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Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 Newsletter
Summer 2009
Dear Parents
Theme:
Our theme for this term is ‘A Beautiful World.’
Some of our main topics this term are;
Science
FS and Year 1 – Plants and Lifecycles – This unit introduces children to the idea of plants as living things that grow and change. Children will become aware
of similarities and differences in plants. Experimental and investigative work focuses on:
• turning ideas into a form that can be tested.
• making and recording observations.
• using results to communicate what happened and to draw conclusions.
Children also have opportunities to link their knowledge of how plants grow to their understanding of science and to ways in which growing plants should be
treated with sensitivity.
Year 2 – Plants, Animals and Variation - Through this unit children learn about plants and animals in their immediate environment and how differences
between places very close to each other result in a different range of plants and animals being found. Children will become more aware of the huge variety of
living things within their local environment and of differences between them. They will learn that although individual living things are different there are
similarities that can help to sort them into groups and that this is helpful. They learn that like humans, plants and other animals reproduce. Work in this unit
also offers opportunities to relate understanding of science to the local environment, to consider how to treat living things and the environment with care and
sensitivity and to recognise hazards to themselves and to take action to control the risks from these hazards.
ICT
FS – Foundations of Communicating – In this unit children understand that ICT can be used to communicate their thoughts and ideas. They will become
familiar with keyboard layout and begin to further develop ICT vocabulary.
Year 1 and 2 – Finding Information – In this unit children learn to search for information held on a CD-ROM and online databases. The children are
introduced to CD-ROM as a means of storing large amounts of information. They are taught to use menus, indexes and key words to search for pictures and
gather information. Children will apply what they have learnt in this unit when using electronic information sources, such as CD-ROM and the World Wide Web,
for other subjects.
Year 1 and 2 – Questions and Answers - In this unit children develop their awareness of different types of questions, how they can be asked and how ICT
can be used to answer them using different types of software. They learn that some of the programs they have used so far to present data cannot provide the
answers to some specific questions. They begin to realise that programs have limitations and that it is knowledge of the facilities and tools offered that helps
us to select the most appropriate tool for a task.
Children learn how to ask questions that can be answered with yes or no responses. They have opportunities to work with a prepared file on a binary tree
program to practise their questioning skills.
Music - Taking Off – Exploring Pitch – This unit develops children's ability to discriminate between higher and lower sounds and to create simple melodic patterns.
During this unit they learn to control the pitch of their voices and instruments by moving higher and lower both in steps and leaps and holding the same note. They
create simple melodic patterns and use changes in pitch expressively to respond to the stimuli of stories.
What’s the Score – Exploring Instruments and Symbols - This unit develops children's ability to recognise different ways sounds are made and changed and to
name, and know how to play, a variety of classroom instruments.
During this unit children explore classroom instruments and learn that instruments that make sounds in similar ways can be grouped into families. They create symbols
that represent the various ways an instrument can be played and use these to help create a sequence of sounds.
Creative Curriculum – Geography, History, Art and DT – ‘All the talk is of A Beautiful World.’ This topic explores plants and growing things, looking at plant cycles
and food chains, investigating the history of different plant-based products and the global context of different foods. Children also use plants in creating artistic and
musical projects. Some of the activities explored include: creating simple pop-up flowers; children exploring different sorts of flower looking at common features.
They recognise and name leaf, flower, stem and root, and draw a real flower labelling the different parts; using their observations from a visit to the local allotments.
Children follow their study of the local garden by looking at pictures by Monet of his garden. They locate Monet’s garden on world map and discuss climate. They paint
their own version of Monet’s garden. Children will create a pretend garden drawing on magic trees! They plan and create a garden on a plate, using plants found in the
local environment. They find out about these different plants and arrange their plate gardens. Children will be exploring Gardens around the world and researching
plants and animals from the rainforest, they will then create a collage to represent the rainforest.
We are also looking into a possible visit to the zoo or Safari Park during Summer 6, more details to follow.
Religious Education What can we learn from visiting a church?
This unit introduces children to the church as a special place where Christians worship. Children are given an opportunity to experience and reflect on the atmosphere
in a church, and to explore the purpose of the building.
P.E.
Games
In this unit children develop basic game-playing skills, in particular throwing and catching. They play games based on net games (like tennis and badminton), and games
based on striking and fielding games (like rounders and cricket). They have an opportunity to play one against one, one against two, and one against three.
In all games activities, children think about how to use skills, strategies and tactics to outwit the opposition.
Athletics
In this unit children explore running, jumping and throwing activities, and take part in simple challenges and competitions. They experiment with different ways of
travelling, throwing and jumping, increasing their awareness of speed and distance.
As in all athletic activities, children think about how to achieve the greatest possible speed, height, distance or accuracy .
