Welcome to Reception
Butterfly and Ladybird are our Reception classes at the Isle of Ely Primary School. From this page you will be able to read about our curriculum each half term and all the work we get up to in and out of the classroom.
The adults that work in Reception are:
Miss Charlotte Clayton Mrs Alison Butterfield Miss Vicky Burrows
Butterfly class teacher Learning Support Assistant Learning Support Assistant
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Mrs Georgia Russell Mrs Anna Geraty Mrs Amy Allot
Ladybird class teacher Learning Support Assistant Learning Support Assistant
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Our Curriculum overview - Autumn B
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Communication and language |
This half term, Reception will be encouraged to use vocabulary and phrases, learned from recent stories and lessons, in their conversations e.g. children can talk about George Stevenson’s Rocket and why it was important. We will also learn how to ask questions using what, where, when and why to find out information, e.g. when learning about things from the past, children can ask questions to find out more. |
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Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) |
This half term we will be learning about family, friends and our emotions. Children will explore their and other’s feeling and consequences of some actions, they will learn words we can use to describe how we are feeling and what to do when feeling angry, upset or worried. We will learn about working together in pairs and groups and also consider ‘How can I help my friends?’ |
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Literacy |
The children will access a variety of high quality texts, based on their interests. The children will explore fiction, non-fiction and poetry linked to the theme studied this half-term. They will develop a greater appreciation of books and learn how to look after books in school, while developing and celebrating their love of sharing stories. The students will continue to visit the school library; this half term our library time will be Wednesday afternoons. Please bring library books in to school every other Wednesday so we can exchange them for a new one. In phonics, we are soon to be in different groups according to our retained phonic sounds from last half term. You will receive weekly updates of what sounds your child has been learning and videos to continue their learning at home. In writing, the children will continue to learn to write their names and begin forming graphemes correctly. We are also starting to write words and captions in writing tasks where the children will listen for initial sounds, final sounds and begin to sound out simple words to write to express their ideas. |
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Mathematics |
In maths, we start by looking at 2D shape including circles and triangles. We will introduce mathematical language such as side and vertices. We will then move on to on finding one more and one less than a number within 5. It lays the foundation for addition and subtraction although, at this stage, we are not expecting the children to use the addition or subtraction signs. |
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Understanding of the word |
This half term we will be learning about Transport: Past and Present. From a history perspective, we will be learning about how transport has changed over time. We will learn about George Stevenson and the invention of the steam train. We will learn about transport of the past including horse and carriage, penny farthings and omnibuses to modern transport including the Japanese bullet train and hovercrafts. We will also learn about the explorer Ernest Shackleton and the challenges of his journey to the South Pole. We will also learn about transport in our local area and the children’s experiences of transport as well as road safety. Reception will learn about how other cultures travel including the Tuk Tuk in Bangkok, gondolas in Venice, felucca in Egypt and dog sleds in Norway. In science we will investigate forces such as push and pull in relation to water and air travel. We will also learn about how the weather affects transport such as frost and ice and the need for gritting roads, snow ploughs and snow tyres. We will also explore ice and frost and the changing state of matter as is melts as well as exploring why we can see our breath when it is cold. |
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Expressive Arts and Design |
We will begin the half term by learning how we can explore and express the seasons in different colours. We will focus on our cutting skills by making snowflakes and explore clay techniques by making diva lamps in our Diwali celebrations. Our artist focus will be Pissarro and a study of the season paintings to explore how colours have been used to portray the different seasons. Our music for this half term is focussing on singing together in a group, which will be our Christmas songs. We will perform the songs learnt at the end of term in our Christmas Performance. Our composer to study will be Sergei Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf where we will explore how different elements and characters in the story are shown through music. |
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Knowledge Organiser:
Transport - Click here to find the Knowledge Organiser.
Weekly newsflash
Week beginning 09.12.2024:
Hello everyone, we have finally made it to the end of the Autumn Term! The adults are just as exhausted as the children, everyone is very much looking forward to spending time with our loved ones over Christmas. The reception team would like to say thank you to all of the parents and carers for supporting their children through their first term at school. It was wonderful to have so many of you come along to decoration morning and to watch our Christmas Song performance. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and we can't wait to see what fun the new year will bring.
Week beginning 09.12.2024:
Hello everyone, this week we completed week 6 of Autumn Term B and what a festive one it has been!
