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Merlin Class (Year Reception)
Welcome to Merlin Class!
Class Teacher: Miss Morris
Class TAs: Mrs Hoddinott, Mrs Spyrou (Mon, Tue) & Mrs Hewlett (Wed-Fri)
Welcome to Merlin Class & Countess Gytha Primary School!
We have had a lovely time getting to know your children over the past few days. We are incredibly impressed by their enthusiasm towards starting school and their confidence in their new environment - we are certainly in for a wonderful year together!
Please do regularly check our class page (alongside Tapestry) to see what we get up to!
We look forward to continuing to get to know the children and their families over the next few weeks.
- Miss Morris, Mrs Hoddinott & Mrs Hewlett
VE day
The children proudly wore colours of red, white and blue to mark VE day this year.
Summer 1; Week 3
This week the children have continued to write based on our key text, We're going on a bear hunt. They have each made their own list of what they would take on a bear hunt and a recount of what happens in the story. We have been blown away by their sequencing of sentences this week; the level of independence that was achieved in our writing sessions was super! I know that the children left feeling very proud of themselves and we were very proud of them, too!
In maths, we have combined our learning on fact families to help us find related facts. The children used part-whole models to demonstrate the relationship between numbers and then found the different ways that we could add and subtract those numbers. We have also been working hard on our automatic recall of number bonds. The children enjoy a daily game of 'Hit the Button' to practice recalling these facts quickly.
In our topic sessions, we are beginning to wrap up our learning on space. The children went on a 'space walk' to find some facts about the solar system and then we returned to the classroom to share the facts that we had found. The children then completed an independent writing task, writing down some of the things that they have learnt throughout this topic. The children have loved learning about space - I feel it has been the favourite topic so far for many!
Summer 1; Week 2
We have had a lovely week in Merlin Class enjoying the sunshine ☀️
The children have continued to immerse themselves in our topic learning about Space. This week we have learnt about astronauts and have discussed the moon landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The children have each completed an 'astronaut application', outlining their skills that would make them a great astronaut!
On Wednesday, the children enjoyed a music session with Mr Male. The children listened carefully to different pieces of music and had a go at different body percussion. The children always have lots of fun during Mr Male's music lessons so we feel very lucky to have a session with him once a week for the remainder of this half term!
In writing we have been enjoying our new text 'We're going on a bear hunt'. We have focused on using adjectives in our sentences to describe characters in the book - the children have been using adjectives to describe a character's appearance and personality.
In maths we have been exploring teen numbers. We have structured our understanding around 10 and __ more. The children have demonstrated a great understanding of this and are becoming incredibly speedy at recalling numbers up to 20 and understanding their value. We have also recapped our learning on addition fact families.
Summer 1; Week 1
Welcome back to our third and final term! We hope you all enjoyed the break over Easter.
Our topic this half term is 'Journeys'. This week we have started our learning about space. The children have enjoyed watching rocket launches and learning about the planets in our solar system. Inspired by our learning, the children were keen to transform themselves into astronauts, making their own astronaut helmets and rockets!
We looked at some nonsense poems in our writing lessons this week. We read the poem 'Have you ever felt as silly as?' by Annie Fisher. After this we began to make up our own silly sentences and used these to write our own nonsense poems at the end of the week.
In maths, we have been looking at 2D and 3D shapes. We have named common shapes and explored how shapes fit within shapes. There have been some great, purposeful arrangements of shapes this week to create different pictures.
It has been great to see the children so enthusiastic about their learning after a short break from school - It has been a superb first week back!
Spring 2; Week 6
Today brings us to the end of the Spring Term. With 1 term left of this school year, we can't quite believe just how fast it has gone!
This week the children have been incredibly busy writing their short stories, inspired by Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They have worked hard to sequence their story, looking back at their plans to help them remember what to write. The children are very proud of their writing and have enjoyed the opportunity to be imaginative with their story telling.
In maths we have been learning how to double. We have been using mirrors to help us with this; representing a number and then holding up a mirror to double it.
We thought the children did a super job at our Easter Service on Wednesday. We hope you all enjoyed our performance of Hot Cross Bunny and celebrations from other classes throughout the school.
We have ended this half term with an Easter egg hunt and some Easter baking!
