Spring 1 Week 3
Date: 20th Jan 2024 @ 11:15pm
We have had another busy week in Owls.
In maths this week we have been focussing on putting the numbers in order of size and matching quantities with their numeral. We have been playing a game of 'what missing' where the children make number towers of bricks representing each number, place them in order and then close their eyes while someone removes one of their towers. They then have to use their knowledge of number to say which tower is missing and explain how they know. It was great to hear the children using the mathematical vocabulary we have been teaching such as 'more', 'bigger', 'smaller', 'fewer,' 'one more than.' Great work Owls! We have also made staircases with various objects, looking at how one more block makes the next number and how we step up each time. The children have used playdough and gems, conkers, stones, hoops, white card and blocks. In our session on shape, space and measure, the children worked in groups to make a bridge for their vehicle. They had to work together to make sure that the bridge was a good height, width and was strong enough to get their vehicle through. The children loved this activity so we kept it out for the week so that lots more building and team work could take place. Amazing work!
We had our first 'Plan, Do, Tell' session this week too. During these sessions we focus of the development of learning skills, such as perseverance, resilience, curiosity, team work and critical thinking. We relate these characteristics to the qualities of the characters from the Percy the Park Keeper stories that we learned last term, this helps the children understand their meaning and value. During the 'Plan, Do, Tell' sessions the children decide what they are going to do, create a plan or idea, gather what they need to carry out their plan, work hard to solve any problems they may come across and then tell us all about their learning at the end. It was great to see the children making their own choices and taking charge of their learning. At the end of the session we talked about how some children had tried something new for the first time, some had stuck at their original idea for an extended period of time, some had solved problems and developed their ideas as they evaluated their progress towards their goal. The development of these skills are crucial to enable the children to be effective learners throughout their education. What a fantastic start you made Owls!
In Phonics, we have continued with our Phase 3 sounds. We have been working on y, z, zz and qu. The children have learnt that two letters together make one sound and that these are called digraphs. They have worked hard using whiteboards to segment words in order to write them. They have also explored the role play, free writing table, practised their handwriting and labelled a map of the World with places that Granny has visited from our book "My Granny goes to market."
We also had a great time playing in the frost on the field. We ran around, found ice, looked at how the frost looked like tiny shards of glass, talked about how it melts and why some of the field was back to green grass and the other half was still cover in white as well as listen to the sound of ice in the guinea pigs water. Don't worry, the guinea pigs are warm and cosy at a member of staffs house at present.
Another fantastic week Owls! You are doing fantastically and we hope you have a brilliant weekend.
See you next week.
Mrs Ings and Mrs Gillibrand
