’ and ‘igh’. The children are okay with ‘oa’ and ‘igh’ but still a little unsure of ‘or’ and ‘ar’. Any chance to identify them in books would be greatly appreciated.

By the end of the week, the children;
MUST be able to identify the patterns ‘or’, ‘oa’, ‘ar’ and ‘igh’ on sight;
SHOULD be able to use them to make new words;
COULD be able to read and write words containing the patterns.


Here are the websites to support this area of learning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/poems/flash/fpoem4.shtml - this looks at the spelling pattern ‘oa’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/poems/flash/fpoem9.shtml - this looks at ‘igh’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/snap/snap.shtml - a snap game to help the children quickly identify the letter patterns in words.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/cvc/whirl/game.shtml - I would recommend this website to support the blending of sounds together when reading.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/literacy/phonics/index.shtml - a great website with different levels. Start at the medium level and then work on from there at your own pace.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/16022007/wordmaker_vowels1/lesson.html - I really like this one. You could easily have a go at sections 1 and 2.
http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/the-lonely-vowel/load.htm?f - a great little video!
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f - select the games to play with our spelling patterns in them.


Problem-solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
I feel that it is time to return to looking at addition for the next two weeks. The children will review some previous learning on ordering numbers before reviewing addition. Therefore, the children:

MUST be able to count up to 10 objects reliably and order numbers to 10;
SHOULD be able to identify missing numbers on a number line, order random numbers to 10 and write most numerals from 1 to 10 correctly;
COULD be able to count backwards from 20 to 0, recognise all the numbers to 20 and some beyond, order a random set of numbers to 20, count at least 20 objects reliably and write the numbers 0 to 20 correctly.


Here are some websites for your child to play on at home to support their learning:
http://www.wmnet.org.uk/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/846/Teddynumbersv2.swf - the children are presented with a teddy bear and a jar of sweets. The computer generates a number between 1 and 15 and the children need to drag the given number of sweets into the bear’s tummy.
http://www.ictgames.com/postletter.html - the children must listen to the number given and then post the letter through the corresponding door.
http://www.ictgames.com/100hunt2.html - this is a real challenge for those children who can already recognise the numbers to 20. Encourage your child to say the target number out loud before finding it.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/ngfl-flash/numbers_eng/numbers_e.html - this is a good website for supporting number formation.
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/numorder.swf - the children need to order the random numbers by placing the numbered hats on the children’s heads.
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=washindex - remember to select the numbers to 20.
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=ntrack - missing numbers on a number track. The children click and drag them into place. The children should be able to access all three levels.
http://www.ictgames.com/caterpillar_slider.html - one that we have had before but remember to alter the minimum and maximum range of numbers to accommodate your child’s range of recognition.
http://www.rainforestmaths.com/ - click on the numbers, python and possum

Any opportunity to review number formation is good as would be the words on Mr Adder.

We will be extending the children’s learning to counting on from the largest number and applying addition to money situations. You may wish to support this at home by playing shop and asking your child to find the total of two items in the shop.
By the end of the week, the children:
MUST be able to find one more than a given number to 10;
SHOULD be able to understand that addition is the combining of two sets of objects and use 1p coins to pay for the total of two items.
COULD be able to find the total of two numbers by counting on from the largest number, and find ways of making given totals.


Suitable websites to support these learning objectives are:
Addition
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/numbers/ch1.shtml
www.ictgames.com/save_the_whale_v4.html - this game asks the children to select the number to add to the given number to make magic number 10. The strategy the children need to use is the counting on from the number given to 10;
www.ictgames.com/safecracker.html - the children have to choose two numbers to make the target number given.
www.ictgames.com/beaver.html - the children must select two numbers that make the magic number 10.
http://demo.iboard.co.uk/screens/thread_home.htm?thread_id=8
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/maths/num%20machine/add1.html - good website for rapid recall of adding one more.
Money
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/maths/counting_with_money/index.htm
http://www.ictgames.com/moneysplat.html - a good website for encouraging addition

Here I Am
We will be continuing our work on Holidays. The children created some lovely collages of the holiday the Gingerbread man would go on for his holidays last week. The children will further develop their understanding of the Holy Spirit this week.


St George’s Day
The children will learn lots about St George’s Day on Thursday. They will be set the task of making dragons in teams. This will be a whole day events with a certificate at the end of the day for the team who have worked the most collaboratively.


Physical development
The children will focus on their ball skills this week. They will be playing target games and learning how to keep score. We will also begin developing the skills for our Sports Day. It would be a good idea to check your child’s pumps now to see that they fit. I will send pump bags home on Friday.


Friends of St Vincent’s meeting
There will be a friends meeting at 8pm in St Joseph’s Parish Club. Everyone is welcome. See you there!


I think that is all for now!

Have a great week.

Best wishes
Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxx

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Don't eat me!!!

Hi there!