Spring 2; Week 5
Our final key text of this term is 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. The children have been retelling the story through their writing this week and have also used the sequence of this familiar story to help them to plan their own story which they will be writing next week. The children have thought of some wildly imaginative characters and events for their story so I am excited to read the final pieces!
In maths, we have looked at capacity and measuring length. Our learning has been very practical this week. The children have been learning new vocabulary to describe capacity and have enjoyed measuring various things using non-standard measurements. A highlight of this topic is most definitely the song that we have been singing to reinforce this learning - I will leave the link below.
During our circle time we learnt about the Easter Story. We read a story explaining the events of Easter and then had the opportunity to ask any questions about the topic. The children grasped the story well and have developed a good understanding of the meaning of Easter.
Every child has come home with their Mothers Day cards in their homework folders. We do hope that you enjoy celebrating the day in whichever way you have decided to do so 💐
Spring 2; Week 4
Merlin Class have enjoyed returning back to their typical timetable this week.
In our writing sessions, we baked our very own gingerbread men. After this, the children were then able to write a set of instructions recalling the processes they followed. The best part of all was eating the gingerbread men at snack time, of course!
In maths, we returned to part-whole models. We have deepened our understanding of this strategy by using them to solve missing number problems. Our focus is to build the children's speedy recall of number facts. The children find part-whole models helpful to understand the inter-relatedness of numbers. They made some good progress with their problem solving skills this week. Next week, we will be learning about shape, space and measure.
During our circle time this week, we spoke about caring for our world. The children discussed key facts that they remembered from our deep dive into plastic in the oceans a few weeks back. They also spoke about the importance of recycling and how this is achieved at home and in school. Our remaining circle times will involve learning about the Easter story and sharing some bible stories associated with Jesus death and resurrection. We will be following the Foundation stage planning of the agreed syllabus for Religious Education in Somerset to support our learning in this topic.
Our craft activities this week have been in preparation for Mothers Day. The children have been applying their best artistic skills to create something special to bring home soon.
Spring 2; Week 3
Happy British Science Week!
The children enjoyed joining in with science week. The theme this year was 'change and adapt'. We revisited our learning on life cycles and created some posters detailing the life cycle of a frog.
We also completed an engineer task this week. The children were tasked to think of a problem and how they could help fix this problem by inventing something new. We shared lots of our own ideas and then came together as a class to invent something together. We decided that a problem we face often is our toys getting stuck in places we cannot reach (for example, under the stage). To fix this, the children designed a 'sucker grabber' (named by the children!) which extends and has one attachment to grab things and one attachment to suck things up! I think it is the perfect solution to our problem! The children thought really carefully about how this was going to work, including adding buttons and switches. After this, the children were keen to invent things themselves - we enjoyed an afternoon of junk modelling. It was lovely to see the children collaborating to bring their ideas to life.
Of course it would not be science week if Mr Gordon did not do the annual rocket launch - an event enjoyed by all (especially Mr G!)
We have been recapping number bonds to 10 in maths this week. We are working on our automatic recall of these facts. In writing, our new key text is The Gingerbread Man. The children have been retelling the story using simple sentences this week.
World Book Day 2025
Thank you for all the effort put into children's costumes this year - I am sure you will agree they all look fabulous! There were some great stories in a jar/box, too!
The children enjoyed creating a Three Little Pigs inspired door for the classroom, a visit down to the reading cafe and lots of retelling of stories with our brand new puppet theatre!
A lovely day celebrating reading and stories 📖
Spring 2; Week 2
'Wonderfully chaotic' seems to be the only appropriate way to sum up this week😂. From pancake day to world book day, there has been lots to celebrate!
Merlin Class enjoyed a very fast-paced PE lesson with Mr Bunter on Monday morning, followed by an afternoon with preschool. On Tuesday, the children enjoyed lots of pancake inspired provision and had the opportunity to make some pancakes with Mr Gordon - we were very impressed he managed to (successfully 😉) flip them so high! We began our World Book Day preparations on Wednesday, ready for a day full of books and stories on Thursday. To end a busy week, the children enjoyed outdoor learning on Friday afternoon.