The Year 2 children will once again be making a visit to Tibshelf Community Sports College on Tuesday 16 th June, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm where they will participate in a
‘Mini Olympics’ Festival. More details will be provided closer to the time.
For P.E. children will need their white or blue t-shirts and blue shorts for indoor sessions and suitable outdoor clothing such as sweatshirt
or zip-up top, jogging bottoms and trainers for outdoor sessions. At all times hair should be tied back and earrings removed. If the child
cannot remove their own earrings, please ensure they are not worn on P.E. days.
P.E. will take place on the following days Monday and Thursday
Summer Timetable
8:50 START
10:30-10:45
12:00-1:15
12:05-1:00
3:20 END
9:00-9:15
2:20-2:30
F/KS1
KS2
MONDAY BIG WRITING Maths ICT PE
Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody in Class Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody
PHONICS
PSHE 4 in Class 4 FS, Year 1 and Year 2
FS – Mrs Wells Mrs Moody
FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5 FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5
TA - Miss Kavcic
TA – Miss Kavcic TA – Miss Kavcic
TUESDAY English Creative Afternoon Creative Afternoon
KM – Individual and Buddy Readers 1:00 – 1:15
Mrs Moody PPA - PM Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody in Class Maths Geog/His/Art/DT Geog/His/Art/DT
4 Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody
PHONICS
in Class 4 FS, Year 1 and Year 2 – Mrs FS, Year 1 and Year 2 – Mrs Wells
FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5 Wells
FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5
TA – Miss Kavcic TA – Miss Kavcic
TA – Miss Kavcic TA – Miss Kavcic
ASSEMBLY
WEDNESDAY English Maths Creative Afternoon Creative Afternoon
Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody in Class Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody Geog/His/Art/DT Geog/His/Art/DT
Mrs Moody – 4 in Class 4
PHONICS
Management Release FS, Year 1 and Year 2 – Mrs FS, Year 1 and Year 2 – Mrs Wells
BREAK
LUNCH
FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5 FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5
BREAK
- PM Wells
TA – Miss Kavcic TA – Miss Kavcic TA – Miss Kavcic
TA – Miss Kavcic
THURSDAY English Maths Music RE PE
Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody in Class Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody
Tai Chi 4 in Class 4 FS, Year 1 and FS, Year 1 and FS, Year 1 and Year 2 –
PHONICS
FS – 9:30 – 10: 00 Year 2 – Mrs Year 2 – Mrs Mrs Moody
PSHE
FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5 FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5 Moody Moody
Y1 & Y2 – 10:00 – TA – Miss Kavcic
10:30 TA – Miss Kavcic TA – Miss Kavcic TA – Miss TA – Miss
Kavcic Kavcic
FRIDAY English Maths Science Science
Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Year 1 and 2 – Mrs Moody
KM – Ind Readers
CELEBRATION
Moody in Class 4 in Class 4 Year 2 – Ms Partlow – Class 4 Year 2 – Ms Partlow –
TARGET WORK
ASSEMBLY
PHONICS
9:00-9:30
Class 4
FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5 FS – Mrs Wells in Class 5 FS & Year 1 – Mrs Moody in Class
5 FS & Year 1 – Mrs Moody
TA – Miss Kavcic TA – Miss Kavcic in Class 5
TA – Miss Kavcic
TA – Miss Kavcic
Reading, Spellings and Homework
Firstly, a special thank you to Mrs Tryner, who volunteered as a parent reader during the Spring Term.
We aim to listen to children read twice a week, once individually and once as part of a group, although during particularly busy times, this is not always possible. This is
done either by us, our Teaching Assistant, Miss Kavcic, or by one of our reading volunteers. We would appreciate it if you could continue to hear your child read on a
regular basis. Please see me as soon as possible if you would be able to spare an hour a week by becoming one of our parent readers.
A set of spellings will be set on Tuesdays for Year 1 and Wednesdays for Year 2 and tested the following week.
Creative Homework
Once again we are asking the children to complete a homework project based on our topic, ‘A Beautiful World,’ rather than setting weekly homework tasks.
This term we are asking the children to design and create their own ‘Mini Garden’. Your child’s mini garden could be created on a tray, in a bottle or even by using an
unusual household object. If you have any questions or require any materials to support your child completing the project, please don’t hesitate to come in and see me
or Mrs Wells.
The project should be completed and bought into school for Monday 13th July. During this week as part of our ‘Creative Curriculum Afternoon’ session your child will be
able to share the work they have done and what they have learnt. Certificates will be awarded to all children who successfully complete their project on time and a
prize will be awarded for the most unusual mini garden created.
We hope you find this information useful and if there are any issues relating to your child that you wish to discuss with us please feel free to come and see us before
or after school.
Thank you for your continued support
Best Wishes
Kerry Moody and the Foundation/Key Stage 1 Team
