English
In English, we have been reading Ruby’s Worry, part of the Big Bright Feelings series by Tom Percival. Using this story, the children discussed, wrote about and illustrated one of their own worries. We also thought about how Ruby was able to shrink her worry, before finishing the week by writing four sentences about what we can do to make our own worries smaller or go away.
At this stage in the year, we are encouraging children to use the success criteria in their English books to write sentences that consistently include capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. We also want them to check that their sentences make sense and, as much as possible, begin editing their work independently. Any opportunities to practise these skills at home are greatly appreciated, as regular practice helps build confidence and consistency.
Next week, we will continue our English learning with Ravi’s Roar, another book in the series that helps children understand and navigate the emotion of anger.
Maths
In Maths, we have continued our learning on addition and subtraction within 20. We have explored the meaning of a double—“two lots of the same number”—and practised recalling our doubles from memory. The children also used concrete resources such as Numicon and rekenreks to help work out any doubles they were unsure of.
We then used our understanding of doubles to explore near doubles, learning that if we know a double, we can find one more or one less to work out a near‑double fact. The children have really enjoyed working as “magical mathematicians” to use this strategy!
Phonics
This term we have covered the following graphemes:
- /ur/ – or (word)
- /oo/ – u, oul (awful, could)
- /air/ – are (share)
- /or/ – au, aur, oor, al (author, dinosaur, floor, walk)
Tricky words: once, laugh, because, eye.
We would be very grateful for your support in practising these at home and reading regularly with your child to help build fluency.
Topic Learning
RE
Our learning has focused on the question: Are Christian and Muslim families the same or different?
We created a table of similarities and differences using pictures and labels to help us compare aspects of Christian and Muslim family life. We also asked questions such as: Are your homes the same or different to Muslim and Christian homes? and Is there anything that all homes have in common? The children enjoyed exploring these ideas and sharing their own experiences.
History
We absolutely loved our Victorian Day workshop yesterday!
In the morning, the children completed household tasks that might have been carried out by servants in a Victorian manor. They had lots of fun using props to help with cleaning, pretending to shave beards with Victorian-style razors, laying the table for a grand banquet, doing the washing using Victorian equipment, sewing, and writing with ink and quills.
In the afternoon, we performed a Victorian show featuring mind readers, acrobatics, comedic performances, acting and singing—all in true Victorian style. It was a thoroughly fun and jam‑packed day for everyone.
Thank you for supporting your children with their wonderful costumes—they truly helped bring the experience to life. A huge thank you also to our fantastic parent volunteers, who were invaluable in making the day possible.