Lots of fun things to learn this week. We begin with…

Phonics
The children are doing tremendously well with their phonics. This week we will be consolidating their understanding of the sound patterns taught last week which include ‘or’, ‘oa’, ‘ar’ and ‘igh’. By the end of the week, the children;
MUST be able to identify the patterns ‘or’, ‘oa’, ‘ar’ and ‘igh’ on sight;
SHOULD be able to use them to make new words;
COULD be able to read and write words containing the patterns.

Here are the websites to support this area of learning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/poems/flash/fpoem4.shtml - this looks at the spelling pattern ‘oa’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/poems/flash/fpoem9.shtml - this looks at ‘igh’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/snap/snap.shtml - a snap game to help the children quickly identify the letter patterns in words.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/cvc/whirl/game.shtml - I would recommend this website to support the blending of sounds together when reading.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/literacy/phonics/index.shtml - a great website with different levels. Start at the medium level and then work on from there at your own pace.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/16022007/wordmaker_vowels1/lesson.html - I really like this one. You could easily have a go at sections 1 and 2.
http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/the-lonely-vowel/load.htm?f - a great little video!
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f - select the games to play with our spelling patterns in them.

Communication, Language and Literacy
This week the focus will be on developing the children story sequencing and story langauge. Plenty of reading of traditional tales at home will support this. Linked to our Here I Am theme the children will receive a postcard from Jim the giant as he has gone on holiday after putting his house up for sale. The new occupant of his house is no other than the gingerbread man!

Problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy
We will continue to develop the children’s understanding and use of comparative language, with a specific focus on tall and short. By the end of the week, the children:

MUST be able to identify objects that are tall and short.
SHOULD be able to order up to three objects in order of height saying which is the tallest, which is taller and which is shorter/shortest.
COULD be able to compare the heights of a range of objects and use other language to compare and describe the size.


Here are some websites to support you:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/numbers/index.shtml - This is a good website for reviewing addition and subtraction even though we are not working on it directly at the moment.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/big_small/eng/Introduction/default.htm - looks at big and small.
http://www.little-g.com/shockwave/apple.html - a lovely website introducing small, medium and large’
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/docs/shortesttotallest.doc - print out and order at home.
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/sizeordering.swf
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=compare-order7 - fab!

http://www.kidport.com/GradeK/Math/MeasureGeo/MathK_tall.htm - a simple website for identifying the tallest and shorted but remember to encourage your child to say the language associated with the height.
http://www.kidport.com/Grade1/Math/MeasureGeo/G1-M-MG1-1-2.htm
http://www.rainforestmaths.com/ - this is definitely one to go on. Click on the measurement one and then on length. You will see some towers in the left hand corner. If you click on them they change the focus of the comparative language.


What else will we be doing? Well if I was to say ‘Run, Run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me I’m the …..’ you would know. Yes! We are doing The Gingerbread Man. Here are some websites to support this fantastic traditional tale.

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/stories/gingerbread.htm - this is a great electronic version of the story for the children to read alongside you. This version shall be the one used this week in class.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/colour/gingerbreadman.shtml - this version can be printed off to colour in and then perhaps your child could develop their writing skills to add captions to the pictures.
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/gingerbread/gingerbread_man_poem.htm - this is a fantastic poem based on the story of the gingerbread man.
http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/gingerbread/load.htm?f&n=main -the children can design their on-screen gingerbread man.

These are some of the activities your child may choose to do throughout the course of the week:
Sequencing the pictures from the story and retelling it in a written or oral form.
Rhyming bingo to focus on the rhyming aspect of the refrain.
Writing speech bubbles for what the characters may be saying in the story.
Adding percussion to the refrain of the story.
Role-play of the story with the props and masks.
Creating maps showing the route the gingerbread man took.
Sewing gingerbread family glove puppets.
Using the story board characters to retell the story in sequence.
Making gingerbread men biscuits.
Designing and making bridges using construction and junk materials for the gingerbread man to use instead of jumping on the fox’s back.
Designing their own gingerbread man.


Here I Am
We will be continuing to look at Holidays this week in Here I Am. As a response to last week’s work, the children will be creating a collage or painting of a holiday have taken. In addition to this they will be learning about Pentecost – a special holiday- when Jesus kept his promise.


Reading questionnaire
This week the rest of the school have their parents’ evening. We are currently looking at reading throughout the school and fostering a reading culture in our community. A questionnaire will be sent out to you this week. Please could you take the time to complete it and return it to me by the end of the week. Your opinions are really valued.

I think that is all for now except to say have a great week. I know we will.

Take care

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxxxx

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Once upon a time...lived happily ever after.

Hi there!