Weaved into our wider curriculum experiences, the children have finished their retelling of the Three Little Pigs story and answered some comprehension questions about the text. In maths, we have been exploring whether groups of objects are equal or unequal. We have also introduced even and odd numbers. Our circle time this week was about how to be a good friend. The children considered how they could help their friends in different scenarios. Soon we will begin learning about the Easter story.
We have been blessed with some lovely weather this week so the children have enjoyed lots of role play in our outside area ☀️
Next week is British Science Week so lots to look forward to there!
Spring 2; Week 1
Firstly, welcome back after what I hope was a very enjoyable half term. It has been a fantastic week in Merlin this week. The children have all come back refreshed and ready to give their learning their absolute all. They have amazed me with their hard work and determination all week. I can't believe how hard they have worked - they really have been amazing!
We have started our traditional tales topic this week looking at Three Little Pigs. We have been retelling the story through our writing (I have also witnessed some BAFTA worthy performances of the story during provision opportunities, too! 😂) The children's writing has been nothing short of remarkable! Lots of stickers have been (rightfully) earned - what simply amazing children they are!
In maths we have been revisiting some of our previous number knowledge. We have been looking deeply at numbers to 10 (ordering and finding 1 more and 1 less). We have extended our knowledge by also beginning to look at teen numbers and the pattern that we notice. We will be continuing to explore numbers beyond 10 regularly throughout the remainder of the year but the children have made an excellent start.
Our PSHE lesson this week was about caring for our families. The children spoke about the people that are in their family and how they can look after them. We spoke about different scenarios and the children thought of some very heartwarming suggestions of how they can be helpful at home.
In our Understanding the World session, we learnt about recycling. We learnt about how to sort recycling and why recycling is important. The children were set the task of sorting different items into the correct recycling bin. We also spoke about the recycling symbol. Merlin Class have enjoyed checking various food packaging at lunch times to see if they can spot it. It is great to see the children so enthusiastic about such an important topic 😊
We have also begun our World Book Day craft in preparation for World Book Day next week. The children are creating a Three Little Pigs display to showcase their fantastic work based on this traditional tale.
This week we also had our first session of outdoor learning. This will replace our Friday welly walk for this half term only. The children were able to partner up with some of the older children from Lancelot class to participate in various different activities in our school allotments. Lots of fun was had by all.
On Monday afternoon, we also opened the doors between pre-school and Merlin Class for the first time this year. You may remember this as "Fun Friday" if your child attended pre-school last year on a Friday. It is an opportunity for all EYFS children to join together and share learning experiences between the two classrooms. It was lovely to see the children trying to "teach" the younger ones during lots of play - they were excellent role models! We will be continuing with this on Monday afternoons 😊
That concludes our busy but very successful week! I truly cannot praise the children enough this week. They have all been superstars!
Spring 1; Week 6
This week we have been consolidating all of our learning from this half term. The children enjoyed a visit from BugFest (see previous post) to draw our learning about different animals and minibeasts to a close. It was lovely to see so many of the children being brave and having a go at holding lots of different creepy crawlies!
In literacy, the children have been writing a recount of the key events that happened in our key text, What the Ladybird Heard. Maths this week has been consolidation of our addition and subtraction skills and having to interpret number sentences to recognise and switch between the two. We marked Safer Internet Day on Tuesday with an assembly about our personal information and how to protect ourselves online. The children completed a sorting task once back in the classroom, discussing what they felt was personal information and what was not.
Today, we celebrated all of the children's hard work with a welly walk to the park. Lots of fun was had by all!
Bugfest
The children loved learning about lots of different minibeasts when Bugfest came to visit today.
We saw a giant millipede, stick insects, beetles, spiders, cockroaches, a giant snail and some scorpions. The children listened carefully to all the interesting facts.
Everybody was so brave and many children wanted to have a go at handling lots of the different creatures 🐛🪳🕷️
Spring 1; Week 5
Can you believe we only have 1 week left of the first Spring half term? We are edging closer and closer to being half way through the school year - how fast has that gone?!
This week we have been learning all about minibeasts. Our key text has been 'What the ladybird heard' by Julia Donaldson. In our writing sessions the children have been exploring rhyming patterns and thinking of rhyming words. We have also continued developing our describing skills and have been describing the different characters in the story. I fear it gets repetitive every week but it honestly does blow us away how much progress the children have made with their writing and the confidence they have to give it a go with a good level of independence now. I may say it a lot but it is true - the children are superstars!
