Welcome to the Sparrows Class!
Staff
Teacher: Maria Hallett
TAs: Katie Harris, Gaynor Brownstein, Ellie Dearden and Stephanie Heywood
Newsletter
On The Move
We have had a great first half term in the Sparrows class and have focused our learning around the topic ‘On the Move’.
In English, we have been creating sentences and captions using the ‘Colourful Semantics Approach’. This supports us to really think about the structure of a sentence and the key parts involved. To support and develop our thought processes, we focused on the key questions Who? What? and where? We have been working on how to use full stops and capital letters within our writing as well as how to share our sentence aloud to support us with proofreading our work. In Phonics, we are all progressing through Phase 3 – 5 sounds. Through games and carefully planned activities we are exploring how to segment and blend to read unfamiliar words. We have been working hard to use this phonic knowledge to read words across the curriculum.
In Maths, we have focused on place value and how this knowledge can help us to determine which number has more value. We have explored this concept through fun apparatus including tens and ones. We have started to use our knowledge of place value to support us when adding numbers together. We have had fun using different practical resources and recording in different ways including on the smartboard. This term in Maths we have also focused on the properties of 2D and 3D shape, explored patterns and sorted objects by a different criteria.
In PE, we have been focusing on ball skills including navigating the ball around an obstacle course using a hockey stick.
In PSHE, we have focused on feelings and how to express them appropriately. This half term we have specifically focused on identifying what things we are good at and how this makes us feel. We set simple targets for ourselves ready to develop next term.
In Art, we focused on the artist ‘Jackson Pollock’. We explored his work and developed and shared our ideas. Each week we further explored the ‘drip technique’ and used this technique in our work. We really enjoyed experimenting with straws and pipettes to achieve our desired look for our final piece.
The Sparrows
Signalong
At Halcyon Way we use Signalong as a part of a Total Communication Approach, we are constantly using core vocabulary with the children to support their language development and then through each of our topics we introduce new signs and language, which extends their vocabulary further. We also have two “Signs of the Week” which helps maintain and extend key knowledge and skills of everyday vocabulary.
Each half term we will be creating a short video showcasing and demonstrating signs relavent for the current term so that you can learn the signs and further this learning at home.
Click play to watch this half terms Signalong video!
Lunchtime
If your child has a school dinner, the school menus can be accessed by clicking here. For children who bring a packed lunch, please remember to provide healthy and balanced options. We are a Healthy School and will be focusing on healthy eating and how children can make healthy lifestyle choices.
How You Can Help at Home
The following activities are suggested as appropriate homework activities which you can enjoy with your child and reinforce the learning, we are focussing on this half term –
- Ask your child to say 1 thing that they have learnt at school that day, this helps your child to structure his/her ideas and offers a good discussion point for you as parents.
- Discuss the theme ‘Winter Wonderland’ and share stories that reflect Autumn and Winter. Display the ‘Snowman’ clip on YouTube by Raymond Briggs https://youtu.be/VbC8sOqSRKY?si=vO1MPAEgO4P7ViuM Use this as a basis to explore how to ask and answer questions appropriately. Ask your child – what is happening? Who are the characters? How does the boy feel? etc.
- Outside play team games with your child and focus on ball skills including football. Can they write instructions for a simple game? Can they create an obstacle course involving different movements including dribbling, passing and receiving? Reinforce the positional language including up and down.
- Together notice and describe everyday materials. Can they match different materials? Can they sort objects based on the material they are made from? Together identify the physical properties of a variety of everyday materials.
- Using books & the internet explore the artist, Raymond Briggs. Browse his work & encourage your child to share their views. Encourage your child to interpret the work of the artist & to create their own using different mediums such as chalk or paint.
- Play shop with your child & explore the value of each coin. Encourage them to use different coins for the same value. Allow your child to experience paying for items in a shop setting.
- Identify 2D and 3D shapes around the home and when outside. Focus on the shape name, amount of sides, faces, edges & corners.
- Encourage your child to solve practical problems involving number. Display two groups of objects and ask them to say which group has ‘more’ or ‘less’. Repeat this for different groups. Through practical games explore addition & subtraction by using their knowledge of place value .e.g. 24+12 = 20+4+10+2=20+10=30 + 4+2=6 Total: 36
- Reinforce good hygiene with your child and talk about the importance of keeping the body clean. With support encourage and allow them to take some responsibility for their own personal care. Demonstrate good handwashing & model how to catch a sneeze in the crease of your elbow. Share this video with your child: How to catch a sneeze https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqJHbdj_nV8
- Explore feelings with your child; model different feelings & how we can express our feelings in a safe manner. See link for feelings song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J7HcVLsCrY
- More importantly when you are at home spend time with your family. Read a book together, watch a film together, cook a meal together and stay socially aware and safe in your community.