Phonics has continued this week, the children have settled well into their new groups and are enjoying learning and consolidating the set 1 sounds, as well as practising blending CVC words.
In maths, we spent some time in small groups, consolidating our learning from the previous 6 weeks of term. The children enjoyed learning through song, play and practical games.
In PKC, we recapped our learning about transport around the world. We then learnt about Earnest Shackleton's adventure to Antarctica. The children were very engaged and loved thinking about what Earnest would have packed into his suitcase to keep him warm.
During our expressive arts session, both classes came together for our first run through of the Christmas songs. Trust us, it is going to be very cute!
Week beginning 02.12.2024:
Hello everyone, this week we completed week 5 of Autumn Term B, time is really flying by and it will be Christmas before we know it.
Phonics has continued this week, the children have settled well into their new groups and are enjoying learning and consolidating the set 1 sounds, as well as practising blending CVC words.
In maths, we identified, compared and sorted shapes with 4 sides. The children focused on the properties of rectangles and triangles, using vocabulary such and sides and corners.
In PKC, we recapped our learning about transport around the world. We then learnt about steam trains and George Stephenson, who is considered the father of the railway!
During our expressive arts session, we began to learn the words and some actions for the Christmas concert... watch this space!
Week beginning 25.11.2024:
Hello everyone, this week we completed week 4 of Autumn Term B.
Phonics has continued this week, the children have settled well into their new groups and are enjoying learning and consolidating the set 1 sounds, as well as practising blending CVC words.
In maths, we introduced parts. We focused on parts of numbers 4 & 5. The children really engaged well with learning practically, using bean bags and hoops.
In PKC, we recapped our learning about transport around the world. We then explored transport from the past, we looked at a Penny Farthing, an Omnibus and some of the earliest cars available to buy.
During our expressive arts session, we began to learn the words and some actions for the Christmas concert... watch this space!
Week beginning 18.11. 2024:
The third week of Autumn B has been a chilly one!
Phonics has continued this week, the children have settled well into their new groups and are enjoying learning and consolidating the set 1 sounds, as well as practicing blending CVC words.
In maths, we explored one more and one less. We did this using a 5 frame and physical objects.
In PKC, we recapped our learning about transport around the world. We then explored different types of boats! In addition, the children designed a bicycle after being inspired by 'Mrs Armitage on wheels' by Quentin Blake.
The children were very excited to plant trees in the forest school area. Despite it being a chilly afternoon they thoroughly enjoyed it!
Week beginning 11.11. 2024:
The second week of Autumn B has been busy as ever!
In phonics, the children started the week in their new groups for phonics. Your child will come home this week with a slip of paper in their bag to let you know who is their new phonics teacher. Parents evening is coming up in a few weeks time, which is the best time to discuss this with your child's class teacher.
In maths, we began the week by exploring position, using language such as under, on top and between. We also began to practice subitising numbers 4 and 5. The children enjoyed playing a matching game linked to their learning in the environment.
In PKC, we learnt about transport around the world. The children loved learning about Tuk Tuk's in Thailand and The Bullet Train in Japan.
Week beginning 04.11. 2024:
The first week of Autumn B has been lots of fun.
In phonics, we reviewed more of the sounds the children have found trickier to remember. Mrs Harrison has been busy assessing the children across the school so next week the children can be organised into groups to suit their learning needs.
In maths, we began to identify triangles and circles and their properties.
We enjoyed talking about bonfire night and sharing our experiences of seeing fireworks and toasting marsh mallows.
Week beginning 21st October 2024:
The final week has been a super busy one in Reception. The children had their individual photos taken on Monday, fingers crossed for lots of lovely smiles for their first photo at big school! Many of the children enjoyed having a dance and playing with their friends at the silent disco, it was lovely to see the children sing and dance along with their headphones on.
We were also very lucky to take part in a Diwali workshop which involved singing, dancing and acting! The children were very engaged and have enjoyed talking about the story of Rama and Sita throughout the rest of the week.
In phonics, we reviewed some of the sounds the children have found trickier to remember. Mrs Harrison has been busy assessing the children across the school so after half term the children can be organised into groups to suit their learning needs.
We hope you all enjoy a well earned rest over half term. We will see you back in November!
Week beginning 14th October 2024:
Week 7 of 8 has been packed with exciting learning opportunities in Reception. The children have been thinking about when it is OK to take things from someone and when it is not. We did this by playing 'Dont wake the bear' in our Jigsaw PSHE learning time.