In maths, we have continued with subtraction and have begun to explore its relation to addition facts with the beloved return of part-whole models! The children are becoming increasingly speedy with their ability to solve number problems. It has been great to see them put a variety of different strategies to the test this week.
This week is children's mental health week. Our PSHE sessions have continued with our theme of recognising safe and unsafe scenarios, including how to stay safe online. We have also discussed how to keep our brains healthy and how to be kind to ourselves and others.
To enhance our learning on minibeasts, next Thursday we are having a special visitor join us in school to show us various different minibeasts and other interesting creatures. There will be the opportunity for the children to handle some of these creatures during our session. If you have any questions, queries or concerns about this, please do come and speak to Miss Morris. The children are very excited about this opportunity and are eagerly counting down the days on our calendar for the event.
Speaking of exciting upcoming events...
Our end of year trip has now been arranged! I know many children have shared the good news with you all at home. To clarify, this trip is not until July 😉 Further information and details will be sent out shortly after the half term.
Spring 1; Week 4
It's been lovely to be back with the children this week after a short while away. I have been told the children worked incredibly hard in my absence and were impeccably behaved - well done, Merlins! I must also add that we have been very impressed with the home learning that has been returned following the school closure on Monday. What a lovely opportunity for you to see, in action, the incredible progress, determination and hard work the children put towards their writing and maths work. It truly was a superb effort by all - thank you for your support with this.
This week, we have been studying the ocean as a habitat. We have explored animals that live underwater and began to investigate why these animals are not suited to other habitats. We have spent some time discussing pollution in the ocean and what happens when we do not put our rubbish in the bin. The children learnt that plastic is not biodegradable and therefore will not break down and will stay in our oceans forever, harming the sea creatures that live there. The children have been very passionate about this topic and have produced some lovely pieces of writing outlining the dangers of plastic in the ocean and encouraging people to but their rubbish in the bin.
In maths, we continued to explore subtraction, using different strategies to solve subtraction problems. The children are now beginning to explore the relationship between addition and subtraction, which is something that we will continue to look at throughout the remainder of this unit. We will be returning to part-whole models to help us with this, which I know is a rather popular strategy for children in Merlin Class 😊
The children enjoyed a rather wet welly walk down to the river today. They enjoyed seeing the broken bridge and discussing why it is unsafe to use. This fitted in nicely with our PSHE lesson this week all about recognising safe and unsafe scenarios.
Home learning 27.01.2025
I have attached below a writing and maths task for the children to have a go at today if possible. As Mr Gordon has explained, we appreciate that everybody's individual circumstances are different and there is no set expectation to access this or complete a set amount.
Below is a sentence writing activity where the children can use the picture as a prompt to write a sentence about what they can see, for example, 'The shark is big' or 'It is blue'. The children may choose to write a sentence about 1 picture or may choose to write about both. I have attached the grapheme mat we use in school to help the children with their sounds.
The maths activity is based on subtraction. This is a fairly new concept to the children which we will be focusing on this week.
Any questions, please let me know through an email to the office or via Tapestry.
Best Wishes,
Miss Morris
Maths Curriculum Evening
For those unable to attend our maths curriculum evening, copies of the documents available can be found below.
Spring 1; Week 3
We are officially half way through the first Spring half term - time really does start flying!
This week we have been learning about habitats. The children have learnt what a habitat is and have enjoyed lots of small world opportunities to explore lots of different examples, including the desert, sea and forest. Our key text this week has been The Gruffalo. We have been paying close attention to the setting of the book, the creatures that live there and where they might be found. In our writing sessions, we have revisited our prior knowledge of adjectives to enable us to describe the Gruffalo and record our ideas in full sentences.
We consolidated our knowledge of addition by mastering our skills in using different strategies. To end the week, the children were solving addition number stories by interpreting the scenario to write and solve the number sentence. It is great to see the children so confident with this concept now. Next week we will move on to subtraction and its relation to addition.
