TELL A FRIEND!!!

Hi there!

Well, our Christmas production is very much on its way and the children are loving getting up on the stage now. This week, we will be practicing together as a whole department and putting the finishing touches to it. Please remember that costumes need to be in by Monday 26th November to allow for us to make any minor adjustments. Also, please could you remember to sign the diary to give your child permission to have their face painted. For the girls it will be a red nose and whiskers, and the boys will have rosy red cheeks. If anyone has any spare tickets they will not be needing please pass them to me and I can then redistribute them. Also, if you need to swap any between yourselves then please do so.

Here I Am
This week we begin our new topic about VISITORS. This is a lovely topic when the children go on to learn all about the Christmas story and the visitors to the stable in Bethlehem.

By the end of the topic, the children:
MUST be able to recall some memories of the visitor to school or home, know that Jesus came at Christmas and that in Advent people get ready for his coming.
SHOULD be able to explain what a visitor is and give examples of getting ready for a visitor. They should know that Advent is a time for getting ready for Jesus’ coming at Christmas and be able to name the visitors who came to Jesus that first Christmas.
COULD be able to explain how they have prepared for visitors and how they felt when being visited. They could be able to describe some Advent traditions and be able to retell the Christmas story.

The aim of this week is to enable the children to:
RECOGNISE what a visit and a visitor is;
REFLECT on visitors they have had and how they are welcomed
RESPECT and appreciate having visitors and all that has to be got ready.

The children will be taught this topic through a MANTLE. They will receive a visit from Mrs Wishy-Washy explaining that she is to have a special visitor coming to the palace. The children will help Mrs Wishy-Washy to make preparations for the visit. For this week, the home corner will be used to make preparations for the royal visit.

Anti-bullying Week
This week is National Anti-Bullying Week. This is an opportunity for children to reflect and learn about their own and other’s behaviours and actions. We are very careful in the way we deliver this week as we do not want the children to think that every incident that occurs can be labelled as bullying. We will use this week, as an opportunity to focus on how we are the same and how we are different from one another. We will look at similarities and differences in appearances, likes and dislikes. It is hoped that the children learn that it is okay to be different and not like the same things as others and learn to celebrate their differences.

The key word of the week is TELL. In order to help the children remember to tell someone if they are being bullied we teach them a little song to the tune of ‘If you’re happy and you know it’. This will form part of our contribution to the whole-school assembly next Monday. On Friday the children can come in school dressed in anyhting blue. Yes, I know their uniform is blue but it can be something different.

Communication , Language and Literacy
This week we will be focusing on the letters g. o, c and k. Some of the children already know these letters but this week, they will be required to hear them in words, read words containing them and even have a go at writing them.

By the end of this week, the children:
MUST be able to provide the sound for the letters g, o, c and k in response to seeing the letter symbol;
SHOULD be able to orally segment (sound out) the words containing the letters;
COULD be able to read simple phrases containing words that have all the letters we have looked at so far.

If you have a set of magnetic letters at home then why not have a go at spelling some of the words with them. Here are some websites your child could use to develop their letter recognition and start to develop their reading of words.
http://www.saintambrosebarlow.wigan.sch.uk/activities.htm - The children are to try to hear the initial sounds in words.
http://www.ictgames.com/phonic_fighter4.html - Look at the letter shown and then select the picture that begins with that letter.
http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/H/hoobs/activities/interactiveActivities.jsp?id=letters - This is an amazing website focusing on the initial sounds. Hours of fun why you do your ironing I think!
http://www.little-g.com/shockwave/beginning.html - the children are to focus on the initial sounds of the picture shown and then identify a picture with the same initial sound.
http://www.ictgames.com/phonemeFlop_v4.html - a good website for getting the children to identify the letters of the alphabet.
www.starfall.com - this is a great all-rounder. Remember to encourage your child to use the letters they are unsure of. I will stick this information in your child’s diary this week.
http://www.ictgames.com/phonic_fighter4.html - I love this game!
http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/H/hoobs/activities/interactiveActivities.jsp?id=letters - activities 12 and 13 are good for helping with identifying the initial letters.
http://www.ictgames.com/soundBingo.html
http://www.ictgames.com/letterlifter.html

Mathematical Development
We will continue to work on our recognition of numbers this week. However, we will be placing a different perspective on it. The children will be required to fill in the missing numbers. Therefore, by the end of this week, the children:

MUST be able to recognise all the numbers to 10;
SHOULD be able to order the numbers to 10 and fill in the missing numbers;
COULD be able to recognise and order the numbers to 20, and fill in the missing numbers.

Here are some websites to support your child.


http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc-home/vtc-ey-home/vtc-ey-md/vtc-ey-md-number.htm - choose any of these stories to work with your child. Perhaps focus on the ones they need to work on.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime/games/find_the.shtml - a good website for number recognition.
http://www.learningplanet.com/act/rats/rats1.htm?rats_numbers - this was my favourite (which is why it took me so long to do the blog spot!)
http://www.abc.net.au/countusin/games/game11.htm - this focuses on ordering numbers. The children must click on the next number in the number sequence.
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=washindex - hang the shirts in the right order.
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=ntrack - missing number activity at different levels of difficulty.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/english/fruits/level2/l2/activity2.html - count the fruits.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/english/fruits/level2/l3/activity3.html - count the fruits and insert the numbers.
http://www.ictgames.com/duckshoot.html
http://www.little-g.com/shockwave/jungle.html - count the objects and match the number
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resources/flash.php?&file=count-with-lecky7b - read the number and catch the balloons.
http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/kidsonly/findout/counting/bugz.htm - this is my all time favourite!
http://www.ictgames.com/caterpillar_slider.html - this is a FANTASTIC site as you get to alter the number range for your child to use when ordering numbers.

Working with a challenge!
http://www.ictgames.com/piratenumbers2.html - count the barrels and type the numbers in
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/maths/recognition_to_10/index.htm - a little on the tricky side as the children have to match the numeral to the name of the number. Try encouraging your child to look at the initial letter and then having a guess.
http://www.ictgames.com/postletter.html - listen to the number said and then post the letter through the correct numbered door.

Topic
We just have a few unfinished things to do linked with last week’s work on Divali. The children loved the story of Rama and Sita and could retell it well. They have made some lovely diva lamps which will be sent home this week. In addition to this, the children have decided that we will change our classroom shop to an Indian Restaurant.

Finally…
We are going to be changing our role-play area from a house into a hospital. If you have any old plastic medicine bottles, etc that you can let us have that would be fantastic. If there are any doctors or nurses out there who could talk to the children about their job that too would be marvellous.

Have a good week

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxx