SPRING 1
OUR TOPIC THIS HALF TERM IS:
TOYS: NOW AND THEN
Our topic this half term is called 'Toys: Now and Then'. We will be learning about toys from the past and comparing them to the toys we play with today. We will be looking at toys our parents played with, toys our grandparents played with and toys from the Victorian times. We will be comparing these toys and looking at what materials they were made from.
Literacy
King of the Swamp: For the first three weeks of Literacy, we will be studying the book 'King of the Swamp' by Catherine Emmett. The children will be exploring using their senses by creating a slimy swamp. Vocabulary generated from this will then help with writing setting descriptions of the swamp.
Ideas for activities at home:
Create your own slimy swamp at home using things from your home or garden such as: soil, water, paint
Nothing: For the last two weeks of Literacy, we will be studying the text 'Nothing' by Mike Inkpen. The story is about an unwanted teddy bear called 'Nothing'. The text links to our History Topic all about 'Toys'. The children will be using adjectives to describe Nothing's appearance and using their inference skills to describe how Nothing feels at different stages of the story. The outcome of this unit is that children will write a character description about Nothing and using the conjunction 'and'.
Ideas for activities at home:
We will be using adjectives to describe the teddy bear 'Nothing'. An adjective is a describing word e.g. brown soft dirty . Have you got a bear at home? Can you think of any adjectives to describe your bear? Can you put the adjectives into a sentence using a capital letter, full stop and the conjunction 'and' e.g. My bear has brown fur and it is soft.
Maths
In Maths, we are learning place value within 20 and addition and subtraction within 20. We will be learning to count forwards and backwards to 20, read and write numbers to 20 in digits and words and understand that 20 is made up of two groups of 10. We will be learning to add numbers to 20 by making 10 first and counting on. We will be learning to subtract within 20 by counting backwards and finding the difference. We will also be comparing and ordering numbers up to 20 and exploring the terms more than, less than, greater than and fewer than.
Ideas for activities at home:
Make your own number line to 20. Use the number line to add and subtract numbers within 20 or to find one more or one less.
Practise writing numbers to 20 (twenty) in words using the 'Look, Say, Copy, Cover' approach.
Play the game 'What number am I?' with a friend or family member. Player one chooses a number up to 20 and player two has to guess the number by asking questions such as 'Are you greater than 10?' Remember to use your mathematical vocabulary: more than, less than, greater than.
It is always important to practise recalling your number bonds. Why not try playing Hit the Button and choose Number Bonds, Make 10 and then move on to Make 20 - https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
TOPICS
In Science, the children will continue to learn about Everyday Materials. They will build on their knowledge from last term where they learnt about the properties of different materials (wood, metal, plastic, fabric, stone, glass) and begin to sort them. We will set up a ‘recycling station’ in class and children will demonstrate their knowledge of objects and the materials they are made from. To consolidate your child’s learning, encourage your child to be involved in sorting rubbish into the correct bins at home. Make sure to discuss the reasons why a certain object is put into a specific bin.
In History, we are learning about Toys from the past and the current times. We would like you to interview a parent or grandparent about the toys that they played with when they were younger. What were their toys made out of? How were they similar or different to the toys that you play with? You might also like to watch the Antiques Roadshow Special on I-Player. It was all about Toys from the past, there might be some that you recognise and still play with today - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gpbh/antiques-roadshow-toys-childhood-special
In PDW, as part of our online safety this half term, the children will be learning how to go places safely online. In PDW we will be looking at what healthy means, who can help us stay healthy, why hygiene is important and what we can do to take care of ourselves on a daily basis. This includes learning about medications, including some vaccinations and immunisations that help people stay healthy.
In RE, we are learning about Islam and who a muslim is and what they believe. Think about different ways you learn how to behave and live a good life e.g. at school by your teachers, at home by your parents/carers. What would you teach a baby about how to behave and how to live a good life?
Listen to the core texts here.
KING OF THE SWAMP
By Catehrine Emmett
Read by Ms Daley
a1c63fe6-968f-45bc-99ed-e612d70db87d.mp4Nothing-by-Mick-Inkpen_ (1).webmNOTHING
By Mike Inkpen
Read by Mrs Smith