w/c 01.05.23
We hope you all had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. This week we have loads of activities planned around the Coronation. Don't forget to wear red. white and blue on Friday and to bring a cupcake or snack for our tea party! (See previous email from the office for details).
Our focus in Maths is on composition. We will be completing week 23 of the NCETM's mastering number programme:-
This week, the children will consolidate their understanding of the composition of 5 and practise recalling the parts of 5 when 1 part is not visible. A key representation of the composition of 5 will be the fingers of 1 hand, and the children’s attention will be focused on both the fingers that are ‘up’ and those ‘folded down’, connecting this to a rhyme about 5 kittens jumping ‘down’ from the bed. They will also be encouraged to subitise when an arrangement does show 5, and when it does not.
In addition, the children will have an opportunity to build on previous work on the composition of 6 and 7 as ‘5 and a bit’, and see that both 8 and 9 can be composed as ‘5 and a bit’. A range of representations in which 5 is visible as a clear part will be used, including fingers, the double dice frame and the 10-frame. Discussing and comparing these representations will enable children to generalise that each of the numbers 6 to 9 can have 5 as a part.
The children will already have lots of experience of using their fingers to represent quantities in efficient ways. This week’s focus will encourage them to use their fingers not just to represent numbers, but also to explore the composition of numbers within 5. The children will have previously used double dice frames to represent numbers to 7; they will develop their understanding this week by using the same representation to explore the composition of 6 to 9 as ‘5 and a bit’ and by making links between the double dice frames and finger representations. The children will also be encouraged to make further connections to a different representation – the 10-frame. Supporting the children to develop an understanding of 10 will help them as they begin to use rekenreks in Year 1.
Making connections and developing skills in mathematical thinking will help to support the children’s future mathematical engagement and understanding. When the children can represent, compose and flexibly de-compose numbers mentally, they will become more fluent in their knowledge of number bonds and will be able to use them efficiently when calculating in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
Our English co-ordinator Mrs Kawagoe was pleased with our progress in phonics and the new phonic groups start on Wednesday 3rd May. In addition to our daily phonic group sessions, the children will also be having whole class phonic sessions revising last week's set 2 sounds: 'ar' and 'or' and learning 'air.' In other Literacy work, we will be writing about what we would do if we were the King!
Other work this week will focus on history about Queen Elizabeth and King Charles III. We will be making crowns and finger painting flags too!
The children in the Forest School groups may wear their clothes to school for their sessions.
We are looking forward to warmer weather. Please remember to bring your named water bottles and as it gets sunnier don't forget to apply long lasting suncream before school and to bring a hat. Children may bring their own suncream to school, but need to be able to apply it themselves.