This week, we also learnt about Chinese New Year. We learnt that each year is symbolised by a different animal and this year is the year of the snake. The children began making their own snake art to mark this celebration 🐍
Such excellent progress is being made with the children's reading - how joyous to watch them all flourish into confident and enthusiastic readers! Thank you for all your support with this. The children are beginning to find the new tricky words quite a challenge so please can I ask you to continue to practice these as often as you can at home. The phonics sheet that comes home each week is yours to keep so please don't feel that this needs to be returned with the homework 😊
Spring 1; Week 2
We have enjoyed another week all about dinosaurs. The children have each produced a fantastic piece of writing this week, detailing the fun facts that they have learnt during this topic. A highlight of the week for many was our dinosaur egg hunt where the children had to search for eggs containing interesting facts. Merlin Class found it funny to learn that dinosaurs had very small brains and most dinosaurs had feathers!
In maths, we have been working on our addition skills. We have been using practical resources to help us add numbers together. Good progress has been made throughout the week towards this - we have seen great confidence grow when interpreting number sentences.
In our art sessions we have been perfecting our drawing skills. The children have been following step by step instructions on how to draw a dinosaur. I must say the final result of these drawings were spectacular!! We were blown away by the precision of many drawings. It was lovely to see the children so proud of their work, too!
Well done to Jacob and Bettsie-Mae for being awarded Merlin Class Star and Worker of the Week this week.
Next week we will continue to learn about different creatures with a focus on habitats.
Spring 1; Week 1
Welcome back! I hope you all had a lovely break over the festive period. It has been lovely welcoming the children back and hearing about all the wonderful things they have got up to over the holidays.
We have started our Phase 3 teaching in phonics now. The children have learnt the sounds /ai/, /ee/, /igh/ and /oa/. The children have come home with some spellings. These will come home every Friday and contain the new sounds taught that week. There will be no spelling test but please do encourage your child to practise segmenting and spelling these words as it will encourage them to become increasingly independent with their writing.
In maths, we have been refreshing our number bond knowledge using 5 and 10 frames. The children have practised writing related number facts by swapping the parts over. For homework, the children have a worksheet consolidating this knowledge. As we continue throughout the remainder of the year, please can completed homework be returned by Wednesday. Thank you!
As part of our topic based learning the children have been learning about dinosaurs. We have discussed dinosaurs as a historical creature, learnt what extinct means and sorted dinosaurs by their diets (labelling them as carnivores, herbivores and omnivores). It has been rather impressive to hear the children use these terms accurately in their play whilst in provision. Next week we will learn about fossils and Mary Anning.
Although only a 4 day week we have still managed to achieve so much! The tiredness was certainly beginning to show by Friday afternoon!
Merry Christmas
Merlin children enjoyed a christmas party this afternoon, interrupted by a special video from Santa. We have had a lovely festive day🎅🌲
On behalf of all Merlin staff, thank you all for your kind and generous gifts. We wish you all a merry christmas and a very happy new year❤️
Miss Morris & the Merlin Class Team
Autumn 2; Week 6
We have made it to the end of our penultimate week of this term - where does the time go?! Our school calendar has become increasingly filled with many festivities. Merlin Class enjoyed performing our 'Big Little Nativity' for you on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, many of us also enjoying a Christmas dinner on Wednesday, too!
This week the children have been reviewing all taught phonics sounds. As a result, the children have a different homework task than usual. I am sure they are going to impress you all with their decoding of CVC words!
In our writing sessions, the children have been writing about Stick Man. They have described what he looks like as well as recalled key events from the story. Many children are now writing up to 2 sentences in one writing session - what an achievement!
In maths, Merlin have been studying repeating patterns. They have been learning how to spot the core of a pattern and how we can use this to help us continue the pattern. At the end of the week, the children were tasked with creating their own pattern.
Our PSHE focus this week was 'I am caring'. The children have modelled some incredibly caring behaviour towards each other this week, with many children commenting on how proud they are of their friends.
Today the whole school enjoyed a Panto performance of Dick Whittington. They enjoyed cheering and booing in the immersive experience. I am not sure what was more entertaining for the adults, watching the show or the reactions of Merlin children throughout!
Next week marks our final week of the Autumn Term with lots of festivities to look forward to!
