This week in Dexter Class
Today Seb brought in an ammonite fossil for us to look at. This opened up some really interesting conversations based around Past and Present-part of our Understanding of the World Curriculum. We talked about what fossils actually are and where they come from. We looked at the collection of fossils that we keep in school and got out some non-fiction books to look for interesting facts. We learnt about Mary Anning, a palaeontologist and fossil hunter who lived in Lyme Regis. I also showed the children a video about the Natural History Museum collection of dinosaurs including Dippy the Diplodocus! This inspired some mask making and also some matching activities where we matched fossils to the picture of the dinosaur. Our literacy this week is all about non-fiction and so we will use this topic to form the basis for looking at labelling, instructions and factsheets as well as looking at the features of a very simple biography. I am also hoping to make our own salt dough ammonites later in the week.
In phonics, we are revising Phase 2 and 3 sounds and using them to read and spell Phase 4 words. We will be completing lots of High Frequency and Common Exception Word (tricky words) reading and comprehension work to ensure we are securing these into our memory banks to increase our reading and writing fluency.
We regularly assess children's fluency and recall and then match the reading books we send home accordingly against what is being taught in class. Sometimes the books may appear a little basic but this is often deliberate! We are aiming to improve confidence, fluency and expression and there are no benefits to racing through the scheme to the next levels. Also, the reading scheme is just a very small part of what reading is all about at Amberley, so please do enjoy wider reading at home just as we do in school to keep things interesting and exciting! Monday is library day so your children will be encouraged to choose a book from the library and it is entirely their choice. If you have any books lying around at home that need returning please do send them in as I would like all children to be able to take part in these library sessions on a Monday when Mrs Bayly comes in to support them.
In maths, we will be practising adding by 'counting on' from a given number. There were lots of shouts of "easy-peasy" today but when we looked at doing it practically they soon discovered it was not so simple! We talked through the common misconceptions and made great progress throughout the lesson. We will be adding by counting on throughout the week.
In RE we are learning about the meaning of ‘Pentecost’ and learning to understand some symbols of the Holy Spirit. Our worships will continue around the value of justice.
Finally, I would just like to remind (and recommend!) you to look at and 'like' the Tapestry posts that we add. This is a fun way of discussing your children's learning and giving them opportunities to tell you about what is happening in school. It helps with the "What did you do today?"...... "Nothing!" conversations that often happen!
