Autumn Term

Our Autumn Topics -

Marvelous Me

In Autumn 1, we celebrate ourselves, our interests and our amazing talents! We discuss our likes and dislikes and explore what makes us unique.

Emotions

In Autumn 2, we explore our emotions. We use a range of stories to help us understand our different moods and feelings.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) -

In PSED this term we are focusing on settling the children into their new learning environment. We become comfortable with the routines of the school day and we understand the importance of being a good learner.

Our core texts enable the children to celebrate their uniqueness and see themselves as a valued individual. We explore our emotions and those of our friends through circle times and turn taking activities. Through learning and playing together each day, the children build firm friendships with their peers.

Physical Development (PD) -

In Physical Development this term we are focusing on moving confidently in both our indoor and outdoor learning environments.

We enjoy using the climbing equipment and outside space to practise moving in a range of ways.

We begin to develop our core muscle strength to help us develop a good posture when sitting at a table or on our magic spots.

Playdough discos are not only great fun, they help to strengthen the muscles in our hands so we are always ready to write, draw and paint, cut and much more!

Communication and Language (CL) -

Communication and Language underpins all areas of our curriculum in Reception. At the beginning of each year, we focus on the importance of good speaking and listening skills. Each day we enjoy class and small group discussions together, as well as numerous conversations during freeflow, snack and lunchtimes. We also practice how to be a good speaker, speaking clearly and at a good volume and taking it in turns to talk to one another.

It is always so enjoyable to hear the children talk about themselves, their family and their friends. By chatting with each other each day, they find out about similarities and differences between themselves and others. They use a growing range of vocabulary to talk about their life and that of those close to them.

Literacy -

Phonics is the basis of reading and writing in the Early Years and beyond. In line with the whole school, we follow the Read Write Inc phonics scheme.

In the Autumn term, we learn Set 1 speed sounds. Once we have learnt a group of sounds we take great pride in segmenting and blending simple CVC words.

The children are provided with a wide range of opportunities to motivate them to read and write independently in both the classrooms and outdoor area.

Maths -

In Reception, numeracy is a fun, tactile, and exciting area of learning! In number, we build solid foundations on what numbers are and what they represent, beginning with numbers 1 to 5. We learn that numbers can be shown in many ways, and we provide an array of resources to help children understand this. After learning in class, children are provided with ample opportunities during free flow to experiment with their new number skills. In Autumn term, we also begin to subitise to 4 (being able to tell how many items there are without needing to count them) and children love using their new skill in many different games and challenges.

In line with the whole school, we follow the mastery approach to maths, using concrete - pictorial - abstract.

Concrete -

We always begin our number detective work using physical resources. These range from numicon and multilink to beads and conkers.

Pictorial -

Once we have mastered number using manipulatives, we move onto representing our findings by mark making. The children use drawings to explain their findings.

Abstract -

Finally, when the children are able to record in a way they can interpret and explain, we move onto the abstract. This involves using their new skills to problem solve.

In numerical patterns, we are becoming confident with recognising and ordering numbers to 10, and some will be able to identify missing numbers. We are also enjoying pattern making by using familiar shapes. The children in reception enjoy using LEGO and Pin Boards which are both creative ways to exercise pattern-making skills.

RE

In RE we follow the Come and See Scheme of work. Our topics for this term are:

Celebrating - We learn how the churches' celebrations are community occasions. On Sundays our parish families gather together. This is a time where we remember how much there is to celebrate in our lives. We enjoy role playing the story of when Mary and Joseph visited the temple with Jesus.

Gathering - Here we explore how the Eucharist is a sign of God's love in our lives. We share memories, love and thanks as we celebrate the life of Jesus.

Growing - In this topic we look at how we can grow more like Jesus. We discover how Lent is a time when we prepare for the celebration of Easter.

In November we remember all those people who help us in our daily lives. This becomes the focus for our daily worship and our special reflection on Remembrance Day.

Understanding the World -

In Understanding the World this term we will be discussing our own immediate families and family friends. We also learn more about our community and the roles different people have to help us.

Linking to our 'All About Me' topic, we also discuss our favourite things with our family. We talk about the area we live in and how we interact with our immediate environment.

We also learn about Diwali and enjoy listening to the story of Rama and Sita.

Expressive Arts and Design -

In Autumn term, children become familiar with the tools they can use to create and make different crafts and work. They understand that some tools are more appropriate than others for certain tasks, and children know to take care of both equipment and themselves.

We focus on creating images of ourselves and our families, thinking about what makes us unique and special!

Music

At the beginning of term, children meet our music teacher, Mrs Miller. During the first half of the Autumn term, children will be exploring how to take part in group activities such as action songs and musical games.

In the second half of the term, the children will learn how to tell the Christmas story through songs.

They will explore how to follow a pulse in a short piece of music and begin to use simple untuned percussion instruments.

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