Scissett CE Academy

Excellence for the Whole Child. A place where all succeed

Welcome to David Attenborough Class

 

Teacher: Miss James

Hello, my name is Miss James and I am the class teacher in Reception. Mrs Bray works with me in Reception every day and she is fantastic! Our initial aim is to welcome the children into school by creating a fun, safe and stimulating environment which initially involves lots of creative play based learning both indoors and outside. We spend a lot of time getting to know the children and endeavour to build good relationships with each and every one of them.

We are named after the famous natural historian David Attenborough. Sir David Attenborough has presented many documentaries on the BBC about natural history including the Blue Planet, Life on Earth and Green planet. In Reception class this is something we love to learn about through our topics of Families and living things and under the sea. We also take our learning outdoors in our Forest School sessions where we explore and get up close and personal with nature and just like Attenborough, start to learn how animals and minibeasts survive and how humans impact the world of animals.

A little bit about how we learn in Reception:

Throughout the Reception school year we like to have lots of fun and really enjoy our learning, therefore your child will enjoy an active and rich curriculum.

We aim to build the foundations and prepare children for the rest of their time at Scissett CE Academy and beyond. Our main focuses for this school year is to develop high quality phonics and being able to read is the most important skill children will learn. In achieving this we will send home key words and a reading book along with a reading record diary for you to comment in about your child's progress enabling us to continue the learning journey together.

Within the ‘Foundation Curriculum’ there are seven areas of learning these are:-

  • Communication and Language 
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Physical Development
  • Literacy 
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the World 
  • Expressive Arts and Design

On-going assessment in these areas through observation and set activities, ensure we are meeting and extending the learning opportunities for your child.

 

Learning links:

Here are some website links to help with your child’s phonics and maths skills.

Phoneme Pop!

A brilliant and motivating way to embed the letter sounds that we are learning.

http://www.ictgames.com/phonemePopLS_v2.html

 

Phonics Play-interactive games

This site is split in to the different phases that we teach the children as they learn to read. You will know where your child is up to from the words they are sent home with.

http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/index.htm

 

Ceebeebies Alphablocks

We are using the alphablocks to help the children learn letter sounds and to understand how to read and spell words using letter sounds.

http://play.bbc.co.uk/play/pen/gt64l93rr9

 

Phonics Play - Pick a picture

Use the phase 2 sets 1-5 option to allow the children to practice reading tricky words.

http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/PictureMatch.html

 

100 Splat Square

The children love counting on this number square.

http://resources.oswego.org/games/SplatSquares/splatsq100.html

 

Top marks maths games

Interactive games to help children count and recognise numbers

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/counting

 

 

Numbots

For pupils to use efficient mental calculation strategies to add and substract two-digit numbers, so that they can leave counting on their fingers behind.

https://numbots.com/schools/

David Attenborough Class - Summer Term 2025

 

David Attenborough Class - Spring Term 2025

A visit from Animal Club

As part of our Living Things topic, Reception class had a very special visit from ‘Animal club’ who brought some interesting and unusual friends along for us to meet. We learnt about lots of different animals from snakes to bearded dragons and guinea pigs to rabbits. The children got to handle most animals and feel the different textures of their skin. We found the giant snails slimy, the bearded dragons sleepy and the guinea pigs were rather quick to run about! We did however get the chance to come face to face with Sharon the tarantula and cuddle Socks the snake… a very brave class of children! 

Eco Day

Reception class combined Eco day with forest school and was challenged to create a small project around the theme of ‘Recycling’. We decided to construct some bird feeders using old yogurt pots and egg boxes so we could entice some more bird wildlife into our reception outdoor area and observe. We will let you know if it works! 

Foraging in Forest School…

After the delivery of some live caterpillars and reading the story of The Crunching, Munching Caterpillar, Attenborough class have explored and searched the school grounds for tree seeds that they could use to illustrate the life cycle of a butterfly. There were some very inventive representations! 

 

The Human Body

Reception class have been enjoying their learning on the human body inspired by the book Funny Bones by Allan Ahlberg. They have used their phonics to label different body parts and explored many of the bone structures in provision activities that make up the skeletal system.

 

Dinosaurs

Reception class have been enjoying their topic of Dinosaurs, completing learning and play activities in the provision guided by their own interests. These have been in both the indoor and outdoor provision and have included…

Building and labelling a dinosaur obstacle course concentrating on positional and directional language - under, over, through, above, below, across, alongside, up, down, balance, behind, in front, between, forwards, backwards, next to and on…

Developing communication skills around play scenarios in the small world indoors and outdoors…

Using our imaginations to produce skeleton artwork and develop creative play in ‘dinosaur dig’.

Maths: exploring 6,7,8 

We have been exploring the composition of 6,7 and 8 and comparing the different amounts. Our task was to sort the number of objects on the pictures into the correct number circle. We then discussed which amount had the most and least to support developing our mathematical language. 

 

Exploring what fossils are… 

After learning about the historical figure of Mary Anning the children have been exploring their own ammonite fossils through different tasks in the provision such as, observational drawings, rubbings, sentence writing, using non-fiction books for fact finding and printing in play dough. 

 

 

David Attenborough Class - Autumn Term 2024

Learning in the Snow

Reception have had an icy fun week exploring the processes of freezing and melting and wasn't it great that even the weather decided to follow our curriculum! Lots of practical investigations and hands-on experiences while understanding the effects of the natural world around us.

 

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Attenborough class have been enjoying lots of different activities in the provision based around our story this week - Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We’ve still yet to find Goldilocks, but having made some WANTED! posters, representations of bears and finding out who likes/ dislikes porridge, we are hoping she will appear…!

New Routines!

As the newbies in school we have been getting very busy settling into our new classroom, learning lots of rules and routines. There have been many activities and play opportunities to explore in the different provision areas both inside and in the outdoors. Who would know we’ve only had just over one full week in school!

Miss James is very proud of all the children for a super start at Scissett CE Academy. 

Our first PE lesson!

Today in reception we had our first PE lesson. We all just about managed to get ourselves changed and learned how to smartly line our shoes up in the hall. We explored moving in lots of different ways, following a set of instructions. What super listening! 

 

 

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