Our topic for Autumn 1 will be 'Marvellous Me'!

Some of the texts that we will be reading and exploring are: 

Literacy 

In our "Marvellous Me" topic, we will use a variety of key texts to help achieve the early learning goals for literacy. These books will be the foundation for developing comprehension, vocabulary, and spoken language. By reading stories about individual identity, families, and feelings, we will encourage children to talk about the characters and make connections to their own lives. This process helps them to retell stories in their own words and use and understand new vocabulary, such as words to describe emotions or body parts. Furthermore, these texts provide a rich context for developing early writing skills. We'll use the books as a springboard for activities like drawing self-portraits and labelling body parts, or writing about their families, which links directly to the goal of writing recognisable letters and representing sounds with letters.

In the first term of Reception, our primary literacy goal is to build a strong foundation in phonological awareness and early decoding skills. We'll focus on helping children recognise and differentiate between the sounds in spoken words. This is the first step in linking sounds to letters. We'll start with Phase 1 of our phonics program, which involves lots of games and activities centered around listening skills, like identifying environmental sounds and rhyming words.

Phonics

Phonics is a fundamental skill for learning to read and write and this year, we will be introduce your child to the world of reading and writing through our fun and engaging phonics program, "Floppy's Phonics." This systematic approach will help your child learn the sounds that letters make, which is the essential first step in decoding words. Phonics is all about teaching children the sounds that letters make, rather than just their names. We'll start with the most common sounds, known as 'phonemes', and show them how to blend these sounds together to read words (e.g., c-a-t makes "cat"). We will also teach them to 'segment' words, breaking them down into their individual sounds to help with spelling. This is a crucial first step in building a strong foundation for literacy, and we are thrilled to be guiding your child on this important part of their learning adventure. Through songs, games, and interactive activities, Floppy's Phonics makes learning a multisensory experience that your child will love, building a strong foundation for their literacy journey. During this half term for phonics we will be learning the first sounds from the Floppy Phonics scheme. These will be s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k. 

As well as phonics the children will be learning 'tricky words' which cannot be spelt using the Reception phonics, so they will be learnt as 'sight words'. They will learn 1 tricky word a week and during the first half term these will be I, no, to, the, into and go.

Mathematics

The White Rose Maths scheme is designed to help children build a deep understanding of mathematical concepts by introducing new ideas in small, manageable steps. It follows a "mastery" approach, ensuring children are confident with a concept before moving on. In the first half term of Reception, the curriculum focuses on fundamental early number skills and shapes. Children will start with a block called "Just Like Me!", which focuses on matching, sorting, and comparing objects to develop early reasoning and classification skills. The next block, "It's Me! 1, 2, 3", will introduce the numbers 1, 2, and 3, and help children understand their value by representing them with concrete objects and linking them to their corresponding numeral. Finally, the "Light and Dark" block will extend their understanding to numbers up to 5, introducing the concepts of "one more" and "one less," as well as exploring shapes and time. This approach ensures a strong foundation is laid through hands-on, practical, and playful activities.

Communication and Language

In our "Marvellous Me" topic, we will use a variety of activities to develop your child's communication and language skills. The focus will be on building their confidence to express themselves, listen to others, and use a rich vocabulary. A key activity will be sharing their Marvellous Me boxes, which will contain items that are special to them and their family. This will provide a fantastic opportunity for children to speak in front of a small group, describing their objects and answering questions from their peers and teachers. We will also encourage conversations about family members, traditions, and feelings, helping them to use a wider range of vocabulary and express their thoughts more clearly. This focus on turn-taking in conversations, active listening, and storytelling will lay a strong foundation for all areas of their learning.

Physical Development

In PE we will be using the Get Set 4 PE scheme to deliver our PE curriculum. The "Introduction to PE" unit in the Get Set 4 PE scheme is specifically designed to meet the Early Learning Goal for Physical Development. The unit focuses on a range of fundamental movements that children need to master, helping them to develop gross motor skills and coordination. It provides structured, fun activities that help children improve their balance, agility, and spatial awareness, which are the building blocks for more complex physical skills. Through a series of engaging lessons, the scheme ensures that children are not only physically active but also learn to control their bodies in a range of ways, preparing them for confident and safe movement both in the PE hall and in the wider environment. This systematic approach ensures that all children, regardless of their starting point, can progressively build the core strength and skills required for a healthy, active life.

Personal Social and Emotional Development

Through the "Marvellous Me" topic, we will foster a strong foundation in Personal, Social, and Emotional Development. The curriculum is designed to help children develop a positive sense of self, build respectful relationships, and manage their feelings. A key part of this is encouraging children to talk about what makes them unique and special, which helps build their self-esteem and confidence. We will also focus on lessons about understanding and respecting differences within our class and community, learning about various family structures and traditions. By engaging in collaborative activities and discussions about their feelings, children will learn to express their emotions constructively, resolve conflicts peacefully, and develop the empathy and social skills needed to thrive in a group setting.

Understanding the World

In our "Marvellous Me" topic, we will explore the Understanding the World Early Learning Goal through several engaging and personal avenues. We will begin by learning about our own personal and family histories, creating simple family trees to help children understand the concept of time and their place within a family. This approach helps children make connections between their personal lives and broader concepts of community and history, and encourages them to ask questions and develop their curiosity about the world around them.

This will be followed by looking at the human body and our five senses. We'll use hands-on activities to explore how our bodies work and how we use our senses to experience the world.

Expressive Arts and Design

Our "Marvellous Me" topic provides a rich context for teaching the Expressive Arts and Design Early Learning Goal, which focuses on both "Creating with Materials" and "Being Imaginative and Expressive." Children will be encouraged to explore their identity and feelings through a variety of creative mediums. For instance, they might create self-portraits using paint, collage materials, or even natural objects, experimenting with different textures and colours. We'll also provide opportunities for role-play and storytelling, where children can act out family routines or invent narratives about what makes them special. Through these activities, your child will not only learn to safely use and explore a range of materials but also develop their ability to communicate their ideas, thoughts, and feelings in original and imaginative ways.