A visit from Santa
Merlin were rather excited about our special surprise today! We were very lucky to have Father Christmas come and visit us in a helicopter to collect our Christmas wish lists.
How exciting!
Autumn 2; Week 4
Christmas has officially begun in Merlin Class 🎅🤶! Our role play area has rather excitedly been changed to Santa's Workshop where the children (or should I say elves?!) have been busy writing and sorting Christmas mail! If you look closely you may be able to spot our elf class photo as well as our two proud elf employees of the year!🤫🫢😉. This week also saw the arrival of the school Christmas tree in the hall which Merlin had the opportunity to decorate. The children have also been writing their letters to Santa this week.
Phonics teaching has covered the digraphs /sh/, /th/, /ng/ and /nk/. These complete the sounds taught this half term as the following weeks will be a review of all teaching so far. In addition to their letters, the children have been writing short sentences and learning about capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. During our writing sessions we have been blown away by how well the children have used their phonics knowledge to help spell words to form their sentences.
Our maths sessions have continued with part-whole models, this week working within 10 to find number bonds as well as exploring their commutavity! The children have enjoyed this maths strategy - it has been lovely to see so many work with such great independence with such confidence.
Our PSHE session this week covered different types of families. The children enjoyed a circle time discussing the special people in their families.
I must not forget the special visitor we welcomed earlier in the week. Merlin Class were delighted to have their maths lesson interrupted by no one other than Pudsey! Their little faces lit up the whole room and it was clear Pudsey was just as excited to meet them, too!
Congratulations this week go to Charlie and Eliza for being awarded Star and Worker of the week in Merlin!
It was lovely to see so many of you at the Christmas Fair tonight! We hope you had a lovely time.
Despicable Me 4
The children represented the school so wonderfully on our trip to Cineworld Yeovil to watch Despicable Me 4. They all sat so beautifully - it was brilliant to watch them fully immerse themselves in the experience, chuckling away to themselves!
What a brilliant movie!
Autumn 2: Week 3
This week the children learnt the sounds /z/, /qu/ and /ch/. They have also practised reading /s/ at the end of words when used to demonstrate a plural or verb. Some children have found it quite helpful to 'chop off the s' to blend the root word first, before adding the s at the end. We have changed the home learning sheet to include the sounds, decodable words, sentences, and tricky words we have read this week. Please use the sheet in whichever you feel works best for you and your child - you can cut it up into its parts, or write the words on a piece of paper so that they are bigger and clearer for the children to read. If you have any questions regarding this, please do ask 😊
In maths this week, the children have been exploring the composition of numbers using part-whole models and then interpreting these to write number sentences. Miss Young and I are very impressed with how quickly the children have picked up this concept and how confidently they can apply it to write a corresponding number sentence - truly remarkable work this week!
In our writing sessions, the children have begun writing short phrases. We have introduced capital letters and learnt about finger spaces. The children have written some fantastic short phrases and all worked incredibly hard to sit their letters on the line and form them correctly - we have been celebrating lots of wonderful writing this week.
Our Nativity rehearsals have continued, each time getting better and better. The excitement continues to grow for our performances early in December!
Congratulations to Florence and Jacob who are this weeks Star and Worker of the Week!
Autumn 2; Week 2
Merlin class have been battling those seasonal coughs and colds this week but have continued to work incredibly hard.
We have started rehearsing our Nativity for our production of the 'Big Little Nativity' in the next few weeks. The children have been pracitising the songs and actions every day and have listened well to instructions as the production begins to take place on the stage - well done, Merlins! We even enjoyed practising our songs whilst on our welly walk today - we can always rely on Merlin to spread joy and cheer around the village!
We started the week with Remembrance Day on Monday. Merlin Class made some lovely poppy lanterns that we proudly took to our Remembrance service where we participated with the 2 minute silence and listened to some thoughtful readings from Lancelot Class. Today we marked Children in Need by wearing our pyjamas to school - I think many now hope this could be a more frequent occurrence 😂
In phonics this week, the children learnt the sounds /w/, /v/, /x/ and /y/. We have been writing CVC words with increased independence in our writing sessions whilst still focusing on our correct letter formation. The children have found the tricky words particularly tricky this week. I have offered the children 5 gems (house points) on Monday if they practise their tricky words over the weekend. I would appreciate if you could record that they have practised these in their reading records, thank you 😊
In maths, the children have been exploring numbers to 10, including forming the numerals 6 - 10 and matching quantities to its written numeral. Next week children will be introduced to part-part-whole models for the first time to begin exploring composition in different ways.
