Home Page

Gnome

Welcome to Gnome Class!

Our next topic is...

Whose hat is it?

Wow! I cannot believe this our final half term with your wonderful little people! We have had such an amazing year so far and we're so excited for the next few fun-filled weeks. We have so much to look forward to, including a number of visitors, race for life, sports day, our cinema trip and...Gnome Graduation! It's definitely going to be a busy half term, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Our topic this half term is 'Whose hat is it?' where we will be learning about various people who, I'm sure you've guessed, wear hats! Our whole school topic is Vikings, but with the age of the Gnomes in mind we've expanded this to other people who wear hats too. This will include chefs, pirates, the emergency services, kings and queens.

Topics we will be covering in lessons:

In English we will be writing recounts, speech bubbles, recipes, instructions and a Viking themed Talk 4 Writing. In every piece of writing we aim to include all aspects of our phonics lessons. This includes spelling tricky words and high frequency words correctly, whilst segmenting unfamiliar words carefully in order to hear all the sounds.

In Maths we will be deepening our understanding of number by recapping one more, one less, number bonds to 10 and counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. We will also be revisiting 2D and 3D shape, money, size and weight. Please practise these concepts with your children at home to reinforce school-based learning. Can the children weigh some ingredients when baking? Can they count the socks in their drawer by counting in 2s? Can they recognise any 3D shapes around your house and describe the properties? Maths is all around us and we want the children to understand that as much as possible.

In Phonics we are coming to the end of Phase 4 - this is the last phase we will be teaching in Gnome Class. Phase 4 deepens our understanding of segmenting and blending words, as the focus is on consonant blends and clusters in words.

E.g. 'cl' in clapping

'st' and 'mp' in stamping

'dr' and 'nk' in drink

This is such a tricky concept for some children to fully grasp, so using this vocabulary at home whilst reading stories with your child will really help. The list of tricky words which children learn in phases 2, 3 and 4 of phonics are in the front of their reading diaries. Within the next two weeks, the children will have completed Phase 4 and as such will have been taught all of the tricky words listed. We love 'Tricky Word Bingo' in our class. Maybe you could have a game at home to practise their tricky word recognition? I'm sure they'd love to 'teach you' how to play!

Please help to promote a love for reading at an early age by sharing language rich stories with your child at home.

Activities to support your learning at home:

Practise writing your first name and surname. What letters make up your name?
Talk about the letters in different words. E.g. reading labels on packets or tins. Discuss the shape of the letters and how to correctly form them
Read numbers that you see every day, such as numbers on houses or car registration plates
Discuss mathematical concepts in every day life, such as money whilst shopping, time, addition and subtraction, doubling, halving and measurement
Practise counting familiar objects, such as stairs or shoes. Can the children count up to 20? Can they count backwards from 20?
Share stories together and have story time! Talk about the stories you have read. Encourage children to sound out simple words in reading books and blend them together

Key Information and Dates for Gnome Class:

PE will be on a TUESDAY afternoon - this will be dance in the hall. Please leave your child's outdoor PE kit in school too, as we'd like to fit in additional PE sessions outside when the weather is nice.
In EYFS, we go outside in all weathers. In the sunny periods, please ensure that your child is sent to school with a sun hat and sun cream. Sun cream should be applied BEFORE school and reapplied when needed. In colder weather, children should have a waterproof, hat, scarf and gloves in school. We also ask that a pair of wellies are left in school, so we can enjoy jumping in the puddles when it is wet.

3rd June - First day of Summer term 2
4th - 12th June - Father's Day Gift Shop
13th June - Race for Life for F2 - Y2 children
24th June - Viking Week
2nd July - Transition Day (children go to their new class)
3rd July - Transition Day (children go to their new class)
10th July - KS1 Sports Day (morning) KS2 Sports Day (afternoon)
11th July - Gnome Class Afternoon Tea on KS1 Playground 2pm
12th July - Summer Sizzler 5.30-8pm
12th July - Reports going out
19th July - Gnome Class Cinema Trip (AM)
22nd July - Y2 Leavers Assembly 9.30am
22nd July - Gnome Graduation 2pm in the hall

If you would like to help out in Gnome Class, please come and see a member of staff. Whether you are a mum, dad, grandma, grandad or sibling, you are more than welcome to come and join us!

If you have any questions or worries please come and see us, we are here to help in any way we can!

Thank you,

The EYFS Team