Reception - Snowdrop Class - St Mark's C of E Primary School

Welcome back Snowdrop Class!

At St Marks, we provide both a rich and bespoke EYFS curriculum, which encourages our young learners to fulfil their full potential amongst their schooling.

When considering the curriculum in the EYFS, it is important to think about their knowledge, their different starting points and experiences the children may already have. This term we will continue to explore and learn all about ourselves, families, our local community and developing strong relationships with our key adults at school.

This term we will be continuing to observe, interact and build strong relationships with the children and their families.

The children have been fantastic settling in and have returned happily to class with confidence and a spring in their step. The team are looking forward to working with the children this term and helping them flourish.

To begin the Spring term, we have chosen a topic that all children are interested in… Dinosaurs!

This topic will give us the opportunity to learn about the lives of these prehistoric creatures and how they relate to the animals we have on our planet today. It gives us the chance to explore many artefacts like dinosaur bones, fossils and ‘real’ pretend dinosaur eggs. We will also be getting creative when designing our own dinosaurs, building dinosaur dioramas and experimenting with volcanoes!

Communication and Language

We will be learning to develop skills in:

To be able to give facts about a specified subject.
To begin to research using a search engine.
To talk about the role of healthy food and exercise in staying healthy.
To know different traditional stories.
To know a range of healthy food and exercise.
Express their ideas and feelings about their experiences.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

We will be learning:

To learn right from wrong.
To understand how to make the right choices and the consequences of not making the right ones.
To be able to talk about why a character has made a poor choice and what the consequences are.
To be able to talk about how a character could have made a better choice.

Physical Development

We will be learning to develop skills in:

To show good practice with regard to exercise, eating, sleeping and hygiene.
To be able to balance and coordinate safely.
To negotiate space effectively.
To know how good practice with regard to exercise, eating sleeping and hygiene can contribute to good health.
To know how to use scissors effectively.

Literacy

This term we will be focusing on the stories such as ‘Dinosaur Roar’ and ‘Trouble at the Dinosaur Café’. In addition to reading and exploring core texts, we will also be covering;

To think of and write a short, simple sentence.
Listening to and hearing sounds in CVC and CVCC words.
Identifying sounds on a sound mat.
Listens to stories and is beginning to anticipate what may happen next.
Knowing that words can be written.
Knowing the sounds that the taught letters make.
Knowing what the taught letters looks like.
Knowing how to write the taught letters.
Recognising taught HFW in text.
Knows how to spell some familiar words.

Maths

We will be learning about:

To use non-standard units to measure length, weight and capacity.
To use money during role play activities to buy items.
To begin to explore number bonds to 5.
To be able to count to 20 independently.
To know how to use positional language in the appropriate context.
To know that length, capacity and weight can all be measured.
To know that money can be used to buy items.
To understand and use a range of prepositions in everyday contexts.

Understanding the World

In the area of ‘Understanding the World’, we will continue to guide children to make sense of their physical world and their community.

Learning goals to be taught:

To identify and sort healthy/unhealthy foods.
To identify and group a range of fruits and vegetables.
To talk about a special event in their life.
Sort information using Venn Diagrams.
Know that their own experiences differ to those of others.
Identify some similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
To know that some foods are unhealthy. Sorting healthy and unhealthy foods.
To know the names of common fruits and vegetables.
To know that human and other animals can grow.
To know that Christians celebrate Easter.
To identify members of the community who help us.
To be able to say how members of the community help them.
To identify and talk about a time when someone has helped them.
To be able to say what the reasons and results are of people helping us.
To use a mouse/pad to complete a simple ICT programme.
To know that there are many countries around the world.

Expressive Art and Design

The children will continue to explore and use a variety of media for pleasure and purposely by being able to;

To draw a range of plants and fruits.
To use resources to create own props.
Constructs with a purpose in mind, using a variety of resources.
To effectively use instruments to tap a simple beat.
To understand that pictures can be created by making observations or by using imagination.
To use paints, pastels and other resources to create observational drawings.
For children to be able to safely construct with a purpose and evaluate their designs.
Sing echo songs and perform movements to a steady beat.
Play instruments to a steady beat and understand how to hold and play an instrument with care.
Listen to music and respond by using hand and whole-body movements.
Listen to different sounds (animal/water etc.) and respond with voice and movement.

Religious Studies

In Religious Studies, this term children will continue to learn about the many different faiths around the world. This term, children will be focusing on;

Why do Christians believe Jesus is special?
The religion of Islam
What does it mean to be a Muslim?
The 5 Pillars of Islam

During this term, we will be inviting you to come in and support the children with their learning, and if you would like to do an activity with Snowdrop class, which relates to our topics, that would be amazing! We are very much looking forward to working with you this year.

If you have any questions or we can help in any way, please do not hesitate to ask one of us, and we will do our best to help!

We will continue to send home the ‘Family Box’ on a weekly basis, for a child to take home. Here they can put photos and special objects in to share and talk to their class about themselves, the people important to them, their culture and community and then this will be put up on display within the classroom.