Dear Cat families,
This week, we continued exploring communities and the places within them. We investigated different community spaces and thought about the people who use them.
Students explored questions such as:
- What is a community?
- What places can we find in a community?
- Who uses these places?
- What do people need from community spaces?
- How do community members help one another?
Through discussions, pictures, partner work and hands-on activities, students shared their ideas about places such as schools, hospitals, libraries, parks, shops and police stations. We encouraged students to explain their thinking and make connections between community members, their needs and the spaces around them.
Our learning continues to develop students’ communication, thinking and social skills as they learn that communities are made up of people who have different roles and needs.
Literacy
This week, we continued developing our phonics and early reading skills. Students practised listening carefully for sounds in words, blending sounds together and applying their phonics knowledge when reading and writing. We also reviewed diagraphs. The ‘ch’, ‘sh’ and ‘th’.
We are also continuing to build:
- High-frequency and everyday vocabulary
- Speaking in complete sentences
- Reading simple texts
- Answering questions about what we have read
- Writing simple ideas independently
We are focusing on helping students use English confidently in everyday classroom situations.
Mathematics
In Mathematics next week, we will continue developing our understanding of 2D shapes and their properties.
Students will explore how to describe and identify shapes using mathematical vocabulary such as:
- sides
- corners/vertices
- straight
- curved
- same
- different
Students will be encouraged to explain how they know a shape is a particular shape and to compare different shapes.
Language Development
We are continuing to build our everyday English vocabulary through our learning. Blends: cl, fl, br,bl
Students are practising useful sentence structures such as:
“I can see…”
“I think…”
“This is a…”
“People use it to…”
“We need this because…”
“It is the same because…”
“It is different because…”
The Cats are truly improving in their speaking skills, sharing ideas and communicating with others.
Learner Profile & ATL Skills
This week, we particularly focused on being:
🗣️ Communicators
Sharing ideas and listening to others.
🤔 Thinkers
Explaining our ideas and making connections.
🤝 Caring
Thinking about the needs of people in our community.
🔍 Researchers
Observing, asking questions and finding out more about our world.
At Home
You can support your child by talking about your own community.
Ask:
- What places are in our community?
- What do we use them for?
- Who works there?
- How do they help us?
- What would happen if this place was not there?
Encourage your child to answer in complete English sentences where possible. Even a few simple sentences each day can make a big difference! 🌱
A Wonderful Week!
We have had a busy week of talking, thinking, exploring and learning together. It has been wonderful to see students becoming more confident in sharing their ideas and using English to communicate their thinking.
Have a lovely weekend, everyone!
Ms Cami