Living and learning: I know that some drugs can be harmful.
In our living and learning sessions so far, we have been learning about drugs. So far, we’ve found that drugs are substances that change the way the mind and body works. We’ve also discussed that some drugs can be helpful to our bodies, but some can be harmful, too.
This week, Year 3 had discussions on everyday drugs within our households and how to keep safe around them.
In our house, we have a cupboard with a lock on and only mum and dad go in if we need medicines.
Lots of drugs like Calpol have lids on that don’t open if really young children get hold of them to keep them safe.
In the next session, we looked into some drugs that may be harmful to our bodies – alcohol, smoking and vaping.
Children were tasked with reading some social scenarios surrounding these drugs and they had to decide in groups whether they agreed, disagreed or were unsure of the outcome. The class performed extremely well in this task, and were very honest with parts they were unsure of (our Christian Value this half-term is honesty). We found that the majority of children were very confident with age restrictions and legal/illegal scenarios, but were less confident on drug usage, and what to do in scenarios where others might be around these drugs.
We will pick this up further in our circle time discussion on Monday, as I’d like to ensure all children feel happy, healthy and confident with this knowledge, so they can stay safe and not worry.
Help at home:
If your child does have any worries about any context in these sessions, allow them to share this with you. Perhaps go through some everyday drugs and medicines in your household – you could talk about how they are used correctly to help our bodies.
Lost and Found
We have had another fantastic week looking at our focus book Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers.
Our word of the week has been climate and we have been geographers. We have looked at the globe again and talked about the equator being the hot line.
Phonics
Spring 1 week 2 has focused on the digraphs oo, oo, ar, or
We’ve learnt the tricky words; was, you, they
Tricky words are words that should be read by sight.
In class we have also been
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called I can build a snowman
I can build a snowman,
I can build it high.
I can build a snowman,
Up into the sky.
Maths; the staircase pattern
In Maths, we’ve been looking at counting and ordinality- specifically, the ‘one more’ relationship that creates ‘the staircase pattern’.
We were introduced to the concept by the Numberblocks, before moving on to create our own staircase patterns in small groups.
Have a happy and healthy week and thank you as always for your support.
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Mr. Smith.
Geography – How are mountains formed?
In Geography this half-term, we are learning about natural disasters with a particular focus on volcanoes and earthquakes.
We have been fascinated to learn about the layers of the Earth and tectonic plates. On Thursday we investigated how mountains are formed. The children were challenged to read an explanation of how volcanoes can form mountains and to draw a picture that they could use to describe the process.
Help at home – Can your child use a picture to explain this process to you?
Writing – using conjunctions
In writing, we have been working hard to fix squashed sentences.
On Friday, we used our understanding of main clauses and subordinate clauses to use subordinating conjunctions. We used this image to help us recall some of the most popular subordinating conjunctions:
We used subordinating conjunctions to write sentences about natural disasters (linking to our learning in Geography). I think you will be particularly impressed with Alara’s sentences as she has used a subordinate conjunction in the middle of one sentence and a different subordinate conjunction at the start of the other sentences.
Help at home – if your child is interested in learning some alternative subordinating conjunctions, you could use this song from Grammasaurus to give them other ideas they could use in their writing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK2Gyto5gTQ
Next week we will begin writing our diary entry about escaping from a volcanic eruption so there will be plenty of opportunities to show off all that we have learned about coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
Calming Yoga in Year One
Our amazing Year One yogis are discovering the benefits of yoga!
They’ve been practicing their balance and focus with fun and challenging poses like Dancer, Tree, Sloth, Downward Dog and Warrior. They’ve unlocked their inner warriors and are now sequencing poses into a graceful flow.
Each class begins with calming breathing exercises – Elephant Breath is a firm favourite! We finish with peaceful meditations to feel calm and strong.
Help at Home Tips:
- Practice Elephant Breath together to relax.
- Try a Tree Pose challenge – who can balance the longest?
- Create a mini yoga flow with your child’s favourite poses!
We’re back and we’ve been super busy!