Well done to Primrose and Dylan for being awarded Merlin Class star and worker of the week this week 🌟
Autumn 2; Week 1
I hope you all enjoyed the half term break. We have jumped straight back into the swing of things this week...
In phonics, we have learnt some new digraphs (ll, ff, and ss) as well as /j/. We have also been practising the tricky words 'full', 'pull', 'as' and 'put'. The children have all come home with a Homework folder this week, this contains the tricky words we have been practising in class so that they can continue to familiarise themselves with these at home. Now that we have begun to learn 4 tricky words a week, it can be a lot to remember so please do try to find some time to review these words with your children as much as you can - it really does help! 😊
In maths, the children have been practising their counting skills as well as their formation of numerals 6 - 10. Our mastering number sessions have focused on making 5 and has started to look at its composition, ready to start introducing some early addition and subtraction skills.
Merlin Class enjoyed their first welly walk of the year this week. We went on a walk around the village, spotting signs of Autumn and collecting some leaves. We ended the welly walk by planting some poppies at the front of the school in preparation for our Remembrance service on Monday. We have also enjoyed making some Remembrance lanterns this week as well as learning all about Bonfire Night and creating a some lovely bonfire/firework inspired crafts!
Nativity rehearsals are set to begin from next week! Be prepared to start hearing some rather catchy Christmas songs on repeat for the next few weeks 😊🤩
Well done to Jack and Louis for being selected as Worker and Star of the week - keep up the good work, boys!
Merlin help to plant their own poppy for the community display
Autumn 1; Week 6
How crazy that we are almost at the end of the childrens first half term at school! Our timetable continues to grow busier and busier as the weeks progress.
We learnt the sounds /h/, /b/, /f/ and /l/ in phonics this week, alongside the tricky word 'the'. The children have found this tricky word particularly challenging this week so we have been working hard on our speedy recognition of the letters. We have continued to practice reading short CVC words that allow the children to apply their grapheme knowledge to their reading.
In maths, the children have been noticing the patterns in numbers to 5 and ordering numerals - putting our formation to the test! We have been exploring mathematical language of more / less / fewer than to compare quantities and will be continuing with this next week.
The children enjoyed a music session earlier in the week. We were learning about pitch and rhythm as well as learning new call and response songs. As always, yoga was a highlight of the week for many as well as our PE sessions with Mr Bunter practising various multi-skills.
Merlin Class are very lucky to be having a student teacher join us from next week. Miss Young will be joining us for the remainder of the Autumn Term (until Christmas). The children were briefly introduced to Miss Young on Wednesday but will be sure to get to know her well over the period of next week.
Hello Yellow Day 2024
Merlin Class certainly brightened up the school on Hello Yellow Day this year!
Autumn 1; Week 5
In phonics, we learnt the sounds /ck/, /e/, /u/, /r/ and the tricky word 'I'. The children were incredibly excited to learn their first digraph (2 letters that make that 1 sound) and have been proudly explaining what a digraph is to their peers all week! Excellent progress has been made with reading and some children will begin to gradually bring home worded books from next week.
(Little disclaimer: Please do not be alarmed if your child remains on wordless books for a little while longer - the goal of Little Wandle is to have all children reading by Christmas so it is certainly nothing to be worried about 😊)
In maths, the children have been perfecting their number formation. We have been learning the ditties to help us remember how to write them correctly:
1 - Straight line down and then you're done. That's how you make a number 1.
2 - Half a heart will never do, slide it back to make a 2.
3 - Around the tree and around the tree. That's how you make a number 3.
4 - Down, across and down some more. That's how you make a number 4.
5 - Make his hat, make his back, make 5's tummy round and fat.
The children have found the ditties incredibly helpful and have been forming their numbers beautifully all week.
Yoga was another success this week. The children behaved wonderfully and engaged really well with the session. Again, Paula was full of compliments about the class - keep it up, Merlin! We also celebrated World Mental Health Day (Hello Yellow Day) this Thursday. The children enjoyed a variety of mindful activities throughout the day and looked super in their bright yellow clothing.
Our PSHE focus this week has been around people who help us. We have had many class discussions about what an emergency is and the role of the emergency services. The children showed great maturity and respect throughout these discussions - it was lovely to hear all their contributions.
Autumn 1; Week 4
Phonics teaching continued, learning the sounds /g/, /o/, /c/, /k/. The children also learnt our first tricky word 'is'. We are very impressed with the children's commitment to their phonics; the teaching pace is certainly starting to increase and they are doing a wonderful job at the remembering all the sounds taught so far! We have also been working really hard on our letter formation, remembering to hold our pencils with our 'pinchy fingers' (tripod grip) rather than grasping with our palms.
In our maths sessions we continued to practise our subitising skills. We began the week by subitising regular patterns (for example, dice patterns) where we were quickly recalling the amount shown. As the week progressed, we started to move towards conceptual subitising (finding small amounts inside bigger quantities). It is always interesting to see how children spot different arrangements of numbers inside a larger quantity of objects - there was some great mathematical thinking shown by all this week!
We have also been incredibly busy preparing for the Harvest Assembly on Tuesday (tomorrow). You may have already been blessed with a little sneak peek on 'Big red combine harvester' at home (😂) - it certainly is a crowd pleaser! Alongside practising our Harvest songs we have been learning about the celebration of Harvest and creating a collaborative piece of artwork to showcase at the church.
European Day of Languages
Today Merlin Class celebrated European Day of Languages by representing France for the day.
The children have enjoyed some classroom provision based on our chosen country, including painting the flag and building the Eiffel Tower. The highlight of the day possibly being making - and tasting - some crepes!
Please ignore our minor error with the flag. In the hustle and bustle of preparing 15 children for a photo, the flag was unfortunately put up the wrong way around 🙈 - good job it's Friday!
Autumn 1; Week 3
It has been lovely to have the children join us for the entirety of the school day this week. With increased learning time we have been able to fit lots of exciting opportunities into our week.
We have continued with our daily phonics lessons; this week the children learnt the sounds /i/, /n/, /m/, /d/. We have been revisiting our previously taught sounds and refining our correct formation of these letters. We have seen such great progress from the children with this each day - their determination to master this skill is inspiring! Reading groups remain a highly enjoyable time our week. Despite the lack of words in the books, the children are enjoying sharing these with a grown up and letting their imagination and curiosity create some wonderful storylines and observations. We hope you are enjoying sharing these books with your children at home, too!
We have been practising our counting skills in maths as well as our number formation. The children have been using various different resources to represent numbers to 5 including objects, 5-frames and written numerals. Mr Gordon had the delight of delivering a maths lesson in Merlin Class on Thursday - he was certainly impressed with the children's enthusiasm and confidence working with these numbers and showing them in different ways.
On Wednesday the children had their first yoga session. Paula was full of compliments about the children's behaviour and participation during the session. There were lots of relaxed, tired faces at the end of session so it was clearly very impactful!
Autumn 1; Week 2
This week was our final week of half days. The children enjoyed a trip to the allotments this morning to go hunting for some minibeasts and to check on the pumpkins that are growing up there. This was the childrens first time in the allotments and it was loved by all - the are keen to visit there again soon!
This week, we began our phonics lessons. The children have learnt the sounds /s/, /a/, /t/, /p/ so far. We have been practising our recognition of these sounds at the beginning of words and will be really focusing on our formation of these letters next week.
Autumn 1; Week 1
Merlin Class have been incredibly busy this week settling into their new school routine. Earlier in the week, Merlin Class were excited to find a toad had been enjoying some time in our outside area! The children enjoyed seeing the toad up close and giving it a tour of our outside area before we put it up near the pond for a more suitable environment.
We have started our mastering number sessions this week, looking at numbers 1-3 in detail and practising our subitising skills (recognising a quantity without needing to count). The children have enjoyed using Numberblocks to help us explore these numbers in detail and have been busy making their own Numberblocks throughout the week.
We are incredibly proud of how the children have embraced school life - it is wonderful to see so many smiley faces walking through the gates in the morning.