As I mentioned on last week’s blog, Miss Lauren Scott will be completing her final teaching practice with us until the Whit holidays. She will teach the children every day except Thursday when I shall be back in class with the children. Miss Scott is familiar with the children and is aware of the high level the children are working at. She will be supported by Mrs Higgins and Mrs Latham as usual. However, I would appreciate that any messages be passed on to myself or Mrs Higgins. Thanks.

The theme for this half term is ‘Traditional Tales’. Jack and the beanstalk is the story for this week and all areas of learning will be tied into this. Last week the children received letters from Jim the Giant. These have been very well received with lots of independent and self-initiated writing completed by the children as a result of the letters. We even had some flags made for the giant’s castle on the junk modelling table.

Communication, Language and Literacy
By the end of the week, the children:
MUST be able to say a sentence and write a sentence with support.
SHOULD be able to write a sentence with a capital letter and full stop.
COULD be able to write a series of sentences and include some connectives such as ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’, ’because’ and ‘when’.


The children will be asked to write a sentence linked to their favourite character in the story, extending it to say why they chose the character. They will also be sequencing the pictures from the story and then writing sentences to match the sequenced pictured. This will provide a vehicle for which they can achieve the learning objectives stated above.

Here are some great websites with traditional tales on them that the children may enjoy:
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/are_they_the_same/eng/Introduct/default.htm - the session part 1 on this page. Click and drag the characters to the books.
http://pbjc-lib.state.ar.us/mural.htm - this is an illustrated version of the story to be read to your child.
http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/literacy/lit_site/html/fiction/fairytale2/jack/Jackactivities/contentspage.htm - WOW!!! A great many things to do on this website.

Phonics
The children are doing tremendously well with their phonics. We are moving onto new sound patterns this week which include ‘or’, ‘oa’, ‘ar’ and ‘igh’. By the end of the week, the children;
MUST be able to identify the patterns ‘or’, ‘oa’, ‘ar’ and ‘igh’ on sight;
SHOULD be able to use them to make new words;
COULD be able to read and write words containing the patterns.


Here are some websites to support this area of learning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/poems/flash/fpoem4.shtml - this looks at the spelling pattern ‘oa’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/poems/flash/fpoem9.shtml - this looks at ‘igh’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/longvow/snap/snap.shtml - a snap game to help the children quickly identify the letter patterns in words.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/cvc/whirl/game.shtml - I would recommend this website to support the blending of sounds together when reading.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/literacy/phonics/index.shtml - a great website with different levels. Start at the medium level and then work on from there at your own pace.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/16022007/wordmaker_vowels1/lesson.html - I really like this one. You could easily have a go at sections 1 and 2.
http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/the-lonely-vowel/load.htm?f - a great little video!
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f - select the games to play with our spelling patterns in them.

Problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy
The focus for this week will mainly be on the use of comparative language linked to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. By the end of the week, the children:
MUST be able to identify objects that are tall and short.
SHOULD be able to order up to three objects in order of height saying which is the tallest, which is taller and which is shorter/shortest.
COULD be able to compare the heights of a range of objects and use other language to compare and describe the size.


When comparing size we use the language big and small. When specifically talking about height we use tall and short. Many children confuse tall and big. Any support you can give towards this is really appreciated. Thanks.

Here are some websites to support you:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/numbers/index.shtml - This is a good website for reviewing addition and subtraction even though we are not working on it directly at the moment.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/big_small/eng/Introduction/default.htm - looks at big and small.
http://www.little-g.com/shockwave/apple.html - a lovely website introducing small, medium and large’
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/docs/shortesttotallest.doc - print out and order at home.
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/sizeordering.swf
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=compare-order7 - fab!

Here I Am
In RE this week we start our new topic of ‘Holidays and Holydays’. The children will learn to:
RECOGNISE what a holiday is;
REFLECT on their experience of holidays;
APPRECIATE that holidays can be happy days.
I will be working with the children on this on Thursdays when I am in class all day. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could prepare your child to talk about a holiday they have had, look at photographs and talk about the weather and what they did whilst there.

Primary Arts Network
As you are aware we are involved in creating art work on the theme of 'echoes'. We have just completed our piece for Warrington Museum. I thought you may want to have a sneak preview. We hope to take the children to see it when it is displayed.






Thank you
Our sponsored ‘Boogie Woogie’ has so far raised just short of £170. This is amazing. If anyone has any outstanding sponsor money please could you pop it in and then we can send it off. Please pass on our thanks to all your family and friends for their generosity.


Uniform
Last week we did have some girls coming to school with nail varnish on. We always have smart children at St Vincent’s and hope that you share our pride in our children’s appearance. Therefore, would you mind checking that there is no nail varnish on their fingernails? Cheers.


BOOK SWAP
Outside my classroom each morning and afternoon there will be a book swap basket. Please feel free to have a rummage and take any you would fancy reading. All that we ask is that you bring it back when you have finished or place one in the basket you’d like to swap.


That’s all for now folks!

Have a fantastic week.

Best wishes
Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxx