Down on the farm

This week we started a new topic; ‘down on the farm’ and we have been focusing on learning the names of the different animals we find on the farm.  We have made different farm animals using plasticine, paint and animal stencils. We have also practised our cutting skills, when cutting out and sticking animals to create our own farmyard.  We have had fun using the blocks to create stables for the plastic animals and have enjoyed using card and scissors to create our own farm animal masks.

In phonics this week, Sergi, Kai, Marcel and Luke have been learning the ‘t’ sound. They have painted their own tomatoes, created their own turkey using feathers, used manleys to colour in a tree and used a photograph of me to recreate their own portrait of their teacher. The boys have used whiteboard pens to practise the formation of the letter and have created their own ‘t’ poster, which looks fantastic displayed in our phonics area.

Jordi has been learning the ‘ch’ sound and has been practising making the ‘choo choo train’ action to make this sound. He knows the two letters which make up the ‘ch’ sound and has had lots of practise writing these two letters. Jordi is beginning to tell me the different words which contain the ‘ch’ sound and has had fun sticking feathers on to a chicken and creating a block of cheese using paint and yellow stickers.

In maths this week, Sergi, Kai and Luke have been focusing on counting the numbers 0-10 and matching the numerals to the corresponding amounts of different farm animals. Using our topic focus of ‘down on the farm’ the boys have begun to learn about the concept of addition by selecting different animals, putting them into two groups and then trying to add them together to find out how many there are altogether. This week we also used our counting skills when caring for the animals in the farm. We put different amounts of eggs into two baskets, counted them out and added them together.  We continued to focus on the song of ‘ten little speckled frogs’ and Luke is getting especially good at remembering the words and singing along.

Marcel and Jordi have been working on the numbers 0-20 and have been working together to solve addition problems; counting out two different amounts of animals and adding them together, to total numbers up to 20. The boys have worked together to colour in the numbers 0-20 and they are beginning to draw the corresponding number of objects to match each of the numbers. They are really motivated to order the numbers and display them in the classroom. The boys are looking forward to continuing their display next week.

In reading comprehension this week Judit and Sara have been focusing on fiction as a style of writing. Sara has been learning about typical English phrases and using the context of the text to understand the meaning of the phrases. When reading the stories aloud Sara has been focusing on her pronunciation and the way in which she has to change her voice, depending on the style in which the story is written and the colloquial speech which is used.

Judit has been reading extracts from well- known stories, such as ‘Matilda’ and ‘the hobbit’. Judit has been exposed to lots of new vocabulary within the stories and has been working hard to use an adult dictionary to find out the meanings of the new words. Judit found it difficult to understand some of the dictionary definitions and has been working hard to understand the meanings of the words by re-reading the text and using the context of the story to help her.

In maths this week Sara has been focusing on multiplication and division. She has had lots of practise writing out and using her times tables. Sara now understands the relationship between multiplication and division and she is now confident to use her knowledge of multiplication to help her solve division problems. Sara is now also very confident to find the factors of different numbers and is able to divide three digit numbers, using her knowledge of place value. She understands the importance of finding the simplest number within a large number and then multiplying her answer to ensure that she is recording the number, using the correct place value.

Judit has been focusing on fractions. She has worked extremely hard to work out how to add and subtract different fractions. Judit now understands the vocabulary of ‘mixed number’ and ‘improper fraction’ and is able to record her answers, using both of these methods. Judit is confident to order fractions and fully understands that ½ is much bigger than 1/10. Judit has been practising many fractions activities and has made significant progress when completing the end of unit mental arithmetic tests. We will continue to work on fractions next week and further consolidate Judit’s understanding of how to find different fractions of a number, using division and multiplication to find out the answer. 

Jack and the Beanstalk

This week we have continued the topic of ‘plants and vegetables’ and we have been focused on the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. We have made beanstalks using plasticine, bottles with crepe paper and green cups. We have also practised the skill of twisting, when wrapping pipe cleaners around sticks to create the leaves of the beanstalk. We have had fun using the blocks to create the Giants’ castle and have enjoyed using paint to create Jack’s golden eggs.

In phonics this week, Sergi, Kai, Marcel and Luke have been learning the ‘a’ sound. They have done apple printing, created their own ambulance, coloured and cut out ants and used whiteboard pens to practise the formation of the letter. We have also linked the sound with our topic; learning about fruits and vegetables which begin with the ‘a’ sound- apple, avocado and asparagus.

Jordi has been learning the ‘th’ sound and has been practising sticking out his tongue to make this sound. He knows the two letters which make up the ‘th’ sound and has had lots of practise writing these two letters. Jordi is beginning to tell me the different words which contain the ‘th’ sound and has had fun painting a ‘thumb’ and moulding a ‘thin’ and ‘thick’ person from plasticine.

In maths this week, Sergi, Kai and Luke have continued to learn about the numbers 1-10. Using our topic focus of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ the boys have ordered magic bean numbers, counted different amounts of beans into cups and played ‘match the bean to the number’. They have also had lots of practise forming the numbers 1-10, using the whiteboard and writing over the numbered dots which I provide. This week we also took our maths lessons out into the farm and collected lots of natural objects. We focused on the song of ‘ten little speckled frogs’ and used the tape to stick the correct number of objects on to each frog picture; making sure that we counted the frogs carefully and stuck one item for every frog on the paper.

Marcel and Jordi have been working on the numbers 0-20 and have created a fantastic chart for our display. The boys worked together to write the numbers 0-20 and then counted out and stuck on the correct number of stickers to show the quantity of each number. They have also had lots of opportunities to practise forming the numbers to 20, using felt tips, pencils and the whiteboard. They were very motivated to try and write all of the numbers and their number formation is really improving.

In reading comprehension this week Judit and Sara have been focusing more intently on poetry as a style of writing. Judit has been learning about the different types of rhyme apparent within the poems, both at the end of the line and internally within sentences. Sara has been learning about alliteration and similes and has had to find examples of these within the poems she has read. The girls have had to think carefully about the hidden meanings of words and phrases within the poems to allow them to correctly answer the comprehension questions given for each of the poems they have read. The girls are making very good progress within their understanding of the content and layout of different poems.

In maths this week Sara has been focusing on numbers. She has worked hard to understand the concept of rounding numbers up and down to the nearest hundred. She has also begun to use VENN and Carroll diagrams as a way to help her organise and classify odd and even numbers. When organising the numbers Sara has revised her times tables and is becoming more confident to trust her answers when writing down the different multiplications. Finally, Sara has been learning about symmetry. She has learnt that for a line to be symmetrical, the image needs to be the same on both sides. She has consolidated and practised this skill further by playing a symmetry game on the computer and as a result of answering all the questions correctly she was able to create a symmetrical robot.

Judit has continued to focus on her mental arithmetic and is practising many mathematical skills in preparation for her SAT’s test. She has been solving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division questions within the concept of money, time, mass and weight. She is now learning the importance of showing her ‘working out’ in her notebook. Judit has been working particularly hard on finding and using fractions and this is a concept which she is keen to continue developing next week.