In phonics, we focused on learning about the sounds 'v, y, w, x and z'. We practiced tracing them in our books as part of our lesson each day. Look out for Mrs Harrisons email with links to videos for children to practice at home if they wish.
In maths, we identified and subitised numbers 1-3.
In PKC, the children enjoyed a visit from a fire engine! They were lucky enough to talk to three firefighters, spray the hose and sit inside the fire engine itself! In addition, we spent time thinking about the different seasons and how things in the environment change in the Autumn.
We hope you all have a restful weekend and look forward to seeing you back on Monday!
Week beginning 7th October 2024:
Week 6 of 8 has been full of learning in reception. The children have been thinking and practicing using kind hands while they are playing. The children were able to identify what we can use our hands for and how to use them in a kind way so that everyone feels safe and loved.
In phonics, we focused on learning about the sounds 'l, e, h, r, j'. We practiced tracing them in our books as part of our lesson each day. Look out for Mrs Harrisons email with links to videos for children to practice at home if they wish.
In maths, we identified and subitised numbers 1-3.
In PKC, the children enjoyed discussing people who help us in our local community. We also explored emergencies and what number to call if there is ever an emergency and we need help. As part of our class provision, some children drew someone from the community who they would like to invite into school. We had police officers, firefighters, vets and many more.
We hope you all have a restful weekend and look forward to seeing you back on Monday!
Week beginning 30th September 2024:
Week 5 of 8 has been full of learning in reception. The children have done lots of deliberate practice of tidying up our environment and done lots of thinking about why we tidy up correctly. As a whole, the class have improved hugely in terms of 'Choose it, play it, put it away' throughout independent play sessions.
In phonics, we focused on learning about the sounds 'c, k, u, b f'. We practiced tracing them in our books as part of our lesson each day. Look out for Mrs Harrisons email with links to videos for children to practice at home if they wish.
In maths, we compared size and mass and looked at creating simple repeating patterns.
In PKC, the children enjoyed talking about how they travel to school. They went on to think about their journey to school and what they see on the way. Some of the children enjoyed drawing a map of their journey and even added labels!
We hope you all have a restful weekend and look forward to seeing you back on Monday!
Week beginning 23rd September 2024:
It has been another busy and exciting in Reception! The children have continued getting used to the adults and their new environment. We have spent some time looking closely at what tidying is and why we do it. We use the phrase 'Choose it, play it, put it away' as a prompt to remind the children of how they should behave in the environment.
This week, we were extremely lucky to have some visitors from East and South East Asian Heritage Cambridge. Three wonderful ladies spent a short period of time talking to the children about where they are from. They taught us a new nursery rhyme and kindly gifted all of the children an origami cat. If you would like to listen to the song with your child, you can access it here.
In phonics, we focused on learning about the sounds 'i n p g o'. We practiced tracing them in our books as part of our lesson each day.
In maths, we also looked at different ways we could sort the same group of objects.
We hope you all have a restful weekend and look forward to seeing you back on Monday!
Week beginning 16th September 2024:
It has been another busy and exciting in Reception! The children have continued getting used to the adults and their new environment. They are doing very well getting used to the reality of full time schooling, trying to remember the school routines and keeping up with Reception timetable. We are very proud of them!
This week, we have focused on the importance of choose it, use it, put it away. If you could use this language at home it would really help the children to get into good habits both at school and at home.
In phonics, we focused on learning about the sounds m, a, s, d and t. We practiced tracing them in our books as part of our lesson each day.
In maths, we focused on subitising numbers 1-5. We also looked at matching and grouping objects.
We hope you all have a restful weekend and look forward to seeing you back on Monday!
Week beginning 9th September 2024:
What a busy and exciting week we’ve had in Reception! The children have been settling in, getting used to the adults and their new environment. They are doing very well getting used to the reality of full time schooling, trying to remember the school routines and keeping up with Reception timetable. We are very proud of them!
This week, we have focused on the importance of school rules of Safe, Ready and Respect. The children reflected on the importance of working together and being kind to each other.
In phonics, we became familiar with the RWI signals and flashcards. The children learned to recognise the images on the single letter cards, which we will use in all phonics lessons. If you are able to, we would recommend purchasing your own set of Set 1 RWI flashcards. It is a useful resource and will allow you to support the learning at home.
Next week, we will begin our maths learning, starting with numbers 1-5.
We hope you all have a restful weekend and look forward to seeing you back on Monday!