This Term

Below you will find information about what the Reception classes are learning about this term. Please also read our topic page to find out more about our Topic Work.

Summer 2024

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

During the summer term we will begin to help the children prepare for their transition to Year One. We will support them to be independent at managing their own feelings and behaviours, negotiating and solving problems, and being confident to set their own goals and work towards them. They will begin to build relationships with new members of staff and will have to the opportunity to experience routines like those in Key Stage 1. The children will be encouraged to be independent in managing their own hygiene and basics needs, including oral hygiene, screen time and healthy sleep routines.

Communication and Language

The children will continue to use ‘talk partners’ to share ideas and discuss these in front of a larger group. We will also encourage the children to extend their vocabulary by answering ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions and expect the children to talk in full sentences, linking their ideas together. The children will be encouraged to ask relevant questions in class discussions to clarify their understanding and use new vocabulary.

Physical Development

In P.E this term we will focus on ‘Real P.E’ units that develop co-ordination with equipment, agility and balance and ball skills. Gross motor skills will continue to be supported in our outdoor area and the children will also have the opportunity to learn and play in the KS1 playground areas. We will be encouraging the children to continue to develop their fine motor skills ensuring that letters are accurately formed and appropriately sized.

Literacy

Our ‘Talk for Writing’ texts this term are ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’. The children will learn these stories through a ‘story map’ and be able to sequence them and retell them using actions. By the end of each unit of work the children will be able to write their own version of the story in simple sentences, which will include tricky words and sounds they have learnt in phonics. Most children will know ‘level 2 and 3’ sounds and be able to use these to read and write words and sentences. The children will begin to learn ‘level 4’ phonics which looks at alternative sounds and polysyllabic words. We will also be learning how to read and understand instructions on ‘How to Plant a Seed’ and write our own instructions on how to get ready for school. The children will also learn how to write a recount of their school trip to the farm.

Maths

This term the children will consolidate their knowledge of numbers to 20. They will be encouraged to represent these numbers in a range of ways using Numicon, ten frames and cubes. They will learn how to recognise patterns of numbers such as odds and evens. They will learn how to add, subtract, double, and halve numbers. We will also be learning rapid recall of number facts within 5 and then 10. The children will be given many opportunities to ‘dig deeper’ with their learning by applying their skills to solve problems and explain their reasoning to others.

Understanding the World

Through our ‘what lives in the garden?’ learning theme we will compare environments, habitats and what animals need to live and grow. We will also explore the changes we may see in the spring and

summer seasons. The children will learn a basic life cycle of a plant and an animal. We will also be comparing illustrations, settings, and characters from stories, past and present.

Expressive Arts and Design

This term the children will have lots of opportunities to explore mixing colours to paint and to construct using a variety of materials and tools. We will encourage the children to be able to transport equipment safely and think carefully about why they are using different media for their creations. They will be encouraged to use the skills they have learnt throughout the year to make their own story characters. There will also be many occasions where the children will have the chance to express themselves through dance and role play.