Ash Class Inspire, nurture and challenge 

Zoe and Beans…

This week in Maths we have been working on counting on from any number to calculate the missing part if we know a whole. For example, if we know the whole is 12, and one part is 3, what could the other part be? Children have been working on counting on, for example from the 3 to the 12, to find the missing part. They have been very confident finding the parts but have found it hard to explain how they have done this. Next week we will be working on subtraction. This may seem too easy for your child but we are setting many challenges and reasoning for those children who are very confident.

In English we have been studying the British Scientist Professor Robert Winston and thinking about the genetic links within our families. It has been lovely to hear the children make simple connections between themselves and their parent/s and grandparent/s, such as similar hair colour, or height etc.

In Outdoor Learning we practised weaving skills, making gods eyes using wool, and took the goats for  walk! As a result we had rather more bramble scratches than ideal as the goats very much enjoy chomping on the bramble leaves.

Please note: next week we will be making gingerbread men.
Please can all Christmas cards be sent into school by 11th Dec to allow for  quarantine period before distribution.  If you would like a class list, let me know.
Our class Christmas party will be on the 17th December. We won’t be asking for food due to COVID 19 restrictions.
Christmas jumpers and mufti may be worn on the 18th Dec, just for fun!

Thank you for your support with Spelling Shed – we are first in the school league table, beating every other class!

 

This week we have been busily looking at the “ar” and “ur” sounds in phonics, learning words like barn, farm and dark, as well as fur, turn and burn. We have been working on sentence structure, composing and writing our own sentences using correct letter formation, punctuation and spelling out words using our phonics. Well done to everyone who managed to log on to spelling shed, this weeks list should be up now and revisits the “ee” sound that we covered last week. If you are unable to use spelling shed, or think your child learns better using a different method, such as “look, say, cover, write, check”, that is fine. Please use whichever method best suits you and your family.

In maths we have continued to look at fact families, number bonds to ten and how to solve problems systematically, which children have found challenging. I have been asking many children to explain their reasoning to others, which is an indicator that they have really understood!

In Forest School we have worked with clay to create beautiful impressions of natural items in the field, as well as stick people using clay and natural items.

Next week we will be finding out about Professor Robert Winston and his work on child growth and development. We will be looking at inherited characteristics such as hair and eye colour, and whether children can roll their tongue. If you are able to talk about this with your child over the weekend that would be amazing. If you share a hair colour, eye colour, sweet tooth or special ability, we would love to know!

Have a great weekend.

 

This week in Phonics we have been looking at the sounds ee and ea, making the “eeeee” sound found in creep, tree and bee, as well as beach, reach and teach. The spelling homework reflects last weeks trigraph, igh. This means the children have the opportunity I revisit and explore the different sounds after the initial teaching input. Next week we will be looking at ar and or.

In maths we have been starting to think about fact families in relation to part part whole diagrams, as well as number sentences. Children continue to practise number formation, particularly 3 and 5.

Our major excitement for the week came when our class goats arrived! We were thrilled that Murphy and Scratch could come this week after some delay and the children have been out to say hello. Next week we will start thinking about caring for them and what they need to grow and thrive. We are using the acronym FADES to remember what to check, standing for Food And Drink Enrichment Straw. Thank you so much to Arthur’s Mum and Bia’s aunty who kindly donated leads and collars so we can begin to walk them once they are confident in the space. The goats are two boy pygmies, nearly seven months old, and they have come to use from Merrist Wood in Guildford. We spent much of Thursday observing them, as well as planting bulbs on the school site and clearing our allotment ready for planting and preparing our spring growing.

Have a lovely weekend

As mentioned in the last blog post, as of next week we will be setting spellings, based on our phonics, using a website called the spelling shed. The website also has an app available for £2.99, but you don’t have to have it.

Spelling Shed login

I have created a user guide for the Spelling Shed website, which you can use from next Friday, the 13th November. Usernames and passwords can be found in reading records, as of Monday 9th November.  Let me know if you don’t have one.

I hope this guide is helpful, but do let me know if you are still struggling with using it, it took me a while to get it grips with it.

spelling shed

We’ve had a lovely first week back at school, with lots of different activities including drama, some new maths concepts, and our special Camp Out day and evening.

In maths we have started working on part part whole models, which move into number sentences and addition. Children are using a range of skills, including orienting their numbers correctly, writing one number to a square, and using strategies to add.

In English we have started a new book, Mouse, Look Out! We have enjoyed role playing the parts of the cat and mouse, running around a derelict home. Amy C and Laila came up with some amazing language “abandoned” and “collapse” to describe the house. All the children have been working on language, and especially this week for parliament week.

 

In phonics we have covered “igh” and “ee” and as of next week you should receive a spelling list via the Spelling Shed app. More details on how to use this will be in next weeks blog – I am still learning how to use it, as a mum and a teacher!

The camp out was a real success so thank you for your support with it, and for sending in the puddle suits and wellies again. We had half an hour of games on the playground and then some free time on the KS2 play area before heading to the outdoor classroom for fruit kebabs, pinwheels, firework biscuits and hotdogs with hot chocolate and marshmallows. During the day we had made and cooked lots of these treats, done lots of firework art and completed challenges. Photos of the night are below.

We have lots of plimsolls left at school, so if your child doesn’t have theirs, do not worry, we have them! It is super helpful if everything including shoes are named.

Thank you.

Mrs Wiggs