What is it made of?
This term, the whole class have worked together to build upon their speaking and listening skills. It has offered the children a range of opportunities to discuss as well as gain an understand of the different types of materials they would come across on a day to day basis. They have learnt that some materials are “made or created by the human being” and some are “natural”.
We explored the 5 senses and experienced different matters (plastic, glass, textile, wood, leaves and minerals). Taking our learning further we also studied solid/liquid (making ice), rough/tough (through touching), salty/sweet (though cooking and tasting) and exploring the world around us (through sounds and sight).
We also extended our knowledge and understanding of the world by talking about winter and its consequences on trees as well as the water cycle.
Geography/Botanic
During this term, we continue to name the continents and we also associated them to countries, including the flags used to represent them, as well as discovered monuments related to them.
Moreover, we learnt about botanics, exploring the different parts of trees and their living cycle. This allowed us to talk about the water cycle and explain how do trees, plants, grass,…grow and develop. As a class we began to work on recycling, composting waste and developing an understanding of our environment.
Practical life
The Maple class children show great enjoyment in the everyday practical life activities that support and reinforce their self-confidence. We have achieved this by repeating and developing gestures and knowledges. By providing opportunities for the children to improve upon their fine motor skills through; opening, closing, building, cutting this in turn allows the children make their own experiences and learning journey paths.
Alone or in group, children enjoy working with the materials they already know, very well, and finding new ways to develop their skills, along with trying to find new and appropriate ways to use them.
Sensorial life
Sensorial has been the most important aspect of our six weeks term.
We have closely worked on developing the five senses; sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell. This has been achieved through experiencing a lot of different matters and materials.
Our Wednesday cooking time provided us the opportunities to develop our taste buds as well as our cooking skills. We made lots of yummy things; salty pie, Galette, waffles, cookies, boa’s and noodles.
Crafts
As part of the imagination development the children, play an active role in our daily planning.
During this term, we focused on improving how to use the scissors by themselves and being more precise in their gestures. This has been a huge part of supporting the children on developing their fine motor skills through painting, cutting, gluing, and using some different materials such as erasers, staplers, rulers, craft punchers.
Numeracy
This term, we have worked on understanding tens and units. The children have continued to develop their counting skills by counting from 1 to hundred. This is also a part of our daily routine. They have also been introduced to the notion of substruction while counting. Along with strengthening their knowledge of addition. They have also made great efforts on writing numbers. The children are also improving counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. We have also been working hard on identifying 3Ds’ shapes and trying to understand their similarities and differences.
Spelling/writting
This term we have continued to develop our knowledege and understanding of phonics. We have explored a range of new letters and sounds through actions, songs, story telling and games.
Children have worked hard on everyday spellings as well as their letter formation and writting skills. The children are now using the materials provided to support themselves as well as to improve their language skills.
We are also focusing on the spoken language thanks to discussions during circle time, we talk about different subjects such as weekend activities, books we are reading in class, their interest in different subjects.
The aim is to ensure the continual development of pupils’ confidence and competence in spoken language and listening skills by developing a capacity to explain their understanding of books and other reading, also to prepare their ideas before they write.
Book read this term :
- The Gruffalo
- The Fox’s Hiccups
- Tabby Mac Tat
- One ted falls out of bed
- The Hueys in the new jumper
- Cave baby
FOREST/PE
Children intuitively explore the world around them and enjoy the time spent in the forest. They love making new discoveries and naturally challenging their physical strength by climbing, jumping and running. The forest is the place where they feel free to express themselves. The children gain self- confidence and play with others. This term, the class have greatly enjoyed riding bicycles and for some learning to ride a bicycle.
The children have also used different kind of tools to explore the forest, living cycles and experimenting skills. They have used natural materials to support their exploration.
Music
During this term, we discovered a range of different musical instruments. We have used them in different ways to play rhythms and create sound. Children also enjoyed music in the forest.
Special days
During this term, we have worked all together with the primary section creating ‘Special days’.
In fact, we celebrated the Chinese New Year and prepared some food as well as took part in crafting workshops. It has been the occasion to talk about China, the history of the Chinese New Year and the continent of Asia.
As part of out time together we have also began to talk about environment and compost.
At the end of the term, we also celebrated Marias’ and Nicolas’ birthdays as well as Carnaval:-)
French
Durant cette troisième période de l’année, nous avons continué à lire 6 albums de jeunesse (en lien avec l’hiver, la galette, la Saint Valentin, le Carnaval…) :
De ces ouvrages, ont découlé différentes activités qui ont permis l’exploitation de ces histoires. Nous avons donné du sens à l’apprentissage, une façon plus ludique et une approche plus concrète.
A chaque début de semaine, vos enfants ont appris et chanté une nouvelle chanson (6 semaines = 6 chansons):
J’aime la galette, Loin du froid de décembre, Trois esquimaux, Les petits souliers, Petits flocons blancs, L’amour brille sous les étoiles.
Les objectifs de cette période ont été de :
– enrichir la langue française
– construire des phrases plus élaborées mais correctes
– s’exprimer en petit groupe
– tracer le bonhomme de chaque mois
– comprendre les histoires lues
– s’entraîner au graphisme
– reconnaître et nommer des petits mots
– savoir dénombrer une collection
– connaître quelques notions spatiales
S’approprier le vocabulaire de l’hiver
– faire des activités en lien avec les fêtes telles que la galette des rois, la chandeleur, la Saint Valentin et le Carnaval
– cuisiner la galette et les crêpes
– mémoriser une poésie (“C’est l’hiver”)
– s’exprimer de manière artistique
– chanter collectivement une chanson
French IPC
Le thème de cette période était « What is it made of ». Nous avons axer nos activités principalement avec la musique. Au travers de 2 albums de lecture, nous avons étudié les différentes familles d’instruments de musique et nous avons fabriqué notre guitare avec des matériaux de récupération.
Les enfants ont appris 2 chansons: Do, le do, il a bon dos et La ronde des musiciens
Ils ont chanté en forêt.
Forest Exploration
The time in the forest we utilized for all kinds of different activities. Sometimes we were deepening some numeracy skills by organizing a number line or collecting and counting a certain amount of nuts/sticks/leaves.
Often, we used the time to create beautiful nature art or build houses out of sticks.
And, of course, physical education was important for us! We went for bike trips, built challenging parkours, practiced our throwing skills, or went for a nice mushroom hunt.
