What we have been learning this week

This week in maths the children have been learning how to add and subtract using a tens frame and a number line.  When adding, the children have learnt to jump to 10 first, using their number bond knowledge, then count on until they reach the number they needed to add. Fox Class have also looked at subtraction.  They began to work out subtraction by placing the whole number on a tens frame and then crossing out the circles to represent how many has been taken away and finding the total of what is left.

 

In English this week the children have read the story “Katie and the Sunflowers”.  The story is based around a little girl who explores an art gallery. Within the story there are some famous paintings that Katie explores.  The children have thoroughly enjoyed investigating the paintings and the artists who created them. They children pretended they were Katie, and by reaching into the paintings, they wrote some wonderful sentences focusing on what they could see, hear and feel, using some fantastic adjectives.  They were even able to write in the first person.

 

On Thursday afternoon the children stepped back in time and looked at a variety of paintings from different periods of time.  In particular, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern and Contemporary art.  They compared the pictures from different periods and we discussed the similarities and differences.  The children worked together to guess which was the oldest period by looking at the paintings and which was the most current. We then created a time line.

 

 

 

What we shall be working on next week

Next week the children will be continuing to focus on subtraction and then using their addition and subtraction techniques to solve problems.  In English the children will be planning their own adventure story where they walk into a painting of their choice.  They will be thinking about who they might meet, what happens when they are there and how they get out of the painting.  This will follow a similar style to the story they were looking at this week.

How you can help with home learning

Please continue to read with your child and ask them questions about the story they are reading to enhance their understanding and their comprehension skills.  Please also support your child in practising their spellings. It is also a good idea, if you can, to give sentences to write, including these words, as this helps to grasp the meaning of the word. To support your child's mental fluency, you could play some maths games, such as number bond tennis (number bonds to 10 or 20) or chocolate frog (counting in 2s) – they will be able to teach you the games.

General information

Spelling tests will now be carried out on a Tuesday.  Homework will stay as normal.  Show & Tell dates are:

• Grapes and Oranges – Friday, 26 January
• Strawberries and Bananas – Friday, 2 February
• Apples – Friday, 9 February