The children settled in so well after their Christmas break. They’ve been brilliant at going back to their usual routines and I’ve been so impressed with their self-care skills. Lots of children can put their coats on themselves and take shoes and socks off for PE.
In PE we’ve been practising climbing, balancing and jumping as well as our coordination skills with bean bags and quoits.
For Maths we’ve been building our mastery with number 1! We can represent one using our hands, with Numicon, by making marks and collecting one object.
Have a go at home by watching Number Blocks, Number 1, then find ways to represent 1 in your house. We’d love to see any photos or videos!
Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog (it’s along the play bar) and turn off autoplay – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip
Next week!
Next week our book will be Dinosaur Roar!
Science – Lotherton Hall
On Tuesday, we donned our high vis jackets and biologist hats to visit Lotherton Hall’s Wildlife World. Year 2 represented St James’ brilliantly and thoroughly enjoyed their day out.
We started our day with a workshop about animals and habitats. The children were invited to work like biologists by observing some replica skulls, comparing their teeth before pondering what this might tell us about their diet – the carnivores had sharp teeth; the herbivores flat, rough teeth. We learnt about a variety of animals, including penguins, snakes and tapirs.
After the workshop, we explored the zoo. The children were fascinated by a range of animals from around the world. We were particularly enamoured by the penguins and the exploits of Arthur the tapir…
We had a fantastic day out and the children have returned to school with oodles of animal knowledge! This visit prepares us for our next science unit: Animals – Habitats
Help at home by inviting your child to recount their day at Lotherton Hall (Can they use time adverbials? e.g. First, Next, Then, After that, Finally). Can your child remember the habitats we learnt about in the workshop? Encourage your child to work like a scientist by asking questions – what would you like to find out about animals and their habitats?
Living and Learning
I know some drugs can be harmful
Our Living and Learning lesson this week, focused on media messages and influences in relation to tobacco, vaping and alcohol. We assessed the reliability of sources and learned how to access reliable and accurate advice and information about alcohol, tobacco and vaping (e-cigarettes). In pairs and as a class, we discussed what the media messages might make a young person think, feel or do (or want to do).
During our lesson, we also talked about what children can do if they feel worried. We shared this resource with them and it is displayed in our classroom:
Help at home – Ask your child where they can go should they have any worries.
Exploring Habitats at Lotherton Hall!
This week, Year One had a fantastic trip to Lotherton Hall to learn about animals and their habitats. Guided by the educational specialists, we explored different habitats and the animals that call them home.
We compared the skulls of a herbivore and a carnivore, noticing how their teeth are perfectly suited to their diets. The children were fascinated to learn that penguins have sharp tongues to help them grip slippery fish!
This was a great start to our new Science unit about animals!
Help at Home:
- Explore your garden or local park and talk about the animals and their habitats.
- Read books about animals and how they survive in the wild.
- Watch nature documentaries together
Lost and Found
Our story this week has been Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers and the weather has certainly helped us learn about cold climates.
In the story, a boy finds a penguin at his door and goes on an adventure to try to find his home, as he thought he was lost. Just like the boy, we explored and learnt about where penguins live and extended our vocabulary by learning a new word: iceberg. We used the globe to find Antarctica and enjoyed finding other interesting places.
“I have found my name Savannah!”
“When I’m big I’m going to go to Tokyo with my dad, I want to see the tall buildings!”
Phonics
We have begun learning our Phase 3 sounds. This week, we have learnt four new digraphs/trigraphs ai,ee,igh,oa.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called Let’s Put on Our Mittens.
Let’s put on our mittens,
and button up our coats.
Wrap our scarves snuggly around our throats.
Pull on our shoes and fasten the straps.
And tie on tightly our warm woollen hats.
Open the door, and out we go.
Out, into the soft and feathery snow.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Maths – super subitising!
This week we have been practising our subitising skills. This means, we have been looking and saying how many objects we can see – without counting one by one.
Notices
Stay and Learn – Tuesday 14 January 2.20pm – 3pm
Our Stay and Learn sessions are a chance to find out more about your child’s journey through Reception. You can observe some teaching and learning, and pick up some tips to support your child at home. This session is all about Phonics (phase 3).