Welcome to Foundation

Foundation Staff

 

Autumn Term 1 – All About Me  

Monday 28th September – Friday 2nd October

Phonics

This week, we have continued our Read Write Inc. phonics journey by revisiting all of the sounds we have learnt so far and introducing the new sounds c, k and u. The children enjoyed practising saying each sound clearly, recognising the letters and having a go at forming them correctly.

We had lots of fun listening for our new sounds at the beginning of words and thinking of different words that start with c, k and u. The children are becoming increasingly confident at identifying sounds, joining in with phonics activities and using their growing knowledge during our daily sessions.

It has been wonderful to see the children's enthusiasm and confidence continue to grow. Please keep practising all of the sounds we have learnt so far at home: m, a, s, d, t, i, p, n, g, o, c, k and u. Regular practice helps to build confidence and supports early reading and writing development.

Reading

This week, we have continued reading Once There Were Giants by Martin Waddell, exploring the story in greater depth and developing our understanding of the events. The children enjoyed revisiting the story and talking about the different stages of the girl's life, discussing how she changes and grows over time.

We worked on sequencing the story, encouraging the children to recall and order key events from the beginning, middle and end. The children used both the text and illustrations to support their thinking and enjoyed discussing what happened at each stage of the character's life.

Through our discussions, the children thought carefully about the themes of growth and change, making links between the story and their own experiences. They showed great enthusiasm when sharing their ideas and are becoming increasingly confident at retelling stories and talking about books in more detail.

Writing

This week, we completed our whole-class All About Me book. The children were very excited to finish their pages and see all of their work come together in a published book that celebrates each member of our class.

Once our book was complete, we shared and published it by visiting the Year 1 children. The children were incredibly proud to show their work, talk about their pages and explain what they had written and drawn. This was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their achievements and build their confidence as young writers.

Maths

This week, we have been exploring patterns and learning how to spot and continue repeating sequences. The children enjoyed identifying what comes next in a pattern and talking about the pattern rule. We explored simple repeating patterns, such as two items that repeat over and over, as well as patterns where two of the same item are followed by a different item before repeating again.

The children used a variety of practical resources to create, copy and continue patterns, carefully looking for what stayed the same and what changed. They enjoyed explaining their thinking and checking whether their patterns followed the correct rule.

Through these hands-on activities, the children have been developing their mathematical vocabulary, reasoning skills and confidence in recognising and creating patterns.

Big Picture

This week, we have been learning about maps and exploring why they are useful. The children discovered that maps help us to find places and show us where things are. They enjoyed taking part in treasure hunts, finding hidden treasure and marking its location on a map.

We also looked at a map of our local area and talked about some of the buildings and places we recognised. To help deepen our understanding, we went on a walk around the local area, carefully observing the different features we could see along the way.

When we returned to the classroom, the children worked together to create their own maps of the local area using building blocks, photographs, drawings and a variety of other resources. They enjoyed recreating familiar landmarks and talking about where different places were located. These activities helped the children develop their understanding of maps while encouraging teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills.