FS2L

foundation 2

Class Teacher: Miss A. Leivers
Teaching Assistants: Miss K.Richardson & Mrs L.Baxter

Hello, and Welcome to Foundation Stage 2, Happy Hedgehogs!

In Foundation, we want all children to succeed and be happy and safe both inside and outside of the classroom. Learning starts as soon as children walk through the doors!

To teach and assess the children in FS2 we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, which consists of 7 areas of learning. These are split into prime and specific areas.

“The three prime areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving”. These areas are: communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development.

There are four specific areas help support a child’s education, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are: literacy, mathematics , understanding the world and expressive arts and design.

In September 2021, the curriculum for EYFS has been changed and improved. Here is a link to our new and improved EYFS Curriculum:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2

Our school day

8:45am gates open

8:55am gates close and children are led to their classroom.

11:45am- 12:30pm- Lunch time – school dinner or packed lunch (Due to allergies, please do not provide your child with foods containing nuts or food labels which state “may contain nuts“)

3:00pm- Home time and children are collected from the classroom.

Our day will consist of a literacy focus in the morning, basing our writing around a story ,relating to our topics below.

We will be teaching phonics everyday using the Read Write Inc scheme and children are split into ability groups.
The sounds are taught in the following order:

Set 1-m, a, s, d, t, i, n, g, o, c, k, u, b, f, e, l, h, r, j, v, y, w, z, x, sh, th, ch, qu, ng, nk,

Set 2-ay, ee, igh, ow, oo, oo (u), ar, or, air, ir, ou, oy

Set 3- ea, oi, a_e, i_e ,o_e ,u_e, aw, are, ur, er, ow, ai, oa, ew, ire, ear, ure, tion, tious/cious

(Please note, children are NOT expected to know all sounds in Sets 1-3. They should by the end of Foundation know all SET 1 and four sounds from SET 2)

When we feel your child is confident with their sounds in Set 1, we will encourage them to sound and blend words which will help them to read and write. We will provide a keyring with the sound cards on so you can practise sounds with your child at home- saying, reading and writing the sounds.

Children are split into phonics ability groups. When your child is comfortable with all or majority of their sounds in set 1, we will give your child a RWInc sound and blending book. We will read this with them at school and we ask that you too encourage your child to read it to you at home.

Once your child is confident and secure with sounding and blending, your child will move onto ditty sheets ( simple worded sentences- corresponding with the sounds, words, and sentences they have been taught in their phonics lesson that week. Again, children will read this sheet in class with an adult and we ask that you too, ask your child to read this at home (Guidance is provided on the sheet).

Children who are able to recognise all set 1 sounds and read the ditties with no support, will then be moved onto a coloured reading RWINc book. This is to be their class and home reading book.

Whether your child is reading a school book, keyring sounds, books from home, we please ask that you record a comment in your child’s reading record as this helps us know what we need to focus on when reading with your child in school.

It will also go towards their number of reads count too. For every read a child does at home, they will be rewarded:

50 reads- Bronze certificate

100 reads- Silver certificate

200 reads- Gold certificate

250+ Governor’s Award

(Please note that only 1 read per day is counted).

Amongst the ditties and the coloured book band books, children will come accross RED words– these are known as tricky words/ high frequency words which your child will regularly find in all books. These are important words for them to become familiar with as they will be using these words frequently in their reading and writing in their future years in school.

In an afternoon, we will teach a numeracy focus, which we also try to relate to the theme or topic of the week.

We will also teach foundation subjects :

PSHE- using the Jigsaw programme.

Art

Music- using Charanga programme

Every Friday, all children will receive a piece of homework relating to the subject we have studied that week- numeracy or literacy focused. Please ensure you child completes this task as independently as possible, using a pencil.

Homework books are to be returned by Wednesday of the following week.

Class Themes and Topics

In Foundation Stage, all learners experience a broad, balanced and varied curriculum, which is relevant to their stage of development. Thoughtfully planned, child-centered topics change from half term to half term, and are used as a vehicle to teach the whole EYFS curriculum. We are following the Cornerstones topics. This year, our topics include:

Autumn 1 -‘All about Ourselves, Houses and Homes, Scarecrows and Traditional tales and Stories with Familiar Settings.’

Autumn 2 – Do cows drink milk?- Autumn walks, Farms and Farm Animals, Celebrations and Festivals, Hanukkah, Christmas

Spring 1 – Will you read me a story?- Chinese New Year, Arctic animals and Fantasy Worlds including Princess and Dragons!

Spring 2 – Do zebras have stripes? Pancake day, Mr Wolf’s Pancakes, Handa’s Surprise, African Safari, Tiger who came to tea and Easter.

Summer 1 – What can you see in the summer? Life-cycles and Habitats, Growth, Minibeasts, Sunflowers, Jasper’s Beanstalk and the Enormous Turnip.

Summer 2 – ‘Are we nearly there yet? Oh we do like to be beside the seaside…’ (including Journeys, Transport and Pirates!).

PE– January-July 2022

This will be every Monday morning so your child will need to come to school dressed in their PE kit:

– black jogging bottoms/ a pair of comfortable shorts can be worn for the warmer months (not denim or restrictive material)

– a white t-shirt

– black tracksuit jacket /jumper for outdoor PE

– trainers for outdoor use / pumps for indoor use

– plain shorts can be worn in the summer months.

Please ensure your child comes to school wearing their school shoes so your child can leave their pumps on their peg for the remainder of the year.

Children have access to our Foundation outdoor area which is provided with sports equipment (balls, hoops, skipping ropes, bats and balls etc) as well as bikes the children can ride.

We follow the National Curriculum for PE where the main key skills taught are:

-movement/ dance

-balancing

-ball skills leading into ball games

-following instructions

-gymnastics

as well as sports day activities and running.

Useful websites for information and games to play with your child

Read Write inc phonics- https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/programmes/phonics/

Phonics Play- https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/

MonsterPhonics- https://monsterphonics.com/games/

Teach Your Monster to Read- https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/

Hairy Letters- https://www.nessy.com/uk/apps/hairy-letters/

Cebeebies- https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/topics/numeracy

Oxford Owl Maths- https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/kids-activities/fun-maths-games-and-activities/

Maths is fun- https://www.mathsisfun.com/games/

ictgames- https://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/

Topmarks- https://www.topmarks.co.uk/

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