We are very excited to start the year with our new topic ‘Moon Zoom’. We will transform into astronauts and travel through space to learn about the Solar System in a mobile planetarium! Books and photographs will help us to learn about the first lunar landing and the astronauts who venture into space. We will also investigate an alien crash site, make missing posters to try and locate the aliens who have landed in our school! Where could they be? We will develop our creative skills by using clay to make models of aliens and compose space sounds using musical instruments. In addition to this, we will explore satellite images, investigate rockets and use ICT to communicate our ideas and present our work.
In mathematics we use the ‘Maths No Problem’ scheme which builds children’s mathematical skills alongside their thinking, reasoning and problem-solving skills. Lessons follow the same routine each day, allowing children to develop their confidence and understanding of mathematics. Children are given the opportunity to explore questions using their toolkits, before sharing ideas with others and solving questions for themselves. They will be challenged daily to explain their answers using the correct vocabulary.
Reading is taught through a systematic approach to phonics using the Read Write Inc. (RWI) technique. During these lessons, children work in small groups to practise their blending of sounds, reading of tricky words and spelling rules with the help of Fred the Frog. Phonic knowledge is developed and applied enabling children to read with fluency and expression. Books are carefully matched to the reading ability of the children with a stronger focus on their understanding of the texts they have read.
A range of stimulating and topic-based texts are used to teach English. Children will learn to produce more detailed pieces of writing as they will learn to include capital letters, full stops, finger spaces and conjunctions in their writing. Children will become more confident in writing in different styles and also checking their writing at the end of each lesson. Children are encouraged to apply their RWI skills when spelling words in their writing, and also when spelling unfamiliar words. Using exciting vocabulary is very important and we always collect a range of words that we can use in our writing each week.