Reception Class – Autumn Term 1
In Reception class, week to week, we adapt our planning to reflect children’s interests. We
offer experiences that cover the Early Years curriculum within the class so that the children
are able to access learning independently. Our main theme this half term is All About Me
and Building sites.
Learning Areas – Key Objectives
Values and Golden Rules
Our value this month is peace. We shall be thinking about how peace is important to us even
at our young age. Reception class has a Superhero based behaviour system that encourages
the children to work hard to make the right choice. We also work together to follow our
golden rules these ensure that Reception is a place where we care and respect each other.
Where we are able to try out our learning in an environment that is safe to take risks without
worrying about not being supported.
Communication & Language Development
We use the theme of ourselves to encourage the children to practise good listening and
speech. Active listening includes listening in 1:1 and group scenarios. We retell our own
experiences and talk about features of our own lives using intonation and rhythm. We
encourage the use of a range of tenses and increase our vocabulary by introducing new and
more complex words. By singing songs in class we encourage good listening by repeated
refrains and encouraging rhythm and tone.
Physical Development
Using the stories and music we use our bodies to interpret the stories moving in a variety of
ways; slithering, running, jumping, skipping, hopping and rolling. We are able to walk up the
stairs using alternate feet. We can catch a large ball independently. We manipulate materials
effectively are able to use scissors with skill. When writing we move from a full fist grip to
holding a pencil between our thumb and two fingers, we can copy letters particularly from
our name.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
We are aware of our own feelings and can say how we feel to others. Through opportunities
of free-flow play we can play in groups demonstrating friendly behaviour and taking turns
and sharing fairly. We become more outgoing to others and adapt to new social situations.
We select activities for ourselves but can tolerate delay and adapt our behaviour to different
social situations and events.
Literacy
Writing –We are given many opportunities within the classroom to develop our writing skills
from wherever our starting point is. If our pencil grip is not too confident then we will work
on our hand manipulation and strengthening our muscle tone through focused small hand
work. If our pencil grip is sound we will work on creating positive mark making which are
meaningful when we draw, write or paint by using many mediums computer software, sand
drawing, postcard writing, images and words of ourselves.
Reading – We begin our exciting journey to reading independently!! We practise our first
letters and sounds and if confident this term will receive our first word books. We recognise
story structures identifying principal characters and suggesting alternative endings. We enjoy
rhyming activities and are able to find rhyming pairs. We become confident to read print in
everyday use. We begin our phonics journey with phonics lessons daily and games and
activies to support.
Math
Children will be encouraged to explore and enjoy using numbers in their environment.
During this term we shall use the numbers 1 – 10 knowing them in order spontaneously and
relating them to actual objects. We shall begin to represent these numbers on paper. We will
be able to compare two sets of items and know how many is in each. We will enjoy rhymes
and singing with numbers. We begin to recognise many shapes noticing their similarities and
differences of properties. We will pick out shapes all around us and use them appropriately to
create objects and pictures.
Understanding of the World
We understand what goes on around us by investigating and noticing similarities and
differences, which are the skills that we aim to develop in Reception class. We begin with the
things that we are most familiar with ourselves! We remember and talk about significant
events that happen in our family for example the experiences that we have shared this
summer. We know that we are special and can talk about what makes us so and what makes
us different or the same as others in our class. Looking further outwards we explore the world
around us our new school and the environment it is in. We ask questions, why, how and see
what makes things happen. We notice changes as things grow including ourselves. We will
go this half term to walk and see the building site locally thinking about the skills the men
use and the machines that they operate. We can see the changes ourselves week by week as
the buildings develop.
We use technology each day including computers and the class’ interactive whiteboard. We
are interested in pulleys and technological toys. We know by doing that information can be
obtained from the computer as well as the written word.
Expressive Art and Design
We enjoy singing class songs together and with our specialist music teacher and during whole
school singing assemblies by the end of this half term. During our music sessions we will
explore the sounds that instruments make and create our own tapped out rhythms and songs.
During our creative time in class and with our specialist Art teacher we shall explore textures
and colour mixing. Using the range of media and materials in class we will design and
construct our own models. There are many opportunities in class to role play including a
construction site, a home corner, small world houses and our beach shop and hut. Here we
can re- enact adults ourselves, using the props to create our own stories and experiences.